Center for Worker Education Kicks Up Its Heels for 25th
Nicholas Patrick
Issue date: 4/16/07 Section: News
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The event series, conducted entirely at the Center's new campus at 25 Broadway last month, included a VIP reception for political, labor union, and CUNY officials. It also boasted a documentary film screening, a full-day academic conference and an evening gala for faculty, students and alumni.
The CWE was developed through the collaborative efforts of Teamsters Local 237 (www.local237.org), the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (www.opm.gov) and CCNY educators. It was launched in 1981 as a provisional night school program for working adults seeking bachelor degrees. Since its inception, CWE has graduated over 2,500 students. "CWE's impact and involvements in the New York area has been extensive," said, CWE Dean Daniel E. Lemons.
The Center, which offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education, became a division of the CCNY College of Liberal Arts and Sciences last year.
According to Dean Lemons, CWE has produced four CCNY valedictorians and one salutatorian since inception. He added that CWE graduates account for as many as 15% of the bachelor degrees awarded by CCNY annually.
Earlier this year, it moved its campus from 99 Hudson Street (where it had resided since 1995), to a larger, state-of-the-art facility near Battery Park. The new location became the backdrop for the celebratory festivities, which kicked off on Thursday, Mar. 15 with a VIP reception honoring CWE founders as well as the Center's long-time political and labor union supporters.
Lemons and CCNY President Gregory H. Williams hosted approximately 200 attendees at the opening reception. The impressive guestlist included CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein; Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer; New York City Council Members, Alan J. Gerson, David Weprin and Gail Brewer; Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1180 President, Arthur Cheliotes (www.cwa1180.org); and Deborah King, the Executive Director of the Training & Education Fund at the New York Human Health and Services union, 1199/SEIU. Proclamation letters from the likes of U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Mayor Michael Bloomberg were presented at the reception, and CWE founders and former deans were awarded honorary plaques for their contributions to the growth of the Center.
Janie Johnston, a former MTA token booth clerk who graduated from CWE in 1993, was among the alumni that addressed the group. "Hearing former students like Janie speak was the highlight of the evening for me," said Judy Hilkey, a CWE senior counselor, "they are the heart and soul of what of what the Center is about." Johnston, who recited poetry and provided reflections on her life after CWE, had went on to earn a Masters of Social Work degree at Hunter.
"Step by Step," a new 12-minute documentary chronicling the founding and growth of CWE and its move to the 25 Broadway space, was screened on Friday, Mar. 23.
The film captures student class participation at its best and features candid interviews from former deans, union officials and educators who played key roles in the birth of CWE.
"Making this documentary was a great opportunity for me to learn about this inspirational program," said the film's award-winning director, Octavio Warnock-Graham, a CCNY alumnus. Warnock-Graham worked under the supervision of documentary filmmaker and non-fiction author Andrea Weiss, a professor at the CCNY Film/Video Program.
The audience of more than 100 students, professors and alumni reacted enthusiastically to the documentary. Dean Lemons also seemed elated with the showing: "The documentary conveys the kind of effort it took to create and sustain the CWE program and how students are still impacted by it. It's an excellent combination of past, present and future perspectives."
A panel discussion featuring adjunct journalism Professor Dan North, "Step by Step" editor Sara Booth, CWE student Gregory Glover and CWE alumnus Miguel Figueroa followed. Panelist Jean Weisman, an administrator and academic advisor who has been with CWE since 1983, spoke about how the Center's students and faculty bounced back after the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks and came together "almost as a family."
Concurrently, a 26-piece permanent display of CWE founding documents and photographs was also unveiled. Included in the presentation is a photograph of famed African-American scholar and philosopher Cornel West, who once served as visiting professor at CWE. Not far away, a snapshot of urban planning students conducting field work in Havana, Cuba, speaks volumes about the work ethic of CWE students.
To wrap up the celebrations, an all-day academic conference entitled "Women and Work 2007: Myths, Realities and Representations" was held on Saturday, Mar. 24. "We focused on the historical, social, political, and cultural factors that impact the meanings and experiences of women's work, both locally and globally," said Kathlene McDonald, the conference coordinator.
Opening remarks were made by Ed Vargas, Assistant to the President of UNITE-HERE (www.unitehere.org), which is a union representing 450,000 apparel, textile and food service workers nationwide. Vargas's speech commemorated the Triangle Fire tragedy of Mar. 15, 1911, which broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City and claimed the lives of 146 young female workers.
The 175 conference participants enjoyed 20 panels, 60 presenters, workshops and roundtables addressing topics including women in relation to the global economy, the labor movement, education and public policy.
Elsa Barkley Brown, a professor of history, women's studies and African-American studies at the University of Maryland, delivered the closing keynote address, entitled "Clothes, Class and Travel: Rewriting the Domestic Narrative."
Several films were screened as well, including the provocative documentary "Transnational Tradeswomen," directed by Vivian Price, a former construction worker who spent years studying historical and contemporary roles of women in the construction industries of Asia.
Bread and Roses, the non-profit cultural arm 1199/SEIU (www.bread-and-roses.com), rounded out the conference with its sponsorship of "unseenamerica," an exhibit of photography works by union members and New York City students.
Anniversary celebrations culminated with an evening gala at CWE. The facility's auditorium was transformed into a discotheque, complete with an oak dance floor and a deejay. Classrooms were converted into elegant dining rooms. "They played all kinds of music - I loved it," added student Yolanda Valle, who danced much of the night. "For our grand finale, we 'pulled out the stops' to celebrate the huge success CWE has been and continues to be," said Dean Lemons.
About 150 attendees, mostly current students but also some alumni and faculty members, came together for what CWE Communications Coordinator Elena Romero called "one big family reunion." The celebratory mood was high among students, many of whom balance full-time jobs and families along with their academic pursuits. Natalie Lozada, whose mother and father are both CWE graduates, described the gala as "very well put together" and "a total blast." Maurice Good, a third-year CWE student, added, "It was great to meet some of the alums who have gone on to do great things."
Lakima Whittle, who graduates this spring after completing her entire college education at the Center, summed up why CWE has been so successful. "When I decided to get a B.A., I didn't want to be in a classroom with a bunch of 19-year-olds," she said. "I wanted to be around serious students who would raise the bar and professors who would challenge me. CWE is a great place to be."
Corrections:
-City Councilman Miguel Martinez and State Senator Martin Conner were actually unable to attend the reception.
-Deborah King, executive director of 1199/SEIU's Training and Education Fund attended the reception.
-Mayor Bloomberg was not able to make the event but sent official proclamations from his office.
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