BARUCH COLLEGE
STUDENT TECHNOLOGY FEE PLAN
2021-2022
Approved by the President’s Cabinet — May 17, 2021
Introduction
Technology plays a critical role in Baruch College’s success as an engine of social mobility for its students. An extensive technology loan program and campus computer labs provide students with essential tools for their academic success that they cannot afford to purchase on their own. Students who work and have other obligations that limit their time on campus can use a variety of student support services and administrative systems remotely. The digital collections of the Newman Library are comparable to the e-resources available to students at major research universities. The incorporation of technology in the curriculum helps students acquire quantitative, communication, analytical, and geospatial data skills. The application of technology by the career services staff links students with employers and gives students workplace skills that make them competitive job candidates. Technology enriches student life and promotes student retention through its use by student clubs, organizations, and athletics.
The Student Technology Fee Plan is only one part of the College’s ongoing technology planning and implementation effort that includes separately-funded initiatives, such as capital projects, services of the Baruch Computing and Technology Center (BCTC), and investments by the three schools and administrative departments. This plan has been developed with attention to how student technology fees can be used most effectively to address needs that are not being met at this time by other technology initiatives. Our planning efforts are guided by the Baruch College Strategic Plan 2019-2023 and the College’s Task Force for the Future, and are informed by outreach to students, faculty, and staff regarding their needs and possible improvements to technology services.
The budget for FY22 is based on projected revenue of $4,300,000 and a carryover of $1,000,000 from projects postponed due to Covid-19. There is also likely to be reimbursement for expenditures in FY21 related to Covid-19. As those funds become available, the Committee will decide whether to apply the additional funds to the priorities already identified in this report or fund new initiatives.
Student Technology Fee Committee
The Committee for 2020-2021 was responsible for developing the plan for 2021-2022.
Voting Members
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- Ka Lye Chan – Undergraduate Student Government Representative
- Christina Christoforatou – Associate Professor, English Department
- Erika Cumbe – Undergraduate Student Government Representative
- Arthur Downing (Chair) – Vice President for Information Services and Dean of the Library
- Yam-Yu Li – Undergraduate Student Government Representative
- Terrence Martell – Saxe Distinguished Professor of Finance
- Kamiar Rahnama Rad – Assistant Professor, Paul H. Chook Department of Information Systems and Statistics
- Briana Staten – Undergraduate Student Government Representative
- Tanya Tanis – Vice President, Graduate Student Assembly
- Damali Smith Tolson – Director of Student Life
The faculty members were chosen by the Baruch College Faculty Senate. The student representatives were selected in consultation with Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and Graduate Student Assembly (GSA). The members of the administrative staff were approved by the President’s Cabinet.
Non-Voting Members
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- Jonathan Alarcon – Associate Director of Technology Services, Marxe School of Public and International Affairs
- Danilo Cayas – Technology Coordinator, Weissman School of Arts and Sciences
- Allison Lehr Samuels, Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning
- Michael Richichi – Assistant Vice President for Information Technology
- Glova Smith – Director of Technology Services, Zicklin School of Business
The non-voting members serve as advisors to the committee. They are the technology leads of the 3 schools and the Baruch Computing and Technology Center (BCTC), as well as the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning.
Projects for 2021-2022
Technology Loan Service
Assistive Technology Services
Printing and Scanning Services
Digital Library Resources
Zero Textbook-Cost Initiative
Student Access to Software
Improving Student Services
Computer Lab Upgrades
CUNY Enterprise Technology Initiatives
Staff for Computer Labs
Teaching Hybrid and Online Courses
Quantitative Skills
Communication Skills
Geospatial Data Skills
Career Development Services
New Media ArtSpace
E-Sports Association
MakerHub
Music Licenses
Classroom Equipment Upgrade
Instructional Lab Upgrade
Campus Network Upgrade
Technology Loan Service (2022-01) $484,531
Continuing Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
Project Lead: Jeffrey Lynch, Manager of Technology Loan Services, Newman Library
Expenditure Category: J Baruch College Strategic Plan: 2.2.1
Proposer: Students
Project Description:
This service has traditionally provided Baruch students with short-term loans of many types of equipment, including laptops, iPads, video cameras, chargers, and calculators. The full list of items and loan periods are provided on the loan service web site: https://library.baruch.cuny.edu/students/borrowing-library-materials/technology-loan-service/. The loans are transacted in-person at the service desks in the Newman Library, as well as via the self-service kiosks in the Newman Library and Vertical Campus. In the fall 2019 semester the loan service logged 44,294 over-the-counter laptop transactions and 16,206 transactions via kiosk.
In response to Covid-19 and the need to support students’ remote learning, from March 2020 through May 2021 the College distributed over 2,000 pieces of equipment provided by the University, private donors, and the student technology fee. In many cases these items were loaned to students for as long as they remain enrolled at Baruch. When the campus reopens in fall 2021 some long-term loan options will remain part of the loan service program. The details are being developed, but the budget reflects the need for additional part-time student staff to manage the expanded scope of the loan service.
Expenses:
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- Annual Maintenance on Self-Service Loan Kiosks: $24,585
- Part-time Staff at Loan Desks: $226,000 ($200,000 + $26,000 fringe)
- Additional equipment for loan: $96,186 (The list below is based on requests from students and replacement of units at end-of-life.)
