President's Report for March 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, Introductory Software Engineering/Web Development and Advanced Software Engineering Development, beginning in March 2025. 

• Consolidated Edison Grant: QCC was recently awarded a Workforce Development Grant from Con Ed for $90,000. Dr. Dugwon Suo, Department of Engineering Technology and Dr. Paul Marchese, Department of Physics were the lead proposal writers and Dr Suo is PI of the new grant, “The Green Technology Academy: Preparing for the Next Generation of Green Technicians.” Two Clean Energy Certificate courses will be offered to students, one in Summer and the other in Fall 2025, with opportunities for Internships and career positions upon completion of the program. 

• 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. 

 Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) 

The Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning (CETL) is excited to launch CETL CAFE (Conversations Advancing Faculty Effectiveness): A series of open hours in CETL offering both structured and unstructured conversations about best teaching practices. The CAFE is aimed at facilitating the exchange of ideas, resources, funding opportunities and the like. Discussions that start in informal settings may lead to mentorship relationships, collaborations on research, faculty coming together to address challenges or improve curriculum and, more generally, can be a valuable form of professional development. 

CETL is also hosting a series of Common Read events from March 10-19, 2025. Events are based on the text for 2024-2025 Common Read—King of the Armadillos by Wendy Chin-Tanner. Based on the personal story of Chin-Tanner’s father, the book explores issues of immigration, illness, and opportunity, set against the backdrop of 1950’s NYC and a historical leprosarium in Louisiana. In conversations with cross-disciplinary scholars, faculty, and the author, students will analyze a variety of topics. The Common Read is a high impact practice (HIP) that promotes integrative learning across the curriculum through multi-disciplinary approaches to a common text. With generous support from the Kupferberg Holocaust Center, the 2024-2025 Common Read will engage approximately 350 students and 14 faculty throughout the Spring semester, providing social and academic engagement in and outside the classroom. More information about Common Read is available here.​ 

 CETL will also co-sponsor, along with the Office of Academic Affairs, Career Services, and CUNY’s Office of Transformation, the Career-Connected Learning Workshop organized by the CUNY Career Success Fellows. The workshop will be held on May 9, 2025. 

Office of Educational Technology (OET) 

Brightspace Training

Training Opportunities: Dive Deeper with Brightspace
To help you navigate Brightspace with confidence, CUNY is offering two keyways to enhance your understanding: 

Pre-recorded Train-the-Trainer Sessions:
These sessions provide step-by-step guidance on key features and are available for you to watch at your convenience. Faculty can access these sessions at any time to support their transition to Brightspace.

 

Updated YouTube Videos:
We've refreshed our Brightspace Transition Playlist with new videos, including ABCs of Content and Engaging Learners. These resources are designed to support you in making the most of Brightspace. Explore the full playlist here.

New and Upcoming Features

CUNY Demo Student Tool
Launched on September 30, 2024, this tool allows faculty to view and interact with courses as students. It can be added to course navbars by campus LMS Administrators following internal approvals. A detailed support guide is available for assistance.

Portfolio Tool
The Brightspace Portfolio Tool supports the creation of dynamic digital portfolios. While it is currently being tested and refined, additional training sessions may be planned in the future once testing is complete. We will share updates as more information becomes available.

Insights Portal
The Insights Portal dashboards will be enabled for faculty and instructors, in alignment with FERPA guidelines.

Student Success System
This tool is designed to provide insights that enhance student outcomes by analyzing course trends. While initially expected to launch in Spring 2025, the enablement of this feature requires two semesters’ worth of data for full functionality. To ensure it captures data across all transition groups, the anticipated release date has been adjusted to Fall 2025. Additional details, including access to these insights, will be clarified as we approach the release.

Brightspace Updates

Group 4 Kickoff
The Transition Group 4 Kickoff took place on January 14, 2025. This group is on track for a full Brightspace launch in Summer 2025. For students in Transition Group 4 who have not yet gained access to Brightspace through a course from another transition group, enrollment in Brightspace will begin on April 2, 2025.

Group 3 Progress
Following their kickoff in September 2024, Transition Group 3—including City College, College of Staten Island, and Hunter—is preparing for full implementation in Spring 2025.

