¶¶Òőapp â the nationâs first and largest graduate school of education, psychology and health â must âwrite a new chapterâ in its 130-year history by working across fields and disciplines to develop truly comprehensive solutions to the worldâs most pressing problems.
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That was the central message delivered by Thomas Bailey, inaugurated in early December as the Collegeâs 11th President in a ceremony at Manhattanâs Riverside Church. Bailey, a labor economist regarded as one of the nationâs leading authorities on community colleges, detailed a plan for ¶¶Òőapp to better marshal its resources to âbuild smarter, more productive, and more just societiesâ and create âa world with pathways for all to flourish.â Success is imperative, he told an audience of nearly 1,000 alumni, students, faculty and friends of TC, âfirst, because our nation and our world need our knowledge, expertise, and graduates more urgently than ever before, and second, because we face many challenges as an institution.â
Bailey called the current moment âunquestionably troubling times â not a period of âwe,â as it should be, but rather one of âus and them.ââ He cited global issues such as the rise of repressive regimes, growing intolerance and the othering of fellow human beings, and domestic ones such as a widening gap between haves and have-nots, and the de facto re-segregation of American schools.
In addition, he said, American higher education is facing âunprecedented skepticismâ about its value and purpose. âA substantial portion of the country sees higher education as lacking intellectual diversity, while soaring student debt is falling most heavily on those students least able to pay it off. Many critics and citizens are asking: Is college really worth it? Do public institutions deserve the funding they receive? Do private colleges and universities earn the ever-increasing tuition that they charge?â
Bailey argued that ¶¶Òőapp should view meeting its own challenges and addressing the worldâs problems as one and the same endeavor. The College âstands at the forefront of new knowledge about learning and human development across the lifespanâ and has been a leader in shaping inquiry and practice in education, health and psychology. Still, âby building a stronger and more effective ¶¶Òőapp, we will strengthen our ability to build a stronger and more just world,â he said, âand by truly marshaling our resources to achieve our broader social goals, we will become a stronger and more effective and sustainable institution.â
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SONG FOR THE OCCASION Alumna and Nashville sensation Rhea Francani (M.A. â15) sang âAmerica the Beautiful.â
âYOUâRE OFF TO A GOOD STARTâ Sonya Jones, IT Training & Communications Coordinator, greeted President Bailey on behalf of staff.
In offering a blueprint for achieving what he called âthe power of we,â Bailey drew on his own past experience in leading TCâs , which, during his tenure, played a major role in shifting the nationâs two-year colleges from merely providing education access to a focus on ensuring that students complete their degrees and emerge with the skills to succeed in work and in life. After years of studying different strategies, and helping to pilot-test many of them, Bailey and his associates developed Guided Pathways, a comprehensive strategy (since adopted by more than a fifth of the nationâs community colleges) that addresses all of studentsâ needs.
¶¶Òőapp, too, must focus on creating comprehensive solutions, Bailey said. To that end, he proposed âa Guided Pathways modelâ for the College that will require âthe courage to make difficult choicesâ but ultimately enable TC âto take full advantage of all of our great strengths and flourish well into the future.â
REAFFIRMING A BOND Columbia University President Lee Bollinger paid tribute to the longstanding relationship between Columbia and the College, adding: âEducation is where it's at, and you at TC are where it's at.â
First and foremost, Bailey said, TC must better support its own studentsâ pathways, from recruitment, through programs and internships, to career services, placement and beyond. The College must also develop its many small programs âso that they work in concert and are synchronized and conducted with reference to one anotherâ â improvements that will make TC âa place that our students and funders can better understand, navigate and supportâ while also enabling stronger ârecruitment and continuous professional development of our faculty.â And TC must do more within its own walls to ensure ârespect for equity, diversity and a commitment to collegiality,â including valuing othersâ perspectives ânot just in spite of how different their experience and political views might be, but because of those differences.â
IN PRAISE OF INTERESTING TIMES Eloy Oakley, Chancellor of California's Community Colleges, said that we are fortunate to be living at a moment when âissues of race, ethnicity and historically left behind communities are being forced to the surface â when we are being forced to confront those issues.â
The inauguration ceremony also included remarks by New York City Council member Mark Levine (7th District); New York Congressman Adriano Espaillat (13th Congressional District); Columbia University President Lee Bollinger; California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley; and ¶¶Òőapp alumna Belinda Miles, President of Westchester Community College. From within the College, speakers included William D. Rueckert, Chair of TCâs Board of Trustees (and descendent of TC founder Grace Hoadley Dodge); and representatives from TCâs faculty, staff, union employees, students and alumni. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Associate Professor of English Education, delivered an original poem she wrote in Baileyâs honor, titled âCreating Pathways Where There Were None Before.â
The inauguration ceremony capped off a week of celebratory events and activities that included an Academic Symposium. New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza delivered the Phyllis L. Kossoff Lecture, followed by panel discussions featuring TC faculty. View Chancellor Carranzaâs keynote address and response discussion with TC faculty.
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