Welcome to the Financial Flash! We’ve got lots of fun news to share with Finance & Campus Services.
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| In the Neighborhood — Activities in NYC
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We may be in the final stretches of summer, but there's a lot to be excited about moving into the fall. We're at the beginning of a new semester. We just welcomed the Class of 2026 onto campus, with lots of help from volunteers all across the University—including from Finance & Campus Services!
Did you volunteer to help out with NYU Move-In? Tell us about it! We want to highlight everyone in Finance & Campus Services who helped out with this significant annual event.
Catch a Free Concert in NYC
Summer's not over yet! There are lots of free concerts happening in September, including the New York City Opera. You can check out Bryant Park's upcoming events for more information.
2022 NYC Labor Day Parade (September 10th)
What is Labor Day? It's an annual workers’ holiday on the first Monday in September. This well-known holiday has historic ties to New York. The first Labor Day was organized by the Central Labor Union of New York in 1882.
The annual NYC Labor Day Parade is happening on Saturday, September 10th, and starts at Fifth Avenue & 44th Street. Visit the NYC Central Labor Council for more details on location!
NYC Poetry Festival (September 10th-11th)
Are you a lover of the creative arts? Or do you perhaps fancy yourself a poet? Or if you just want a pleasant day on Governors Island, the 11th Annual New York City Poetry Festival is a free event happening on September 10th and 11th. There are poetry readings, vendors, and Governors Island is a beautiful place to have a picnic!
More September & October Activities in NYC
If you're ever looking to take advantage of things happening locally, SecretNYC has a comprehensive list of all sorts of different events happening in the city every month. There's something for everyone, whether you're a foodie, a nature enthusiast, or just looking for the perfect New York slice of pizza.
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Spotlight on the Arts — AMC 25th Anniversary Art Showby Stephen Kaldon
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Citing precaution in an ever-changing health scenario, the AMC Administrator reception was held virtually for the third year in a row. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, participating artists and their guests gathered for a June 15th Zoom meeting that featured art talks, spoken word, and music performances by some of NYU’s most talented and creative administrators!
The AMC Events Committee decided to hold the show online for the third year in a row. As their planning starts in January, no one could predict if the Kimmel Center’s Stovall Gallery would accommodate the in-person show’s opening in May. In addition, many Administrators are still on a hybrid schedule, which makes the predictability of participation in an in-person June reception a factor as well.
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"Husband and Backyard Birds" by Sonya Artis (Left)
"Pandemic Daydreams VII" by Callie Hirsch (Right)
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But in spite of the ongoing pandemic hurdles, the committee declared that, in true show biz fashion, the “show must go on” (a phrase who’s origin comes from the circus: if a performer was injured, or an animal got loose, the ringmaster and the band would keep things going as to not let the other players down). So, in the role of ringmaster, and as to not let our artists down, virtual galleries were again created to showcase visual, spoken word, and performance artists.
This year’s show welcomed some new faces: Henrietta Paz-Amor gave us photos of beautiful sun and moon rises. Fenella Ramsami also gave us photos of the beauty found in nature. Stephanie Gallagher provided photos of food and nature. Betts Brown showcased her unique and whimsical pottery. And Jessica Cannon showed off her digital paint skills with illustrations of four fabulous women. And our returning artists continue to stun in their various mediums of photography, painting, illustration, and music.
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"Subway: Legs" by Stephen Kaldon (Left)
"Satsuma" by Blair Lieberman (Right)
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At the reception, hosted by yours truly, artists’ talks revealed fascinating insights about their work and process. The audience was also entertained by Seamus Mullin’s and Stephen Kaldon’s spoken word pieces. And Robert Mitchell and Bruce Shackelford provided audio/visual pieces with original music and spoken words.
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"Page 1" by Gerard Conte (Left)
"The Eyes Have It" by Betts Brown (Right)
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Special thanks to Julie Kaplan of the AMC Events Committee. Thanks also to Seamus Mullin for running tech for meeting planning and the virtual reception. And thanks to Callie Hirsch for proofreading and background support. And thanks to myself for creating the online galleries and supplemental materials, and for hosting the reception.
The AMC Art Show is open to all Administrators and application opens at the beginning of February, with the show taking place in May and the reception in mid-June. You can contact Stephen Kaldon with questions and further information.
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Meet the LeaderPim Thukral
Vice President, Budget, and Financial Planning and Analysis
Q: Do you have any hobbies?
A: Running and hiking are the top go-to activities when I have the time. I like to run and hike in new places. I have been very fortunate to travel and complete half-marathons and marathons on all seven continents, including Antarctica, and hiking to the highest mountains, including the top of Kilimanjaro and Mount Everest Base Camp. I enjoy curling up on my comfortable chair and reading mystery novels when not running or hiking.
Q: Do you have any pets?
A: I do not have any pets currently. I love dogs and used to have a big, gentle, loving black lab named Merlin.
Q: Do you have a favorite book/movie?
A: I have a few favorite movies that I watch over and over again, including Under the Tuscan Sun, Eat, Pray, Love, and The Hundred-Foot Journey. I enjoy a romantic comedy/drama movie, especially when it involves travel and food!
Q: What has it been like working at a University compared to previous organizations?