Brightspace Technical Support and Resources
The following websites are intended to be a resource for updates, training, course conversion, help documentation, and support and will be updated regularly so please check back often.

 Technical Support

• For technical questions, please contact LMSSupport@qcc.cuny.edu
• Toll-free support line for all Brightspace users: 1-888-895-2511

 If you are interested in training:  

• Brightspace Guided Training  
• D2L Website  

Additional considerations: QM Rubric

Follow the QM Rubric to review and improve course quality and accessibility for Brightspace.

 Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs 

Grants Awarded: January 23, 2025 – February 20, 2025 

Biological Sciences & Geology
•	CUNY Office of Research – $10,000, Ghoshal, Sarbani; "Understanding DNA damage by conducting real-time PCR.”
• CUNY Office of Research – $20,000, Petersen, Joan & Trujillo, Monica; "Development of a Hydroponics Facility to Support Course-Based Undergraduate Research.”

 

Enrollment Management Update

The Office of Academy Advisement is preparing for the summer/fall 2025 enrollment cycle. As spring 2025 caseloads have been finalized, students are receiving personalized welcome letters from their advisors, as well as messages from the Office of Marketing and Communications to kick off March as “Advising Month”. Academy Advisement will host two (2) curriculum related events for advisers in March. On Wednesday, March 5 and 10, they will host faculty and academic department chairpersons in-person for an update on course curriculum to the entire advisement community. Academy Advisement will also host two (2) student-centered events in March, including an in-person tabling event with Tiger Advisers on Wednesday, March12 to promote advising month and help students schedule appointments with advisers on the spot. The second event will take place on Tuesday, April 1 and will be geared towards the FYS-100 students with priority registration, and it will promote same-day advisement and registration. Academy Advisement will continue to offer a hybrid model of virtual and in-person appointments, as well as daily walk-in services.  

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 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 PRIDE Center in A-206 as a community space and a resource. The PRIDE Center at QCC is an up-and-coming hub for LGBTQIA+ students that has laptops, iPads, menstrual products, safer sex supplies, craft materials, and more. The PRIDE Center can also help 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 Point Foundation BIPOC Scholarship aims to mitigate generations of racism and an education system born from discriminatory policies by providing financial support, community resources, and professional development to LGBTQ students who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. The scholarship application period will open on Tuesday, January 28 at 12:00 pm EST and close on Wednesday, March 12 at 8:00 pm EST. Additional details, including eligibility requirements, can be found on their website. 

• The New York State Transfer and Articulation Association (NYSTAA) Scholarship is now accepting applications from eligible students who anticipate they will complete their associate degree by August 2025 and plan to attend a current four-year NYSTAA member institution in fall 2025. The deadline for applying is Monday, March 31. For full details, visit the NYSTAA website.

• The 2025 Abbey Duncan Brownfield Scholarship Program is now accepting applications. The program provides financial support to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing careers in the brownfield industry in New York City. The deadline to apply is Monday, March 31.

• The Finch College Alumni Association Foundation Scholarship application period is now open for all eligible female students. The scholarships are awarded to second-year female community college students who will graduate at the conclusion of spring 2025 and transfer to a four-year university for fall 2025. 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

• Tips for Building Wealth – this workshop will speak to the various ways that an individual can build wealth. Individuals will learn the importance of having multiple income streams, learning what is considered an asset, and how you can make your money work for you. This workshop will take place in the Queensborough Male Resource Center Student Union Upper Level on Wednesday, March 5 from 12:30-1:30pm. Interested students can click HERE to sign up for the workshop. 

• Professional Head Shot Day - You are invited to have a free Professional Head Shot Photo taken, which you can use for professional platforms such as LinkedIn and Handshake. The event will take place on Wednesday, March 5 at the Queensborough Male Resource Center in the Student Union Upper Level from 2-5pm. We ask that, if possible, to dress professionally for your photo. See you there! 

• The Psychology of Spending – taking place on Monday, March 10 at 12:00 pm, this workshop is described as "We all have a 'money personality' and it has a major impact on our attitudes, relationship with money, and spending habits. By understanding this, individuals can monitor and adjust their behaviors to make smart money decisions. This workshop will teach strategies and tactics to decode personality types to gain control over finances. 

