educated jan2012 v2

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WINTER 2012 A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE NEW YORK OBSERVER

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SUMMER SCHOOL ...BY CHOICE

BEST PLACESTO STUDY

Q & A WITHPERSONALITIES ON CAMPUS

RENDERING COURTESY CORNELL UNIVERSITY


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THE EDUCATED OBSERVER 3

We are proud to present the Winter 2012 issue ofThe Educated Observer!

As only this city would have it, the legendary

Frank Sinatra once crooned, If I can make it there,

Ill make it anywhere. Its up to you New York, New

York! However, today, in order to make it in New

York (and anywhere else in the world) one needs a

proper education.

In this issue ofThe Educated Observerwe provide

an insiders perspective on the citys best offer-

ings for educators, students and their families. We

bring you an insightful feature on the trend sweep-

ing universities-technopolises, dish on the best

neighborhood nooks to take your textbooks and

offer a list of upcoming cultural events (to round

out your resume, of course!). We profile the sur-

prisingly vibrant campus scene in the city where

we meet a remarkable Tom Handley, the vibrant

and energetic professor at Parsons The New School

for Design, whos been busy inspiring his students

to put their best foot forward everyday. We also

visited Jason Philips, the head librarian on gender

and sexuality studies at NYUs Bobst Library. Mr.Philips talked to us about his unique approach to

teaching, based largely on the idea that learning

begins with the written word. There is certain-

ly no shortage of learning opportunities available

in New York City, home of numerous prestigious

pre-college programs for high school seniors. The

Educated Observerhighlights five pre-college pro-

grams that are worth some serious consideration.

Education often leads to great inspiration. We sat

down with the extremely inspiring Adam Braun,

who launched his entrepreneurial venture Pencils

of Promise armed with an education from Brown

University and a mere $25.00. Mr. Braun believes

that education is the foundation for creating sus-

tainable and self-reliant communities across the

world, which is why he is passionately dedicated to

building schools and making education accessible

to students all over the world.

Happy Reading!

The Educated ObserverGETTY

IMAGES


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4 The educaTed observer

By Krista Carter

SUMMER USED TO BE A TIMEdedicated to endless hours atthe beach, when one could revelin the company of friends, reada book for leisure (and guiltypleasure) and catch up onmissed episodes of TV shows;essentially, summer equated tohaving a schedule free of defin-itive plans, commitments andobligations. But those days arelong gone.

Given todays distressedeconomy, there seems to be notime to enjoy lifes frivolouspursuits. One must seize eachand every moment, or carpediem as Professor John Keatingencouraged his students in

Dead Poets Society. As compe-tition among college applicantsgrows fiercer, prospective stu-dents need to find ways to setthemselves apart from theirpeers; one approach could beto show some initiative duringthose two blissful and fleetingmonths of summer vacation. Itis never too early to start think-ing ahead, and high school

students should anticipate thenext step in their academic fu-ture. Although it might not bebreaking news, it is assuredthat college administratorsare looking for applicants whonot only possess exception-al test scores, but who alsoare involved in extracurricu-lar activities; in other words,the well-rounded student isoften the most sought-aftercandidate. While the collegeapplication process can be tax-ing on a seventeen-year-old,there are certain measures one

can take in preparing for suchan occasion.

Select colleges and uni-versities offer pre-collegeprograms to high schoolstudents. Depending on the in-stitution, high school studentsmay be afforded the opportunityto enroll in college-level cours-es, study abroad programs, orseminars. Aside from a focuson academics that aims to sati-ate the intellectual curiositiesof incoming students, pre-col-

lege programs bring the social

aspect of the college experienceto students, allowing them torealize the full scope that rela-tionships and networking haveon ones personal and profes-sional development.

Now is the time to start plan-ning ahead. Here are five toppre-college programs that areworth giving some seriousconsideration:

BROWN UNIVERSITY

Providence, RI

Featured Programs:Summer Session Creditcourses: Rising or graduatedhigh school seniors earncollege credit in seven-weekcourses beginning June 17and ending on August 3, 2012,studying side-by-side withBrown undergraduates.

Pre-College Courses: Studentscompleting 9th-12th grade byJune 2012 are eligible to applyto multiple 1 to 4-week sessionsfrom June 17 August 10, 2012.

Eligible for College Credit:

Summer Session Creditcourses: Yes; Pre-CollegeCourses: No

Deadlines: Applications forthe Summer Session CreditCourses and Pre-CollegeCourses begin in January, andwhile there are no definitivedeadlines, applicants areencouraged to apply early, ascourses tend to fill quickly.

Online Courses offered: Yes

Study Abroad: Yes, in fourlocations: Segovia, Naxos,Ireland, and Rome.

Website: http://www.brown.edu/ce/pre-college/

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

New York, NY

Featured Programs:

Programs are divided betweena Junior-Senior Divisionand a Freshmen-SophomoreDivision and courses can bein either Session I (June 25-July 13, 2012), Session II (July

s schl ...By Chic?

Columbia University


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Pre-College Programs at Brown University

www.brown.edu/summer

n Prepare to succeed in a collegeenvironment

n Experience the freedom andresponsibility of college life

n Discover and develop new passions

n Meet exceptional students fromaround the world

n Connect with world-class ideas,people, and facilities

SPARK Middle

School Science ProgramStudents entering 8th and 9th grade immerse

themselves in exciting science subjects, and

gain the foundations necessary for further

scientifc inquiry.

Environmental Leadership in Hawaii

Pre-College Courses

Summer Session Credit Courses

Brown Leadership Institute

Intensive English Language Program

Scholar Athlete

TheatreBridge

SPARK Science for Middle School

Summer Study Abroad for HighSchool Students

Online Courses Spring, Summerand Fall Sessions

The educaTed observer 5


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17-August 3, 2012) or both.Eligible for College Credit: No

Deadlines: PriorityApplications are due byFebruary 10, 2012 (Note:application fee is waivedfor online applicants), whileRegular Applications areaccepted through April 6, 2012.

Online Courses offered: No

Study Abroad: No

Website: http://ce.columbia.edu/Summer-Program-High-School-Students-NYC

BARNARD COLLEGE

New York, NY

Featured Programs:

Summer in the City: A varietyof liberal arts courses areoffered over a four-weeksession, from June 24, 2012through July 21, 2012. Thecourses are co-ed and are open

to high school juniors andseniors.

Young Womens LeadershipInstitute: A one week program(July 8, 2012 - July 15, 2012)that explores the relationshipbetween gender andleadership. It is only offered tofemale juniors and seniors.

Eligible for College Credit: No

Deadline: May 7, 2012

Online Courses Offered: No

Study Abroad: No

Website: http://barnard.columbia.edu/precollege

CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Ithaca, NY

Featured Program:

Cornell Summer Collegebegins June 23, 2012, andruns through August 7, 2012.Programs are either threeweeks or six weeks in duration.Applicants must havecompleted their sophomore,

junior or senior year of highschool by June 2012 in order tobe considered.

Eligible for College Credit: Yes

Deadlines: Applications forResearch Apprenticeship inBiological Sciences (RABS) aredue by March 16, 2012, whileall other programs must bereceived by May 4, 2012.

Online Courses offered: No

Study Abroad: No

Website: http://www.sce.cornell.edu/sc/about/overview.php

HARVARD

Cambridge, MA

Featured Program:

Secondary School Program(SSP), running from June 23,2012, through August 10, 2012,is open to high school sopho-mores, juniors, and seniors.

Eligible for College Credit: YesDeadlines: The applicationperiod begins on December8, 2011, and applications arereviewed on a rolling basis.

Online Courses offered: Yes

Study Abroad: No

Website: http://www.summer.harvard.edu/programs/ssp/

6

Barnard

Harvard


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8/36


By Nitasha Tiku

This article was originally

published to Betabeat.com on

December 20, 2011.