A: I have spent most of my career in private universities and found NYU similar in many aspects to the previous universities I worked at, although NYU is much larger and more complex. I met several colleagues across the schools and units during my first seven months, and all were very welcoming and willing to provide advice and guidance to a newcomer like myself.
Q: Where did you work before NYU?
A: I was the Chief Operations Officer for the Northwestern University campus in Qatar for 5 years before joining NYU in mid-January 2022. Before Northwestern, I spent 28 years in various roles at Georgetown University in D.C., including 18 years at its Medical Center.
Q: What was your first job?
A: My first real job was as an accountant at a cable company in New Orleans, Louisiana. I remember doing double-sided accounting entries on an accounting ledger paper! I don’t think that exists anymore.
Q: What is your favorite quote?
A: “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence” – Helen Keller. This quote has four of my favorite words – “Optimism,” “Achievement,” “Hope,” and “Confidence.”
Q: If you could learn any language fluently, what would it be?
A: Italian. I thought about running a bed-and-breakfast in Tuscany until my friends reminded me that I do not speak Italian or cook!
Q: If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and what would say to them?
A: I would like to meet Albert Einstein and ask him how to be a time-traveler!
Q: What was your favorite or best subject in school?
A: Math.
Q: What did you do with your first paycheck?
A: That was so long ago. I have always been practical, so it probably went toward rent or something dull and unexciting.
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Metrics Corner — Broadway in NYC
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The Broadway scene in New York City is slowly bouncing back! There are currently 21 unique shows playing in our historic theater district. Last week, total attendance included 194,473 eager theatergoers. The season-to-date attendance number is a formidable 3,324,893 attendees.
If you haven't seen a play in a while and the melody of a musical is calling your name, don't forget about NYU's ScholasTix! There are shows with lots of discounted tickets available to head out there and enjoy the arts.
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Cybersecurity Vigilance and Fraud Prevention
by Tim Hesler
In this quarterly series of articles, we continue to highlight certain cyber risks and ways to fight the fraudsters, both at work and at home. This short piece is meant to provide a few tips to improve cyber hygiene and readiness.
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1. IT’s New Cyber Email Series – ‘Scam of the Week’
Have you been reading IT’s new cyber series? It is terrific and I like the slogan – ‘Stop, Look, and Think. Don't be fooled.’ I could not have said it better. They had a short article on August 1st that resonated with me on MFA Prompt Bombing a subject I am just learning about:
Don’t let MFA give you a false sense of security. Follow the tips below to stay safe from MFA prompt bombing scams:
- Never approve an MFA notification you didn’t request. If you have a shared account, verify the MFA request with the other account holder before taking action.
- If you receive an MFA notification you didn’t request, immediately change your password for the associated account. You should also consider updating your passwords for any accounts that use the same credentials.
- Create unique, strong passwords for each of your accounts. Without your password, it’s difficult for cybercriminals to reach the MFA step of the login process.
To further support this, Stephanie Pianka also sent an email on August 1st that the university’s MFA phone call option will be eliminated on October 6th. Use the Duo Push app every time. Recently, cybercriminals have found a way to hack the MFA phone call option to gain access to accounts and data. While NYU has not had a reported case to date, we are taking sensible precautions to reduce our exposure to cyber threats.
2. Starting Off Your Meetings With Cyber Risk and Tips
When I worked at an industrial company years ago, we started each meeting with a 2-minute workplace safety briefing. Have you thought about starting off each meeting with a brief cyber security risk warning or tip to improve readiness? This would be a mutually beneficial kick-off on meetings and shows our tone and commitment from the top.
3. Encryption on Messaging Apps
From a June 6, 2022, Wall Street Journal article: included in most popular messaging apps, encryption turns your text, photos, and videos into a meaningless string of characters so they’re shielded from prying eyes on their journey to your recipient’s phone. People use the apps to share addresses, phone numbers, passwords, and photos. Unless you use a secure, encrypted service, all of that information could be open to snooping. Overall, check your encryption settings to protect your data.
Messaging apps' defaults and policy on encryption differ. Apple iMessage and Signal (used by WhatsApp for encryption protocol) have end-to-end encryption by default. Messenger and Instagram DMs are not end-to-end encrypted by default and they must be turned on.
4. Revisit on Passwords
Remember how great the feeling is when you create a unique and complex password or passphrase for your account? And then can’t remember it later… I am sure this has occurred to most of us at one time or another. Although many folks don’t use them, a password manager tool could help. Some use a ‘mental system’ to manage their passwords. Others use physical documents with a document locked with a password (another password!). These are helpful protocols each with its advantages and disadvantages.
What is not safe is storing your passwords in a document on your computer or writing them down, or letting your website automatically store your password. If you think you are storing your passwords insecurely, I would encourage you to tighten that up safely both at work and at home.
5. Reminder to Update your Operating Systems, Zoom, and Browsers
We have so much software and apps that this may seem intimidating and time-consuming to constantly update your Windows 10, other software like Zoom, your phone operating system, and browsers. It is worth it since they have up-to-date cyber security updates to fight fraudsters.
To keep up to date with the latest risks or if you have any questions on cybersecurity, I am happy to help. You should always ask NYU IT as well.
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A Warm Welcome to New Team Members!
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Many thanks to our contributors: Lisa DeSalvo, Thomas Elmo, Leigh Fisher, Tim Hesler, Stephen Kaldon, and Pim Thukral.
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