• The Art of Saying “NO” - Join us in the Male Resource Center in the Student Union Upper Level on Wednesday, March 12 for "The Art of Saying No" workshop, a creative and empowering event designed to help students set boundaries and prioritize their time. Through guided discussions, hands-on art activities and practical strategies, participants will explore the importance of saying "no" to unproductive commitments and habits. 

• Barbershop Day - Get Fresh for Free! The Male Resource Center is offering students free haircuts on a first come, first-served basis on Monday, March 24 from 2:00 – 5:00 pm. We recognize the growing cost of many routine self-maintenance services students need in order to present their best selves, and we would like to help.

• Students with questions about the 2025 commencement ceremony are invited to register for one of our Commencement Webinars for QCC Class of 2025 Prospective Graduates, taking place on Wednesday, March 26 and 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. 

• Tied and Polished - At some point, we've all needed to know how to tie a tie. Whether it's a refresher on how to tie a Windsor knot or learning for the first time because you've finally decided to retire your old clip-on. Knowing how to tie a tie properly is a vital skill to have. Individuals looking to go on a job interview and networking events alike often need to put one on for the occasion. Join us in the Male Resource Center, located in the Student Union Upper Level, on Thursday, March 27 at 12:30 pm to learn a variety of different techniques you need to know when it comes to tying a necktie or keeping your shoes nice and clean for your next opportunity. See you there! 

• MRC Presents: Elevator Pitch Cocktail Hour - Do you have great ideas but unsure how to present them? Have you ever thought about pitching your ideas to business representatives, entrepreneurs, executives? Join us in the Male Resource Center, located in the Student Union Upper Level, on Thursday, April 3 at 5:00 pm for our Elevator Pitch Cocktail Hour. Participants will learn some techniques and strategies on how to approach elevator pitches and professional conversations. This event will include real corporate leaders and businesspeople who participants will have the opportunity to chat with over appetizers and soft drinks. This event will provide practice for participants to make their pitches while making meaningful professional connections. 

• The MRC and Fourleaf Presents: Financial Wellness: The Basics of Personal Finance - Is inflation hurting your bank account? Does it seem impossible to save money? Would you like to finally take that tropical vacation? From managing daily expenses to investing for retirement, this session helps participants set personal finance goals, learn the basics of smart money management, and build a solid financial foundation for the future. Join us Monday, April 7 at 12:00 pm in the Male Resource Center, to learn some tips and strategies to improve your financial wellness. 

Events Report

PURCHASE GALA TICKETS

 Early Bird Discount for Queensborough Faculty + Staff is $200 per Gala Ticket (regularly $350).

For faculty and staff who wish to be seated together, please email your request to  Partners@qcc.cuny.edu.

For those who wish to purchase ads in our Gala Journal, please submit your requests by

Thursday, March 27, 2025 

2025 PARTNERS OF THE YEAR: 

Community Partner of the Year:

Michael X. Mattone: a passionate community advocate, Michael serves as CEO of Mattone Investors, LLC, a Queens-based, family-owned real estate firm specializing in the acquisition, development, and management of commercial, residential, and industrial properties. Founded in the late 1950s by Michael’s father, Joseph Mattone Sr., the firm boasts a portfolio exceeding four million square feet, focusing on creating value, revitalizing communities, and fostering sustainability.

 Healthcare Partner of the Year:

Paloma Izquierdo-Hernandez, is the President and CEO of Urban Health Plan, one of New York State’s largest community health networks. Under her leadership, Urban Health Plan has expanded from a single health center in the South Bronx to a robust network of 12 federally qualified health centers, 12 school-based health centers, and two mental health facilities, serving over 89,000 patients annually. In 2024, she was inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame, reflecting her dedication to empowering underserved communities and inspiring future leaders in healthcare and beyond.

 Paloma Izquierdo-Hernandez and Michael Mattone have requested that all funds raised in their honor at the 2025 Partners for Progress Gala support the QCC Fund Promise Scholarship, which provides the vital tuition assistance our students need to keep them in school and on track to graduate.

 NOTE: Gala tickets purchased after Thursday, March 27th will be at the regular price of $350 per ticket. 

                                                                        MAJOR GIFTS RECEIVED 

Professor Emeritus Edmund Clingan has bequeathed $1,000,000 to the QCC Fund, Inc. to establish the Edmund Clingan Endowed Chair in History. The beneficiary of the Endowed Chair shall be a full-time faculty member in the History Department at the College, other than the Department Chair, who has demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in their field. 