ON MONDAY, THE LOBBY OFthe Weill Cornell Medical College,which resides on a particular-ly gray stretch of the Upper EastSide, was crawling with men andwomen in wooly blazers dottedwith carnelian buttonsthetechnical name for the maroonhue that invariably moves Cornellstudents to chant some version ofGo Big Red!

Inside the auditorium, as anassembly of press, pols, and localtechnorati waited for MayorBloomberg to appear, a giantprojector flashed a mosaic of theCornell University logo.

The news had been leaked toevery major news outlet by mid-night on Sunday; there was nopoint in being coy.

Today will be rememberedas a defining moment, MayorBloomberg told the crowd, offi-cially announcing that a 50-50

joint proposal between Cornelland the Technion-Israel Instituteof Technology had won the $100million grant to build a new en-gineering mecca and appliedsciences campus. The project isdesigned to help New York sur-pass Silicon Valley as a globalinnovation capital, creating30,000 jobs and as much as $1.4billion in tax revenue.

For the next hour, a stream ofpolitical operatives, from NewYork City Economic DevelopmentCouncil president Seth Pinsky tocouncilmember Jessica Lappin,

who represents Roosevelt Island,where the 2 million sq. ft. build-out will stand, took to the podiumto express their breathless excite-ment at the scope of the $2 billioninitiative.

Cornell president DavidSkorton debuted a video of anaerial rendering of the gleamingnet-zero energy building. Set toa dramatic score, it looked like aCGI version of a utopian futureyou know, the part in the sci-fiflick before the apocalypse sets

in. There are visions of sugar-plums dancing in my head rightnow, said New York City PublicSchools Chancellor Dennis M.Walcott in response to the bitabout Cornell and Technion in-structing 200 of his teachers inscience education every year.

Of all the applications we re-ceived, Cornell and the Technionswas far and away the boldest and

most ambitious, Mr. Bloombergsaid of the sweeping offer, which

included a $150 million venturecapital fund, startup accelerator,and ambitious plans to construct300,000 sq. ft. by just 2017asclose to the end of his third termas the mayor was likely to get.

But what should have been aneffortless victory lap for the citysyearlong plan to remake its econ-omy for the coming century wasclouded by a note of confusion.Stanford, after all, was peggedthe front-runner at least as far

back as March, when MayorBloomberg gave a speech in PaloAlto, noting, Were particularlypleased that Stanfordwhich hasa top-flight engineering schoolis considering the idea. Stanfordbatted its eyelashes back bylaunching a TumblrNew Yorknative!featuring a video ofLarry Page and Sergey Brin talk-ing up the Mayors initiative.

Indeed, as late as Friday morn-ing, the schools negotiating teamwas still locked in meetings withEDC officials; a few hours later,news hit the wire that Stanfordhad withdrawn its bid. And notlong after that, Cornell issueda hastily-written press releaserevealing that it had receiveda $350 million anonymous do-nation. The largest gift in theschools history was announcedlate on a Friday afternoon.

At the time, it was hard to saywhat was chicken and what wasegg. Was Stanford trying to save

face with a preemptive break-up,or did Cornell win by default?Surprisingly bitter recrimina-tions followed from the variousplayers as everyone tried to spinthe narrative in their favor.

Part of the difficulty of un-derstanding where negotiationsbroke down is a silence clausestipulated in the request forproposal (RFP). But numeroussources, who spoke under con-dition of anonymity, painted apicture of tense discussions and

onerous demands that left severalschools wary, including Stanford.

Cornell, eager to increase itspresence in New York City, wasmore compliant at the negoti-ating table and better versedin what it took to get city ap-proval, including fundraisingbefore commitments were made.Sources said the $350 million gift,for example, had been secured formonths. We need to expand be-yond Ithaca, President Skortonsaid plainly from the podium.

Cornell needed it more. ButNYC Tech needs Stanford more,tweeted New York Citybasedventure capitalist David Pakman,alluding to the latters prestigewithin tech circles and facili-ty with spinning out successfulstartups. (Theres a reason Chinaand Russia are trying to buildtheir own Silicon Valley.)

In the end, it seems the citygot a better deal for taxpayers bygoing with the one that wanted itmore, rather than the one it wassupposed to want.

A university source famil-iar with the negotiations said

Stanfords decision to drop outwasnt based on any one issue,but rather due to a whole hostof things that held them liablefor factors outside of [their] con-trol, such as big-ticket penaltiesfor missed construction dead-lines and the citys desire toindemnify themselves for anytoxicity at the Roosevelt Islandsite. Although a Phase II studywas commissioned this year, afull scale analysis of the medicaldump under the hospital can-not be done until the building israzed. Should serious hazards be

uncovered, the school will be onthe hook not only for the clean-upbut also potentially for resultantdelays.You had a lot of institu-tions that wouldnt even applybecause of the terms, and theygot even more severe in the nego-tiation process, said the source.

City officials counter thatsuch stipulations are par forthe course. If we didnt includethese types of commitments,there would be a chorus of peoplesaying: How could the city write

Safety School? As Stanford Says See Ya!Bloomberg Hops in Bed with Big RedHow New York City got a better deal by going with the less prestigious choice

Was Stanford

trying to save face

with a preemptive

break-up, or did

Cornell win by

default?

Bloomberg addresses the press, and anxious techies everywhere.


9/36


a blank check to a university thatin five years could just decide itwasnt into it?! one official said.Its standard in any kind of long-term land lease or land sale thatthe city would ask the recipientto agree to certain benchmarks.(Cornell and Technion are leas-ing the land for the next 99 years,at which point they can pony up$1 to buy.)

However, legal representa-tion for schools besides Stanfordalso balked at the contract. Thelegal document that we got wasessentially, if you signed it, itwould require you to build evenif you didnt hit the [fundrais-ing] target, another universitysource said. If you state that bythis date, youre going to havethis much faculty and this muchbuilding completed, and youdont get it completed, youre leftopen to a legal challenge. It wasenough for our general counsel toraise a red flag to say they are notcomfortable with signing this.

Even institutions that have ne-gotiated to build in New York Citybefore hadnt encountered thislevel of vulnerability to legal ac-tion. There wasnt any contractwe signed that if our endowmentgoes to Madoff and then goes tonothing, were required to build,said another source familiar withland use issues in New York.

The citys aggressive negotiat-ing stance also created friction.As has been reported, Stanforddid not take a shine to Mayor

Bloombergs assertion during atalk at MIT in late November thatStanford is desperate to do it,even if he said the same of Cornell.The bigger stumbling block, ac-cording to our sources, seemsto have been another remark ut-tered during that same speech:According to Mr. Bloomberg,the desperation meant that, Wecan go back and try to renegoti-ate with each one. A universitysource said Stanford had no ideathat everything was back on thetable. The school responded ingood faith, and everything was

changing, said the source, wrylyadding, But apparently Cornellsaid yes to everything.

Seth [Pinsky] famously ne-gotiates every last penny offthe table, and that spookedStanford, acknowledged a NewYork City real estate executive.They thought they had a partnerand were shocked with his hardline. They were told not to worryabout the particulars and that itwould be fixed in the end, but de-spite assurances, they ultimately

felt uncomfortable partneringwith the city.

A city official pointed outthat it was that same aggressivestance that helped Mr. Pinskyclose complicated and thorny

deals on Hudson Yards andWillets Points, which the city hadbeen trying to navigate for years.

In fact, a source with knowl-edge of the negotiation processsaid familiarity with the waythe city does business helpedCornell, which already employsmore than 5,000 New York Cityresidents. There are things thecity is going to ask you to do that[Cornell] was very comfortablewith, its not clear that the otherside was that comfortable, saidthe source before dropping a bitof local trivia, They know what

a ULURP is.ULURP, or Uniform Land

Review Procedure is the citysnotoriously arduous standard-ized review process. In October,Columbia University presidentLee Bollinger told the schoolsnewspaper, Ive been through aULURP process. Nobody in theirright mind should go througha ULURP process more thanonce in their life. Of course, Mr.Bollinger was talking about howthe ordeal might hold back his

competitors for the tech campusRFP, noting that it took Columbiathree-and-a-half years from sub-mitting rezoning plans to gettingmayoral approval to develop inManhattanville. Its something

candidates no doubt had in mindconsidering the penalties fordelays.

