BMCC to Name Mathematics Lab After Sadie Bragg, Former Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs

A champion of mathematics and tutoring, Dr. Sadie Bragg was an exemplar of the spirit of Borough Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) and its mission to provide an equitable and quality education to students. For her contributions and leadership, BMCC will name its mathematics lab after Bragg.

The City University of New York (CUNY) has approved the naming of the math lab in Bragg’s name. A formal ceremony will take place in the spring. BMCC is continuing to raise money in support of the endowment in Bragg’s name. When it is safe, BMCC will host an in-person ribbon-cutting event on the BMCC campus to celebrate the naming of the Sadie Bragg Mathematics Lab. Community members can make a donation to the Sadie Bragg Memorial Fund, in support of the endowment in Bragg’s name (click on the Designation field; a drop-down menu will include the Sadie Bragg Memorial Fund).

Dr. Sadie Bragg, who served as Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at BMCC until her retirement in 2014, passed away on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 at Harlem Hospital, New York, N.Y.

“We are so happy and proud that BMCC is recognizing our mother and grandmother,” said Alvin Bragg, Dr. Bragg’s son. “She loved teaching mathematics and she loved the BMCC community. May her example and memory be an inspiration to students for years to come.”

Marva Craig, Vice President for Student Affairs, said Bragg was known for her dedication and commitment to students.

“From senior administration to the classroom, she was a well-rounded contributor to our college community – not only as a passionate math professor and the author of many excellent textbooks on the subject, but also as Provost, making sure that the level of service BMCC provided to students was always the highest possible,” Craig said.

Erwin Wong, Acting Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at BMCC, worked with Bragg for many years. He says Bragg played a key role in BMCC’s history, and she will be remembered as one of the greatest, brightest advocates for our students, faculty, staff and the college.

“She fought for our students’ rights for access to the programs and support services that would allow them to transfer successfully to senior institutions and be well prepared to enter the workforce in competitive fields, such as in technology, healthcare, business and education,” Wong said. “She was instrumental in the creation of academic departments, such as Teacher Education and Media Arts and Technology, in pursuing and being awarded federal grants to improve academic advisement for our students and access to STEM programs and cohort experiences for under-represented and low income students, and for securing Perkins funding to provide support for our students seeking non-traditional professions. She was a guiding force in implementing faculty development for online instruction.”

Wong said as the Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, Sadie Bragg was a strong and knowledgeable leader, well aware of the national and local trends in higher education and worked tirelessly with the BMCC administrators, faculty and staff to ensure that our students were provided with the best education and support services possible.

“She was an outstanding leader who was also a team player and would always be supportive of the team,” Wong said. “She was also a strong and forceful voice for BMCC and community colleges whether at the college, CUNY Central or at a national platform.  And when Sadie spoke, people listened. At her core, she was dedicated to family, to her husband, son, daughter-in law, and grand-children,  and by extension, to the BMCC family.”

To make a donation to the Sadie Bragg Memorial Fund, please click here. Click on the designation field for a drop-down menu that will include the Sadie Bragg Memorial Fund. 

About Sadie Bragg

Actively involved in mathematics education at local, state and national levels, Dr. Bragg authored or co-authored over 60 mathematics textbooks for K-14 as well as numerous other publications, presentations and papers. She served on committees including the Advisory Board to the Education and Human Resources Directorate of the National Science Foundation (NSF). She was instrumental in leading two-year colleges into a global dialogue through the International Congress of Mathematics Education (ICME), and partnered with George Ekol, a mathematics educator from Uganda, to present at the ICME conference in Monterey, Mexico in 2008. At BMCC, Dr. Bragg worked closely with faculty and staff to meet the needs of BMCC students through Phi Theta Kappa, ASAP and other groups. Recognized for her service to the field, she was awarded the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) Mathematics Excellence Award in 2010. Upon her retirement in 2014, Dr. Bragg planned to tutor children in afterschool mathematics programs and spend more time with her family and friends.