Karlene Chin Estate: We have now received a total of $152,000 from her estate. The funds will support our part-time students. 

Libra Philanthropies will again fund a 3-day trip for students in the Male Resource Center to visit the nation’s capital in April.

PURCHASE YOUR GALA TICKETS!

 We look forward to seeing you at Terrace on Thursday, May 1^st!

 

                                                                                            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 student interns.
• We are hosting a work study student from QCC. 

Attendees (Community/Students) January-Today

• 436 visitors and 142 QCC Students
• BTECH HS- 40 Students
• Adult Literacy Program -20 Students
• P2G School- 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 – March 13, 2025 -Oakland Building 

• Taiwanese American Arts Council- 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Island Sunflower Reflections
In March 2014, young people led Taiwan’s Sunflower Movement which in time completely reversed the course of Taiwan’s foreign and domestic policy. On the 10th anniversary of the movement, we point out that social and political change is won through the brave spirit and effort of the movement leaders and the people not rewarded as a lucky accident. The Sunflower Movement’s tenth anniversary was on March 18, 2024. 

In the article, "Spring passes and autumn passes, but don't forget the sunflowers," from the exhibition catalog marking the 10th Anniversary of the Sunflower Movement, Patrick Huang expresses gratitude. He writes, "Fortunately, the young people of the Sunflower awakened the sleeping god of spring. Their fervor to shape destiny and save the country swept across Taiwan.” 

The Sunflower Movement successfully blocked the proposed legislation easing trade with China, leading many of its participants to enter formal political life and thereby rejuvenating Taiwan's political culture. Artists played a pivotal role in the struggle, not merely as observers but actively on the front lines. The Island Sunrise Team, employing paint brushes, cameras, and video recorders, documented the events. The exhibition showcases visual and written records from 2014, and its reflections.

• Troy Perry – 4:00 p.m. -7:00 p.m.

Into The Light
At first, I saw photography as just a hobby, something I enjoyed casually. But the first time I looked at my photos, I realized it was so much more. Through my lens, I noticed details I had missed, emotions I had not fully absorbed, and a new perspective on the places I had been. My photography allowed me to relive my travels in ways I never expected—seeing the world not just through my own eyes, but through the lens I have come to cherish. 

For me, photography is more than just pictures; it reflects how I experience life. I find meaning in the unnoticed, beauty in the ordinary, and depth in every frame. I am endlessly proud to see my passion come to life, and I hope my photography allows others to see the world as I do—with wonder, intention, and heart.  Troy has been working at QCC for over 20 years at B&G.

•  Teke Sculptures: Power, Art, and Cosmos– 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Selection of sculptures and masks from Teke, Congo 

• International Recognition Woman of the Year 2025 - March 11, 2025, 6:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m.

  RAW: Rosalia Arteaga GloCal Woman Foundation in collaboration with

  QCC Art Gallery The City University of New York.

Our collaboration extends to the development of women in various areas: economic, environmental, education, empowerment, sustainable development, health, culture, science, and technology education. We are a team of women supporting the development of women worldwide. We promote equality and respect in the representation and development of women of all ages in various settings, political, social, educational, economic, environmental, technological, and sexual and reproductive health, at the local, national, and international levels in safe and non-violent settings.    

Presentan Reconocimiento Mujer del Año
“Trayectoria de Vida a la Excelencia Profesional 2025”

• Cecilia Vicuña
• Rhina Espaillat
• Joanne Pillsbury
• Carmen Boullosa
• Nuria Morgado
• Luchia Meihua Lee
• Victoria Zhang
• Summer Schneider
• María Guillen
• Ingrid Echeverría

 

                                                                                Kupferberg Holocaust Center 

HOLOCAUST MEMORY:
In Person & Virtual
Raising the Stakes: Assessing the Impact of Rising Antisemitism on Holocaust Education
Thursday, April 24, 2025 – 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.

