Welcome to Fall 2024! – Message to Faculty and Staff

Dear Baruch Faculty and Staff,

I am thrilled to welcome each of you to the Fall 2024 semester and the start of the 2024–25 academic year. This is an exciting time filled with new opportunities—whether you’re making new connections, reconnecting with colleagues, anticipating fresh experiences, or delving into your work with renewed purpose. As we embark on this journey together, let us rededicate ourselves to Baruch College’s mission of opportunity, exploration, and transformation for all.

Last year, we launched our five-year strategic plan, Together, We Are Unstoppable. In our first year, we made significant strides in our four priority areas, and this year, we will continue to build on that momentum. A detailed progress report will be forthcoming.

What’s New and on the Horizon

One of our strategic plan initiatives, which will launch next week, is the College’s transition to Activity-Based Budgeting. The new budget regime will not only ensure Baruch’s fiscal sustainability but will also allow us to grow in ways that responsibly meet the evolving needs of our faculty, staff, and students. It is a critical step toward securing our financial future.

As we move into the second year of our strategic plan, maximizing student success remains a top priority. We are enhancing experiential learning opportunities across New York City, expanding participation in research, and improving learning technologies to better support our students. We’re also establishing new programs to ease the transition for our increasing number of transfer students. Additionally, our students will be further supported during their time at Baruch through expanded interactions with peer, alumni, and professional mentors.

The success of our students is inextricably linked to the excellence of our faculty and the dedication of our staff. This year, we will continue to elevate our research reputation, highlighting areas such as climate studies, data research, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Our faculty’s work is already gaining recognition, with an increase in publications, grants, conference presentations, and panelist invitations. The impact of your research, teaching, and support is truly transformative and essential to our collective success.

Coming Together as a Community

I am immensely proud of our collaborative and engaged community, which fosters thoughtful conversations around challenging social, economic, and political issues. In the coming months, the entire Baruch community will be invited to participate in a series of events designed to make the exploration of critical dialogues more meaningful and accessible. (Details will be shared in the weeks ahead.) These events will offer numerous opportunities for each of us to get involved and energized this fall and beyond.

This is a perfect moment for us to come together—embrace our diverse perspectives, identities, and backgrounds—and work collectively to turn our aspiration into reality. Here’s to an extraordinary 2024–25 academic year!

Sincerely,

S. David Wu
President, Baruch College