• Planning for Spring 2022 remains on course. We’ve achieved the 70 percent target for in-person classes established by CUNY Central, while also paying close attention to the uncertainty posed by COVID-19 and its variants. I am grateful to our leadership team, deans, chairs, faculty, and staff for the steadfast commitment they have all shown to advance our student success mission and restore the vitality that has made Lehman a place of hope for the community we serve. More than 29,000-course enrollments have been recorded by the Registrar’s office, with 14,311 registrations in in-person sections and 12,819 enrollments in Online sections, with another 2,410 enrollments taking place with hybrid courses. Vaccines will continue to be required of all students enrolled in in-person and hybrid courses. The Chancellor has announced that students enrolled in in-person or hybrid classes for Spring 2022 will be required to get the booster shot as soon as they are eligible for it. He also announced that “all faculty will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, ensuring that everyone in a classroom is vaccinated, except the few with approved exemptions or exceptions."

• I am pleased to report on the various steps underway to support faculty growth and development consistent with our new strategic plan and the results of the COACHE Survey regarding tenure and retention. First, at its December 7, 2021 meeting, the Faculty Personnel and Budget (F P&B) Committee of the College approved a recommendation to establish the Ad-hoc Committee on Best Practices for Tenure, Promotion, and Certificate of Continuous Employment (TPCCE). The committee will comprise six (6) members, with one member from each school (including the Library). The six members include five (5) faculty members and one (1) school Dean, with the following parameters: Two (2) of the five (5) must be current and/or former department chairs who have served on the TPCCE and have been a chair for at least one (1) full triennial period; three (3) members can include a recently tenured and promoted faculty member, and/or an experienced member of a Department P&B; and one (1) school dean, as a consulting, non-voting member. The committee will be charged by the Provost in early February and will have 45 days to complete its task. 
• The recommendation to establish an ad-hoc committee emerged from conversations conducted in the Fall 2021 F P&B and the TPCCE committees around the need: 1) To improve the consistency and transparency related to the procedures currently guiding Lehman’s tenure, promotion, and CCE practices; and 2) To address data from the most recent 2019 CUNY COACHE Survey showing that a critical area of concern for faculty is department and institutional cultures that do not provide clarity about tenure and promotion standards and procedures. 
• I am grateful to the 2021-2022 TPCCE Committee led by Professor Wesley Pitts for its commitment to moving this important initiative. The members are A&H/Library (Bertrade Ngo-Ngijol Banoum, Daniel Fernández, and Marie Marianetti); NSS: (Christopher Bonastia, Joseph Fera, Andrei Jitianu); and HS2N/SOE: (Wesley Pitts, Chair, TPCCE 21-22; C. Alicia Georges, Peggy Conner).
• A second important step underway is to finalize the Statements on Scholarship and Creative Works submitted last semester to Academic Affairs by the academic departments. Both General Counsel Bridget Barbera and I have reviewed the submissions. To ensure clarity and consistency across all schools and departments, I have asked General Counsel Barbera to work with deans and department chairs over the next 45 days to ensure that the statements on scholarship and creative activities focus only on research and creative works (not teaching and service) and that they reflect policy guidelines from the CUNY Code of Practice and Lehman’s guidelines.
• Third, I am delighted that Lehman received a CUNY grant last December to implement a pilot program to support mid-career faculty seeking promotion. The Provost’s Office will provide an additional 100% of matching funds to support the initiative. I have asked Dr. James Mahon, Dean, School of Arts and Humanities, and Dr. Rene Parmer, Dean, School of Education, to lead this effort. The pilot program will focus on Associate Professors eligible for promotion to full Professor. Specific group(s) targeted include all Associate Professors, tenured Assistant Professors in the School of Education, mid-career women, and faculty of color in the Departments of Art and Music, etc.). According to the most recent data available from the National Center for Educational Statistics (2018), 19% of faculty in higher education were Associate Professors, of whom males represented 10.3%, and females 8.7%. At Lehman College, about 32% of faculty hold the rank of Associate Professor, a percentage that has held steady over the past 5 years. Of these, 41% were male and 59% female. In the rank of Full Professor, the proportions were reversed, with 42% female and 58% male faculty holding this rank mirroring the national trend (Fact Book 2019 data). Based on the data, female Associate Professors have been selected as the target group for this initiative.
• The pilot program will begin in Spring 2022 and run through Fall 2022 with a select cohort of six (6) tenured Associate Professors. During the spring semester, participants will develop a growth plan for promotion to full Professor, accompanied by a series of professional development opportunities planned for Fall 2022. Sustained implementation will commence subsequently in Year 2, with 4 faculty selected each year to participate in the program.

• December 13, 2021- The CUNY Board of Trustees approved the establishment of the School of Business at Lehman, along with three new departments: Accounting; Management and Business Innovation; and Finance, Information Systems and Economics. Planning for the official launch of the school will commence fully in spring, with a start date of July 1, 2022. Following consultations with key stakeholders and President Delgado’s approval, I will name an interim dean for the new school sometime in spring, with a July 1 start date. 
• As I shared with the campus community last fall, the new school will be the only business school at any public college in the Bronx and Westchester County, positioning Lehman as a major pipeline for preparing diverse talent from underrepresented populations for local, regional, national, and international workforce needs.