2024-25 KHC-NEH COLLOQUIUM:

Circuitous Exchanges

https://khc.qcc.cuny.edu/neh-programs/

Circuitous Exchanges, the theme for the 2024-2025 Kupferberg Holocaust Center-National Endowment for Humanities colloquium, focuses on the various exchanges that exist among historically oppressed and marginalized groups. Our use of the word exchanges refers to the connections, ideas, and creative productions shared among these groups. We use circuitous to emphasize that these connections, ideas, and creative productions are not always apparent, do not always travel from one direction to the other, and are often recursive in nature.

We center the lived experiences of these groups as they negotiate their outsider status with their host (or inhospitable) insider culture and devise ways to create a cultural identity regardless of their treatment. The events of Circuitous Exchanges build on the Kupferberg Holocaust Center’s mission to use the lessons of the Holocaust to educate current and future generations about the ramifications of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping. 

2024-25 Faculty Fellows: 
Dr. Danny Sexton, Associate Professor, English Department
Dr. Raquel Corona, Doctoral Lecturer, English Department
Dr. Julia Rothenberg, Associate Professor, Social Sciences Department
Virtual only:
Nothing About Us Without Us: Understanding the Disability Rights Movement

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 – 12:00 p.m. EST

To attend on Zoom: https://tinyurl.com/4nn3s449

Approximately five hundred million people throughout the world have physical, sensory, cognitive, or developmental disabilities. Join James I. Charlton, Executive Vice President of Access Living in Chicago and author of Nothing About Us Without Us, for a discussion about historical and contemporary disability oppression and empowerment, which builds upon interviews he conducted over a ten-year period with disability rights activists throughout the world.

In Person & Virtual:

Communicating Atrocity: Memorializing Traumatic Histories

Wednesday, April 2, 2025 – 12:00 p.m. EST

To attend on Zoom: https://tinyurl.com/z2p2hee2

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

Across the globe, memorial museums have been created as living spaces to commemorate and educate the public about past atrocities. Join Dr. Amy Sodaro, author of Exhibiting Atrocity: Memorial Museums and the Politics of Past Violence (2018) and Lifting the Shadow: Reshaping Memory, Race and Slavery in US Museums (2025), as she explores the interconnections between the Holocaust Museum paradigm and institutions established to memorialize slavery and racial terrorism in the US.

HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE MUSEUM SERIES

This series brings together museum curators and other cultural workers who discuss the roles historical and cultural institutions play in addressing human rights, social justice, and genocide. This program is part of the Kupferberg Holocaust Center’s living Land Acknowledgment and ongoing commitment to feature Indigenous voices and viewpoints. The program is organized collaboratively by Kat Griefen, faculty member and Program Coordinator for the Gallery and Museum Studies program, and the KHC.

In Person only:

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

Wednesday, May 7, 2025 – 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

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

Audio Tours now available in both Spanish and English.

The KHC continues to offer self-guided audio tours 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:

2025 International Holocaust Remembrance Day: Exhibiting the Holocaust in Memorial Museums

Recorded on January 27, 2025

https://youtu.be/KCZXtktPVFU?si=YaYkB4yhmQQVM8cP

 186 people attended online representing people in 10 countries from a range of Holocaust education and human rights organizations, museums, universities, Jewish organizations, local community members, and QCC faculty and students. 

 Flight and Survival: Jewish Refugees in Mexico in the Holocaust

Recorded on February 18, 2025

Link to recorded events 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 13 confirmed events in the theatre as follows: 

1. Paper Bag Players (rental) - March 17, 2025
2. Paper Bag Players (rental) - March 18, 2025
3. Arts on Stage (rental) - March 19, 2025
4. Arts on Stage (rental) - March 24, 2025
5. Arts on Stage (rental) - March 25, 2025
6. Arts on Stage (rental) - March 26, 2025
7. Dean’s List Ceremony – March 26, 2025 (evening)
8. Music Department – April 2, 2025
9. Youth Conference – April 4, 2025
10. Dance Program (rental) – April 5, 2025
11. Hispanic Flamenco (rental) – April 7, 2025
12. Dance School (rental) – April 7, 2025 (evening)
13. Joanne Chang, Music Department – April 9, 2025

QPAC Series:

Invincible! A Glorious Tribute to Michael Jackson - Sunday, March 23, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

Sal “The Voice” Valentinetti (Rat Pack Tribute) - Sunday, March 30, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.

Verismo Opera Puccini’s Madama Butterfly - Sunday, April 6, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.