CUNY Newswire

More than 3,300 students will become the newest John Jay alumni on May 28 when they receive their degrees in dual Commencement ceremonies. The College’s 48th annual Commencement will be held once again at the Jacob Javits Convention Center North, at 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.

Being an immigrant in the United States is tough enough. When you’re undocumented, the difficulties escalate exponentially. Just ask Mehdi Mahraoui, or Danyeli Rodriguez, or Korede Griffith – all John Jay students from other countries who have struggled to overcome the challenges of being an undocumented immigrant.

Melissa Manrique, a BA/MA student in Forensic Psychology, and Sabrina Jimenez Pestel, an Economics major, have been accepted into the highly competitive Kennedy School’s Latino Leadership Initiative Program at Harvard University that only selects 42 of the country’s most outstanding undergraduates who have shown commitment to serving the Latino community.

Associate Professor and alumnus Glenn Corbett, former Chair of the Protection Management Department received the Tom Brennan Lifetime Achievement Award at the Fire Department Instructor’s Conference for his life’s passion and work that revolved around fire.

Professor Alisse Waterston of John Jay College’s Department of Anthropology is the editor of a bold new experiment in scholarly publishing that was recently unveiled by the American Anthropological Association (AAA).

Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, Associate Professor in the Department of Law, Police Science and Criminal Justice Administration at John Jay, received four journalism awards at the Delaware Press Association dinner in May. Professor Browne-Marshall, a legal correspondent who covers the U.S. Supreme Court and national law issues, earned two first place awards, a second place and an honorable mention for her syndicated columns.

On May 6, the College’s Remembering Newtown Concert paid homage to the victims of the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary and to victims of gun violence nationwide. It also served as the capstone to a semester-long spring series of art and lectures that spurred dialogue and action to end gun violence. The series was launched on March 12th, when John Jay students created the Remembering Newtown Expression Wall.

Distinguished Professor Cathy Spatz Widom in the Department of Psychology is the recipient of the 2013 American Society of Criminology (ASC) Edwin H. Sutherland Award. Widom is the first to receive this award at John Jay and one of only five women to receive the award since it was established in 1960. She is joining a cadre of distinguished and world renowned criminologists in recognition of her work.

Gerald Markowitz, Distinguished Professor of History at John Jay College and the CUNY Graduate Center, has a newly released book titled, Lead Wars: The Politics of Science and the Fate of America’s Children, which is co-authored with David Rosner, Ronald H. Lauterstein Professor of Public Health and Professor of History at Columbia University, and published by University California Press.

Junior Maria Livanou and senior Webster Innocent, both Forensic Psychology majors came in first and second place, respectively, at the Undergraduate Poster Session held during the Eastern Sociological Society’s (ESS) annual conference in Boston in March. In their session, Livanou and Innocent were judged alongside 35 other students from 15 colleges. Both students credited Professor of Sociology Anthony (Jay) Pastrana, who also attended the conference, for their success.

The New York City Urban Fellows Program is so prestigious and so selective that in 2012 only two students from the entire City University of New York were chosen to participate. This year, three John Jay graduating seniors have been selected for the program that provides exceptional students with an introduction to city government and public service.

John Cusick, Rosmarin Belliard and Keenan Lambert are among 25 undergraduates nationwide who were chosen as 2013 Urban Fellows.

Sophomores Man Cheung and Ariel Roland-Waring, both Forensic Psychology majors, are recipients of the prestigious Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship. The Watson Fellowship assists students making the transition from college to a career through development of professional skills. It focuses on job education though internships, mentoring, and enhanced educational opportunities to undergraduates who are striving to expand their career opportunities and life experiences. The Fellowship provides the recipients with three summers of paid internships with the third internship located outside New York State or abroad. Students declare their preferences for placement and then interview with each agency. The Fellowship is intended to develop leadership skills, experience within the professional arena, and preparation for graduate programs, fellowships and jobs.

John Jay College’s increasing international impact is now being felt in the newly democratized nation of Slovenia, where Professor Staci Strobl is wrapping up her latest research on police-Roma relations, and receiving considerable attention from local news media in the process.

John Jay alumnus Kevin Schlosser, BA’81, JD, the Chair of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C., has been recognized in The New York Law Journal’s Top Verdicts for 2012 for winning the largest contract jury verdict of the year. Mr. Schlosser, successfully represented two Long Island residents in an action in the Supreme Court of New York in Nassau County.

Distinguished Professor Gerald Markowitz and co-author Professor David Rosner of Columbia University wrote an article titled “You Are a Guinea Pig: How Americans Became Exposed to Biohazards in the Greatest Uncontrolled Experiment Ever Launched” the was recently published TomsDispatch.com – an online news blog. The article, which was picked up by several news outlets including The Huffington Post, Salon, DailyKos and The Nation, focused on the untested, harmful industrial toxins that Americans are exposed to without their knowledge and the lax government oversight of many industries.

John Jay College of Criminal Justice will be hosting a concert featuring live musical performances by renowned musicians in support of the Myra Bain Scholarship.

Professor Joan Hoffman in the Department of Economics explores prospects for achieving sustainable development by analyzing the successes and weaknesses of the New York City’s internationally famous watershed collaboration in her book, The Cooperation Challenge Of The Economics Of Protecting our Water Supplies: Including A Case Study Of The New York City Watershed Collaboration,published by Routledge.

Adjunct Professor Nyeema Morgan of the Department of Art and Music was featured in The Wall Street Journal on April 18, in a column titled “Culture Count: How Do We Love Cake? Let Us Count the Ways.” The article focuses on her art installation at BRIC Arts Media in downtown Brooklyn, “Forty-Seven Easy Pound Cakes Like Grandma Use to Make.”

John Jay College of Criminal Justice will host the U.S. premiere of “When Cops Kill,” a documentary by acclaimed filmmaker Roger Graef. The film is part of the College’s Remembering Newtown series.

Senior and Vera Fellow Sally Abdelghafar is the recipient of the selective 2013 New York Teaching Fellowship for which she will be teaching English and special education to inner city students in high-needs schools.