Borough of Manhattan Community College
Encyclopedia
The Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) is one of six two-year colleges within the City University of New York
(CUNY) system and the only one in Manhattan
. Founded in 1963, BMCC originally offered business
-oriented and liberal arts
degrees for those intending to enter the business world or transfer to a four-year college. Its original campus
was scattered all over midtown Manhattan
, utilizing office space wherever available. In the mid-1970s CUNY began scouting for suitable property on which to erect a new campus of its own. The current campus has been in use since 1983. Currently, with an enrollment of over 19,000 students, BMCC was. It grants associate's degree
s in a wide variety of vocational, business, health, science, and continuing education fields.
Advertising itself to potential students under the motto, "Start Here. Go Anywhere," its student body is nearly two-thirds female and boasts a median age of 24 with attending students hailing from over 100 different countries, and a faculty of nearly 1,000 full-time and adjunct professors
. Another 10,000 students are enrolled in BMCC's distance education
programs.
and occasionally plays host to the Tribeca Film Festival's
ceremonies and films. The four main campuses rest between New York City Hall
and the Financial District
near the Hudson River
in Downtown Manhattan.
Fiterman Hall was a 15-story building on the campus of this college at 30 West Broadway in Lower Manhattan
. It opened in 1959 as an office building before owner Miles Fiterman, whom the building was named after, donated it to BMCC in 1993, which at the time was the largest private donation to a community college in U.S. history. It was renovated in 2000 to receive new windows and infrastructure. The building was owned by the State of New York Dormitory Authority.
It was heavily damaged during the September 11 attacks in 2001, when debris from the collapse of 7 WTC compromised the structure. It became unsafe to occupy due to mold growth and asbestos exposure. Because traditional demolition would result in an unacceptable environmental impact, the building was scheduled for deconstruction and decontamination as part of the Lower Manhattan redevelopment project.
Fiterman Hall was to have been replaced by a new building designed by the architectural firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
. Deconstruction was scheduled to be complete by February 2007; however, environmental impact concerns and funding issues caused numerous delays in completing the project. At a press conference, which took place at BMCC on November 13, 2008, city and state officials announced a new agreement which solidified demolition and reconstruction plans through a funding agreement with New York City, New York State, and the City University of New York. In addition, approximately $80 million will come from an insurance settlement. Under the plan, the new Fiterman Hall will be completed in 2012. The building was finally demolished in November 2009 after all asbestos had been removed. Construction of its replacement began on 1 December.
However, BMCC also suffers from the same problems that plague all community colleges such as an alarming rise in remedial education, lack of freshman retention, and overcrowding. Due to its larger base of capital compared to most other two-year colleges, expansion of new campuses during the rebuilding of Fiterman Hall was possible. Several trailers are still used as classrooms to this day in order to help expand capacity. Internal programs have also been created or expanded to help with academic advisement, provide online access for registration, transferring to other colleges, and job placement.
A diverse student base, some of whom are only recent arrivals in America also makes tailoring a viable solution difficult. Improving the retention and graduation rate as well as the increased financial and academic burdens of a remedial program still remain a considerable problem.
, and weight room. There are active teams in many sports such as handball
, bowling
, baseball
, soccer, and basketball
. Sports teams compete in both the CUNY athletic system and the local NCAA collegiate sports system despite being a community college. The women's basketball team has won numerous championships including the CUNY basketball championship and the regional Division III championships including placing third nationally in 2000 with a 21-3 regular season record. The chess team has won national awards. One of the most successful programs at BMCC is the men’s soccer team with 6 consecutive wins at cuny soccer championships, 1 regional DIII championship and placing 3rd in the NJCAA national championship in 2005.
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
(CUNY) system and the only one in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Founded in 1963, BMCC originally offered business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
-oriented and liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
degrees for those intending to enter the business world or transfer to a four-year college. Its original campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
was scattered all over midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
, utilizing office space wherever available. In the mid-1970s CUNY began scouting for suitable property on which to erect a new campus of its own. The current campus has been in use since 1983. Currently, with an enrollment of over 19,000 students, BMCC was. It grants associate's degree
Associate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...
s in a wide variety of vocational, business, health, science, and continuing education fields.
Advertising itself to potential students under the motto, "Start Here. Go Anywhere," its student body is nearly two-thirds female and boasts a median age of 24 with attending students hailing from over 100 different countries, and a faculty of nearly 1,000 full-time and adjunct professors
Professors in the United States
In the U.S., "Professors" commonly occupy any of several positions in academia, typically the ranks of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Full Professor....