Its binding, Mr. Bloombergshot back to a question from thepress corps about the contract.Keep in mind, if were gonna in-vest, commit this land, turn downother people who wanted it, andinvest $100 million, you dont dothat unless you have a bindingcommitment One of the attrac-tive things about Cornell is thatthey know how to do businessin the city. Just look around, headded, referring to Weill Cornell

Medical College.But both city officials and

Cornell say it was the schoolssuperior offering that clinchedthe deal. The catalyst wasthat Cornell was beating themin every single category, saidsource close to Cornell, citing thespeed of construction, the size ofthe campus, and the amount ofstudents and faculty it will serve.

Cornell was hungrier, Cornellwas more humble in the pro-cessI think it helped them win

the proposal, said Charlie Kim,CEO of Next Jump, a loyalty re-wards company, who sits on the

advisory committee that helpedselect winners. Mr. Kim said thecommittee met a thirty to for-ty-five days ago and then againlast week to go into more detail.I think probably after review-ing everything, and this is kindof my opinion, I felt Cornell-Technion was the number onerecommendation.

City officials claim the rush tosign the papers was merely a re-flection of the way discussionswere being structured. The citywas simultaneously negotiat-ing with everyone that applied,trying to move each deal as faralong as possible. When Stanforddropped out, the deal with Cornellwas already near completion.

And what of the mysterious$350 million donation? Thoughsome speculated that the moneyhad come from Mayor Bloomberghimself, The New York Times re-vealed Monday evening it hadbeen a gift from Cornell alumCharles Feeney, the Duty ShopGroup entrepreneur and sub-

ject of the book The BillionaireWho Wasnt: How Chuck Feeney

Made and Gave Away a FortuneWithout Anyone Knowing.

Which isnt to say Mr.Bloomberg wont be openingup his wallet to see that his leg-acy-defining project remainson track. Although Cornell andTechnion have been grantedthe full $100 million, the cityleft open the possibility of ap-proving a second smaller-scaleproject, like plans from NYUand the Polytechnic Institute totransform the derelict formerMTA headquarters into a Centerfor Urban Science and Progress,or Carnegie Mellons proposedpartnership with Steiner Studiosto build a digital media campusat the Brooklyn Navy Yard, bothof which will now likely have torely on philanthropic donations.

You assume that when theymake phone calls, Id be on thelist, Mr. Bloomberg said at thepress conference, while tryingnot to crack a smile. But I alsohave some commitments to someother educational institutions, asyou know.

Cornell was hungrier, Cornell was

more humble in the processI think it

helped them win the proposal.

Technion President Peretz

Lavie, left, and Cornell

President David J. Skorton

in front of the composite

rendering of the proposed

campus on Roosevelt Island.

CornellUniversityPhotograPhy,JasonKosKi,digita

lworKMatthewF

ondeUr


10/36

10 THE EDUCATED OBSERVER

NYUs Brooklyn Tech Campus Is a Top Contender,But MTAs Jay Street Asking Price Has Grown

By Nitasha Tiku

This article was originally

published to Betabeat.com on

January 1, 2012.

FOR MONTHS, MAYOR Bloom-berg has dangled the possibilityof picking two winners for thecitys tech campus competition.He even left the possibility openwhile announcing that the NewYork City Economic DevelopmentCorporation would give thefull $100 million grant toCornell-Technion to build anapplied sciences campus onRoosevelt Island. Now Crainsis reporting that between theremaining contestants, NYUsDowntown Brooklyn proposalmay have taken center stageover Carnegie Mellons NavyYard campus and ColumbiasManhattanville proposal.

Hey, if the Fu lton St. Mall canhave its own Shake Shack, whyshouldnt the M.T.As derelictformer headquarters on nearby370 Jay St. be transformed intoa Center for Urban Science andProgress?

Although Crains says NYU,the M.T.A., and E.D.C. all wantto make a deal to help revital-

ize Downtown Brooklyn, butmoney is the sticking point.Back in October, NYU was ask-

ing for $20 to $25 million fromthe city and pledged spending$450 million on the 200,000sq. ft. space. Now that some-one actually wants the blightedbuilding that has frustrated of-ficials for year, the M.T.A. isasking for more:

NYU has asked the city for$20 million to help buy out theMTA, based largely on num-bers thrown around duringprevious attempts to revive the

beleaguered building, sourcesfamiliar with the proposal said.But the MTAs asking price hasnow ballooned to $50 million to$60 million.

As Crains reports:The MTA controls the site

via a master lease and has theright to stay in the buildingas long as it is using it. The459,000-square-foot propertycontains vital communicationsequipment, and the negotia-tions hinge on just how much it

would cost to move or replaceit.

At the press conference an-nouncing Cornell-Technions bigwin, city officials seemed some-what optimistic about the abilityto find the financing for a second

project, even without any of the$100 million in play. Obviouslythe city budget funds other proj-ects, said the source, If theresa way to make it work with otherfunding, that could be a possi-bility. If theres philanthropy wecan do, then we might be able toget somewhere.

Another City Hall source of-fered some clarification on theMTAs position. As we original-ly mentioned back in October,the $20 to $25 million that NYU

pledged to build the center wasallocated in part to cover, in-frastructure improvementsand moving out old MTA equip-ment. The latter appears tobe the real issue because the459,000-square-foot property

still contains vital communica-tions equipment for the MTA.

Its pretty integral signal-ling equipment, it has to do withrunning the train lines, said thesource who believed the infra-structure was currently in useby the agency. The tough pieceof 370 Jay has been that thatequipment is there. The sourcealso noted that it wasnt so muchthat the cost ballooned as thatestimates to relocate that equip-ment has varied through the

years, including when the MTAwas contemplating putting outan RFP to redevelop the build-ing. Clearly neither of thoseestimates was the citys esti-mates, said the source, whoalso seemed optimistic about

the ability to reach a deal withNYU and the MTA.

Even if NYUs DowntownBrooklyn project was selected asa second winner, that might notnecessarily leave Columbia andCarnegie Mellon out. I thinkwere still working on creativeways to do all of them, said thesource. Even without the $100million, we wondered? There areother ways to create incentives forpeople to pursue these projects,the source offered obliquely.

NYUs proposed campus at 370 Jay Street.


11/36

Choose from professionally oriented programs in:

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Theres Still Time to Register @ NYU-SCPS

Online registration is quick and easy:scps.nyu.edu/x566or call212-998-7150

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The holidays are over and a new year has begun. Although you may be tempted to go into hibernation, now is the time to plant the seeds for growth

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Day, evening, and weekend schedules are available.

Business

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Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management

Liberal Studies and Allied Arts

Media Industry Studies and Design

Philanthropy and Fundraising

Real Estate


12/36


Building an Educationfrom the Ground Up

ByKristaCarterPhotographsbyNickOnken

Above, Pencils of Promise in Laos. Right, Adam Braun with a young student in Guatemala.

What are traditionally yellow incolor, more popular as #2 than

as a #1, and when inserted into

___________ of Promise,

completes the name of a young and

successful non-profit?

A. Bananas

B. Hand-me-downs

C. Pencils

D. Post-its

Answer: [C.] Pencils


13/36

Visit medillbizreporting.comto learnmore about graduate journalism at Medill

Your business reporting careerstarts in the Windy City

Cover economic and business news,from industry beats to consumer trends.

Work from the downtown Chicago newsroom,in the center of the nancial district.

Have a competitive edgein the job market witha degree from the bestbusiness journalismprogram in the country.

Bloomberg Scholarshipsavailable to select studentswho qualify.

Employers areimpressed by thecaliber of thebusiness reportersthat come out ofMedill, and ourstudents areprepared foranything thatcomes their way.

