English Department Chair Martha Nadell at a recent convening about AI.

Science fiction has long imagined artificial intelligence, but few could predict the scale and speed of its real-world impact. Today, AI is reshaping every sector, sparking both excitement and unease.

At 可乐视频, faculty and staff are navigating this transformation in real time. We spoke with three faculty experts鈥�Martha Nadell (English), MJ Robinson (Television, and Radio & Emerging Media), and Karen Stern-Gabbay (History, Roberta S. Matthews Center for Teaching and Learning)鈥攚ho shared how the college is responding.

Here, they discuss AI鈥檚 influence on classroom learning and how both learners and educators are preparing for an AI-driven future.鈥燫esponses have been edited for clarity.

What was the initial reaction to AI by your colleagues? 鈥�

Martha Nadell: Late in 2022, when ChatGPT first made headlines, academia seemed to lose its collective mind; the Great AI Panic of 2023 was about to begin. Some of my colleagues immediately went apocalyptic, imagining a world in which AI took over. A few were ready to have AI integrated, somehow, into their brains. But others stuck their heads in the sand and pretended it didn鈥檛 exist.

How have you seen AI take shape in the classroom?鈥��

Nadell: Early on, it was very easy to spot generative AI-produced work. ChatGPT was producing solidly mediocre work, C+ at best. The problems were obvious: deeply conventional language, workaday structures, and unoriginal thought. Some students were offloading their cognitive work to a pattern-matching machine, which could produce prose that possessed an air of authority, if only you didn鈥檛 read too closely.

MJ Robinson:鈥� As a journalism professor, I teach, per Phil Graham, that journalism is the first rough draft of history.鈥疭o, in one respect, the students I teach are writing the history of AI鈥攊n culture, society and their anticipated industry and practice but鈥攁nd here’s the difference: that technology can also be writing it with, or prompted by, them. So that’s an interesting conundrum.

I started including AI modules in my Journalism Capstone course in Spring 2023.鈥� From the beginning we were examining how journalism was covering the release of ChatGPT to the general public as well as interrogating how it was affecting the journalism industry itself and considering how these text-generating technologies will affect the future of journalism as an industry and a public good.

How should a college education prepare students for this new world?鈥��

Karen Stern-Gabbay: It is unclear what sorts of preparation students have for working with AI (agentive and otherwise) when they enter college. Colleges today, therefore, play a critical role in establishing expectations and setting rules for the game. We are uniquely positioned to encourage students to interrogate their assumptions about authorship and intellectual property, and to reinforce how essential it is to develop human skills (related to critical thinking, emotional intelligence, analog skills, etc.). College students have opportunities to practice responsible AI use inside classroom settings before these skills in the workplace.

Nadell: Universities are where critical thinking happens, and where students can recognize the limits of what AI is good at鈥損redicting the likelihood of common and formulaic arrangements of language and thought鈥攁nd can think through ethical quandaries with empathy.

How important is it to develop AI literacy among educators?

Robinson:鈥疻e will, shortly, be in a world where K-12 educators have been educated in the age of AI and teaching children with these technologies from a very early age. That’s going to make critical鈥疉I literacy even more important. Asking questions about why one is using generative AI for a particular task prior to using it, insisting upon human-in-the-loop processes, knowing what one does not know about these platforms鈥攖hese are key.

What have you and your colleagues been doing to enhance the understanding of AI on campus?鈥�

Stern-Gabbay: At the Roberta S. Matthews Center for Teaching and Learning we have hosted events and workshops during the past year that particularly engage with the complex roles of AI in the classroom. Of course, academic integrity and data privacy appear to be the biggest issues that we have explored, but several of our faculty (rightly) point out the environmental impact of big data associated with AI.

I do think, however, that discussions of AI in the classroom bring into starker relief topics that we should be discussing anyway, including the reasons why college classrooms have become more invaluable than ever鈥攖hat is, to engage in and strengthen students鈥� critical thinking skills鈥攖hese are invaluable in an increasingly automated and AI driven world.

