June 2026 Faculty Spotlight

Associate Professor and Faculty Director of the MSCP Program, Hilary Botein

In what ways have your Master of Science in City Planning students inspired you?
Like all Marxe students, they inspire me because they are doing so much – working, going to school, caring for family members, and serving their communities. The MSCP students in particular inspire me because they are excited about cities and their future. I love cities, particularly New York, and it’s inspiring to be able to connect around those issues and to think about how our students are going to be able to contribute to improving communities near and far.

As faculty director, what are your goals for the MSCP?
I want to grow the program so that we can offer more classes more frequently! I want to place our students in great jobs where they can continue to learn and grow. I want to continue to nurture our student community.

Can you tell us about the recent class trip to the New York Hall of Science?
The New York Hall of Science reached out to us because they have a new interactive exhibit, CityWorks, that looks at urban infrastructure. They wanted to get feedback from students and faculty. A group of us went out and played in the exhibit – we thought it was a really engaging and fun look at how cities run and how many people and processes are involved. In the Fall, some MSCP students and faculty visited Governors Island as part of a trip coordinated by Baruch’s office of Experiential and Community Engaged Learning, to check out the composting and urban farm facilities offered by Earth Matter. And in my class on the History and Theory of Planning, we took field trips throughout New York City to see the planning theories we were studying in action. So we are really committed to using New York City as a laboratory for learning and discovery!