Ceci Rodgers,BusinessReportingLecturer



14/36

MEET ADAM BRAUN, THE 28-YEAR-old Founder and Executive Director ofPencils of Promise (PoP), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, or what Mr. Braun prefers to call afor-purpose organization, dedicated tobuilding schools and making educationaccessible to students in developing na-

tions. After graduatingfrom Brown Universityand landing a job as anassociate consultant at

Bain & Company, Mr.Braun decided to changecareer paths, and inOctober 2008 launchedPencils of Promise. Toundertake an entrepre-neurial venture at 25(with a mere $25 de-posit, no less) seemslike a big risk, but in just

over three years, Pencils of Promise hasproven to be one of the fastest-growingand most successful non-profits in re-cent years, building 60 schools in Laos,Nicaragua, and Guatemala. The secret?Having graduated college the same yearas Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg,Mr. Braun understands, utilizes and ap-preciates social media as a cheap, yethighly effective way to get the word out.He also reveals that using for-profit busi-ness acumen according to a non-profitagenda has provided Pencil of Promisewith a sound and strategic businessapproach to tackling education in un-derprivileged Asian and Latin Americacountries. (Interestingly, Mr. Braun ad-mits that finding talent in the for-profitsector willing to make the switch overto a non-profit is one of PoPs biggestchallenges.)

Inspired by his time spent travel-ling abroad in his early 20s, Mr. Braunsaw extreme poverty, most notably inNorthern India. Piqued by curiosity asa young foreigner, he would ask chil-dren, If you could have anything, whatwould it be? Expecting to hear re-sponses such as a PlayStation, an iPod oreven a house, he was surprised to hearmuch simpler answers: To dance, onegirl had said. Perhaps the response thatresonated with him the most, and fromwhich the organization gets its namewas, a pencil.

Mr. Braun happened to have a pencilwith him and gave it to the young boy,

watching as his face just lit up. The ex-change made him realize how an act sosimple and so small can make such a sig-nificant impact. While Mr. Braun viewsmoney as an enabler that will ultimate-ly keep kids on the streets, he believesthat an education is what will lead indi-viduals and communities in becomingsustainable and self-reliant. During histravels he was approached by parentswho expressed to him a strong desirefor their children to have an education.Empowered by these encounters, andwith a newfound sense of purpose, Mr.

He ... reveals that using

for-profit business acumenaccording to a non-profit

agenda has provided Pencil

of Promise with a sound and

strategic business approach.

Above and below,

children in Laos.


15/36



16/36


Braun set out to make a change.Pencils of Promise collab-

orates with the Ministry ofEducation (PoPs first part-nership), local governmentand NGOs in compiling a list of

areas in need of the most edu-cational assistance; however,the responsibility of decidingwhich areas to pursue is not al-ways an easy task. While thelist may be organized numeri-cally, those areas at the top ofthe list are not necessarily themost in need. Because of nepo-tism, Mr. Braun says, it is goodto have locals on the ground.With a staff that is 95% local, PoPcan easily discern which villagesare actually in need of assistancefrom those that are seeming-ly in need (oftentimes these arevillages connected to govern-ment officials). Once a villageis identified, and before build-

ing begins, the village agreesto provide 10-20% of construc-tion costs, typically in the formof raw materials and labor. PoPsdedication to sourcing locallabor has provided communities

with jobs, especially in the areasof construction and teaching.Mr. Braun says, Once they breakground, it takes approximatelytwo and a half to three monthsto complete a single school.Undoubtedly, there is a lot to bedone in 2012, especially becausePoP will need to build 40 schoolsin order to reach its goal of 100(60 were constructed in the pastthree years) by the years end.While Mr. Brauns initial goalfor PoP was to build one school,the organizations influence indeveloping countries has contin-ued to extend even further, andperhaps one of the biggest chal-lenges will not be made manifest

At 12-years-old, students will have to face

the difficult decision of continuing theireducation or working to help their family.

Guatemala

Laos


17/36


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212.875.4404

Bank Street College

Graduate School of Education610 West 112th Street, New York, NY

to 110th Street

www.bankstreet.edu/explore

Bankstreet

Graduate School

of Education

until the years ahead when manyof the current pre-school and pri-mary students will be enteringsecondary school, or what Mr.Braun terms as the drop-outpoint. Although PoP under-

takes building middle schools,such as Pamezabal BsicoInstitute in Guatemala, the ma-

jority of its completed projectsare early-education institutions.At 12-years-old, students willhave to face the difficult decisionof continuing their education orworking to help their family. Butin anticipating the future, PoPis already planning to launch ascholarship program that wouldallow underprivileged studentsto continue their education withthe following condition: theymust mentor five to ten kidsfrom their own village as a wayof perpetuating education andgiving back to the community.

So how do Mr. Braun and histeam manage their hectic sched-ules? His answer was simple:

I listen to music, citing BobDylan, The Rolling Stones andRadiohead among his favoriteartists. He adds, whether intend-ing to excite or relax the staff,there is always music playing inthe office.

Jaded pragmatists mightgawk at the pipe dreams of yet

another twenty-something, butafter having spoken with Mr.Braun, I interpret his quixot-ic idealism as charming ratherthan nave, and given Pencils ofPromises successful track re-cord, one can sense how Likea rolling stone or better yet,like the Rolling Stones, it will

not be stopping anytime soon.This might be the first instance,but it will definitely not be thelast that you will hear of AdamBraun and Pencils of Promise.

To learn more about Pencilsof Promise and to donate, pleasevisit the website: www.pencil-sofpromise.orgel

izabethm

itaro/Cour

tesy

PenCils

of

Promise


18/36

18

January 27

Theatre: Lovers andOther Creatures

Hunter College, Goldberg Studio

8:00pm

A compendium of performancesproduced by the Hunter TheatreCompany, Lovers and OtherCreatures includes a version ofEdward Albees Broadway hitThe Goat, or Who is Sylvia? Andis directed by Kevin Maloof. TheWeiner Monologues promisesto be interesting. The play wasconceived and developed by

The Red Couch Group, writtenby John Oros and directed byJonathan Harper [email protected]

NYU Scientists Band,the Amygdaloids,Launch New EP

327 Bowery at 2nd Street,

Bowery Electric

Not an academic event per se,but just as, i f not more inter-esting will be a group of NYUScientists performing with

their band: The Amygdaloids.The Amygdaloids include NYUneuroscientist Joseph LeDoux,director of NYUs EmotionalBrain Institute. Behind, whatfor many will be a cur ious per-formance is the serious issueof increasing awareness ofmental health issues. Studentsand many interested in neu-roscience will likely be inattendance, and with the aidof rock music as an ice-break-er, the conversation will atleast provide more stimulation

than a 9am class.

January 31

Arts: Andy WarholsGreenwich Village

The New School, Wollman Hall,

65 West 11th St.

6:30pm

Andy Warhols legacy is syn-onymous with New York andfurthermore, Greenwich

Village. On the 31st Thomas

Kiedrowski and Robert Heidediscuss in detail Warhols con-nection and involvement tothe arts scene in the area.They are well positioned todiscuss the 15 minutes offame artist, with Heidehaving written some ofWarhols screenplays andKiedrowski authoring thebookAndy Warhols NewYork [email protected]

February 2

Miral: APalestinian/IsraeliDialogue On andOf Screen

NYU Tisch School of the Arts

Room 006

6:00pm-900pm

NYU wil l host a discussionon the seemingly, sadlyendless, ideological debate

for hearts and minds on the

Israel/Palestine issue,as part of their Centerfor Dialogues pro-gram. The discussionwill include ZacharyLockman, professor

of Middle Easternand IslamicStudies at NYU,Helga Tawil-Souri,NYUs AssociateProfessorof Media,Culture andCommunicationand Rula Jebreal,

author of Miral.The Panel will beheld after a screen-ing of Miral, an

adaptation of Ms.Jebreals semi-auto-biographical novel,directed by JulianSchnabel (TheDiving Bell and theButterfly)[email protected]

February 3

Mormonism AndAmerican PoliticsConerence

Columbia University, Morningside

Campus, International Affairs

Building: Room 1501

With the recent exceptionallevel of media coverage devotedto Mormons in the public eyedue to two would-be Mormonpresidential candidates,Columbia University takesa broad look at the history

of Mormon participation inAmerica life, with a particu-lar focus on political life. Goingright back to Joseph Smiths1844 run for the presidency tothe Reed Smoot trials of theearly 20th century, the confer-ence will give those with verylimited knowledge of the sub-

ject a fascinating insight loadedwith information. RandallBalmer, Claudia Bushman andRichard Bushman are amongthe speakers.