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Publishers Weekly called Free Speech Handbook an “informative and inspiring guide” in a starred review. Drawing on parallels between 10 seminal Supreme Court cases and current events, this newly released graphic edition creates a practical framework for understanding our free speech protections.

To celebrate the re-release, the Ethyle Wolfe Institute for the Humanities will host a “New Books by 可乐视频 Faculty” event with Rosenberg and Cavallaro on September 29 at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. Additional information and the registration link are available here.

Rosenberg has more than 25 years of experience as a media lawyer, specializing in First Amendment, libel, and intellectual property law. He graduated with distinction from the University of Wisconsin鈥揗adison, and magna cum laude from Cornell Law School.

An Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker, Rosenberg has been teaching media law to graduate students in the Department of Television, Radio & Emerging Media since 2016.

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Massood has served as interim dean since July 2024 and will continue working with the SVMPA鈥檚 talented staff and faculty. In this role, she will oversee the school鈥檚 academic departments鈥擜rt; Conservatory of Music; Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema; Film (undergraduate); Performance in Media Arts; Television, Radio & Emerging Media;聽and Theater. Massood, who has served on the college faculty since 1999, became a full professor in 2019 and was appointed to the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema.

鈥淧aula鈥檚 visionary leadership and profound insight into the evolving role of the arts in higher education鈥攑articularly her dedication to amplifying underrepresented voices鈥攎ake her uniquely qualified to lead SVMPA into its next chapter,鈥� said Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs April Bedford. 鈥淲e are excited for the growth, creativity, and innovation her leadership will bring to our dynamic arts community.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled to carry forward this important work as we empower the gifted student-artists, performers, and filmmakers who make the School of Visual, Media and Performing Arts a truly dynamic and inspiring community,鈥� Massood said. 鈥淲ith the expertise and dedication of our outstanding faculty, I鈥檓 confident we can work together to help our students realize their full potential.鈥�

Bringing a distinguished record of scholarship, leadership, and dedication to the arts, Massood is a noted expert in film studies and visual culture. She has published extensively, including the books Black City Cinema: African American Urban Experiences in Film (2003) and Making a Promised Land: Harlem in 20th-Century Photography and Film (2013), while serving as the editor of The Spike Lee Reader (2007) along with other co-edited collections and journal issues.

She is the past president of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies, the leading scholarly organization for film, media, and visual studies, and has long been committed to fostering academic excellence and interdisciplinary collaboration across CUNY and with other public and private institutions of higher learning.

Her leadership roles include serving as chair of the Department of Film, chair of the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema, and interim director of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program at 可乐视频, as well as acting coordinator of the Certificate in Film and Media Cultures at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Massood earned a B.A. in communications from the University of New Hampshire, an M.A. in cinema studies from New York University, and a Ph.D. with distinction in cinema studies from New York University.

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As a teen, Daniel Scarpati worked in community theater and hosted a local children’s show. But that wasn鈥檛 enough鈥擲carpati was eager to work in film and television. Once he was accepted to Macaulay Honors College, he leapt at the chance to attend 可乐视频 because of its reputation for its stellar programs in television, radio, and emerging media and film. Scarpati graduated in 2015 and broke into the industry. He currently works as a senior studio technician supporting productions such as Amazon Live and directs documentaries. The recipient of several student awards, he has not forgotten his alma mater or its current students, having returned to campus to give talks about the industry and, significantly, to become a COVID-19 health and safety officer during the pandemic.

Can you tell us about your background?

I proudly come from a family of diverse New Yorkers: My dad is a retired dentist who owned a small family practice in Bensonhurst. My mom is a former Bronx Zoo staffer turned teacher鈥檚 assistant. My younger sister attended Queens College (CUNY) and now works upstate at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen. So when I started at 可乐视频, I was pretty far removed from anything film/TV related. My only background had been performing in community theater productions, hosting an NYC Department of Education kids鈥� television show, and shooting home movies in my neighbor’s backyard鈥攁ll of which helped prepare me for the college education I’d be receiving.

What made you choose 可乐视频?