- Mobile hotspots (400) with data service plan for students without Internet access at home: $137,760
- Equipment for Loan to Students:
- MacBook Pro (w/Apple Care) (27) @ 1,700
- HP10 –Bii financial calculators (25) @ $42
- USB-C laptop adapters (20) @ $34
- 12w power adapters (25) @ $19
- Financial calculators (300) @ $39
- USB-A to USB-C phone cables (3-pack) 35 @ $10
- Fast charging wall chargers (50) @ $15
- Wireless mice (15) @ $21
- Power banks for phones 25 @ $35
- Noise-canceling headphones (25) @ $278
- Laptop bags for Dells (125) @ $30
- Camera lenses (7) @ $298
- Bags for MacBooks (145) @ $16
- Go Pro camera kit (5) @ $693
- USB-A to Micro USB phone cables (50) @ $5
- Logitech presenters (50) @ $39
- USB-A to lightning IPhone cables (150) @ $19
- Sony a6100 camera kits (15) @ $698
Assistive Technology Services (2022-02) $120,000
Continuing Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
Project Lead: Ronald Bissessar, Assistive Technology Manager, Student Disability Services
Proposer: Students
Expenditure Category: B Baruch College Strategic Plan: 4.2.2.3 and 5.1
Project Description:
A portion of the student technology fee budget is allocated each year to help ensure that the College’s technology resources are accessible to all students. Student Disability Services (SDS) will identify the necessary assistive technology (AT) based on needs and requirements of the disabled student population identified at the start of each academic term. The funds are used to acquire equipment for the assistive technology lab and direct loan to students, support part-time staff, and renew maintenance contracts on equipment.
The need for AT support is more important than ever before. In fall 2020 the number of students who registered with SDS increased by 24% over the previous semester. According to an SDS survey in that same semester 90% of the respondents reported that their academic performance improved as a result of using AT. Also, 90% reported that the College’s AT is easy to use and 100% said that it was effective and worked well. Technology investments in SDS enabled that office to deliver it services effectively when all instruction at the College went online in March 2020. The satisfaction rate for the services that SDS delivered remotely was 97% with 83% of the students reporting that they were extremely satisfied.
Expenses:
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- Software & Hardware: $55,611 (Identified each semester based on student needs)
- Part-time staff: $64,389 ($56,981 plus $7,408 fringe
Printing and Scanning Services (2022-03) $125,700
Continuing Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
Lead: John Chandler II, Director of Technology Support Services, BCTC
Proposer: Students
Expenditure Category: C Baruch College Strategic Plan: 2.2.1 and 4.2.2.3
Project Description:
The funds will be used to provide students with access to a range of printing services to support their coursework, research, and career placement efforts. These services include:
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- A semester printing allocation that can be used for free printing on black & white and color printers in computer labs, library, student organization area, and near elevators in the Newman Vertical Campus.
- Mobile printing options that allow students to submit print jobs from off-campus via a web portal or from their own mobile devices.
- A designated résumé printer in the Kaplan Computer Center that provides prints on high-quality bond paper for use in job applications and on-campus career fairs.
- Poster-size printing for presentations in class, at conferences, and as part of the poster sessions at the College’s annual Creative Inquiry Day.
- 16 scanners in the Library that allow students to scan to email, a personal storage device, College-provided storage (Dropbox or OneDrive), or to a printer as an alternative to photocopying.
- At the request of Undergraduate Student Government, two 3D printers will be added to the Kaplan Computing Center.
On-campus printing was not available from late March 2020 until fall 2021. However, in a typical year the printing service is used almost universally by Baruch students. In the fall 2019 semester 15,094 students or 96% of the total student population used the printing service, which was a 3% increase from the prior year. There were 429,363 print jobs executed for a total of 2,649,830 pages. As part of the College’s commitment to sustainability, the default setting for prints is duplex and 58% of the jobs were printed double-sided, 2% more than the previous year. 49% of the print jobs were submitted via the web portal or a personal mobile device, as compared with only 13% one year before. Students take advantage of the color printing option as their course assignments require it. There were 4,215 students (120 more than 2018) who used the color printing option for a total of 76,385 pages or 3% of the total printing activity.
Expenses:
- PaperCut release station license: $4,600
- Xerox contract: $98,500
- Paper: $16,000
- Supplies for the poster printer: $500
- 3D Printers (2) and supplies: $2,000
- Toner for color printers in FPA graphics labs (NVC 8-165 & 7-130): $4,100
Digital Library Resources (2022-04) $400,000
Continuing Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
Lead: Michael Waldman, Head of Collection Management, Newman Library
Proposer: Faculty and Staff
Expenditure Category: F Baruch College Strategic Plan: 2.2.1
Project Description:
The funds will support the continued licensing of electronic databases, full-text digital collections, and 24x7x365 chat reference service. The use of these resources is integrated in student course work across the curriculum.
The specific resources are selected by the Collection Management Division of the Library to support student use in their coursework.
The Collection Management Division analyzes use data to ensure that student technology fee funds support heavily-used titles with broad relevance across the student population. Below are examples of use for the last full year.
