President's Report for April 2025

Office of Workforce Development

 I.  Overview

Workforce Development, formerly a division of the Office of CEWD, now reports to the Provost in the Office for Academic Affairs. The division leads and implements Workforce Development Industry Certificate and short-term skills-based courses for students, alumni and adult learners throughout Queens and NYC and supports their career pathways to family-sustaining Good Jobs in the NYC region. Workforce Development collaborates with Senior Administration, Faculty, Academic Departments, Continuing Ed and Administrative Depts. to secure funding from government agencies, foundations, organizations & corporations for Workforce Development Initiatives.

 II.  Monthly Accomplishments 

• Workforce Development’s ACE Upskilling Opportunity Grant, “Creating Inclusive Technology Pathways & Sustaining Careers for CUNY Students, Alumni & the Broader NYC Community”, which has been renewed three times in the past four years, has now been offered an extension grant to offer additional Technology Certificate courses, including the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud Computing & Cybersecurity Training Program and two Introductory Software Engineering/Web Development Boot Camp Programs. We are holding Information Sessions for all interested students and will be starting the Certificate courses within the next 2-3 weeks, ending at the end of May. Students successfully completing the Certificates will receive individual and group Career Counseling, 21^st Century Workplace Skills Workshops and assistance with connections to Internships and jobs from our Employment Engagement Specialist/Career Coach.

•  Workforce Development is partnering with OneTen, a leading non-profit organization, on a proposal to train up to 30 matriculated and non-matriculated students, to successfully complete the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Exam Preparation course in 2025. Corporate partners include Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo. Students will receive career coaching, 21^st Century Workplace Skills workshops and have the opportunity to be placed into Internships and Financial Services/Securities Industry positions. We anticipate having this program up and running by May or June 2025 and will market to students, faculty, staff and alumni and adult learners in the NYC community. 

Center for Excellence in Teaching and learning (CETL) 

CETL will be hosting a meeting on March 28 (exact time: TBD) with key stakeholders from various career success initiatives to discuss potential collaborations. The goal is to create a space where the different groups can share ideas, align efforts, and enhance their collective impact.

CETL will also host an event on Monday, April 7 from 12-2pm: The Open Classroom: Open Pedagogy, OERs, and Publishing Platforms. This event will explore transforming teaching with open pedagogy practices that foster participation, critical thinking, and empower students to become knowledge producers. The event will provide an overview of QCC and CUNY supports for open access and collaborative content creation. Guest speakers from The Graduate Center, CUNY include: Robin Miller, Open Educational Technology Specialist, Graduate Center Digital Initiatives and Laurie Hurson, Assistant Director, Open Education, Teaching and Learning Center.

Dr. James Harnsberger in the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs (OGSP) is meeting with faculty-scholars in the CETL computer lab in a series of semester-long, biweekly faculty development workshops. Workshop topics are designed to support faculty members in honing their technical writing skills and making steady progress on targeted scholarly projects, including grant proposals, journal articles, books, and other scholarly works. While the workshops are filled this semester, all faculty are invited to request the CETL lab for research and pedagogy meetings and discussions with campus colleagues.

In support of WI-Recertification efforts, CETL is co-sponsoring events (dates TBA) with the Committee on Academic Development, the WIDWAC Committee, and the WI High Impact Practice (HIP) Coordinators. These events intend to create a collaborative and supportive space for faculty to submit documents for recertification in an effort to ensure that we maintain a high standard for WI courses and provide our students with the best possible educational experience.

CETL is co-hosting several AI events this semester: two book club discussions (April 10 and April 25) about Ethan Mollick’s book Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI with Provost Dr. Curtis-Tweed; multiple discussions (dates TBA) about AI use in the classroom with QCC Librarians Leslie Ward and Debra Bernstein, the Special Committee on the Pedagogical Response to AI, and colleagues from across campus.

Enrollment Management Update

The Office of Academy Advisement is preparing for the opening of registration for new and continuing students in early April. Students have expressed early interest in both summer and fall registration. Academy Advisement currently has a robust “March is Advising” month campaign and they are preparing for the first week of registration with a walk-in advisement event on Tuesday, April 1 to assist first semester students in FYS-100 with priority registration. They also have a call campaign running throughout March and April for first semester students who are required to meet with an adviser before registering for classes, assisting them with booking an appointment with their adviser. Lastly, they are prepared to begin seeing new Fall 2025 students starting on Monday, April 7.