As soon as I heard the news that I’d been accepted to CUNY Macaulay Honors College, my mind was made up. I chose 可乐视频 as my home campus because of the advanced film and television production tracks. When I toured the campus with my parents while I was in high school, I thought about how the access to professional equipment and the instructors with backgrounds working professionally on set and in the field would accelerate my growth. As a bonus, living in South Queens meant a pretty short commute along the Belt Parkway鈥攐r at least that’s what I na茂vely thought before experiencing the endless construction along it!

So you knew coming in that you wanted to work in the film and TV industry.

I can’t remember a time when I didn鈥檛 want to work in the film/TV industry. I knew that’s where I’d end up before day one of undergraduate school. The exact job I’d be doing was a different story. I considered minoring in computer science as an option, to design software supporting the film/TV industry, but I was sure that wouldn’t be my path when I realized how little I enjoyed staring at lines of code. Instead, I focused on working behind the scenes, operating cameras, lighting, and sound equipment, and directing and managing crew and talent. The truth is, I’m still not sure there’s one title that describes what I do鈥攏or would I want there to be. I enjoy wearing different hats and moving between roles, which has helped me during industry strikes and work slowdowns.

The 可乐视频AA Young Alumnus award is not your first award; you received accolades as a student.

As I completed my undergraduate studies, I received a 可乐视频AA Student Award, the Senator Martin J. Golden Award for Leadership from the Center for Italian American Studies, and the Outstanding Achievement in Location Sound Recording award at the 2015 可乐视频 Film Festival. Macaulay Honors College also gave me a Class of 2015 Legacy Award for my efforts to help create new paths for future students to gain experience in the film/TV industry. The nonfiction book I self-published,聽,聽became a finalist in a few book contests.

How did you break into your field?

Breaking into film/TV without any connections was not, and still isn’t, easy. Even when someone opens a door for you, it only gets you so far. They may open the door to an opportunity where you have to open yet another door for yourself. I started out cold-calling production companies and working as a PA on all sorts of projects鈥攊ndie films, episodic shows like聽The Blacklist听补苍诲听Manifest,聽sitcoms like聽Kevin Can Wait, and more. I’d always try to work on personal projects in my spare time to keep my creative skills sharp. Lee Quinby, the former 可乐视频 Carol L. Zicklin Honors Academy chair and I have collaborated on many films together. In 2024, we completed our latest feature documentary . Our longtime creative partnership would have never happened had it not been for our time at CUNY together.

What are you working on today?

In addition to my work a senior studio technician on broadcast productions and livestreams, I also work as a freelance video control operator and robotic camera operator. I’m also the director of photography on a few documentary films through my company, Passing Planes Productions LLC.

Have you been back to campus?

One of my new favorite memories is returning to campus to share my book with current students. I wrote Gofers to share the lessons I’d learned on set as a production assistant, aka a 鈥済ofer.鈥� Not only have I returned to campus to speak with current students about breaking into the film/TV industry, but I worked in the Film Department as a COVID health and safety officer for three semesters during the pandemic. I was directed by Chair Annette Danto and teamed up with Director of Academic Affairs and Operations Judith Kenny, Distribution Manager Michael Irgang, and fellow graduates to manage safety guidelines and create PPE kits for thesis film students to use on their sets. I was very impressed by the students and their ability to turn a very trying situation into a learning opportunity. It’s not easy to manage safety standards as an undergrad student on your first major production, but they did so with patience, caution, and respect.

What advice would you give to today鈥檚 students?

Communication is key! This applies to every industry, every job, every path. If you don’t say what you want, it’s unlikely it will ever happen. If you don’t introduce yourself, you may never make a connection with the person who could open a door for you. And remember that stories take time to unfold鈥攄on’t beat yourself up if you’re not where you think you should be. Patience is rewarded when you least expect it.

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鈥淗e would pick me up from school and make me do my homework right away,鈥� says Dubrow. 鈥淭hen I had the rest of the night to relax.鈥� One day, he asked if Dubrow would watch the news with him. 鈥淚 remember thinking, oh, that’s so boring. But I said yes. I watched it every day with him after that.鈥� Dubrow joined the newspaper in middle school and high school.