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- The JSTOR EBA collection gives us access to 85,000 books in digital format from academic presses. We are charged only for the titles that we use. There were 22,042 unique title requests for a per title view of $0.63. Users accessed 11,271 individual titles, which would have cost the Library a total of $813,766, if we had to purchase them individually in hard copy.
- Safari is a collection of 40,000 books in the field of information technology, including the O’Reilly series. In addition to its use by the general student population, faculty have incorporated content from Safari in their CIS courses. Over the past year 184,557 pages were read.
- Kanopy is a collection of streaming films that faculty use in their courses—often in lieu of assigning textbooks. In the past year there were 4,881 unique visitor sessions and 2,828 videos that played for a total of 80,949 minutes. This resulted in a cost per video of only $2.46.
- QuestionPoint is the digital reference service that enables students to get assistance via chat and email 24x7x365. This includes assistance from academic reference librarians around the country who participate in a consortium that provides chat coverage when our service desks are closed. Last year there were 1,951 questions answered via the service.
- Journal article collections: Sage Journals logged 31,228 article views. For ABI/Inform there were 28,166 articles viewed.
Zero Textbook-Cost Initiative (2022-05) $81,663
Continuing Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
Lead: Arthur Downing, Vice President for Information Services and Dean of the Library
Proposer: Students and Staff
Expenditure Category: D Baruch College Strategic Plan: 1.3 and 4.2
Project Description:
The College has participated actively in the University’s efforts to eliminate the cost of course textbooks for our students. Removing the financial burden of purchasing expensive commercial textbooks helps students complete their degrees quickly and with low debt, thereby helping the College achieve its goals of promoting social mobility. With funding from the State of New York, for the past three years the University has provided financial support for an Open Educational Resources Initiative, which has supported faculty development. The universe of OER is still growing and many faculty do not have the instructional materials they need yet and do not have the time to develop them on their own.
The purpose of this initiative is to support the use of technology that helps the College offer Zero-Textbook-Cost courses when the necessary OER resources are not available. For example:
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- The College provides a robotic self-service book lending kiosk that holds over 200 of the most frequently borrowed textbooks so that they are available to students when the service desks are closed, including 24×7 during mid-term and final examination periods.
- Many faculty have chosen to use streaming films in their courses as an alternative to written texts. These films are provided through commercial streaming services or licensed directly from the rights holders.
- Course materials that are not in the public domain are digitized and made accessible to students as e-reserves through the payment of fees to the Copyright Clearance Center.
Expenses:
- Maintenance of the textbook loan kiosk: $12,500
- Streaming media specialist (part-time): $41,163 ($36,427 plus $4,736 fringe)
- Film licensing fees: $18,000
- Copyright Clearance Center fees: $10,000
Student Access to Software (2022-06) $312,094
Continuing Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – October 31, 2022
Lead: John Chandler II, Director of Technology Support Services, BCTC
Proposer: Students and Faculty
Expenditure Category: J Baruch College Strategic Plan: 2.2.1
Project Description:
Funds are used to license software that is used by students in their courses. Access is provided in student computer labs and remote access is obtained whenever possible.
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- LabStats – remote access to software on the lab computers via onlinelabs.baruch.cuny.edu ($8,478)
- Microsoft Azure Dev Tools for Teaching ($800)
- EViews – statistical forecasting and modeling ($2,410)
- Turnitin.com – academic integrity ($19,876)
- Crystal Ball – predictive modeling ($2,810)
- Qualtrics – survey research ($26,250)
- Netsupport – classroom management of computers ($2,000)
- Language Learning
- Mango Languages ($13,141)
- Rosetta Stone ($18,125)
- NativeAccent ($4,450)
- CapitalIQ – financial information service for trading floor ($43,245)
- FactSet – financial information service for trading floor ($30,000)
- Maple – used in Mathematics courses ($4,335)
- MATLAB – programming and numeric computing platform to analyze data, develop algorithms, and create models. ($14,523)
- Stata – statistical analysis ($15,815)
- Bloomberg – financial information service for trading floor ($49,900)
- Top Hat – classroom response system ($20,000)
- Adobe Creative Cloud – used for graphic design, video editing, web development, and photography. Access to the Adobe site for students in courses that require its use ($57,000)
- Minitab – statistical analysis ($6,000)
- VoiceThread – video annotation ($4,500)
Improving Student Services (2022-07) $289,957
Continuing Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – December 31, 2022
Expenditure Category: D Baruch College Strategic Plan: 4.2.2, 4.2.2.3 and 6.3.4
Leads: Mary Gorman, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Special Academic Initiatives; Art King, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students
Proposer: Students and Staff
Project Description:
Funds will support the continuation of the services listed below. In almost all cases they were selected as the result of students identifying the need to improve an administrative service at the College.
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- Pave – Manages student disciplinary actions ($15,900)
- DegreeWorks – Degree audit system ($17,680)
- SmartEvals – Student course & instructor evaluation system ($30,000)
- Campus Management Connect & Retain – A CRM suite to support communication with students and student retention ($9,900). The University is seeking a next-generation tool that may be identified during 2021-2022.
