Advice

As a new hire to improve some aspects about Baruch, I would implement new media usage in our academic learning. With the COVID-19 pandemic circulating around the globe and becoming a growing concern especially in the state of New York, CUNY Baruch College has used new media to stay connected with students. There are some of the suggestions I would make when using new media:

1. Use Social Media to Listen to the Baruch Community: With new media platforms such as social media, students have a desire to have their voices heard, especially during pandemics like the current COVID-19 outbreak. For instance, students wanted to change the grading criteria to pass/fail during this pandemic. As a result, many turned to social media platforms to promote a petition students created to have CUNY grades changed to pass/fail. With these new media platforms, students are able to voice their concerns and the Baruch community (along with CUNY) is able to listen to students. Aside from voicing their concerns, students also have many questions that staff should be able to answer. Someone from the Baruch community staff should be available to answer all questions and support students.
2. Analyze Baruch Demographics: By posting surveys on social media platforms and doing additional research to find the demographics of Baruch students, Baruch faculty can use this information to see what the interests of some students are, along with their background and ages to see which course content we can curate based on the results. Baruch, out of all CUNYs, is the most diverse. Each student reflects a specific background that might want them to enroll in different courses that reflect their interests. These interests can also help student organizations on campus, as well the Undergraduate Student Government. 
3. Webinars: A current relevant example of Baruch using new media is implementing webinars in online learning since the COVID-19 has everyone quarantined. In the future, Baruch faculty should use platforms like Zoom, Amazon Chime, Google Hangouts to have professors and students communicate along with any clubs on campus that need to switch to remote access. 
4. Increase Social Media Audience: If Baruch was to increase their social media audience, this would be a great way to gain the attention from students around the world that have any interests in attending Baruch College to jumpstart their professional career.