Dubrow is now enrolled in a that allows CUNY students to complete an M.A. in journalism in one year after earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree. To accomplish this, students take 12 credits of coursework at the in their senior year. After graduating, they fully enroll in what she more informally calls the 鈥淛 School.鈥�

Given her family background, choosing 可乐视频 was almost inevitable for Dubrow, as was a major in journalism and media studies. In one class, she was assigned a beat鈥攑olitics in Brooklyn鈥攔eporting on the local scene. Her experience in the course led to a minor in political science. Forming invaluable mentorship relationships with her professor underpinned Dubrow鈥檚 experience as an undergraduate.

鈥淚 learned so much from Professor [and Television, Radio and Emerging Media Department Chair] MJ Robinson, who I have stayed in touch with, and Professor Victoria Manna, whose Videography for Journalists class reinforced my decision to go into broadcast journalism.鈥� Dubrow says that the faculty at 可乐视频 are always willing to share their experiences. 鈥淭heir encouragement has been pivotal,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t made me believe in my ability to make a difference through journalism.鈥�

Dubrow enrolled in the 4+1 program to obtain her master鈥檚 degree sooner than later. 鈥淚 knew I wanted to go beyond a bachelor鈥檚 degree, especially with education being so important in my family,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut I think if I had taken time off, I鈥檓 not sure how fast I would have returned.鈥�

Because the year at the graduate school is accelerated, Dubrow says that classes operate at a more intense pace, giving students a greater sense of what it is like to work as a professional. The professors are working journalists, and many encourage their students to get their work published on the school鈥檚 website,

鈥淭he fieldwork鈥擳V News I and Advanced TV News鈥攚as exciting, and you learn so much so quickly,鈥� says Dubrow. After lectures and writing assignments, grad students pitch a story with a partner, go out and shoot and produce on deadline. 鈥淚t sounded scary at first to do all of that in such a short period, but this is what I want to do,鈥� she says.

Dubrow, who played tennis for 可乐视频 as an undergraduate and still enjoys getting on the court on occasion, says that the political science courses she took taught her that people have the power to change things, but that they need to be made aware so they can get involved.

鈥淚 feel incredibly prepared to make an impact in this industry and make my grandfather and family proud.鈥� She has some advice for fellow students in the 4+1 program: 鈥淪tay calm,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 started stressing a little bit, wondering if I would be able to handle the workload. Trust the education you got at 可乐视频. The J School will build on that and make it even better. It鈥檚 worth it.鈥�

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Moore attended the awards ceremony in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on Dec. 5 with members of his company, The MetaMovie, LLC. In 2022, Moore鈥檚 Alien Rescue received multiple awards, including Best VR Experience of the Year, at the Sixth Annual VR Awards.

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The five-minute documentary was made by students Africa Day, Aaliah Hamilton Gibbons, Soonhae Jin, Daisy Palaguachi, Amina Sarfraz, and Kim Yubin from Cheong鈥檚 Multimedia Design and Production course (1). Cheong is also the director of CUNY Study Abroad in South Korea and the Television, Radio & Emerging Media Department (TREM) Emerging Media Innovation Lab.

DOC NYC is the nation鈥檚 largest documentary festival. It is highly competitive and only selects 10 student films from New York City colleges and universities. This is the second straight year in which student work from TREM has been selected to screen at DOC NYC.

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The book, published in 2023, serves as an accessible introduction to understanding the current media environment and culture and as an indispensable guide to dynamic media literacy in the digital environment.

Lance Strate, professor of communication and media studies at Fordham University, said of the book: 鈥淚n Dynamic Media Environments, Katherine G. Fry, one of our leading media literacy scholars and practitioners, provides an important new approach to media education. By contextualizing media literacy through a synthesis with media ecology, the study of media as environments, she delivers a much-needed and long-awaited breakthrough, one that is nothing short of revolutionary. This book is essential reading for anyone concerned with understanding media, and especially anyone concerned with teaching about media in the 21st century.鈥�

Fry also provided expertise on the role of media in American culture in the 1950s for a recent episode of a Japanese NHK Television (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) series on media and popular culture.