• On December 10, 2021, the College submitted a formal resolution to the Board of Trustees through the CUNY Office of Academic Affairs to close the Department of Health Sciences and establish three new departments in its place: the Department of Exercise Sciences and Recreation; the Department of Health Promotion and Nutrition Sciences; and the Department of Health Equity, Administration and Technology. The resolution was approved by the faculty in the department, the executive committee of the School, the Faculty Personnel and Budget Committee of the College, and the President’s Cabinet. The three new departments, when approved by the Board, will take effect in fall 2022 and will respond to regional and national workforce needs and better serve our student population. A second resolution was also submitted to the Board requesting the transfer of faculty to the newly established academic units effective fall 2022.
• The Department of Health Sciences is the largest department of the four current departments in the School of Health Sciences, Human Services, and Nursing at Lehman in terms of both the total number of declared majors (undergraduate and graduate) and full-time equivalent (FTE) students (undergraduate and graduate students). Fall 2020 enrollment data show the Department has a combined total of 1,910 undergraduate and graduate majors - 1,673 undergraduate majors and 237 graduate majors. In FY 2019-2020, the department graduated 461 undergraduate and 75 graduate students. Eleven Health Science programs and one certificate program are housed in the department, which includes: BS Exercise Science, MS Human Performance, BS Therapeutic Recreation, BS Recreation Education, M.S. Ed. Recreation Education, BS Dietetics, Foods, and Nutrition, MS Nutrition, BS Health Education & Promotion, MA Health Education Promotion (online), M.S. Ed. in Health Pre-K-12 Teacher, and Health Education Advanced Certificate Health Teacher N-12, and BS Health Services Administration.
• The proposal to restructure the Department of Health Sciences in the School of Health Sciences, Human Services, and Nursing (HS2N) into three separate departments is a part of the College, and HS2N Strategic Plans to increase efficiencies across the school and position it to more fully serve the increasing demand for healthcare professionals in the growing health services sector in the region, increase support for existing programs, and enhance our students’ ability to persist and complete their degrees. The conversations to separate Health Sciences began in 2014 but were stalled following leadership transitions in the school. These conversations were resumed in 2020 following the appointment of a permanent dean for the school, Dr. Elgloria Harrison, a scholar-practitioner with academic and industry experiences and a deep understanding of interprofessional health sciences and health services administration. 
• Over several months, the dean held meetings with the Provost, General Counsel, Vice President for Finance and Administration, Director of Budget and Planning, department chair, faculty, and other stakeholders to discuss the feasibility of the separation, the rationale, benefits, enrollment projections, and budget plan, including the development of a Master’s degree in Health Services Administration. This proposal has been finalized and is going through the College curriculum review process. On December 8, 2022, I joined Dean Harrison in a celebratory school-wide meeting of faculty and staff, spoke about the resolution and answered questions.
• We anticipate approvals of the two resolutions in February from the Board Committees on Academic Policy, Programs, and Research and Faculty, Staff, and Administration, respectively, with full Board approval in March 2022. This is a very exciting moment for the school and the College!

• Internal meetings and discussions during November and December 2021 included the following: 1:1 with the President; President’s Cabinet; President’s Extended Cabinet (includes deans, chief librarian, and associate provost for academic programs and educational effectiveness); College Faculty Personnel and Budget Committee (F P&B); Provost’s and Deans’ Council (PDC); Deans, Academic Affairs Senior Leadership Team; Provost’s Staff; Strategic Plan Implementation and Budget Work Group; New Dean/Chairs Orientation and Training; Lehman Vacancy Review Committee; Spring 2022 Planning; PSC Labor-Management; College Senate Committee on Budget and Long Range Planning; General Faculty; SGA President and Vice President; Pre-Health Advisory Board; HS2N faculty and staff; President’s Briefing; Retirement Celebration for Stanley Clarence; College Senate and Governance Committee; and Student-Athlete Recognition and Soccer Teams Finals. 
• External meetings and discussions during the months of November and December 2022 included the following: The CUNY Leadership Institute; CUNY Academic Council; CUNY Committee on Academic Policy; CUNY Board of Trustees Committee on Academic Policy, Programs and Research (CAPPR) as well as Pre-CAPPR meeting with EVC Lemons; American Association of Public Land-grant Universities (APLU) and Every Learner Everywhere (ELE) interview with George Lorenzo on digital learning; Student Success Summit Debrief with Dr. John Gardner; MSCHE Annual Conference; Hanover Research; American Council on Education (ACE) Fellows Information Session; CUNY Board of Trustees; Teagle Foundation on Lehman’s pilot program-Anchored in the Liberal Arts (ATLAS) -funded initiative; Petrie Foundation for funding support for our Bronx Recovery Corps (BRC) Program; CUNY Mexican Studies Institute Board; CUNY Digital Learning Initiative; Institute for Higher Education (IHEP) to participate in Presidential Search and Board meeting; national Association of Chief Academic Officers (ACAO) to participate in Board and committee meetings; AASCU to participate in the national convening on Strengthening Democracy as well as the design team convening of select chief academic officers; Presidents’ Student Success Roundtable; American Council on Education (ACE) Fellows Professional Development Committee; NYC-CUNY-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) in STEM Program Deans’ Council; BRAVEN NYC as keynote speaker; and Bronx Transfer Affinity Group (BTAG). 

