eiricc ‘Social Science ‘Borough of Manhatan Community Colege 199 Chambers Set ‘The Cy Dies of New York New York, NY 0007-1087 mbes cys wh 2iazie 110 (ae 2208771 February 13, 2015 Dear Faculty Members of Sierra Nevada College, ‘Lam writing to enthusiastically recommend Dr. Samantha Bankston for promotion to Associate Professor. had the profound pleasure to work along side Dr. Bankston at Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York, during the spring semester of 2012. We met her first week at BMCC, and in the time we worked together, | was fortunate to leam a great deal about Dr. Bankston’s scholarship, teaching philosophy, and am happy to call her a colleague. BMC is unique place. Located in the wealthy neighborhood of Tribeca, and yet academic home to NYC’s ‘most economically marginalized and educationally unprepared students, BMCC requires a special kind of professor to fit in and excel. Dr. Bankston was just this sort of professor. Unlike some folks I have worked with, Dr. Bankston did not complain about the challenges of teaching unprepared students, but rather celebrated our students for their genuine commitment to learning and overcoming their profound economic and social hurdles. Moreover, while some colleagues respond to our student body by “watering down” their syllabi, Dr. Bankston maintained her high standards with our students, requiring challenging, important reading and writing assignments, despite the extra time and energy required of her. | was most impressed by her ‘commitment to help BMCC students develop their own path to learning difficult material, as I deeply believe all students deserve the benefit ofa rigorous education. And I must relat, that since her departure from BMCC, several of my students who had also taken her class have raved and about the experience of learning from her. One student told me quite simply, “Her class changed my life forever.” She is very missed here, by faculty and students alike. ‘The university that is fortunate enough to be Dr. Bankston’s academic home benefits not only from her commitment to teaching, but also from her profoundly creative and sharp intellect. As all faculty and administrative members can attest, the workload we face requires more than organization and energetic drive, it requires a passionate desire to produce original work for the sheer satisfaction of the work itself. Dr. Bankston has just such a passion. I truly believe, regardless of her employment status or position, she simply could not stop herself from going back to page and the pen day after day, to write on Deleuze, and the many philosophical problems that fire her mind. In this way. she isa true intellectual. One only need take note of her impressive list of publications and presentations, in a young career, to see that she is driven by something more than tenure requirements. She works for the love of the mind—a quality I admire greatly. During Dr. Bankston’s appointment at BMCC, she quickly became friends with many colleagues in our department. She has a great gift for bringing folks together, and for raising the level of discussion. ‘Additionally, during the last two years, as I struggled enormously to successfully meet crucial writing deadlines while keeping pace with my teaching load, I relied on her collegiate support to get me through During the most difficult moments, | tuned to Dr. Bankston for guidance and encouragement, and I can honestly say her advice helped me succeed. Amidst all of the department service we academics provide our colleges, the most overlooked yet crucial service we perform is the intellectual and emotional support of each other. My point—the faculty of your Philosophy Department are fortunate, indeed. My only critique of Dr. Bankston is her absence—we s0 hated to see her go. But of course, she made a wise decision for herself and her future, and your college is all the better for it. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. All my best, Dr. Jamie Warren Qa me Wormer