Our Picks That WillHave the Town Buzzing

by stephen duFFyEVENT

NYU will hold a discussion with Thomas Kiedrowski and Robert Heide on Warhols time in the East Village.

Rula Jebreal18 The educaTed observer


19/36

FEBRUARY 17

Great Thinkers of OurTime-Steven Pinkerand Rebecca Goldstein

Hunter College, 695 Park Avenue,

West Building, 8th Floor

This is bound to be a popu-lar event so be sure to RSVP!As part of an ongoing GreatThinkers of Our Time series,Hunter College brings StevenPinker and Rebeccer NewbergerGoldstein. The speakers willallow time for questions andanswers afterwards and alsoconduct a book signing. Bothspeakers have written recentacclaimed books, Mr. PinkersThe Stuff of Thought: Languageas a Window into HumanNature, and Ms. NewbergerGoldsteins Thirty-SixArguments for the Existence ofGod: A Work of [email protected]

Poetry and Visual Arts

NYU: The Lillian Vernon Creative

Writers House, West 10th St.

2:00-4:00pm

Mixing visual art and poetrytogether, and at the same time whatever will these kids thinkof next?! Quench your curios-ity by going along to the poetry

and visual arts roundtable atNYUs Creative Writers Houseon Feruary the 17th. Six practi-tioners of this newly evolvingart form will take part in thediscussion: Somner Browning,Mark Leidner, Mahendra Singh,Bianca Stone and Paul Tunis. Itwil be moderated by MattheaHarvey.

FEBRUARY 22

Linguistic Diversitywithin the LatinoPopulation in theUnited States:IndigenousLanguages, Migrationand LanguageEndangerment

The City College of New York,

160 Convent Ave.

Since Noam Chomsky camealong and worked his magic,linguistics has become a mat-ter of infinite interest. Thislook into linguistics focusesthe Latino U.S. population andis presented by Prez Bez.

Dr. Bez is the curator of lin-guistics at the SmithsonianInstitutions National Museumof Natural History. Most ofher work has emphasized fac-tors of language maintenance

and endangerment.212-650-6731

FEBRUARY 23

Writers inConversation:Nathan Englander



7:00pm

Nathan Englander, whosedebut short story collection

For the Relief of UnbearableUrges won widespread criti-cal acclaim, will read from hishighly-anticipated new shortstory collection, What We Talk

About When We Talk AboutAnne Frank, at NYUs CreativeWriters House. Mr. Englanderis an accomplished author, ap-pearing in The Best American

Short Stories on numerous oc-casions. Mr. Englander willbe in conversation with DarinStrauss, a faculty memberin NYUs Creative WritingProgram.

www.cwp.fas.nyu.edu

FEBRUARY 24

Washington SquareLaunch Party



Those looking out for the fresh-est literary talent in the city willbe making their way to NYUsCreative Writers House on the

24th. This is the event where youcan find and meet the literati oftomorrow as they read their lat-est fictional works from recentNYU graduates in their self pro-duced publication Washington

Square.

FEBRUARY 28

BLOWING MINDS:The East VillageOther, the Rise ofUnderground Comix,and the AlternativePress, 1965-1972.

Running in NYUs Arthur L.Carter Journalism Institute foran extended timeFebruary28th through March 16thyouhave no excuse not to make avisit to this exhibition of theunderground press. The exhi-bition will be of equal interestfor those of an older persua-sion who will remember The

East Village Otherand thosewho are students of the press.The opening night will coincidewith a discussion with The NewYork Times Claudia Dreifus,

The New York Times columnistSteven Heller, and Alex Gross,allEast Village Otherwriters.Additionally, on display will beseminal Village Otherpapersand artifacts.

[email protected]

MARCH 5TH

An Evening with DavidPatrick Columbia,

Hunter College, West Building,

8th Floor

Bound to be an evening of fas-cinating insight into how theother half lives, Hunter Collegewill host a night with NewYorks main man, David PatrickColumbia, on all things so-cial. Mr. Columbia is editor ofQuest Magazine andThe NewYork Social Diary. Both titles areknown to be the de facto recordon the lives of Manhattans [email protected]

CALENDAR

Cover of East Village Other.


Nathan

Englander

ROBERTCRUMB


20/36


The Best Places to Study

HOUSING WORKS

BOOKSTORE CAF

Neighborhood nooks to cook your books

I love coming here with justthe intention of getting work

done and wind up leaving with

a newly purchased book.

Keeler Sandhaus


21/36



22/36


STUMPTOWN COFFEE ROASTERS

ORENS

DAILY

ROAST

Although it may be a bit pricey compared

to other coffee joints, this is one of the

coolest places to come and relax. Tastiest

coffee I know in New York.

Michael DeGennaro

Nothing starts my day

off better than sitting

here in the morning with

a fresh cup of Orens

roast in my hand.

Jonathan Capecci


23/36


REGISTER TODAY FOR SPRING 2012 CLASSES!

Featuring: Master ClassesAlison Espach- Fiction; Daphne Merkin- Memoir

Bruce Jay Friedman- Comedy; Marty Panzer- Lyrics

Plus many more writing, literature, and specialty courses

Writing | Literature | Cultural Events

FREE!Upcoming Events at

Best Selling Author SeriesStacy Schiff January 12, 2012 | 7:00

Alice McDermott February 28, 21012 | 7:00

Alan Furst March 27, 2012 | 7:00

Susan Isaacs April 24, 2012 | 7:00

Stuart Woods May 21, 2012 | 7:00

Great Thinkers of Our Time Series

Steven Pinker & February 17, 2012 | 7:00Rebecca Goldstein

John Donoghue April 3, 2012 | 7:00

Seth Lloyd April 16, 2012 | 7:00

Lisa Randall May 3, 2012 | 7:00

An Evening with David Patrick Columbi

David Patrick Columbia March 5, 2012 | 7:00

An Evening with the Kleiers

Michelle, Sabrina & April 12, 2012 | 7:00

Samantha Kleier

To RSVP for events e-mail [email protected]

See our complete list of Spring 2012 courses at

www.hunter.cuny.edu/ce/the-writing-center

ewis Frumkes, director


24/36


BIRCH COFFEE

JOE THE ART

OF COFFEE

I love to come here in between class to

grab some of the best coffee Ive had in

New York and do some work. They always

have the best music playing too.Gabriela Small

My favorite place

to grab a quality

cup of coffee

and light snack

between classes.

Ellen Treiman

TABLE 12

Being that theyre

open 24 hours a

day, this place is alot more enjoyable

than the library to

pull that all-nighter

in. The option to get

diner-style food helps

tremendously with

the studies as well.

Nick Robbins


25/36


An Open Letter to New York City ParentsNew York City is losing its teachers.

More than 66,000 have either resigned or retired since Mayor Bloomberg took control ofthe schools.

Teachers leave one of the toughest jobs in New York City for a variety of personal andprofessional reasons, but the most common single reason is a lack of support fromsupervisors and the Department of Education.

Teaching is a craft that is acquired over time, and teachers desperately want to improve theirskills. at is why the United Federation of Teachers led the campaign to create a betterteacher evaluation system, one that put a priority on helping all teachers do their job better.

e UFTs role was critical in creating the new system, and in going to Washington, D.C. tohelp get federal funds for it through the Race to the Top program. Starting last spring, manyof our members with expertise in evaluation worked for months on the state subcommitteesdesigning the new system.

