Summer 2023 Winners

Michelle Gluck

Admissions Counselor
Office of Admissions

“Michelle is the best 'first impression' a college could ask for,” said Dr. Brian Mitra, Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. “She is caring, compassionate, empathetic, and dedicated—and these qualities make for success stories that can be had by all hard-working students.”

Gluck is also self-effacing. “Everyone in our office provides excellent guidance to students whether they are straight out of high school, adult learners looking to change their careers or international students. Often, we help students who are the first in their families to attend college and sometimes they are accompanied by family members who are beaming with pride.”

Mitra added, “She easily builds rapport with families and offers a smile in all she does.”
And students and families who know her feel the same way.

Recently, a mother of a current student visited Gluck and thanked her for believing in her disabled son when no one else thought he was college material. “Queensborough saw potential in my son, not obstacles.” In 2021, he was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and holds a 4.0 GPA. He is also the recipient of two Dean’s List lapel pins.

Gluck said, “Last I heard several colleges were courting him to consider their schools for transfer because of his success at Queensborough. That’s what we love to hear!”

Mitra continued his praise. “If the college is looking for a template of what an exemplary employee should be - it's Michelle. She is often the first person in the office and the last to leave. She comes in on her scheduled remote days to conduct high school and campus tours and support recruitment events to support her fellow counselors. For other events such as Commencement and Welcome Week, she volunteers before and after her regular work hours. We believe going the extra mile is instinctive for her.”

“We take pride in being present for prospective students,” said Gluck. “They are the essence of what diversity and inclusiveness means and we are so excited to participate in the potential for their growth as they begin classes.”

Gluck, who now resides in Flushing, grew up in Northern Queens. Before coming to Queensborough in 2017 she worked for 25 years as an accountant for a litigation support company in Manhattan. Through a friend who was working at Queensborough, she learned of a part-time College Office Assistant position in Admissions and jumped on it. “I was overjoyed to exchange the ledger sheet and solitary work environment to embrace new challenges, meet new people and make a real contribution to the community.”

Gluck went on to become a full-time Admissions Counselor. She is also a liaison to the College’s Health Science department, for students who are navigating the admissions process for the Nursing program and works with the Nursing Department to build a relationship with the Hospital for Special Surgery for their surgical technicians at the hospital to transfer to Queensborough’s nursing program.

All of what she does brings her deep satisfaction knowing that she makes a difference every day, encouraging students to take the next big step in their lives.

Sometimes literally. At heart Gluck’s love is giving college tours of the campus.

“It's an opportunity to bring the campus front and center which is largely hidden from the street, which is amazing since it boasts a full 37 acres! There’s a certain ooh and awe as prospective students take in the atmosphere and community feeling that is so special to Queensborough. They see the cultural centers, and often visit the music production studio, 3D lab and lecture hall. And the people offer the most potential for a positive impact. When faculty, peace officers and administrators like Vice President Mitra stop by and say hello, you can tell the students feel very welcome.”

Very welcome indeed.

Emiko Sanchez

Registrar
Office of the Registrar

“Emi demonstrates exceptional commitment to the success of our students,” said Arthur Corradetti, Ph.D., Dean for Institutional Effectiveness, who has worked with Emiko Sanchez since she came to Queensborough in 2019. “To support students who visit the Registrar's office, she extends extraordinary effort to ensure that their problems are resolved, handling these personally.”

A significant problem Sanchez has resolved is eliminating or diminishing confusion about steps necessary to complete a Student Request Grade of Incomplete (INC) form to finish courses and clarify deadlines without which a student can face roadblocks to their academic success.

An INC indicates there is a reasonable expectation that a student can successfully complete the remaining work, usually representing 1-2 assignments or exams that amount to 25% or less of the final grade.

“Let’s say a student has satisfactorily completed a quarter of their class but needs extra time to complete the course because of a family emergency,” said Sanchez. “Before the new process was put in place, the INC agreement was only verbal, or students did not always realize they were getting an INC grade, or the existing form was inconsistently completed.”

Sandra Palmer, Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, approached Sanchez to discuss how the process could be more methodical.

Sanchez then began working in March 2023 with Adam Volin, Director of Web and Application Services, on designing and implementing a revised INC form.

“I researched area colleges for comparison while Adam began authenticating student and faculty information from CUNYfirst for easy access to the online pdf form which student, faculty and Chair sign electronically and then put in the queue for office processing. It takes just minutes to complete.”

In May 2023, the application process was launched and since then, over 300 students have successfully utilized the INC form.

Ultimately, the approval is at the discretion of the faculty member. Students must initiate the request; however, the faculty may not approve if the student did not do the work beyond the first half of the semester. In that case the instructor will assign the corresponding grade.

Additionally, the new form makes clear that:

The deadline to submit a request for an incomplete grade is the last day to withdraw from a course with a grade of “W” for the semester.

When the missing work has been submitted and graded, the instructor must submit a completed Change of Grade form to the Registrar's Office, as has always been the case.

When the course with an INC is a prerequisite for another course, students are strongly urged to submit work at least a month prior to the start of the following semester. If the INC is not replaced with a passing grade by two weeks before the start of the semester, the student will be dropped from any course for which the course with an INC is a prerequisite.

The scope of Sanchez’s professional responsibilities at Queensborough goes way beyond forms and applications to include Course and Standing, Graduation Audit, ordering Official Transcripts, and Official enrollment/graduation verification requests, among other duties.

And her experience in these areas is impressive.

Her extensive career began at New York University where she worked for 31 years in the Registrar’s Office. First a clerk, she then rose through the ranks to Associate Registrar. At NYU she earned an Associate of Applied Science in Business, a BS in Information Management and in 2010 received an Advanced Certificate in Information Technology.

“Over the years NYU began expanding and the demands on our office were increasing exponentially. I wanted a better work/life balance and in 2017 decided to apply for Deputy Registrar at Hunter College where I was very happy--CUNY is such a different culture. Then I was promoted to Interim Registrar at Hunter before I applied for a registrar position at Queensborough.”

“Bingo! I found my perfect match.”

“In my experience people don’t always know your name but here we are all together. It’s easy to work with one another. It’s so important to have that strong connection with your colleagues because the students pick up on it.”

Sanchez added that her daughter, Erika, 18, had positive interactions as a student at Queensborough. She has since gone on to major in speech pathology at St. John's University.

“It’s amazing when you realize that all the different units within the College--student affairs, academic affairs, all the academic departments and more--intersect with the goal of helping students have an academic experience that positively impacts their lives. I have a seasoned perspective having worked in three distinct academic environments. A private university, a public four-year college and here at Queensborough, a unique community where people truly feel embraced by a culture of care.”

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