The Ph.D. Program in English enrolls approximately 30-35 new students each year. Several faculty members are appointed just at the Graduate Center, but most faculty are based at one of the other CUNY campuses; appointed additionally to the doctoral faculty, they teach regularly at the Graduate Center. Because of this CUNY-wide doctoral consortium, the faculty in English is particularly diverse and the English Program is able to offer a large number of seminars each semester in both established and emerging fields of study.
The English Program is headed by an Executive Officer, two Deputy EOs, and a Student Progress Officer. The Assistant Program Officer (APO) runs the Program office and is the Program expert on registration and other administrative matters. Contact Information for Program Administrators.
Program Communications (Including E-mail) and Changes of Address
A letter sent by the Program's EO to the faculty and students at the beginning of each semester functions as a general newsletter, summarizing information about faculty and student publications, special seminars, grants/fellowships, lectures, and upcoming academic events, including conferences. Letters sent since Spring 1999 can be read on the Program's Web site.
Many important announcements are sent out via e-mail. (Some, but not all, announcements are also delivered through regular U.S. mail.) Students are given an e-mail account at the GC when they matriculate. Students must provide a perfered e-mail address to the APO. Please also update the APO on all changes of street and e-mail address, as well as telephone number. In addition, the Office of the Registrar asks that students file a "Change of Address" form; they will not accept an email or phone call from the department.
Friday Forums and Sponsored Conferences
To ensure that some portion of every week is dedicated to fostering communal intellectual vitality and conviviality, the English Program sponsors Friday Forums, which bring to the GC internationally recognized scholars, writers, and publishers to discuss a wide variety of literary and cultural topics. This series of lectures and readings is followed by a reception with food and wine. Forums generally take place at 4 p.m. on Fridays, but many occur in conjunction with all-day conferences and interdisciplinary events. The Program sends out a full schedule at the beginning of every semester. Some Forums are devoted to special issues of student/faculty concern, such as financial aid, adjunct teaching, curricular changes, and the education job market. The first Forum of the Fall Semester is generally an orientation session for new students in the Program, and the last one in each semester, the Winter/Spring Revels, is a party not to be missed.
The Place and the Space
The GC building has many amenable features, and a few disadvantages. The building was formerly the B. Altman department store, and remnants of its Beaux Arts style are still visible in the ornate staircase and elevator of the Mina Rees Library. Building security is excellent - if you ever experience any difficulties, call x7777 or press one of the blue assistance panels located in the hallways. There is a coffee shop located on the first floor and a full cafeteria with a ceiling skylight (through which you can see the tip of the Empire State Building) on the 8th Floor.
The English Program's offices are mostly clustered around the lounge, room 4406. There is a Thesis Room (4406.11) which houses a few classes and is used for other departmental business. The lounge features a bank of computers connected to one printer. Paper for the printer is now provided by the GC as part of the student technology fee. Unfortunately, there is no copier on this floor for student use - please use the copiers in the library. There are also a few printers in the library. You need a GC computer account to use any computer here - to get one, please go with your ID card to the Information Resources desk located at the foot of the stairs on the Concourse level of the library.