. Another 10,000 students are enrolled in BMCC's distance education
Distance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
programs.
Campus
Borough of Manhattan Community College is in the heart of TriBeCaTriBeCa
Tribeca is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York in the United States. Its name is an acronym based on the words "Triangle below Canal Street", and is properly bounded by Canal Street, West Street, Broadway, and Vesey Street...
and occasionally plays host to the Tribeca Film Festival's
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
ceremonies and films. The four main campuses rest between New York City Hall
New York City Hall
New York City Hall is located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA, between Broadway, Park Row, and Chambers Street. The building is the oldest City Hall in the United States that still houses its original governmental functions, such as...
and the Financial District
Financial District, Manhattan
The Financial District of New York City is a neighborhood on the southernmost section of the borough of Manhattan which comprises the offices and headquarters of many of the city's major financial institutions, including the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York...
near the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
in Downtown Manhattan.
- 199 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007 - Main Campus
- 70 Murray Street, New York, NY 10007 - Murray Street Campus
- 75 Park Place, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10007 - Park Place Campus
- 108 Cooper Street, New York, NY 10034 - InwoodInwood, ManhattanInwood is the northernmost neighborhood on Manhattan Island in the New York City borough of Manhattan.-Geography:Inwood is physically bounded by the Harlem River to the north and east, and the Hudson River to the west. It extends southward to Fort Tryon Park and alternatively Dyckman Street or...
/Washington HeightsWashington Heights, ManhattanWashington Heights is a New York City neighborhood in the northern reaches of the borough of Manhattan. It is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the highest point on Manhattan island by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War, to defend the area from the... - 2090 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd, New York, NY 10027 - HarlemHarlemHarlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
Location at Theresa Towers - 30 West Broadway, New York, NY 10007 - Fiterman Hall (Closed for rebuilding)
Fiterman Hall and the September 11 attacks
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
. It opened in 1959 as an office building before owner Miles Fiterman, whom the building was named after, donated it to BMCC in 1993, which at the time was the largest private donation to a community college in U.S. history. It was renovated in 2000 to receive new windows and infrastructure. The building was owned by the State of New York Dormitory Authority.
It was heavily damaged during the September 11 attacks in 2001, when debris from the collapse of 7 WTC compromised the structure. It became unsafe to occupy due to mold growth and asbestos exposure. Because traditional demolition would result in an unacceptable environmental impact, the building was scheduled for deconstruction and decontamination as part of the Lower Manhattan redevelopment project.
Fiterman Hall was to have been replaced by a new building designed by the architectural firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
Pei Cobb Freed & Partners is an architectural firm that was founded in 1955 by I. M. Pei as I. M. Pei & Associates, in 1966 called I. M. Pei & Partners, and received its current name and organization in 1989. The founders were I. M. Pei, Henry N. Cobb, and Eason H. Leonard. Pei and Leonard retired...
. Deconstruction was scheduled to be complete by February 2007; however, environmental impact concerns and funding issues caused numerous delays in completing the project. At a press conference, which took place at BMCC on November 13, 2008, city and state officials announced a new agreement which solidified demolition and reconstruction plans through a funding agreement with New York City, New York State, and the City University of New York. In addition, approximately $80 million will come from an insurance settlement. Under the plan, the new Fiterman Hall will be completed in 2012. The building was finally demolished in November 2009 after all asbestos had been removed. Construction of its replacement began on 1 December.
Associate in Applied Science
- A.A.S. - Accounting
- A.A.S. - Business Management
- A.A.S. - Computer Operations
- A.A.S. - Computer ProgrammingComputer programmingComputer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...
- A.A.S. - Health Information Technology
- A.A.S. - Multimedia Programming and Design
- A.A.S. - NursingAssociate of Science in NursingAn Associate of Science in Nursing is a tertiary education nursing degree. In the United States, this type of degree is usually awarded by community colleges or similar nursing schools. Some four year colleges also offer this degree...
- A.A.S. - Office Automation
- A.A.S. - Office Operations
- A.A.S. - ParamedicParamedicA paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
- A.A.S. - Respiratory TherapyRespiratory therapyRespiratory therapy is a healthcare profession in which specialists work with patients suffering from either acute or chronic respiratory problems. These specialists are termed Respiratory Therapists in most places internationally but may also be referred to as Respiratory Scientists or...
