On May 13, Hostos was home to CUNY’s day-long academy think tank, the 12th Annual Coordinated Undergraduate Education (CUE) Conference.
Titled
Walk the Talk— Inspiring Action on the Concourse and Beyond: Showcasing Action, Articulating Outcomes & Highlighting the Journey of Continuous Improvement, the conference brought CUNY faculty and administration, as well as other higher education stakeholders, to the campus for more than 60 workshops about pedagogy, innovations in the classroom, and other topics. It was the first year Hostos hosted the event.
Hostos President David Gómez welcomed hundreds of guests and emphasized how important the exchange of ideas are, particularly within the changing landscape of academia, and for creating students success.
The keynote speaker was Dr. José Antonio Bowen, President of Goucher College and author of
Teaching Naked. Dr. Bowen gave an electrifying lecture on the benefits, pitfalls, and important lessons learned concerning technology in the classroom. Realizing that the world is becoming more digitized each day, Dr. Bowen urged professors and instructors to always keep their students thinking about and questioning what they find on the Internet and on their “smartphones.”
“Just because they call it a smartphone, that doesn’t mean it can think like us,” Dr. Bowen said. He also offered practical advice for faculty and administrators on how to engage students, with or without technology.
Dr. Vita C. Rabinowitz, Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost of CUNY, was another special guest who engaged the audience in the Main Theater with a fireside chat that included Hostos Adjunct Lecturer of Humanities, Rocio Rayo; as well as Hostos students, Raquel Melendez and Carlos Ramon Advincola, Jr., who will graduate in June. His personal journey about overcoming obstacles, while maintaining academic excellence, left the crowd speechless and served as a fundamental reminder of the power of higher education.
Carlos Guevara, Director, Office of Educational Technology and Co-Director for the Center for Teaching and Learning, helped to organize the conference and said that he was proud of the entire Hostos family for offering such a quality conference.
“The Hostos family and the Conference Steering Committee was delighted to host this year’s CUE Conference and to try new approaches such as the fireside chats, and flipped presentations. Most importantly, we were happy to welcome colleagues from all over CUNY to a day full of opportunities to learn, share, collaborate, network, and be inspire.”
To watch the recordings of the fireside chats and keynote address, and for information about the program, and presentations, visit the
CUE Conference website.
About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities since 1968. It serves as a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs. The College’s unique Student Success Coaching Unit provides students with individualized guidance and exemplifies its emphasis on student support services.
Named one of the top 10 finalists for the 2015 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, Hostos offers 27 associate degree programs and two certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to The City University of New York’s (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of CUNY, the nation’s leading urban public university, which serves more than 500,000 students at 24 colleges.