In the News

Dr. Diane Merians Penaloza, a doctoral lecturer for the online Business programs at CUNY SPS, was accepted into CUNY’s Career Success Fellows program, which supports faculty in connecting classroom learning with real-world applications. Dr. Penaloza's focus will be on integrating experiential learning into signature assignments, giving students opportunities to apply knowledge beyond theory and build meaningful, career-relevant skills. Through this initiative, Dr. Penaloza will strengthen pathways to help students prepare for both professional and academic futures.

Professor Curtis Izen, who teaches in the CUNY SPS Online Business Program and the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College, is the recipient of the 2025 Presidential Excellence Award (Adjunct) for Distinguished Teaching at Baruch College for his outstanding achievements in instruction, accessible, and inclusive pedagogy.

CUNY SPS alum Lennyn Jacob recounts her academic journey through the CUNY system. The CUNY blog article "How CUNY Online Empowered This Working Mom to Break the Burnout Cycle and Finish Her Degree" highlights Jacob's leadership roles and some of her many successes achieved during her tenure at CUNY SPS.

CUNY SPS nursing professor, Dr. Olga Kagan, recently co-authored a study that was published in the "Nursing Management" journal. In the article "Nurses' Shared Experience in the Embodiment of Innovation," Dr. Kagan's research team explored how nurses engage with innovation through collaborative hackathon experiences. The article also highlights the natural problem-solving skills of nurses, while illuminating how nurse-led innovation globally impacts healthcare.

CUNY SPS Youth Studies Adjunct Professor Jen Siaca Curry, founder and CEO of Change Impact, wrote an OpEd piece for City & State NY entitled "Opinion: We Need the Arts Now More Than Ever," which stresses the need for funding in the arts. Professor Curry emphasizes the urgency in this time of federal budgetary cuts to cultural programs while making the case that investments in the arts improve the overall well-being of communities at large.