- Campus Labs Baseline – A platform for assessment of student services ($26,821)
- Campus Labs Engage – Student organization social network and reporting tool ($23,500)
- Titanium – Health Center Management system ($1,375)
- JobX – Manages student job postings ($7,000).
- TimesheetX – Manages time sheets of work study students ($6,300)
- Mongoose – SMS service for Enrollment Management offices only ($22,000)
- Scholarship Manager – Manages student scholarship process ($13,500)
- Chatbot – For student services web sites ($50,000) – The use of the BernieBot will expand from Enrollment Management to other student service offices.
- Kace – Ticketing system for IT help desk ($21,885)
- Student App – Revision of the Baruch College app developed by Undergraduate Student Government ($20,000)
- Price Increases – Reserve to cover price increases for the renewal of services that the vendor had not announced by the time the plan was developed. ($24,096)
Computer Lab Upgrades (2022-08) $243,660
Continuing Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – December 31, 2022
Lead: John Chandler II, Director of Technology Support Services, BCTC
Proposer: Students
Expenditure Category: C Baruch College Strategic Plan: 2.2.1
Project Description:
The College will replace one-quarter of the computers in the student labs to maintain a four-year refreshment cycle. The 202 computers in the following rooms are scheduled for replacement at the cost of $870 per unit for a PC and $2,000 for an iMac with Apple Care:
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- Kaplan Center (Main Computer Lab) 148 PC
- Kaplan Center (Main Computer Lab) 33 iMac
- English Dept. Writing Lab (B-7-205) 21 iMac
Funds will also be used to renew the license for Deep Freeze, the software that is used to manage the image on all of the lab computers and the units in the equipment loan program ($6,900).
CUNY Enterprise Technology Initiatives (2022-09) $1,010,000
Continuing Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
Lead: Arthur Downing, Vice President for Information Services and Dean of the Library
Proposer: Staff
Expenditure Category: K Baruch College Strategic Plan: 2.2.1 and 6.3.3
Program Description:
Funds will be used as part of Baruch College’s contribution toward the purchase of enterprise software, infrastructure upgrades, Internet2, new/improved services, and initiatives that are identified as strategically important for the CUNY campuses to pursue collaboratively.
In prior years the funds have been used to acquire and maintain software licenses and services that are administered at the University-level. Some examples are Blackboard, Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft Campus Agreement, and RefWorks.
Staff for Computer Labs (2022-10) $466,476
Continuing Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
Lead: John Chandler II, Director of Technology Support Services, BCTC
Proposer: Staff
Expenditure Category: G Baruch College Strategic Plan: 3.4.1 and 4.2.2.3
Program Description:
The allocation will support one full-time lab manager who oversees the BCTC labs and library computers and printers, including the 400 seat Kaplan Computing & Technology Center. Funds will also support part-time employment for technology support staff in 20 student computer lab, including many Baruch College students and alumni.
Part of the allocation will provide for part-time student staff in the Subotnick Financial Services Center. Throughout the semester 75-minute workshops are held on Bloomberg I and II, FactSet I and II, Indexing, and Portfolio Analysis. These workshops consistently fill to capacity. The Center is also used by students who prepare for investing competitions and have been extraordinarily successful. For example, the Baruch team won the prestigious 2021 Rotman International Trading Competition, which involved 45 teams of student traders, analysts, and risk managers from 40 universities across the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, and South America. This was its fourth win in five years.
Expenses:
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- Full-time lab manager: $94,588 ($62,641 plus $31,947 fringe)
- Part-time staff: $371,888 ($328,832 plus $43,056 fringe)
Teaching Hybrid and Online Courses (2022-11) $271,762
Continuing Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
Leads: Allison Lehr-Samuels, Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, Lecturer, Management Department; Theodore Joyce, Professor, Bert Wasserman Department of Economics and Finance
Proposer: Faculty
Expenditure Category: E Baruch College Strategic Plan: 1.3, 1.32 and 1.33
Program Description and Expenses:
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- Faculty Hybridization Fellows Seminar – 15 grants will support the appointment of adjuncts or the use of stipends to enable faculty participation in a semester-long seminar to assist them with converting a course to a fully-online or hybrid format. The program is managed by the Center for Teaching and Learning. $67,800 ($60,000 + $7,800 fringe)
- Two IT Fellows from the Graduate Center will be assigned to the Online Learning and Evaluation program in the Zicklin School of Business to support faculty teaching hybrid and online classes there. $71,112 ($35,556 x 2 — fringe does not apply).
- Zoom ($67,650) –
- Renewal of the enterprise license to support synchronous online instruction and upgrade to include webinar capability. ($40,000)
- Part-time staff member in the Center for Teaching and Learning to assist faculty with use of Zoom for online instruction ($4,469 plus $581 fringe)
- Student Zoom Assistants – Students will be hired to assist instructors with the use of Zoom in online courses in which they are not enrolled. ($20,000 plus $2,600 fringe).
- JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments) – includes more than 10,000 videos of laboratory methods and science concepts. Since fall 2020 the Natural Sciences Department has used JoVE to support lab-based instruction in Biology courses that are taught online. ($42,600)
- HyFlex Classroom Assistants – Students will be hired to assist faculty in the use of classrooms that are being equipped to support HyFlex (hybrid flexible) instruction. As defined by the University, “HyFlex means a single course offered concurrently in multiple modes, where students can choose from session to session which mode to participate in.” This type of instruction and the classroom equipment will be new to the faculty who participate in the HyFlex initiative; therefore, assistance from student staff dedicated to the HyFlex classrooms will be necessary. ($20,000 plus $2,600 fringe).
Quantitative Skills (2022-12) $35,556
Continuing Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – May 15, 2022
Project Lead: Theodore Joyce, Professor, Bert Wasserman Department of Economics and Finance
Proposer: Faculty
Expenditure Category: J Baruch College Strategic Plan: 3.2.3 and 3.3b
Program Description:
An IT Fellow, in collaboration with the 2 other Fellows listed under the Teaching Online and Hybrid Courses project, oversees the online Excel module that is part of five large introductory business classes: ACC 2101 (Principles of Accounting), ACC 2203 (Introduction to Managerial Accounting), CIS 2200 (Introduction to Information Systems and Technologies), FIN 3000 (Principles of Finance) and MGT 3121 (Service Operations Management). Total enrollment in the initiative for fall 2019 was 6,062 and in spring 2020 it was 5,167.
Students in each class have to complete assignments using Excel. Students upload the assignment to the software (SAM) which scores the assignment and annotates any errors. Students can correct the mistakes and re-submit the assignment to improve their score. The IT fellows communicate directly with the students via a separate Blackboard course. They send out reminders regarding the due dates for each assignment. They staff an Excel helpdesk and they oversee all grading. At the end of the semester they provide the faculty in each section of their course with a spreadsheet of student grades for the assignments.
This program began in the Spring of 2014 with two courses and approximately 1,500 students. The online Excel module is now part of five courses with between 5,000-6,000 students per semester. Based on the results of an exit survey at the end of each semester, approximately 80 percent of students across all five courses agree or strongly agree that the Excel module is a valuable learning experience. This is a considerable achievement given that the module is a carveout from their regular class.
Expenses: One IT Fellow from the Graduate Center: $35,556
Communication Skills (2022-13) $79,998
Continuing Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
Lead: Allison Lehr Samuels, Director, Center for Teaching and Learning and Lecturer, Management Department
Proposer: Faculty
Expenditure Category: D Baruch College Strategic Plan: 3.3a
Program Description:
Funds will support two technology-based initiatives that promote students’ development of oral and written communication skills.
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- VOCAT is the College’s homegrown multimedia uploading and evaluation tool. Students can use Vocat to post presentation videos, screen captures, photographs, art projects, visual aids, or podcasts. Faculty can upload recorded lectures or review sessions, and Vocat also accepts YouTube videos so that both students and instructors can embed and annotate outside content relevant to the class.
Since the revamped version launched in 2014, Vocat has served more than 24,400 students and 580 faculty and staff members across 1,375 course sections. Thus far in the 2020-21 academic year, Vocat has added 4,249 new student users and 33 new faculty and staff users across 228 course sections. Notably, Vocat has seen a large increase in adoption since the move to remote learning. In spring 2020, the platform was used in three-and-a-half times as many course sections as in the previous Spring (a 248% increase). That trend continued into fall 2020 with a 52% increase over fall 2019.
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- Blogs@Baruch is an online publishing and academic networking platform for the Baruch College community. Since launching in 2009, Blogs@Baruch has been used by more than 41,100 students, faculty, and staff to create more than 8,500 sites. Usage rates from September 26, 2020-February 25, 2021 show that 353 new sites were created (a 72% increase from the same period in 2019/2020) and that there were 1,372 new user accounts (a 21% increase from the same period in 2019/2020).
Expenses:
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- Part-time staff: $62,998 ($55,750 plus $7,248 fringe)
- Hosting fee: $17,000
Geospatial Data Skills (2022-14) $25,493
Continuing Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
Lead: Charles Terng, Data Services Librarian
Proposer: Faculty
Expenditure Category: E Baruch College Strategic Plan: 3.3b
Program Description:
Funds will be used to support activities that introduce students to the use of geospatial data and GIS in courses, including class sessions, and faculty training and support.
The geospatial services team operates out of the GIS Lab, located on the 9th floor of the Information Technology Building. Baruch students, faculty, and staff can meet with the Geospatial Data Librarian to discuss projects and get assistance, and can work independently on GIS or data-related projects in the lab with help nearby. Research consultations for census/demographic data and GIS are available by appointment. In-class lectures related to demographic data and mapping are provided upon request. The team offers a GIS Practicum, a day-long introductory GIS workshop using QGIS and prepares research guides for GIS, Census data, NYC data, and demography.
In the 2019-20 academic year the geoportal site had approximately 35,000 page views and 28,000 unique page views. Over 5,000 data files were downloaded. In that same year the GIS Practicum manual, Introduction to GIS using QGIS, has been viewed over 1,400 times. The team delivered class sessions for PAF 3375 (Housing and Community Development) and JRN 3200 (Business and Financial Writing) to provide students with an introduction to census data for NYC neighborhood research and created two videos for course-related lectures on census data for JRN 3200 and ENG 2150 (Writing II). Class visits on census data and GIS were also held for ENG 3900 (Topics in Journalism), PAF 9186 (Map Making for Public Policy), and DCP 80300 (Spatial Demography).