 QCC’s 64th Annual Commencement Ceremony
Queensborough Community College 64th Annual Commencement Ceremony
QCC's 64th Annual Commencement Ceremony is scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 29 at 10:00 am on the Athletic Field. Students who complete their degree requirements as of the conclusion of the fall 2024 and winter 2025 semesters, as well as those anticipated to complete their degree requirements as of the conclusion of the spring and summer 2025 semesters, will be invited to participate in the ceremony. Additional ceremony information will be added to the Commencement Website as it becomes available. 

 Student Honors/Awards

• QCC students Pedrocia De-Sosoo and Md Rashedul Islam have been named to the 2025 Phi Theta Kappa (“PTK”) All-New York Academic Team, in recognition of their scholarly achievements while enrolled in a New York Community College. Ms. De-Sosoo was inducted into the Lambda Sigma Chapter of PTK during summer 2024, while Mr. Islam was inducted in fall 2024. We are also happy to share that both exemplary students meet the academic requirements for consideration as class of 2025 candidates for graduation. We extend our thanks to Dr. Emily Tai, Dr. Regina Sullivan, and Mr. Reynald Pierre-Charles for their tireless work as faculty advisers for the honor society.

• In more amazing news for our student members of the PTK Honor Society, Ieesha Ansar, Ian Kim, Melanie Jerez Cruz, and Pedrocia De-Sosoo have been selected as the four (4) semifinalists for the 2025 offering of the Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The JKCF Scholarship provides up to $40,000 per year to each of approximately 45 deserving students selected annually, making it the largest private scholarship for two-year and community college transfer students in the country. Each award is intended to cover a significant share of the student's educational expenses – including tuition, living expenses, books and required fees – for the final two to three years necessary to achieve a bachelor's degree. We are equally excited to announce that Ieesha, Ian, and Pedrocia are all class of 2025 candidates for graduation!

Student Support Resources

• Faculty and staff are asked to encourage our students to avail themselves of the valuable and free resources through the Advocacy Resource Center. Services provided include public benefits screening, financial coaching, legal assistance, tax preparation services, housing assistance, food pantry referrals, and more.

• Emergency funding is available to students who face a financial crisis that puts at risk their continued enrollment toward their QCC degree. Supported through a grant from The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation, the funds provide one-time, emergency grants to students in good standing with short-term financial emergencies to enable them to remain in school, rather than being forced to leave or drop out. Students with short-term financial emergencies should be referred to Ms. Amawati Gonesh, Advocacy Resource Center Program Manager, via email at AGonesh@qcc.cuny.edu.  Additional information can be found online at QCC Scholarships.

• FAFSA Fest! The Office of Financial Services will be hosting weekly Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion workshops on Wednesdays from 1pm – 4pm in Library Building, room 117 from February 26 – June 4, 2025. New and continuing students are welcome to attend!

• Faculty and staff are asked to encourage students to utilize The QCC PRIDE Center as a community space and resource. With oversight provided by Mx. Lamar Greene, LGBTQIA+ Specialist, the Center serves as a hub for LGBTQIA+ students that provides laptops, iPads, menstrual products, safer sex supplies, craft materials, and more. The Center can also assist in connecting students with both on & off-campus resources for health services, personal development, and academic success. Programming from the center is forthcoming. The PRIDE Center is in the Administration Building – Room 206 and can be reached at (718) 631-6683 or thepridecenter@qcc.cuny.edu.

• Representatives from the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance will help students and their family members prepare and e-file their income tax return both virtually and in-person for free.  Virtual sessions will be held every Wednesday beginning February 5, 2025, and ending on April 9, 2025, with the exception of Virtual Income Tax Kick Off Day which will take place virtually on January 31, 2025, from 11AM to 2PM. In-person sessions will be held every Friday beginning February 7,2025 and ending on April 11,2025. Pre-registration is required.  As such, students should call the Advocacy Resource Center  at (718) 631-6347 or email ARC@qcc.cuny.edu.  Session days and times are as follows:
  • Wednesdays (Zoom) 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
  • Fridays (in person) at 9:30 AM, 11:30 AM or 2:30 PM 

• The Barbara C. Harris Scholar's Program for Truth and Reparations Scholarship is offered by The Episcopal Diocese of Long Island in Garden City and aims to provide financial support to Black, African American, and Caribbean-American descendants of slaves who are seeking continuing advancement through higher education or vocational training. The program was named after Bishop Harris, an activist, journalist, teacher, leader, visionary, and first Black female bishop of the Episcopal Church of American. Additional information can be found on their website. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, April 30, by 11:59 pm EST.

• The Finch College Alumni Community College Transfer Scholarship application period is now open for all eligible female students. The scholarships, worth $5000, are awarded to second-year female community college students who will graduate from QCC at the conclusion of spring 2024 and transfer to a four-year university for fall 2024. The deadline to apply is Thursday, May 1.

