Reflections on the New Academic Year By Presidents & Experts
Herbert H.
Lehman College
By President Ricardo R. Fernández
Lehman College of The City University of New York (CUNY) begins the Fall 2008 semester with a number of exciting events that celebrate the College’s fortieth anniversary, including an Award Gala and fundraising dinner on October 23. Honorees will include Lehman alumnus and noted musician Michael Bacon of the “Bacon Brothers” band and Frito-Lay North America CEO Al Carey.
Forty years of excellence in academics and service to our students and the surrounding Bronx community represent a major milestone for Lehman. As we honor the College’s achievements, we also set our sights on building a strong future.
Lehman is leading the way in what CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein has called the “Decade of Science” throughout the University. Construction on the first phase of a $250 million science facility, containing research and teaching labs, will begin with a September 24 groundbreaking on the Lehman campus. The 70,000 square foot science facility will be the first CUNY structure to be certified under the U.S. Green Building Council's Green Building Rating System. The facility’s design uses many energy-saving techniques that will ultimately cut Lehman’s energy expenses and reduce our carbon footprint. These include a water-treatment system that will take water collected from sinks and drinking fountains, as well as rainwater, and make it reusable for flushing toilets.
The campus also will serve as a forum for discussion on alternative vehicle technology on October 3. CUNY’s Center for Sustainable Energy will convene its fourth annual Alternative Vehicle Technology conference at Lehman with a daylong series of panels and a display of environmentally friendly vehicles. Panels will discuss emission reduction strategies, emerging technologies, policies and incentives to boost corporate interest in green vehicles, and case studies from fleet managers who are already on the road to energy independence. Alternative vehicles on display will include trucks, passenger vehicles, buses, and maintenance equipment.
Lehman is also expanding its efforts to provide students, faculty, and staff with a state-of-the-art facility for media production. The new $11 million Multimedia Center will go into preliminary operation this semester. Later in the academic year, when all the installations are completed, the Center will house the most up-to-date audio and video production equipment, as well as workstations for graphics. It will also serve local media seeking high-end production facilities.
In all these respects, 2008-09 promises to be a year that will usher in a new era of growth for Lehman College.#
