President's Report for October 2025

Office of Workforce Development

1. 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 Certifications 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.

2. Monthly Accomplishments

• Con Edison Solar Panel Installation Training: A Con Edison grant is enabling us to offer two Solar Panel Installation Training Programs, to two cohorts of students. This project is a collaboration between Workforce Development and the Department of Engineering Technology, with Dr. Dugwon Seo as PI of the project, with Dr. Paul Marchese as advisor. The summer cohort included 12 students who were trained at Solar One headquarters from July 28^th through August 8, 2025. Students are now working with Solar One Career Services and Workforce Development staff to secure Internships and jobs in the Solar Energy field. We will be offering a second cohort from September 29^th through October 10^th for adult learners with a strong interest in entering the Green Energy workforce. Stipends are provided upon successful completion of the program.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS) Training Program: Lori A. Conkling, Director, Labor Market Research & Workforce Development, co-authored a proposal with Professor Michael Lawrence, ET Department, entitled: Future Proof Your Technology Career: Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud Computing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Workforce Development Training Program. They submitted the Workforce Development Initiative (WDI) Application to the CUNY Office of Careers & Industry Partnerships (OCIP). The Workforce Development Initiative is a funding opportunity for New York State workforce training providers and employers. Three of their funding streams are set aside for the City University of New York (CUNY).
• Building Performance Lab Grant, CCNY:
• QCC will be receiving a grant from CCNY's Building Performance Lab (BPL), to offer students and other adult learners in the community the opportunity to be educated in the CUNY "Green Jobs" Energy Training for NYS HCR/Weatherization: The Energy and Carbon Management Training Program, supported by funding through Homes and Community Renewal(HCR), a NYS agency. The program provides comprehensive training in the field of energy-in-buildings, equipping students with energy technology fundamentals and offering opportunities for multiple professional certifications, including the Energy Technician Certificate, as well as internships and job opportunities. Workforce Development is partnering with Dr. Dugwon Seo, ET Department, and Dr. Paul Marchese, Physics Department, on this project. QCC and CCNY are finalizing the MOU, and the CUNY “Green Jobs” Energy Training will begin in January 2026.

Center for Excellence in Teaching and learning (CETL)

The Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning (CETL) is available to support your pedagogical, professional, and scholarly needs. Renee Rhodd from the Transfer Resource Center will host a discussion on October 16, 11:00-12:00pm about the resources her office provides, sharing ways that we can assist students as they prepare to transfer to four-year colleges after earning their degrees. Throughout the semester, CETL will host opportunities on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for faculty to sit and work during The Quiet Quill; whether it’s completing a chapter, polishing a draft, hitting a word count, lesson planning, or grading, faculty and staff can work in a quiet, focused space while sipping provided coffee or tea! On October 21, 2:30-3:30pm, our colleagues Melissa Dennihy, Zivah Perel Katz, Jennifer Maloy, and Amy Traver will gather to discuss their experience writing and publishing an edited book. Check the CETL website regularly to see what’s happening each week during October and throughout the semester.

Office of Educational Technology

This month the Office of Educational Technology helped faculty and students to successfully launch their Fall 2025 Brightspace course. OET Staff were available for one-on-one training, group training and technical support. According to CUNY’s report, there are approximately 2,543 Brightspace course shells for Fall 2025.

Brightspace Updates

Demo Student – New Feature

This feature enables instructors to view and interact with Brightspace course content from the perspective of a student; the CIS Academic Collaboration Technology team developed the CUNY Demo Student Tool. Instructors can create a Demo Student, impersonate the Demo Student, and interact with all course content as a learner would – access course materials, complete quizzes, submit assignments, participate in discussions, as well as check grades and feedback. Once instructors have completed testing out desired course content, they are able to delete the Demo Student, and all course work completed as a Demo Student.

New Inactive Courses Widget

The Inactive Courses Widget is now active and available for use on our campus homepage.

What it does: This tool helps identify and manage inactive courses. This widget will provide students with the ability to see all courses they have registered for but have not yet been made available to them by their instructors.

Class.com Pilot

CUNY is launching a limited and voluntary product evaluation this fall for an enhanced virtual classroom tool called Class.com, prioritizing online courses, using our university LMS Brightspace. CUNY is inviting all faculty to share the information to recruit participants to propose courses and participate in this evaluation.  

Class is built on Zoom’s industry-leading video technology. Class transforms Zoom video conferencing into an interactive virtual classroom. It provides better user experience with enhanced collaboration and engagement tools.

If you are interested in participating in this pilot, please contact LMSSupport@qcc.cuny.edu

Brightspace Technical Support

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:  

• One-on-one training and consultation, contact us at LMSSupport@qcc.cuny.edu
• Brightspace Guided Training  
• D2L Website  

YouTube Videos:

These resources are designed to support you in making the most of Brightspace. Explore the full playlist here.

Additional considerations: QM Rubric

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

Division of Student Affairs

Student Support Resources:

• The Office of Financial Services will be hosting weekly FAFSA Fest events to assist students with completing their financial aid applications. For the fall 2025 semester, events will take place on Wednesday afternoons from 1:00 – 4:00 pm in Humanities Building Room 238 on September 9 through December 10 (click HERE to view upcoming dates). Additional events may be added and will be posted to the QCC Campus and Virtual Events Calendar. Please encourage students to attend. If students have any questions, please refer them to the Office of Financial Services located in the Administration Building - Room 106 or email FinancialAid@qcc.cuny.edu.

• Free On-Campus Immigration Assistance - A CUNY Citizenship Now! immigration attorney will be available to assist students on the first Friday of every month (October 3, November 7, and December 5). To schedule an appointment, students should email ARC@qcc.cuny.edu or complete the Call Back Request Form. Students using the form are advised to select Queensborough Community College under “What elected official, or organization referred you to our services, if any?”.

• Faculty and staff are asked to encourage our students to avail themselves of the valuable and free resources through the QCC Advocacy Resource Center. Services provided include (but are not limited to) 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.

• The Point Foundation Access Scholarship aims to mitigate obstacles for LGBTQ+ and ally students who are, or will, be the first in their family to earn a bachelor’s degree and/or come from low-income backgrounds by providing them with financial support and access to leadership and professional development. