December 2024 Winners

Michael Verdino

Director
Academy Advisement

There is nothing typical on a typical day in the Office for Academy Advisement.

“You can work here for years, and a student can walk through the door in circumstances you have not heard of before,” said Michael Verdino, Director of Academy Advisement for six years.

Michael recalled meeting a student who had been here for several years and needed only one required class to finish and graduate. A working, single mother, she was anxious to get her degree so she could look for a better job to support her family. Unfortunately, the course she needed was not offered. “I contacted the chair and the registrar, and she was able to complete her degree through our e-permit process.”

“I was a first-generation college student, and my parents were not sure how to help me navigate college life. I understood their challenges and this in turn inspired my empathy for other students who must have similar experiences, and this is what sparked my interest in advising work.”

A Queens native, Michael is a CUNY graduate, having earned his B.A. in Media Studies from Queens College, a M.S. in Information Systems at Pace University, and a M.S. in Higher Education from Baruch College.

During his early career holding positions in private higher education institutions, he developed first year initiatives to streamline academic guidance and student support resources. He wanted to duplicate these advantages for a population of students that reflected his own life experiences. This decision led him back to CUNY and to Queensborough.

“I am deeply rooted in helping students determine their path toward getting a degree.”

Michael explained that about two years ago, a committee was formed to understand why retention was in a continuous decline over the last few years. “We needed to have a strategy to learn more about what barriers students face and how to onboard them in a way that promotes a sense of belonging and engagement with faculty, clubs, and activities.”

“We concluded — through student focus groups — that in spite of all the good work between counseling, advisement, financial aid, and other supports — there was a disconnect which made for a complicated student journey.”

“Also, students reported that they wanted stronger connections to the college campus. It is understandable that new students can feel lost, confused, and lonely — many are right out of high school or transferring in and many Queensborough students have long commutes and juggle jobs with family responsibilities and enough time to study.” Michael’s office also conducted focus groups with staff on strategy and communication with students; how to streamline the flow of information. 

“Mike is a great thought partner as we continue to develop our First Year Experience,” said Dr. Brian Mitra, Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment, who nominated Michael for the C.A.R.E.S. Award. “He jumped feet first into this project and has provided a holistic view and thoughtful consideration as to how to best align our First Year Experiences with our current practices and identify our blind spots. Mike has been an invaluable member of our leadership team and continues to volunteer for opportunities to further enhance our student experiences.”

“My role is to work closely with Brian, to address bottlenecks, improve best practices, and identify barriers, increase accessibility, and close equity gaps.”

Michael continued, “We are the first landing spot once students are admitted. We talk with them about courses offered, academic policies, and the timeline of their chosen major. Our goal is to help them realize their own vision.”

This fall semester, 5500 new, incoming, and current students are being advised on their caseloads by four advising managers and 15 full-time advisors.

“We have an excellent collaborative team, a great dynamic including a facing staff that is integral to our day-to-day operations. We work together to tailor our recommendations to whatever the student needs.”

Michael shared the story of a student who had withdrawn from Queensborough 20 years ago. He had a full career in law enforcement and came back to finish his degree. However, the courses he needed were under the old degree plan, so Michael worked with the Chairpersons of various departments to substitute older courses to newer courses, and the student was able to complete his degree.

“There is something about Queensborough, a personal approach that inspires students — no matter what their circumstances are — to feel part of a caring community. One that forges strong connections and friendships in a way that lasts throughout their time here and I believe long after they have graduated.”

Heather Huggins

Associate Professor, Voice & Movement Coach
Communication, Theatre & Media Production

The recent student production of Lysistrata at Queensborough’s Humanities Theatre and Performing Arts Center (QPAC) featured a towering set design of the Parthenon. It called for the strong theatrical skills of 34 students, divided evenly between the cast and the stagecraft crew. 

“In Lysistrata, as with each play, we practice a proactive approach to a culture that is critical to our work,” said Heather, who participates in the script selection and mentors students throughout the rehearsal process through voice and body expression. 

“Heather maintains a culture of care, respect, and sustainability,” said C. Julian Jiménez, Department Chair, Professor, and Faculty Director, who nominated Heather for the C.A.R.E.S. Award. “She has excelled in providing needed structure in production for work and life balance while also helping our students through coaching and rehearsal outside of the classroom.”

Like many performing artists, Heather caught the theatre bug early in life when she was cast in in her high school’s production of The Sound of Music. She began college at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas “because it was accessible and offered a solid theatre making program.”

She transferred to the University of Texas at Austin earning a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre & Dance then attended graduate school in Moscow, Russia at the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute (Shchuka), affiliated with the Vakhtangov Theater. Heather apprenticed with movement innovator Andrei Droznin, mentoring undergraduate students at Shchuka and graduate students from Drama Centre London and Harvard University.

Heather began working in higher education in Austin in 2009 where she taught at Austin Community College and Southwestern University, as well as secondary programs like the Theatre Focus program at St. Stephen's Episcopal School and co-facilitating arts programming for Huntington Surrey School. She moved to New York City in August 2014 and applied for an opening at Queensborough to teach Theatre for College Now.

Julian noted that, “Heather’s innovative instruction design and the implementation of high-impact practices — undergraduate research, writing intensive curricula, community-based and student-centered learning — empowers student action and voices in her classroom. She is an advocate of Undergraduate Research in the arts and has mentored many students to present their own work as undergraduate researchers.” 

In 2022, Heather was named the first Arts & Humanities Faculty Coordinator for Undergraduate Research as a High-Impact Practice (UR-HIP). UR-HIP is a part of the goal for the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) to support retention and engagement.

Julian noted that Heather encourages a culture of awareness, inviting artists and audiences to bear witness to violence and mass atrocities. This call to action landed her a 2022-23 Charles E. Scheidt Faculty Fellow in Atrocity Prevention at Binghamton University’s Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention (IGMAP) to study and engage with faculty from across different disciplines as they consider ways their discipline may contribute to atrocity prevention. Last Spring, she collaborated on a Performance as Prevention series to create free public programming in collaboration with the QCC Art Gallery, Kupferberg Holocaust Center, and QPAC, and the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium. “The KHC and the Gallery house a beautiful suite of resources and programs.”

Back to Lysistrata.

“This was a huge play to take on — for everyone, from every perspective. My approach was to start with small group coaching, then one on one and from moment to moment. Over time we developed shorthand. My call to action is to unleash my students’ independence to develop their characters.” 

“Many of our students come to us with no experience. Some are on stage — or behind the scenes — for the first time. They bring so much heart to their craft, so much fire. I aspire to nurture their journeys and achievements within a community that lifts and embraces everyone."