We have been trying to work with the Bloomberg administration to iron out the nal details ofthe new system, but the administration has refused to engage in meaningful talks about teacherand principal improvement. Instead it has focused on ensuring that administrators have unlim-ited power over their employees. If we agree, it will mean that supervisors decisions can neverbe properly reviewed, much less overturned. is would be true even if their negative rating ofa teacher or a principal can be proven to be the result of their refusal to inappropriately changea students grade or to give students credit for courses they have not properly completed.

Make no mistake about it. e administration has put tremendous pressure on principals tomake their schools appear to be successful. But any claims of success ring hollow in the lightof national tests that show very limited student progress for the system as a whole, and statemeasures that show that while the high school graduation rate is increasing, the number ofgraduates ready for college is only about one in ve.

Te sad truth is that Mayor Bloombergs reform agenda raising class size across

the system; closing schools and warehousing the neediest students; pushing art and

music out of the schools to make room for more test prep; turning a deaf ear to parents

concerns; and appointing a completely unqualied publishing executive to be Chancellor

hasnt made our schools better.

A real teacher evaluation system that helps all teachers improve while providing checksand balances is a critical step toward stopping the hemorrhaging of our teaching force andmaking our schools more eective. At the same time it would help ensure that teachers who

cannot succeed in the classroom leave the profession.

We have an open oer to the administration to continue our negotiations on this issue, oreven to take it to binding arbitration. Its time the administration sat down with teachersand principals to come up with an agenda that will actually help our children learn.

Sincerely,

Michael MulgrewPresidentUnited Federation of Teachers


26/36

Bank Street

Founded in 1916, Bank Street College

of Education has a rich history of

innovation and of learner-centered

education. Bank Streets pioneering

ideas about developmentally

appropriate practices, the value

of observation and reflection, and

the importance of discovery and

experiential learning have influencedsuccessful teaching and learning

approaches in schools, museums, and

other learning environments across

the nation. The College includes both

the Graduate School and a lab school

called the School for Children.

Bank Street graduates become

educators who facilitate learning,

create community, aim for

developmentally appropriate

educational objectives, and encourage

learners to engage fully in the

process of discovery and of creating

understanding. The masters degree

programs engage students throughactive participation in small classes

and discussion groups, combined with

extensive supervised fieldwork and

advisement. Course work focuses on

human development, curriculum and

inquiry, ways of engaging children as

active learners, and the foundations

of education. Theory and practice are

integrated in all components of a Bank

Street education.

Bank Streets masters degree

programs include child life, teacher

preparation, special education,

literacy, museum education, bilingual

education, and school leadership.

Many programs lead to initial and

professional certification to work

with children in early childhood

education, elementary or childhood

education, preparing individuals towork in general education classrooms

or in special education settings.

Those graduate students with initial

certification from undergraduate

programs will find a full range of

graduate programs that will lead

them to professional certification,

including curriculum and instruction

and teacher leader in mathematics

education.

Brown UniversityPre-College Programs at BrownUniversity: Summer 2012A True Residential College Experience

Summer@Brown attracts serious

college-bound students from around

the world. As a student, youll live in a

Brown University residence hall, eat at

Verney-Woolley, or other Brown dining

halls, and join your fellow students on

The College Greenjust as you would

if you were a Brown undergraduate.

You will be surrounded by peers from

diverse backgrounds and culturesall

sharing a passion for high-level

academics and a desire to succeed

at a selective institution like Brown

University. A student who completes

a Summer@Brown course is better

prepared, more confident, and better

positioned to succeed during one of the

biggest transitions of his or her life: the

move to college.

Brown University: 250 Years ofAcademic ExcellenceBrown is known in the Ivy League for

an innovative open curriculum that

challenges students to be actively

engaged in their own intellectual

development. Summer@Brown is an

opportunity to explore this stimulating

learning environment. Academics are at

the programs core, with more than 250

courses in one- to seven-week sessions.

Dive deeper into a subject you love or

a new area of learning you may never

have considered. You will face exciting

challenges and accomplish more than

you can imagine.

Come to Summer@Brown to prepare forcollege success and experience life inthe Ivy League.

Brown University O ce of ContinuingEducationProvidence, Rhode Islandwww.brown.edu/summer

Cornell University

Summer CollegePrograms for High School Students

An unforgettable, life-changing

summer.

One of the longest running and most

highly regarded precollege academic

programs in the United States, Cornell

Universitys Summer College gives

academically talented high school

sophomores, juniors, and seniors the

chance to experience the excitement

of college life at a world-class Ivy

League university.

Every summer, nearly one thousand

students from around the world come

to Cornells beautiful campus in the

heart of the Finger Lakes to get a headstart on their college education in one

of our acclaimed three- and six-week

programs. Enrolled in courses taught by

world-renowned faculty, students earn

college credit while exploring academic

majors and making new friends.

Programs are available in architecture;

art and design; business; college

success; engineering; environmental

studies; history and politics; hotel

management; humanities; law and

government; medicine; psychology;

research and science; and veterinary

medicine and animal science.

Within a challenging but supportive

environment, students explore life at

Cornell and gain confidence that they can

succeed at college. And with the help of

a college fair, admission workshops, and

one-on-one consultations, participantsget a better idea of what they want in

a college, where to apply, and how to

create the best application.

Truly priceless is how Summer College

2011 parents Sean and Helen Dunlea

describe the program. We would highly

recommend it.

For more information, call 607.255.6203,e-mail [email protected], orvisit www.summercollege.cornell.edu/

eo.

Karl Dominey


27/36

Attention8th to 11th Graders!

Aiming for the Ivy League?

1.877.659.4204hernandezcollegeconsulting.com

[email protected]

Work with the Top Ivy League Consultant in the country

Michele HernandezFormer Assistant Director of Admissions at Dartmouth College

and author of two best-selling college guides:

A is for Admission& Acing the College Application

uUnparalleled success rate

uUnlimited time for students and parents

uAdvising and facilitating every step of the way!

uWork directly with Michele, not a representative.

Call Now...Space is limited

HernandezCollege Consulting


28/36

Hofstra Universitys

Frank G. Zarb

School of BusinessOers Graduate Students Flexibility

Recently ranked as the 5th part-timeM.B.A. program in the Northeast and49th in the country by Bloomberg

Businessweek, listed among the nationstop M.B.A. programs by Forbes, andrecognized by The Princeton Reviewand U.S. News & World Report, HostrasFrank G. Zarb School o Businessprovides proessionals with the skillsnecessary to excel and advance intodays ast-paced and ever-changingbusiness world. Our students benetrom an intensive education withreal-world application, in a variety oindustries, all within close proximity tothe nations top media and businessmarket New York City.

What We OerHostra oers traditional classes aswell as the opportunity to earn coursecredits online, giving students theexibility they need to succeed. Ouronline M.B.A. program allows accessto Hostras world-class aculty,technology and course work rom thelocation o your choice, on your time.

In addition, the 20-month ExecutiveM.B.A. program is or those individualswho hold middle- to senior-levelmanagement positions in privateindustry, government, and the not-or-prot sector. Classes are heldrom 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Saturday,giving proessionals the opportunityto pursue a degree while maintainingtheir job responsibilities.

The traditional Zarb M.B.A. may becompleted either part-time in theevening or ull-time during the day, and

students can choose rom among 11concentrations.

No matter the program, Hostrasdynamic business aculty sharebusiness theory that has been testedand proven through real-worldexperiences.

Explore the possibilities at hostra.edu/zarb.

Hunter College

Want to set yoursel apart rom thecrowd? Continuing Education atHunter College has your answer. Weoer a variety o Certicate Programsand courses that will provide you withthe tools and credentials needed oryour job search. Choose rom ourcerticates in the ollowing elds:Fitness Instructor, Medical Coding& Billing, Legal Studies, Legal Nurse

Consultant, Graphic Design, Real EstateSalesperson, Marketing, Translation and/or Interpretation, Gerontology, InteriorDesign, Microsot Ofce, Ofce Assistant,Web Programming and/or Web Design,and Small Business & Entrepreneurship.