The program was scaled back during spring 2021 when the Geospatial Data Services Librarian left Baruch for another position. The Library’s Data Services Librarian is handling urgent requests while the search for a replacement is underway.
Expenses:
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- Part-time Staff (in GIS Lab, class presentations and one-to-one assistance): $15,323 ($13,560 plus $1,763 fringe)
- Adjunct to release the Geospatial Data Librarian from general reference: $10,170 ($9,000 plus $1,170 fringe)
Career Development Services (2022-15) $95,014
Continuing Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
Lead: Ellen Stein, Director, Starr Career Development Center
Proposer: Students and Staff
Expenditure Category: D Baruch College Strategic Plan: 3.4.2, 4.2.2 and 4.2.2.3
Program Description:
The Starr Career Development Center supports student career readiness by providing opportunities to define career goals, engage in experiential learning, and gain professional experience. Each year 80% of undergraduates use the Center and employers post roughly 8,700 jobs and internships. However, due to the pandemic and economic downturn, this year’s posting numbers significantly lower, around 6,300, which makes it all the more important to have the tech tools needed to help students find jobs. The Center helps students choose a major, build the skills they need to find internships/employment, connect with alumni and employers, and ultimately launch their careers. With the average starting salary of $57,639 among graduating students reporting salaries, the Center contributes to helping students achieve social mobility. Technology is a critical element in the successful student outcomes facilitated by the Center. Funds will be applied to ongoing IT support from part-time staff, use of a variety of services to support recruitment of students by employers, and communication tools to ensure that students are aware of the Center’s programs and services.
Expenses:
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- Starr Search is the career management system currently utilized by the Starr Career Development Center. Of the 3,653 seniors who graduated in 2020 81% had logged into Starr Search; 58% used it to identify and apply for jobs; 56% used it to learn about and sign up for Events; and 44% used it to sign up for Career Counseling. ($25,000)
- FOCUS 2 is an online portal that enables students to take and receive feedback on vocational assessments, research majors at Baruch and in general, and explore occupations- 24/7, which can help them select majors and careers. Last year 200 unique users completed 869 tests subtests. Of the 12 FOCUS2 subtests, students took on average 4.35 tests. ($1,414)
- GoinGlobal is an online portal that aggregates jobs across the globe and provides up-to-date country and city guides with location/country-specific advice that can help both international and domestic students apply for opportunities in their home country or abroad. Data analytics on usage indicate that there were a total of 1,211 visits, with 10,426 page views focused mostly on job search (1459views), internship search (1,404 views), 966 views of New York Career Guide and 1224 views of US Career Guide followed by 174 views of career Guide for Japan. ($4,700)
- Constant Contact – for newsletters and announcements ($3,540)
- Vault: Campus Edition – career information, including Career Guidebooks, company profiles, career advice articles, and employer rankings. ($6,000)
- Canva – a tool to design digital announcements ($120)
- Part-time IT staff – $54,240 ($48,000 plus $6,240 fringe)
New Media ArtSpace (2021-16) $72,489
New Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
Lead: Katherine Behar, Associate Professor, Fine and Performing Arts
Proposer: Students and Faculty
Expenditure Category: J Baruch College Strategic Plan: 1.3 and 4.2
Project Description:
The New Media Artspace is a teaching exhibition space in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts. Housed in the Newman Library, the New Media Artspace showcases curated experimental media and interdisciplinary artworks by international artists, students, alumni, and faculty. Student Technology Fee funds primarily support the hiring of student docents who participate in the installation of the multimedia art exhibitions, monitor the performance of the equipment in the exhibition spaces, update the website with new content from the exhibitions (http://www.newmediartspace.info), lead educational tours and programs for visitors to the exhibition spaces, use social media to publicize event, and design and deliver events. This is intended to be a co-curricular, experiential learning opportunity for docents, as well as an opportunity for them to gain technical experience that will help with a future career in the digital arts. Docents are typically selected from the students who are pursuing a minor in New Media Arts, but applications are open to any Baruch student with a demonstrated interest in working in a digital art exhibition space and learning about exhibition content. Docents have basic skills with digital media presentation equipment, graphic design and web design.
Funds also support the hiring of an adjunct to release the time of the faculty member to serve as director of the initiative and curator of the exhibitions. The budget includes funds to upgrade the multimedia presentation equipment in the exhibition spaces.
Since opening in 2013, the New Media ArtSpace has hosted 39 exhibitions, including an exhibition of the student capstone projects in the spring. This has allowed the students to work directly with artists such as Stephanie Rothenberg, Peggy Ahwesh, Lily Benson, Andrew Demirjian, Richard Jochum, Carla Gannis, Elise Rasmussen, Nicholas O’Brien, Jenny Perlin, Marina Zurkow, Ben Kauffman, Lynn Sullivan, Jillian McDonald, and Ira Eduardnova. In addition, the docents have set up their own pop-up exhibitions and complementary interactive events during club hours when there is heavy student traffic. Docents have also developed and delivered peer-learning workshops on topics that included the foundations of the Processing language to create a piece of interactive art, a beginner’s tutorial for video game development using Unity, and the basics of Premier Pro.
