The Center

The new Multimedia Center at Lehman College is a state-of-the-art multi-purpose teaching, learning, and production facility. The Center supports the educational needs of Lehman students studying a wide range of disciplines and gives Lehman faculty the latest tools for pursuing technological innovation, including the development of new educational media.

  • Art students are using the Center's graphic workstations to create interactive, virtual reality story worlds. They work with faculty like Professor Michael Ferraro, who began the pioneering computer animation firm Blue Sky Studios, in a program that combines traditional studio practice with the advanced technology of digital animation and production.
  • Journalism students are using the all-digital newsroom, custom-built broadcasting studio, eight-room editing suite, and production control facilities to master all aspects of digital media—from writing scripts to shooting interviews to editing complete news "packages"—and graduating with the skills needed to succeed in any area of the changing media landscape. Teaching them is Professor Miguel Perez, a nationally recognized syndicated columnist and a frequent guest on CNN, as well as other professional writers and broadcasters.
  • Starting in Fall 2010, aspiring composers will use a sound attenuated, computerized music studio to score for film and other visual media in one of the only programs of its kind on the East Coast. Students will learn from award-winning composer Michael Bacon (B.A., '95) how to create memorable and marketable compositions, using the lastest software instrumentation programs.

But the Lehman Multimedia Center isn't just a boon for students and faculty. The Center offers commercial ventures a competitive alternative within New York City for both the production of programs and post-production work— providing a new home for filmmakers, digital artists, producers, and musicians who need access to a twenty-first century facility, conveniently located right here in the Bronx.

Situated on two floors in the College's main classroom building (Carman Hall), the Center fills 22,000 square feet, with the broadcasting studio occupying the largest part of that space. Student productions will be recorded here on Hi-Def Sony cameras, along with live events and CUNY-TV programs, such as the series "Conversations" with Lehman Professor William M. Hoffman and "EdCast" with Professors Linda Hirsch and Jim Carney.

The studio is also a fully functional recording facility, with a Steinway Studio Grand piano, Peavey guitar amps, and sliding wall panels that can be adjusted to create a warm "live" sound or more of a traditional studio ambience. In an adjacent room, a 48-track Euphonix digital soundboard is paired with a separate isolation booth for recording over-dubs.

The all-digital, tapeless Center—outfitted exclusively with Apple computers—also features:

  • a Media Conversion room where old media materials—cassette or VHS tapes, for example—are transformed into CDS, MP3s, and other digital formats;
  • two mediated (smart) classrooms that can be divided into four smaller classrooms;
  • a conference or seminar room that also can be divided into two rooms; and
  • an office suite, green room, and dressing rooms.