Our programs take anywhere rom oneto two years to complete and are taughtby prestigious aculty who are dedicatedleaders in their eld and take an interestin each student. There are several

payment plans available to you or thecerticate programs. Please call us ordetails.

We oer proessional development classesin nancial investment, digital media,

oreign languages, sustainability, computersand much more! Sel-enrichment classesin literature, history, music, visual arts,and dance are also available. We are alsoproud to present Talking Movies withJerey Lyons and Roberta Burrows. Thisexciting lm series allows participantsto see movies beore they are released.Ater the private screening, youll havethe opportunity to engage with actors,directors and producers in a question andanswer session.

Join us or one o our Open Housesto learn more about our certifcateprograms and courses. Springsemester begins February 2012. Call usat: 212 650-3850 or visit our website:http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/ce

Hunter CollegeThe Writing Center, part o theContinuing Education department atHunter College oers a wide-range o

special literary and cultural events whichare ree and open to the public. Our BestSelling Author Series begins with StacySchi on January 12, ollowed by AliceMcDermott, Alan Furst, Susan Isaacs, andStuart Woods. The Great Thinkers oour Time Series eatures Steven Pinkerand Rebecca Goldstein, John Donoghue,Seth Lloyd, and Lisa Randall. In addition,there will be two special evenings: onewith The Kleiers, hosts o the hit TV showSelling New York, and another withDavid Patrick Columbia, editor o QuestMagazine. A question and answer sessionplus book-signing and reception ollowseach lecture.

In addition to events, The WritingCenter oers many exciting workshops.Master classes will include Memoirwith Daphne Merkin, Comedy Writingwith Bruce Jay Friedman, Fiction withAlison Espach, and a new Songwritingclass with master lyricist Marty Panzer.New this spring is a class on nding aliterary agent with Katharine Sands, andthe Introduction to Social Media classtaught by Elyssa Goodman.

The Writing Center will host its second

annual Writers Conerence at HunterCollegeon June 9, 2012. The conerenceincludes an extensive array o literaryenthusiasts who will be sharing theirknowledge, experiences, and advice.Keynote speakers are Carol HigginsClark, Mary Higgins Clark, and ColsonWhitehead.

For more inormation about all o TheWriting Center oerings, please visitour website at: www.hunter.cuny.edu/ce/the-writing-center


29/36

THE EDUCATED OBSERVER 29THE EDUCATED OBSERVER 29


30/36


By Krista Carter

TOM HANDLEY IS ONE OF THEmost popular professors in NewYork City, especially in the world

of public relations. He can be de-scribed as a super hero characterof sorts, with the strength of aneducator, a mind fu ll of big ideasand a heart of gold, a beacon ofhigh hopes to to many up-and-coming stars in New York City.But it is his superb memory thatserves him the best, in that hehas no difficulty rememberingall of his past students names,their hometowns and their spe-cific undergraduate university.

Recently, The EducatedObserver experienced all of

these traits firsthand. It is easyto see that Toms vibrant energyis a driving force in inspiring hisstudents to put their best footforward when stepping into the

job market.

Krista Carter: What do you enjoymost about teaching?

Tom Handley: Being able toempower others to step into thenext level of their career. I am not

just a professor and have takenon the role of a mentor to many

of my students. I have been inthe industry for so long and caneasily help students look out forthat bump in the road and can

provide more insight for them tosucceed.

KC: Why did you choose to be-come a professor?

TH: In my late 20s and early30s, I did not know what I waspassionate about but it turnedout my passion is teaching andempowering otherswhich issomething that I do everyday asa professor.

KC: If you could have chosen anyother profession, what would itbe?

TH: It would have to be some-thing within the same field.

KC: After taking your classes,what do you wish for your stu-dents to walk away with?

TH: I want students to walkaway with a marketing portfo-lio from projects in the class thatthey can ultimately use on jobinterviews.

KC: What is your biggestfrustration?

TH: People in the industrywho do not want to help or evenunderstand how they can em-power others.

KC: What do you usually expect out of a student taking oneof your classes?

TH: I expect students to be fo-cused, creative, inquisitive, andto show a skill-set. Sometimesthe answer is not always google-able, and students need to beresourceful.

KC: What do you do with yourtime away from Parsons?

TH: I LOVE coffee! On Saturdayor Sunday afternoons, I can usu-ally be found at my favorite

neighborhood coffee shop, Joethe Art of Coffee. I nickname theone by my apartment FashionJoe because there is alwayssomeone in the industry at thecoffee shop doing work, conduct-ing interviews, having coffee,etc. It is also my office and myhome away from home.

Also I am an avid foodie.Currently my favorite Italianrestaurants are Zio (17 West 19thStreet) and Pepolino (281 WestBroadway). For Asian restau-

rants I am a regular at Laut (15East 17th Street), a Michelin starrestaurant owned by one of myformer students and for sushi,

Blue Ginger (106 8th Avenue) isthe best.

KC: What do you think of thecurrent economy and how is itaffecting students today?

TH: Facing the current econ-omy for my students was achallenge at first - but now thereis greater opportunity for stu-dents to get internships thatcall for strong roles, which wereusually assigned to entry-levelemployees.

KC: If you could have dinne

with anyone (dead or alive), withwhom would you dine?

TH: Dead: Edith Head andCristobal Balenciaga

Alive: President Obama,Warren Buffet and MayorBloomberg

KC: If money were not an issue,what would your trip itinerarylook like?

TH: Not necessarily in thisorder: Honolulu, Sydney, HongKong, Mumbai, Dubai, Florence,

Handley

One-on-OneWith Tom HandleyProfessor at Parsons

The New School of Design

Q & A With Campus Personalities


31/36


Paris, London, and Reykjavik

KC: What can you NOT livewithout?

TH: Coffee, great food, friendsand family

KC: What is your favorite NYCdestination?

TH: Joe the Art of Coffee

KC: What is the one thing thatmost people dont know about

you?TH: I am the youngest of six

and great up in the town in theMidwest with a population of2,200. Also, right before collegeI was a paid actor and did sum-mer stock theatre.

KC: Who do you most respect inthe industry?

TH: Lance Isham, my mentorat Ralph Lauren and current-ly the Executive Chairman andCEO of Faconnable S.A.S. Prior tothis he served as t he President ofPolo Ralph Lauren Corporation.He is brilliant, just brilliant!

KC: What is your best NYCmoment?

TH: In 1996, after returningfrom Hawaii (rather tan), I left aSaks Fifth Avenue and two teen-age girls came running towardsme with their autograph booksflailing in the air. I scribbled inthe books and the girls respond-ed, Oh my God! Thank You!And then I jumped into a car. To

this day, I have no idea who theythought I was.

KC: What advice can you give toensure success in New York City?

TH: Go out there and get ex-perience and not just the degree.Intern at 2-4 different places

Cover letters are a thing ofthe past, I suggest students do apitch letter instead. Dont spendall your time applying to jobs on-line (if its online, chances are alot of others are applying too).Instead create a database of com-panies that you want to work for.

AND differentiate yourself; sendsomething to the company inthe mail such as a hand-writtenletter.

Most importantly make surethat you read everything youcan online and in print. And ofcourse, always be nice to every-one you meet.

KC: Any last words?TH: Do what you love with

people you enjoy.Twitter: @PRProfessor

By Hannah Ghorashi

Jason Philips, head librarianon gender and sexuality stud-ies at NYUs Bobst Library,answers some of our questionsconcerning what it means tobe a librarian t hese days.

Speaking of... Hannah Ghorashi: In your

opinion, what does it mean tobe a librarian today?

Jason Philips: Our currenttime is one of uncertainty forcertain. Theres always compe-tition from likes of Google, theInternet in general, etc. whichis a good thing. We also live ina time of diminutive trust ingovernment institutions, andpublic universities will be theresulting academia. Its veryexpensive to go to university,whether private or state, and ifinstitutions come under attackfrom a lack of funding, we haveto ask ourselves, What doesthat mean for libraries? Andhow are we using t he money wedo get to support scholarship?

