First of all, let me say that this has been a very interesting year for the College and the Division. I say that because in the February of 2011 I was appointed Acting Provost of the College while the search for that position was underway. It was a great learning experience for me and I believe we accomplished the goals we established for that short period of time.

 I am very glad and excited to come back now at the Division of the Interdisciplinary Studies at Center for Worker Education. This is a very special place…not only because we are off campus at an amazing facility but because we serve a special student population (most of our students are working with the majority being women). Our courses and educational programs are designed especially for non-traditional students whose access to higher education may have been limited or interrupted due to financial limitations, work responsibilities, and/or family obligations.  

We are going into a very exciting semester. We’ll continue with the special lecture project initiated a few semesters ago. This semester is dedicated to “Aesthetic and Cultural Expressions of African Derived Religions”.  In addition, in collaboration with the Latin American Round Table (LARC) we are organizing the First International Colloquium on Hispanic Literature in New York City, and an exhibition name “Activism and Repression: the Struggle for Free Speech at CCNY, 1931-1942”. All these events are going to give us more visibility to realize our plan of becoming a “premier” destination in Downtown Manhattan for cultural and intellectual events.

 In spite of the economic turmoil, we have continued all our student services at the Center. Our students can now find many of the same services downtown as they could uptown: security guard six days a week, our own Writing Center, CPE workshops, Math and Spanish tutors, Career planning service, and a full-time librarian to assist students with their research needs.

I wish to extend my thanks to CWE’s staff and faculty for helping me make all these great things a reality. Further, I’d like to add my recognition to President Lisa Staiano-Coico and Provost Martin Moskovits for their support and encouragement. As Dean, my goal is to reinforce and continue improving the educational offering to our students. If you are a current CWE student, you will find this site has the up-to-date information you need.

As always thank you for your support, and again welcome back!  Here’s to a wonderful new school year.

Juan Carlos Mercado
Dean