• Announced the appointment of Dr. Jennifer Calder as Associate dean, School of Health Sciences, Human Services, and Nursing (HS2N) and the appointment of Dr. Conrad Walker as Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, following a national search for each position.
• Continued the search for the Associate Dean, School of Education.
• Interviewed candidates for tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the Department of Economics and Business
• Dr. Jaye Jones, Director of Strategic Initiatives, has been at Lehman College since 2012 and has held a variety of roles including, Interim Associate Dean of HS2N [2018-2022], Executive Director of the Institute for Literacy Studies (ILS) [2016 -18] and Director of the Adult Learning Center (a unit of ILS) [2012-2016]. She has also taught courses in the Department of Social Work and the Adult Degree Program. As a practitioner-scholar, Dr. Jones is committed to creating student-centered, emotionally responsive educational spaces that foster collective empowerment. The use of assessment to enhance learning, nurture potential and innovate services is also aligned with her focus on leveraging the strengths of culturally diverse communities. Dr. Jones has authored more than a dozen scholarly and creative works and presented at over 30 regional, national, and international conferences. She received her Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Chicago, an M.S. degree from Columbia University's School of Social Work, an M.A. in Women's Studies from George Washington University, and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Iowa. In her role as Director of Strategic Initiatives, Dr. Jones will assist in essential administration duties to increase the enrollment, retention and graduation rates of students focusing on particularly African, African American, Black, Caribbean and Latino/Hispanic males and females in the UMLP program. Dr. Jones will also lead key assessment functions in the Division of Student Affairs. In this capacity, Dr. Jones will with the Senior Student Affairs Leadership Team (SALT) to develop, coordinate, and maintain data requests for the Division of Student Affairs including internal and external projects. Dr. Jones began her new role on January 13, 2022.
• Denny Santos, Interim Director of Compliance and Operations, has a bachelor's degree from SUNY Purchase in Sociology and a master’s degree in College Student Affairs Leadership from Grand Valley State University in Western Michigan. Throughout his 15-year career in Student Affairs, he has served in several roles. In Undergrad, he served his community as a Student Government Representative and Resident Assistant for three years. He continued his housing career in several roles, including Resident Director, Housing Coordinator, and Interim Director. Denny arrived at Lehman in 2015 and worked on behalf of the Office of Community Engagement to create service-learning programming and coordinate new student orientation. He currently manages Student Housing, New Student Orientation, and the Peer Educator program for the Office of Campus Life. In his role as Interim Director of Compliance and Operations, he will continue to supervise New Student Orientation, develop a more robust new student program for new and transfer students, develop and expand online orientation, assist in the management of student concerns, assist in student involved Title IX investigations, and provide administrative support on key divisional projects within the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. Mr. Santos began his new role on January 13 , 2022.
• Ashmini Hiralall was appointed Director of the Wellness Education and Health Promotion Program. In her new role she will continue to guide the work of the Wellness Center to provide students with the tools necessary to lead a healthy and balanced life. Ashmini was previously the College Prevention Coordinator with the Wellness Education and Health Promotion Program where she planned and implemented a variety of alcohol and substance misuse initiatives for the campus community. Ashmini received her master’s degree in Child and Family Health in the Global Community from Syracuse University and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Public Health degree with a concentration in Community Health from SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. Ms. Hiralall began her new role on January 3, 2022.
• Aliyah Ansari joins the division as one of three new Local Vaccine Authority (LVA) members. Aliyah will work amongst a team of LVAs to ensure the campus responds to and addresses all COVID-19 related issues in a timely and efficient manner. Aliyah will serve as a resource for students as they navigate our campus during COVID-19 pandemic times. Aliyah comes to us from the New York Civil Liberties Union where she is a teen health strategist. Aliyah received her Bachelor of Arts from New York University and her Master of Public Health from National University. Ms. Ansari will begin in late January.
• Rinchen Lama joins the division as one of three new Local Vaccine Authority (LVA) members. Rinchen will work with team members to ensure that all student issues relating to COVID-19, including contact tracing and vaccination verification, are addressed in a timely and efficient manner. Rinchen comes to us from the CUNY School of Professional Studies Office of Human Resources where she assists with contact tracing and staff needs. Rinchen received her Bachelor of Science from New York University. Ms. Lama will begin in late January.
• Tierra Stephenson joins the division as one of three new Local Vaccine Authority (LVA) members. Tierra will work with a team of LVAs to address all student issues related to COVID-19, including contact tracing and vaccination verification. Tierra joins us from the Research Foundation of CUNY where she works as a resource navigator with expertise in contact tracing and providing resources to students and staff. Tierra received her Bachelor of Arts from CUNY School of Professional Studies and is currently working on a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education and Childhood Special Education from Grand Canyon University. Ms. Stephenson will begin in late January.