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鈥淎nd cut,鈥� says Samuel. 鈥淧rofessor, you鈥檙e a natural. But sometimes when you switch from reading to the camera, you do this thing. It looks like you are holding back a laugh and I can see it. And it makes me want to laugh.鈥�

鈥淭hat’s my opportunity to swallow in between sentences!鈥� says Bassell, who enjoys a congenial relationship with Samuel, forged between takes.

It鈥檚 the kind of cozy rapport Samuel would like to develop with more professors. Many of them, he says, don鈥檛 even know about the services he and his team can provide to help faculty create multimedia content for their courses.

鈥淥ne of the things that Nate and his team did is they redesigned the studio,鈥� explains Bassell, full of praise for how much Samuel makes his job easier. 鈥淭his is more inviting for the speaker. It’s a distinction of excellence on Nate鈥檚 part, and I don鈥檛 know what I would do without him.鈥�

Samuel says he doesn鈥檛 know what he鈥檇 do without this job. After completing his undergraduate degree at 可乐视频, and then a short stint in the corporate world, he came back to campus full of ideas on how he could use his multimedia skills to create content for course work and to help the college tell and preserve its stories.

We spoke with him about his work, his love for storytelling, and his alter ego, Nate the Great.

What was your time here as a student like?

When I first arrived at 可乐视频, I was in computer science, and I wanted to do something along those lines. I thought I鈥檇 be coding games, that kind of thing. Then I got a taste of programming and realized it was not quite for me. So much of it is done solo, and I鈥檓 too much of a people person. I like to collaborate.

I was working in the Library Caf茅, and the TV Studio is one floor below. A lot of the people who came into the caf茅 were film or TV students, and I made a lot of friends that way and picked up a lot of production skills. I switched my major to TV and radio and ended up minoring in computer science.

And your first job when you graduated was here in Information Technology Services.

I did that for a couple of years and then moved to the corporate world. I was working for a managed service provider, a small tech-support company that caters to small businesses. That allowed me to cut my teeth and put my knowledge to practical use. But it was a high-stress job. Everything had to be done yesterday. One day, a client who hadn鈥檛 heeded our advice to upgrade her equipment had a big issue that halted her business. Let鈥檚 just say there was a lot of yelling and screaming that day. I don’t mind talking about this: I had a panic attack. I spent 20 minutes in the bathroom hyperventilating. And I told myself, 鈥淣o, this isn鈥檛 it.鈥� I’m happy to help people, but the stress of being in the corporate world鈥攚ith the good money and all鈥攋ust wasn鈥檛 for me. I gave my two-weeks notice that day.

You made the switch and ended up back here in your current position in fall 2021.

When I got this job, one of the things I wanted to do was to provide some kind of media production service for the faculty, so we converted a classroom into a studio.

I knew there was a lot of desire to create educational content for classes. It’s been so fulfilling to be able to create something so useful. Especially after the pandemic, professors had to turn on a dime but didn鈥檛 necessarily have the skill set to do it. That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e here to support. And I think I have a good way of communicating and connecting with folks, so this makes me much happier.

Besides helping faculty with their content, what else do you work on?

Our office provides any number of services from digitizing old VHS tapes and other out-of-use technology to helping professors use the Adobe suite and video-editing software. The library also has exhibits from time to time, but some people who are affiliated with the college can鈥檛 make the trip to see them. One of the things I鈥檝e started doing is creating a virtual exhibit for them. At least once per semester, I’d like to create some kind of original content like this, because it tells a story. I think there are so many stories at 可乐视频 that could benefit from being told and preserved in this way.

Your office d茅cor is interesting! Old vinyls, bobbleheads, Pok茅mon鈥�

The vinyls were left over from the previous staff member in this office. And I respect the classics, so I left them. As for the rest, I’m a giant nerd. I鈥檓 big into Comic Con, cosplay, that kind of thing. You can find me online as . I love dressing up. I love diving into nerddom. If my bosses would let me decorate the library every year for Halloween鈥攁nd every holiday鈥擨 would. I鈥檓 just festive. Last year for Halloween, I came to work dressed as Biggie Smalls. I had a fake Coogi sweater and everything. Sometimes I鈥檓 just a clown at heart and I have to work at being professional.

