Over the past year, many of us on the Commons team have been touring the city (ok, we don’t have a tour bus – yet) and presenting to faculty and staff at a number of campuses. We’ve also met with a few of the CUNY-wide committees including ones for assessment, math, and centers for excellence in teaching and learning. Usually we give some background describing how and why Commons started, as well as, showcasing many of the features and best case uses of the Commons.

It’s been really enjoyable to see the unique features of each CUNY campus I’ve visited, walking the grounds of a number of campuses.

I’ve explored Bronx Community College’s Hall of Great Americans,

admired the gothic architecture of Shepard Hall at City College,

and walked the long open passages at College of Staten Island.

As much fun as it’s been to see so much of CUNY, what’s been a tremendous help is to talk to people about the Commons in person and get their feedback. We’ve learned a lot about how members are using the Commons and more importantly about how they would like to use the Commons in the future. People often ask us about features of the Commons and whether it’s possible to do this or that with groups or profiles for example. And if it’s something the Commons can’t already do, we immediately take note of that idea and present it back to the team.

Being responsive to the needs of members of the Commons has always been a big driving force behind how we improve or add features to the Commons. Also, seeing and hearing about the many ways members use the Commons inspires us.

If you’d like to have a member of the Commons team come visit your campus or committee, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We get a lot out of our visits to each campus – great architecture, insightful conversation, and often delicious cookies too. Thanks.