The Office of Alumni Relations hosts an annual reunion of the docents to enable alumni from the program to inform current student-docents about the transition to careers after graduation.
Expenses:
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- Docents: $52,319 ($46,300 plus $6,019 fringe)
- Adjunct to support the release of the faculty member who manages the program and curates the exhibitions: $10,170 ($9,000 plus $1,170 fringe)
- Equipment upgrades: $10,000
E-Sports Association (2022-17) $40,000
New Project Dates: January, 2022 – May 1, 2022
Lead: Arthur Downing, Vice President for Information Services and Dean of the Library
Proposer: Students
Expenditure Category: I Baruch College Strategic Plan: 4.3.1
Program Description:
Funds will support the replacement and upgrade of the gaming PCs and peripherals used by the Baruch Student E-Sports Association. The E-Sports Association is a large student organization with an active membership. They meet formally on Tuesdays during club hours and informally throughout the week in a space that adjoins the main student computing lab. Their funding allocation as a club is not sufficient for them to purchase the gaming PCs that they need for their club activities and the tournaments they sponsor. Their most recent on-campus event was on March 6, 2020 when they held a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Spring Tournament.
This project was planned for FY2021, but was postponed when the campus was closed due to Covid-19.
Expenses: 15 Gaming Computers and peripherals: $40,000
MakerHub (2022-18) $99,920
Continuing Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – March 31, 2022
Lead: Marlene Leekang, Director, Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship
Proposer: Faculty
Expenditure Category: I Baruch College Strategic Plan: 4.3.1
Program Description:
The MakeHub is the College’s makerspace for technology, design and entrepreneurship, located in the Field Center for Entrepreneurship. There is a satellite Pop-Up Makerspace that it operates in the College’s main student computing lab. It is a place to learn, make, and play through robotics, circuit technology, 3D printing, as well as low-tech creative methods and tools.
Baruch students of all skill levels, majors and backgrounds participate in workshops and receive assistance with course-related or personal projects in consultation with a MakerHub specialist. Consultation hours are held every Wednesday 1:00-4:00. The staff have posted original short tutorials on the MakerHub website (blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/fieldcenter/makerhub) about 3D Design & Printing (6 lessons) and Interactive Electronics (5 lessons). The next topic will be Extended Reality.
Access to the maker space has not been possible since March 2020, but the team was still able to work with 126 students from 4 classes in fall 2020 and their web modules attracted 236 users. 6 faculty members were registered for MakerHub training in spring 2021. In the previous year when the on-campus facility was open a faculty member on course release provided training workshops on 3D design/printing and AR/VR development to students and instructors in the following courses: ART 3056 (Typography: History and Application), CHM 4010 (Medicinal Chemistry), MGT 4967 (Technology, Innovation, and Design in Entrepreneurship), ART 4900 (New Media Arts in Theory and Practice), ART 2050 (Introduction to New Media Arts), ART 3041 (Special Topics in Art – Studio), IDC 4050 (Feit Interdisciplinary Seminar,) MGT 9963 (Researching and Developing Entrepreneurial Ventures), and COM 1010 (Speech Communication).
Expenses:
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- Part-time staff: $84,750 ($75,000 plus $9,750 fringe)
- Adjunct to provide release for faculty member to teach workshops, work with students and provide consultations with faculty who want to teach with technologies. $10,170 ($9,000 plus $1,170 fringe)
- Supplies for the 3D printers: $5,000
Music Licenses (2022-19) $17,847
Continuing Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – September 30, 2022
Project Lead: Arthur Downing, Vice President for Information Services and Dean of the Library
Proposer: Students
Expenditure Category: I Baruch College Strategic Plan: 4.2
Program Description:
Funds will support the licensing of music rights with four organizations through agreements already executed by the University. The licenses are essential to support the operation of WBMB Baruch College radio. WBMB also uses them to provide music via their DJs to over 100 different college events each year. Beyond the use by the radio station the licenses allow students and faculty to incorporate music on web sites within the Baruch domain with legal compliance. The College is exploring the additional use by students in educational projects that involve music (e.g., over public address systems and telephone hold queues) within the terms of the agreements.
Expenses:
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- SESAC ($3,638)
- BMI ($5,292)
- Global Music Rights ($4,000 est.)
- ASCAP ($4,917)
Classroom Equipment Upgrade (2022-20) $450,000
New Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
Lead: Joe Albanese, Manager of Instructional Spaces, BCTC
Proposer: Faculty
Expenditure Category: H Baruch College Strategic Plan: 1.3
Program Description:
Funds will be used to upgrade 30 classrooms to provide new technologies for teaching and support the growth of hybrid/online instruction. The legacy technology in the College’s classrooms is more than nine years old and only supports face-to-face instruction with projection of course content on a single screen at the front of the room. The rooms lack an integrated audiovisual system that will enable an instructor to manage different modes of instruction, including classes where some of the students attend remotely while engaging fully with the instructor and other students in class activities. The goal is to have classrooms that will offer students an equivalent learning experience whether attending from a remote location or on premises. To achieve this goal, the College plans to equip its classrooms with an audiovisual system that includes:
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- Microphone arrays in the ceiling to ensure that students can be heard from any location in the room by classmates in same the room and those attending remotely.