I鈥檓 glad to be in an environment where it isn鈥檛 so stuffy. This place suits me.

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Could you tell us a bit about your childhood?

I grew up in Harlem. I was drawn to artistic expression from a young age, thanks to all the programs and camps my mom enrolled me and my siblings in. As a kid, I was captivated by music videos, live performances, and documentaries. Something about the storytelling and the visual creativity, the way it was executed, fascinated me. I knew I wanted to play a role in bringing artistic visions to life, shaping experiences that resonated with others just as they did with me.

How did you choose your major?

I chose television and radio because of the endless possibilities in the TV world. What excited me was that I could dive into all sorts of artists, music genres, and show formats. It felt like being a kid in a candy store. And then there was TRL (Total Request Live) on MTV, which was blowing up big time. Imagine my luck鈥攖he MTV studio was in Times Square, practically my backyard! I made it my mission to land an internship there, which aligned perfectly with my major. Who wouldn’t want to be right in the middle of all that action? Talking about this gives me chills because I vividly remember riding the M7 and the M104 bus down Broadway on my way to high school, thinking, “I’m going to work there one day!” Twenty years later, it’s a full-circle moment鈥攚ow!

What made the biggest impact on you while at 可乐视频?

The Magner Career Center and its director, Natalia Guarin-Klein, were instrumental during my early college years. They were pivotal in helping me draft my career blueprint with mock interviews and r茅sum茅 workshops. The resource room at the center was my haven. It’s where I immersed myself in entertainment publications and surf the web, learning about C-suite executives and Fortune 500 companies. That experience laid the groundwork and fueled my ambition.

You started in television production and then expanded into talent management. How did you do that?

My mentor and boss at the time was crewing up for Wild ‘n Out and saw potential in me for the role of talent manager. It was a short-term gig鈥攋ust three months鈥攂ut I took a leap of faith. Looking back, it was undoubtedly the best career decision ever. It launched me into the talent space doing festivals and award shows, which eventually led me to working at Super Bowl pre-game and halftime shows.

What would we see if we shadowed you for a day?

I wear two hats: production manager and talent manager. Regardless of which I wear, my days typically start with diving into an e-mail vortex or fine-tuning schedules and budgets. Much of my work is conducted from home until I’m on-site for build or rehearsals鈥攚here the real excitement begins! Once on-site, it’s a whirlwind of a long day, from team meetings and rehearsals to overseeing the actual show. It’s a constant cycle of coordination. On the production manager side I staff crews and facilitate technical needs: lighting, staging, and camera equipment. I also collaborate with lighting vendors and post teams for show delivery. I collaborate with digital and social media departments to capture and disseminate social media assets. Managing talent can mean handling everything from chartering a private jet to legal matters, day-of movements to rehearsal schedules, credentials, and beyond.聽 Whether I’m managing the logistics for an entire production or catering to the needs of individual artists or celebrities, the responsibilities are extensive. Bringing a production to life truly takes a village and I’ve been privileged to have collaborated with some of the industry’s best to make that happen.

You鈥檝e worked on the last five Super Bowls, including the most recent. Can you tell us what your first was like?

Honestly, it was AH-MAZING! My first was the Pepsi Halftime Show for Super Bowl LIV with J. Lo and Shakira (surprise guests J. Balvin and Bad Bunny). It had always been a lifelong aspiration of mine, so being a part of the process and a part of the team bringing a massive show like that to fruition was truly incredible.

What is foremost on your mind at this point in your career?

I strongly believe in continuous learning, growth, and refinement of one’s craft. I am focused on acquiring my project management professional certification and applying that expertise to leadership roles. Beyond that, I am thinking about how I can extend my support to 可乐视频 students looking to navigate the entertainment industry through mentorship. I’m excited at the prospect of guiding students on their journeys.

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