I spend a lot of time working

with constituents, the studentsand faculty at NYU. A lot oftimes this means helping themwith research. But Im also al-ways collecting, and lookingfor materials that will help stu-dents and faculty with theirown work. I also look into ma-terials that will help studentsand faculty at other schoolsbesides NYU. We have a profes-sional ethos of cooperation andwere always looking to helpeach other out: in teaching,consulting, collecting, and pre-serving, determining whats

the best space, and how we canmost easily provide informa-tion. Its really a job fraughtwith difficulty, sitting in NewYork in a library that is burst-ing at the seams in terms oftotal volume (also one of thebiggest in the country), and weusually compare ourselves toother research libraries, not

just college libraries.

HG: How has technologychanged the job of a librari-

an? What are the positives andnegatives of this?

JP: The primal thing thatschanged is user expectations,so users often think that all in-formation is digitized. Digitalformat takes money to store,migrate, and takes resourc-es to describe it. With allthe immediacy, access, andemerging technology, expec-tations are rising higher andhigher. NYU specifically hasmade great headway in pro-

viding electronic access thatis better than other institu-tions. Not everyone can keepup. But we can always do bet-ter. I dont think there will be atime when everything is madeavailable online, at least in mylifetime. Both print books anddigital books can be equal-ly expensive. When you buy aprint book you have to pay forthe book, pay for the climateof the book, pay for the shelfspace, and pay for the rent of

the space. With going digi-tal, you have to pay somebodyto digitize it, someone has tokeep the digital copy, and ITpeople and librarians have toprovide an electronic descrip-tion of that book. It can varyfrom title to title, but theresalways an ongoing cost.

HG: What are some challeng-ing/rewarding parts of the

job?JP: The most reward-

ing part is helping people.Librarianship is a service pro-fession, and if you dont havethat mentality, its probablynot the right job to help peo-ple come to an insight or assistthem with further research.A challenge is that we live ina world of social and econom-ic upheaval, the way peoplecome into the building and in-teract with you, and this canresult in licentiousness thatmakes it difficult to preserve

Jason Philips Makes Being aLibrarian a Young Mans Game

Bringing sexy back to books

Philips

elenao

livo


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Colum Ut

The School of Continuing Education

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For information, go to

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email, [email protected]

or call (212) 854-9666.

Lm Mtt

World Views rom Every Classroom

An interview with Drew Alexander,

Head of School, Lman Manhattan

Preparatory School. Drew Alexander

previously headed schools in Moscow

and Cairo.

Q. What excites you most about

Lman Manhattan?

First, we are a new school creating our

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A. Our student body is

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curriculum. Why is this so

important?Today, its not enough to

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33/36


collections and spaces. Patronscan be greatest ally and thegreatest problem. With 9,000people coming in each day, ev-eryone has a different agenda.Sometimes being the gatekeep-er can be difficult. In a librarythere are very few completely

illegitimate goals, and balanceoften falls to the librarian. For alibrary to be vital or important,it has to be a social, cultural, in-tellectual center for all users.

HG: How did you end up at thisjob?

JP: Im personally like a lotof academic librarians. I hada scholarly intent, but I neverfinished a PhD. A lot of librar-ians have a library degree butthey may not have finishedtheir postgrad. Those peopleare right to be academic librar-ians, they have a commitmentto study and research. I was ina PhD program and didnt fin-ish because I got sick, took a jobat NYU, and have been here foralmost a decade. I have no ideahow that represents my col-leagues though.

There are different types oflibrarians: archivist, conser-vationist, special collectionslibrarians, special librarylibrarians, IS academic librar-ians, public school librarians,childrens book librarianslike

different specialties of doctors.Many have a masters degree inlibrary science and a mastersdegree in their personal field. Ihave qualifications to be a socialsciences librarian, a day l ibrar-ian, and also a psychologist.

HG: Being an authority on gen-der and sexuality, what kind ofqualifications did you need?

JP: I studied gender and sex-uality from a social standpoint.People come to me and I canspeak their language and un-derstand their field, and with

my librarian hat and scholarlyhat on we can move forward ona subject of research.

I dont work personally withany students on their research.Its most appropriate to beworking as a consultant, as inworking with students closelybut for a very short time frame.I offer no opinions on what theystudy, I just try to point them inthe right direction for materi-als. Discussion on the projectitself is most appropriate for

student and teaching faculty.Im very clear about that.

HG: How has the economy af-fected your job?JP: NYUs libraries are just partof the university institution, weare an institution dependent onprivate tuition, and we are sup-ported by the dollars that ourstudents pay. They definitely

pay a premium, and I libraryleadership has made gooddecisions. Were in a good posi-tion. Were still able to supportscholarship and teaching at ahigh level and NYUs global net-work only strengthens librarycollections.

For example, NYUs satellitecampuses in Abu Dhabi and

Shanghai are 3,000+ milesaway. It makes us think moreintelligently about electronic re-sources, and it makes us think

about work flows and teachingand research. I dont personal-ly spend a lot of time on globallibrary concerns, we have pro-fessionals in place who arethinking everyday about that.The work that I do helps users onWashington Square, and I liketo think this diffuses throughour global network. Have I beenasked to offer an opinion? Yes.

Do I help change things for allstudents? In a sense, but itsnot something that I deal witheveryday.

HG: Did you ever consider beinga librarian when you were

younger?JP: It wasnt something I con-

sidered when I was younger, butat the time I started I consid-ered it a thoughtful choice andit was an opportunity that pre-sented itself. We were also just

coming out of a recession, andIm fortunate that having I havethis position in New York, andthat we have the capital we havebeing in this particular city atthis particular institution. Itwas a considered choice.

HG: What are the differences inbeing a specialized universityvs. a regular librarian?

JP: Were in a very good situ-ation at NYU, and I find myselffeeling fortunate that I do mycraft here. I worry about otherinstitutions, where trainingand money is cut back. I worryabout whether or not were mak-ing the r ight decisions, becauseeveryone has to do more withless. The best thing I can possi-bly do is to keep in mind that Imat an elite institution at a verygood position. We wont cometo a place where librarians area waste and superfluous. I liketo think I bring value on tuitiondollars, on scholarship, and onthe business of information. Imhoping that scholarship and theuniversity will survive. Wereall hurting. Theres a growingrealization of how important itis to preserve.

HG: Whats your opinion onusing more unofficial methodsof research, such as Wikipedia?

JP: I use Wikipedia and

Google everyday, and my hopeis that I learn to use themintelligently. Ive had the op-portunity to teach as a gradstudent and as a librarian, andI sometimes ask students whattheyre using to get the ma-

jority of their informationThey try to be polite, and saythings like JSTOR, ProQuest,LexusNexus, etc., but theresno shame in using free infor-mation. Its a question of howwell youre using it and if youunderstand what the limita-tions are. Its similar to picking

up a book at a library and say-ing this is a good book, wellsourced, well written. I look ata Wikipedia article and manyof them are well written andwell sourced. NYU has millionsof books, and not all of themare great. Whats importantis that individuals are taughtto appraise and critique in-formation. Thats the value oflibrarians: well always needpeople to teach students howto appraise good information.

It wasnt something I considered when

I was younger, but at the time I started I

considered it a thoughtful choice and it was

an opportunity that presented itself.

Bobst Library at NYU

JinL

ee/BLoomBergv

iag

etty

images

Q & A With Campus Personalities


34/36

The Knox School

The Knox School is an independent

boarding and day school serving

grades 6-12 and Post Graduate. We are

conveniently located approximately

1 hour from New York City on Long

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Our diverse student body enjoys atraditional, structured, and familial

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Visit us at www.knoxschool.org or

call 631.686.1600 extension 414 to

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Medill

Medill, a leader in education since

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www.medill.northwestern.edu

New York University

This SPRING, REACH NEW HEIGHTS

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