The Year in Review: Our Top Stories of 2022

In 2022, MMC students, faculty, and staff did what they do best: shined. The last 12 months saw our community earn top accolades, launch exciting academic programs, and celebrate the debut of the stunning new Judith Mara Carson Center for Visual Arts and other campus upgrades. We also sent the latest crop of MMC grads out into the world and cheered loudly for alums making a difference.

Here are some of the stories that made us #MMCProud; visit the News & Events page for more.

 

Our students won prestigious scholarships and fellowships.
Kayla Kemp ’24 (left) received the highly competitive Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship, and Madeline Cobb ’22 won a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Taiwan. The College also celebrated students Christa Coburn ’25, Juliet Hernandez ’25, and Dayanara Hidalgo Ambrosi ’25, who received scholarships from the George and Kathleen Austin Foundation, and Shadé Eleazer ’22 and Amanda Franks ’22, who received the Wehman Scholarship.


An MMC alum made history.
Justine Medina ’12 notched a win for labor rights in April when she helped organize a coalition of Amazon workers at a Staten Island warehouse who voted to form the company’s first union.



A new course made innovative use of a pop culture phenomenon.
The sitcom The Good Place wasn’t just a ratings hit for NBC—Associate Professor of Religious Studies Brad Herling, Ph.D., used it to explore classic philosophical and ethical questions and even devised a fun grading system to match the show’s plot.


MMC professor-student collaborations yielded impressive results.
Among them: Biology Professor Matt Lundquist, Ph.D., (left) co-published a research paper with two alums; Nava Silton, Ph.D., a psychology professor and director of the Center for Health, Human Development, and Creativity, published a textbook that included nine MMC student contributors; Biology Professor Ann Aguanno, Ph.D., worked with post-bac students in examining the symptoms of long COVID; and Catherine Cabeen, assistant chair and associate professor of Dance, worked with an alum to choreograph a performance for the New-York Historical Society.


A beloved community member joined the College’s senior leadership team.
As he marked his 28th anniversary at MMC this year, Michael Salmon became Associate Vice President/Dean of Academic Excellence and Senior Advisor to the President.



MMC students flexed their STEM skills.
Science students had an impressive showing at the 15th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in Biological and Chemical Sciences, with Iris Parke ’23 (left) taking home first place for her project. She also won a prize for best student research project at a summer fellowship in Oceanography at Texas A&M University.


We celebrated the class of 2022.
In May, the College sent off its newest batch of grads at its 73rd commencement ceremony—MMC’s first in-person graduation since the Covid-19 pandemic began.



MMC recognized and supported students in its prison education programs.
In June, President Kerry Walk conferred degrees on 39 incarcerated students at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility and 24 degrees on students at the Taconic Correctional Facility. In the fall, Erin Greenwell, a Communication and Media Arts professor and the Ferraro Fellow in Prison Education, and Monica Szlekovics, the Bedford Hills College Program assistant, led a slate of events to bring MMC’s justice-involved students greater visibility.



We welcomed new faces.
MMC welcomed six new trustees to its governing board, as well as a new chairperson, alumna Abby Fiorella ’83, J.D.; nearly a dozen new faculty members; and members of the class of 2026.



The College Launched a New BFA in Art.
MMC expanded its Art program with a new 60-credit Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree that allows students to develop breadth and depth in several disciplines and more intensely prepare for a career in the visual arts.



An important new resource turned one year old.
The College’s new Intercultural Center, which has had a powerful impact on the community, celebrated its first anniversary.





The Judy made its debut.
The College officially opened the doors to its Judith Mara Carson Center for Visual Arts, a stunning 12,000-square-foot space it began constructing in June 2021, and celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in November.




MMC launched its new Center for Health, Human Development, and Creativity.
The center serves as a hub for students and faculty interested in health and human development topics and connects students with diverse majors to a broad range of career opportunities in health.



The College made several campus upgrades.
MMC finished construction on three new state-of-the-art production, dance, and rehearsal spaces in Nugent and Carson Halls this fall. In addition, the College unveiled a fully renovated space housing the Student Organization Suite, the Office of Student Development and Activities, and Griffy’s Grocery.




Published: December 12, 2022