- Multiple cameras with tracking capability to capture the interaction among students and the instructor, including while the instructor moves around the room.
- Multiple display monitors to show course content and the students who attend remotely.
- Presentation devices, such as a document camera and interactive whiteboard.
- Integration of the equipment through a control system with pre-set configurations based and the ability to choose new settings on-the-fly.
- Control of the equipment by the faculty member via a single interface available on the classroom podium and a mobile device that the instructor may use anywhere in the room.
The College’s technology loan program already supply students with the personal devices they need to participate in remote learning and technology-enhanced classroom instruction. The College needs classrooms that are equipped to deliver a high-quality instructional experience for students whether they are on site or attending remotely.
Instructional Lab Upgrade (2021-21) $27,840
New Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – October 31, 2022
Lead: Joe Albanese, Manager of Instructional Spaces, BCTC
Proposer: Staff
Expenditure Category: A Baruch College Strategic Plan: 6.3.3
Program Description:
The desktop computers will be replaced in teaching lab H-656 after four years of use.
Expenses: Desktop Computers (32) @ $870 per unit
This project was postponed from FY2021.
Campus Network Upgrade (2021-22) $550,000
New Project Dates: July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
Lead: Michael Richichi, Assistant Vice President for Information Technology
Proposer: Students and Staff
Expenditure Category: J Baruch College Strategic Plan: 1.3.2
Program Description:
The College is upgrading the campus network to improve performance in all buildings, including WiFi service. The overall project includes installing new fiber optic cable into the Field (17 Lex) Building and new Cat 6A wiring on all floors of the building, as well as replacing the core and edge switches in all buildings. The College is using a variety of funding sources, including capital funds, to accomplish the upgrade rapidly. The funding from the student technology fee will support upgrades in spaces that are most heavily used by students in the Newman Vertical Campus and Information Technology and Library Buildings.
Expenses: Purchase of network edge switches: $550,000
Appendix A – Explanation of Codes
Student Technology Fee Policy – Expenditure Category Key
A = Implementing or upgrading of instructional computer labs
B = Acquiring or upgrading accessible technology
C = Implementing or upgrading student-serving computer labs
D = Improving and implementing student services
E = Faculty development of new or improved courseware
F = Electronic information resources in the library
F = Personnel for installation and maintenance of computer services
G = Upgrading instructional spaces to support technology-assisted learning
H = Acquiring technology tools to support college-sponsored student activities
I = Expand student access to current and emerging technology
J = Purchase of Enterprise Solutions
References to the Baruch College Strategic Plan 2018-2023
1.3 Strengthen academic support and effective resource allocation for the delivery of online and hybrid education.
1.3.2 Review and improve technology used to develop and host online courses.
1.3.3 Provide pedagogical support for the design, delivery, and assessment of online/hybrid courses while building an infrastructure for disseminating best practices.
2.2.1 Maximize student and faculty access to research materials, including datasets, e-journals, research software, computer and laboratory facilities, and other research-relevant infrastructure.
3.2.3 Develop creative curricular innovations and programs, and build faculty expertise to develop students’ capacity to address critical and emerging issues, such as: Digital and technological information competencies, including the application of emerging tools to the changing nature of work
3.3a Integrate the development of certain core competencies, such as those listed below, throughout the curriculum as informed by academic best practices, research, and feedback from professional associations, employers, and alumni. (Oral, digital, and written communication skills)
3.3b Integrate the development of certain core competencies, such as those listed below, throughout the curriculum as informed by academic best practices, research, and feedback from professional associations, employers, and alumni.
Critical thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills
3.4 Increase experiential and inquiry based learning opportunities so students can apply and deepen their classroom learning through disciplinary and interdisciplinary research, as well as robust learning experiences outside the classroom.
3.4.1 Expand students’ opportunities for service learning, civic engagement, professional development, and on-campus leadership opportunities.
3.4.2 Enhance relationships with companies and organizations in the New York City area to expand the number of relevant and purposeful paid or credit-bearing internships for Baruch students.
4.2 Ensure all Baruch students have access to the personal, academic, and professional support services they need to thrive and be successful.
4.2.2 Create a seamless student support experience through the integrated use of in-person and technology-based support services, including the development of a virtual “One Stop” shop for student services such as advising, career services, and financial aid.
4.2.2.3 Ensure that resources—including staffing, funding, space, and technology—for student-support functions such as academic advisement, the Counseling Center, the Student Academic Consulting Center, and the SCDC, are sufficient to provide access to services for all students.
4.3.1 Develop a broad range of opportunities and enhanced physical space to strengthen engagement of undergraduate and graduate students with the College and with each other.
5.1 Create and coordinate campus wide programming, resources, and educational opportunities regarding issues of diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence.
5.2.4 Provide support to faculty and departments in meeting the learning needs of a diverse, multilingual, global student body.
6.3.3 Leverage the College’s existing technology resources to better support faculty and staff; provide training and support where needed to make full and efficient use of technology.
6.3.4 Simplify, improve, and streamline processes to reduce or remove bureaucratic impediments and frustrations.
