Among the many supporters of this project, we first thank Dr. Pamela Brown, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, a fellow teacher and tireless advocate of our students’ success.

We received boundless encouragement from Professor Julia Jordan, former director of the Faculty Commons, whose positive energy brought The Companion into the hands of so many faculty and who nurtured the position of First Year Programs at the college.

We thank Dr. Caroline Chamberlin Hellman, Interim Special Assistant to the President and Professor in the English Department, for the promotion and utilization of The Companion in developmental first-year English courses.

We also acknowledge Dorie Clay, Special Projects Planner for Enrollment and Student Affairs, and Professor Karen Goodlad, Associate Professor and Chairperson of Hospitality Management, along with all of the Student-Ready College Committee members for their efforts re-envisioning how we support first-year students at City Tech.

There are so many esteemed colleagues whose influences and support have helped us shape this edition–notably Dr. Reginald Blake, Associate Provost and Dean of Curriculum and Research; Dr. Marling Sone, Interim Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs; Kim Cardascia, Administrative Executive Officer for the Provost’s Office; Tasha Rhodes, Interim Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management; Sarah Paruolo, Director of the Student Success Center and former First Year Programs’ Program Manager; Professors Shelley Smith and Mary Ann Biehl, Faculty Commons Co-Directors; as well as First Year Programs’ Peer Mentors and faculty members.

We wish to recognize the many contributors to prior editions:

• FYSP faculty member and poet, Professor Susan Miller, who was a driving creative force in the initial editions of The Companion.
• Professor Charles Hirsch (in memoriam), an advocate for The Companion since the first edition. He was a wonderful colleague and friend, and we truly miss him.
• English Professor and READ Coordinator Rob Ostrom, who contributed an earlier version of the section on reading methods.
• Cynthia Bink, Director of the Counseling Services Center, who provided invaluable initial materials.

The 7th edition of The Companion presents itself as a website. This format allows students to link to resources, services, and strategies for successful learning. This edition also provides a focus not only on students’ time in college but how their skills and learning support career and further studies. Sources for The Companion’ s new emphasis on the transition to the workplace include career counseling, employment advice, and trends drawn from publications such as Forbes, Fast Company, Inc Magazine, Inside Higher Ed, Wired, the Daily News (New York), the New York Times, Faculty Focus, and Foreign Policy, among others.

With utmost gratitude we acknowledge the talents of Lu Xue, graphic designer, who provided the transition to Pressbooks; the City Tech Communication Design team, especially Al Vargas whose photos enliven this book; Professor Cailean Cooney, O.E.R. Librarian, for her advice on issues of online accessibility; Philip Zeng, whose work on this and previous editions clarified the reading of this text; and graphic designer Julie Bradford for her illustrations. This edition builds on the work of the layout design by Arianna Bollers in the fifth edition, and of the graphic designs of Ramon Rodriguez whose artwork enhanced earlier editions.

We are grateful to students who have contributed personal stories, comments, and tips in previous editions. Your voices speak directly to our new students. Finally, we wish to thank our incoming First Year Students at City Tech from whom we learn and who inspire us constantly.

The Companion for the First Year at City Tech is supported by Coordinated Undergraduate Education (CUE) from the City University of New York Office of Undergraduate Studies.

A.E.D., L.A., J.S., & D.D.

June 2023

The Companion for the First Year at City Tech, 7th Edition

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