• The Milton Fisher Scholarship for Innovation and Creativity is not a traditional scholarship focused on rewarding academic achievement and financial need. Its specific goal is to reward and encourage innovative and creative problem-solving by honoring students who excel as creative problem-solvers and helping make their higher education goals more accessible. The scholarship award amounts range from $4,000 to $20,000 for up to four years. The deadline for applying is Thursday, May 15. Please visit the Milton Fisher Scholarship website to apply. 

• The Eye Bank of New York recognizes students with the Young Ambassador Scholarship. The annual $3,000 scholarship is intended to encourage young people to pursue learning and help spread the message about the priceless gift of eye donation. The deadline to apply is Thursday, May 15. Please visit their website for additional information and to apply.

 Upcoming Events

• The MRC and Fourleaf Present - Financial Wellness: The Basics of Personal Finance – All QCC students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend this workshop on Monday, April 7 at 12:00 pm in the Male Resource Center. This session helps participants set personal finance goals, learn the basics of smart money management, and build a solid financial foundation for the future. RSVP is required.

• The CUNY Coalition for Students with Disabilities will host a Bake Sale on Tuesday, April 8 at 10:00 am in the Humanities Quad. They will be raising funds for scholarships and awards for students with disabilities. At the end of the semester, funds will be granted and awarded to students who’ve achieved exemplary academic success.

• The CUNY Coalition for Students with Disabilities will host a Disability Allyship Workshop on Wednesday, April 9 at 12:30 pm in Medical Arts Building – Room 134. In honor of CUNY's Disability Awareness Month in April, join the CUNY Coalition for Students with Disabilities at QCC (CCSD@QCC) Club in collaboration with the College of Staten Island during Club Hours, where we will be hosting a workshop on how to be an ALLY to people with disabilities. This workshop will begin at 12:30pm and will be held in a hybrid format. Providing access and promoting inclusivity through disability allyship: Discussion points will be an overview of the Office of Accessibility Services, understanding challenges, disability allyship, followed by a Q&A session.

• The MRC and FourLeaf Present - Financial Wellness: Understanding Credit – All QCC students are invited to attend this event on Monday, April 21 at 12:00 pm in the Male Resource Center. Sponsored by FourLeaf (formerly Bethpage Federal Credit Union), this session covers all aspects of becoming an educated credit consumer, including how lenders evaluate for credit approval, factors that impact credit qualification, how credit scoring works, and ways money management today impacts credit standing tomorrow.

• The MRC and College Discovery Present: Mastering Emotions Now (MEN) – Everyone is invited to attend this event on Wednesday, April 23 at 12:00 pm in the Male Resource Center. Sponsored by the Office of College Discovery, Participants will explore the importance of understanding mental health services as it relates to their mental health. When it comes to health, we make it a priority to visit the doctor to ensure that we are physically healthy, for healing broken bones, cuts, scrapes, and bruises, but we often do not put the same level of urgency toward our mental health.

• Students with questions about QCC’s upcoming commencement ceremony are invited to register for our Commencement Webinar for QCC Class of 2025 Prospective Graduates, taking place on Wednesday, April 23 at 12:10 pm EST via Zoom. During the webinar, students will receive information about the ceremony, completing the remainder of their degree requirements during the summer 2025 semester (if necessary), applying for transfer to a 4-year college/university for fall 2025, and more. A representative from the Office of Academy Advisement, Office of Graduation Audit, Transfer Resource Center, and the Office of Student Affairs will be present to answer questions. Registration is required as space is limited to only 300 students.

• Spring and Summer 2025 candidates for graduation will be invited to sit for a graduation portrait as part of the 2025 Aurora Yearbook beginning Monday, April 28 through Thursday, May 1 from 10:00 am - 5:30 pm in the Student Union - Lower Level. Additional information, including booking a portrait appointment, can be found on the website. Fall 2024 and Winter 2025 candidates for graduation who were unable to sit for a portrait in December 2024 are eligible to book an appointment this cycle.

• The MRC and FourLeaf Present - Financial Wellness: Identity Theft Solutions – all QCC students are invited to attend this event on Monday, May 5 at 12:00 pm in the Male Resource Center.  In this workshop, participants will learn the methods that identity thieves use to access confidential information, tools for preventing ID theft, and steps to take should identity theft occur. RSVP is required for this event. 

• The Office of Health Services will host the Annual Spring Blood Drive on Tuesday, May 13 from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm in the Student Union – Upper Level. Open to all QCC students and employees, donating blood is essential to community health, and the need for blood products is constant. During this critical time of blood shortages, your donation can make a meaningful impact.