- A.A.S. - Small BusinessSmall businessA small business is a business that is privately owned and operated, with a small number of employees and relatively low volume of sales. Small businesses are normally privately owned corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships...
/EntrepreneurshipEntrepreneurshipEntrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which can be defined as "one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods". This may result in new organizations or may be part of revitalizing mature organizations in response... - A.A.S. - Video Arts and Technology
Associate in Science
- A.S. - Child Care/Early Childhood EducationEarly childhood educationEarly childhood education is the formal teaching and care of young children by people other than their family or in settings outside of the home. 'Early childhood' is usually defined as before the age of normal schooling - five years in most nations, though the U.S...
- A.S. - Computer ScienceComputer scienceComputer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
- A.S. - Engineering Science
- A.S. - Human Services
- A.S. - MathematicsMathematicsMathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
- A.S. - ScienceScienceScience is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
- A.S. - TheatreTheatreTheatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
Associate in Arts
- A.A. - Bilingual Childhood Education
- A.A. - Business Administration
- A.A. - Childhood Education
- A.A. - Liberal ArtsLiberal artsThe term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
- A.A. - Writing and Literature
Academics
The college has won multiple awards from the CUNY system as well as other institutions for its ability to grant Associate's Degrees at an impressive rate and to foster continuing education at senior colleges. With a respectable teacher-to-student ratio, significant public and private funding, and a central location in New York City, the learning experience has been covered by many publications and studied by experts.However, BMCC also suffers from the same problems that plague all community colleges such as an alarming rise in remedial education, lack of freshman retention, and overcrowding. Due to its larger base of capital compared to most other two-year colleges, expansion of new campuses during the rebuilding of Fiterman Hall was possible. Several trailers are still used as classrooms to this day in order to help expand capacity. Internal programs have also been created or expanded to help with academic advisement, provide online access for registration, transferring to other colleges, and job placement.
A diverse student base, some of whom are only recent arrivals in America also makes tailoring a viable solution difficult. Improving the retention and graduation rate as well as the increased financial and academic burdens of a remedial program still remain a considerable problem.
Athletics
BMCC offers a large state-of-the-art recreation facility including a regulation basketball court, swimming poolSwimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, and weight room. There are active teams in many sports such as handball
American handball
American handball is a sport in which players hit a small rubber ball against a wall using their hands.- History :...
, bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, soccer, and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. Sports teams compete in both the CUNY athletic system and the local NCAA collegiate sports system despite being a community college. The women's basketball team has won numerous championships including the CUNY basketball championship and the regional Division III championships including placing third nationally in 2000 with a 21-3 regular season record. The chess team has won national awards. One of the most successful programs at BMCC is the men’s soccer team with 6 consecutive wins at cuny soccer championships, 1 regional DIII championship and placing 3rd in the NJCAA national championship in 2005.
Notable alumni
- Dana "Queen Latifah" OwensQueen LatifahDana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...
, singer and actress - Mirko SavoneMirko SavoneMirko Savone is an Italian actor, voice-over, model.Best known in Italy for giving his voice to Christian Bale, Elijah Wood, and many TV series and cartoons for The Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and other National Channels.He directed movies and TV series for The Disney Channel, RAI and Mediaset...
, Italian actor, voice actor, and model - Gabourey SidibeGabourey SidibeGabourey "Gabby" Sidibe is an American actress who made her acting debut in the 2009 film Precious, a role that brought her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.-Early life:...
, actress - Assata ShakurAssata ShakurAssata Olugbala Shakur is an African-American activist and escaped convict who was a member of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army...
, federal fugitive, godmother of Tupac ShakurTupac ShakurTupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world... - Stephen "Kid Chaos" HarrisKid ChaosKid Chaos a.k.a. Haggis is a Welsh rock bassist and guitarist who played in incarnations of hard rock bands Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction, The Cult, and The Four Horsemen as well as guesting with Appetite for Destruction era Guns N' Roses.Harris was born in Wales...
, rock musician - Michael K. WilliamsMichael K. WilliamsMichael Kenneth Williams is an American actor known for his portrayal of Omar Little on the HBO drama series The Wire, and of Albert "Chalky" White on HBO's Boardwalk Empire.-Early life and career:...
, TV actor and music video performer