• All QCC students are invited to attend the QCC Class of 2025 Grad Fair/End of Semester Celebration, taking place on Wednesday, May 14 at 12:10 pm. Celebrate the end of the spring ‘25 semester with free tacos provided by the El Toro Rojo Taco food truck, while supplies last. An information table will be available for eligible class of ‘25 candidates with details about the May 29 Commencement Ceremony, including on-the-spot RSVP assistance. Grad candidates will also receive information about ordering a Class of ‘25 ring, the CUNY Queens Lavender Ceremony and the Sankofa Celebration. Let’s all get together and show our #TigerPride for the Class of ’25!

• QCC will host this year’s 2025 CUNY Queens Lavender Graduation Ceremony/Celebration on Thursday, May 22 at 2:00 pm on The Great Lawn (rain location: Student Union – Upper Level). Class of 2025 LGBTQIA+ and ally graduates from Queens-based CUNY institutions such as Queens College, York College, Queensborough Community College, LaGuardia Community College, and the CUNY School of Law are invited to attend and be honored at the celebration. Registration is required of all class of 2025 graduation candidates who wish to attend. Following the event, all QCC students and employees are invited to attend the Pride Flag Raising at 4:00 pm at The Flagpole by the Department of Public Safety to kick off Pride Month! 

Events Report

The 2025 Partners for Progress Gala is on Wednesday, May 1st at Terrace on the Park

                                                                                         PURCHASE GALA TICKETS TODAY!

                                                                                         SPECIAL EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT

                                                       Queensborough Faculty + Staff is $200 per Gala Ticket (regularly $350).
                                              To be seated with colleagues, please email your request to  Partners@qcc.cuny.edu.

                                                       After Wednesday, April 15th, tickets will be $350 each (regular price).

                                                                    We look forward to celebrating with you on Thursday, May 1^st!

 Celebration of Service:

The Celebration of Service ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. on the Great Lawn. The rain date will be Thursday, May 15th. 

Faculty, staff, and adjuncts will be inducted into the 20-year association and faculty and staff will be recognized for their 30 and 40 years of service at the College.

                                                                                       Art Gallery 

Internship Program:

 The Gallery hosts two interns from the Gallery and Museum Studies program through the Department of Art & Design.

• One student will start the spring internship from Bayside High School.
• The Gallery’s internship with Flushing International High School will resume this spring semester and will host two (2) student interns.
• We are hosting a work-study student from QCC. 

Attendees (community/students) from January 2025 through today are as follows:

• 436 visitors and 142 QCC Students
• BTECH HS- 40 Students
• Adult Literacy Program - 20 Students
• P2G School l- 15 Students
• P2G School - 14 Students
• CUNY Explorers - 25 Students
• Iyaho Social Services Inc.- 11 Students
• South Bronx Prep- CUNY Explorers - 37 Students
• PS/MS3 CUNY Explorers - 28 Students
• PS3 CUNY Explorers - 31 Students
• Restart Academy CUNY Explorers - 32 Students
• PS346 CUNY Explorers - 35 Students
• PS213 CUNY Explorers - 28 students
• Pathways to Education CUNY Explorers - 46 Students     

 List of Exhibits/Events:

Juried Student Exhibition 2025 - April 24, 2025

The Queensborough Department of Art and Design is excited to present the 2025 Juried Student Exhibition. Each year we gather, select, and unveil our student successes in artistic mastery. As faculty, we embrace the opportunity to work with these young artists, to guide their growth, to challenge their potential as makers and thinkers, and to witness them blossom. The selected works represent advanced achievements in multiple disciplines that include digital design, animation, illustration, motion graphics, video, and traditional studio work in 2D and 3D design, drawing, painting, color theory, ceramics, sculpture, and photography. We invite you to marvel at their astute observations, fresh perspectives, and keen insights. Let us celebrate the achievements of these artists and wish them much success in new endeavors.

 

                                                                                  Kupferberg Holocaust Center

 HOLOCAUST MEMORY:
In Person & Virtual
Raising the Stakes: Assessing the Impact of Rising Antisemitism on Holocaust Education
Thursday, April 24, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. EDT
To attend on Zoom: https://tinyurl.com/yt5nn7nf

**To attend in person: https://khc-yh-april25.eventbrite.com

In commemoration of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, join us for a discussion about the implications for Holocaust education in the face of rising antisemitism, the impact of the October 7 terrorist attack, and the changing political landscape in the US and across the globe. Featuring Dr. Oren Stier, Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Holocaust & Genocide Studies Program in the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs at Florida International University.

 HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE MUSEUM SERIES:

In Person only
From Czestochowa to Bayside: The Story of the KHC’s Torah Scroll

Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. EDT
**To attend in person: https://khc-may25-hrm.eventbrite.com

 In 1988, while visiting Czestochowa, Poland, Harry Rapaport made a remarkable discovery: a trove of Hebrew Torah scrolls hidden in an underground Jewish ritual bath house for women. Although heavily damaged, these religious artifacts are a living memorial to the local Jewish communities who perished during the Holocaust. Come learn about how one of these scrolls found its way to the Kupferberg Holocaust Center, and the yearlong process involved to both restore and remount this powerful historical artifact. Featuring Harry Rapaport; Kat Griefen, Program Coordinator, and faculty member in QCC’s Gallery and Museum Studies Program; Dr. Mark Zelcer, Assistant Professor in QCC's Social Sciences department; and Maria Paula Armelin, a New York City-based Collections and Exhibits Manager. For more information about the Kupferberg Holocaust Center, please visit https://khc.qcc.cuny.edu.

 

KHC ORIGINAL EXHIBITION:

The Concentration Camps: Inside the Nazi System of Incarceration and Genocide

In Person Audio Tours in English and Spanish

On View and Online at: https://khc.qcc.cuny.edu/camps/

The KHC continues to offer self-guided audio tours—now in both English and Spanish—of its original exhibition which surveys the scope and brutality of the Nazi system of incarceration and genocide, underscoring the horrific consequences of antisemitism, racism, and authoritarianism. In addition to the exhibit’s text, images, and artifacts, personal testimonies from local Holocaust survivors offer painful insights into these excruciating landscapes of degradation and dehumanization. This exhibit is curated by Dr. Cary Lane, KHC 2020-21 Curator-in-Residence and Associate Professor of English at QCC.

RECORDED EVENTS:

Communicating the Past: Exhibiting the Holocaust in Memorial Museums

Recorded on January 27, 2025

Link to recorded event is available on the KHC’s website.

Flight and Survival: Jewish Refugees in Mexico in the Holocaust
Recorded on February 18, 2025 

Link to recorded event is available on the KHC’s website.

Nothing About Us Without Us: Understanding the Disability Rights Movement
Recorded on March 12, 2025

Link to recorded event is available on the KHC’s website. 

Communicating Atrocity: Memorializing Traumatic Histories
Recorded on April 2, 2025 

Link to recorded event is available on the KHC’s website.

 KHC public program recordings: https://khc.qcc.cuny.edu/recordings/

 KHC curated playlists: https://www.youtube.com/user/CUNYQueensborough/playlists 

 

                                                                     Queensborough Performing Arts Center (QPAC) 

A national search is being conducted for the next Director of QPAC. An assessment will be conducted to determine how we can expand QPAC’s involvement in the borough and further integrate the Center with the College as we enter this next chapter in QPAC history. While a national search is launched and conducted, Mark Amsterdam, who has worked for QPAC for three decades, has been appointed Interim Director. 

QPAC has 14 confirmed events in the theatre as follows: 

1. Arts on Stage (rental) – Tuesday, April 29, 2025
2. Arts on Stage (rental) – Wednesday, April 30, 2025
3. Arts on Stage (rental) – Thursday, May 8, 2025
4. Arts on Stage (rental) – Tuesday, May 13, 2025
5. Joanne Chang Performance (Music Department) – Wednesday, April 9, 2025
6. Ukrainian Chorus (rental) – Sunday, April 13, 2025
7. FOMMA (rental) – Sunday, May 25, 2025
8. Gary Fuchs (Doo Wop Show) (rental) – Saturday, May 3, 2025
9. Ferrari Dance Center (rental) – Saturday, May 10, 2025
10. Dance Department Annual Recital (rehearsal) – Monday, May 5, 2025
11. Dance Department Annual Recital (rehearsal) – Tuesday, May 6, 2025
12. Dance Department Annual Recital (rehearsal) – Wednesday, May 7, 2025
13. Dance Department Annual Recital – Performance #1 – Thursday, May 8, 2025
14. Dance Department Annual Recital – Performance #2) - Friday, May 9, 2025

 Finance and Administration Report 

For the academic senate I would like to share a few reminders:

1.  Repair and maintenance of elevators will take place during the spring break. An email communication of the schedule will go out shortly.

2. The budget planning process for FY26 has been initiated. We shared the template and dates for completion.

3. We are approaching the end of the fiscal year. Make sure you submit invoices and receipts for payment on a timely manner. Please contact the accounting team with any questions or concerns.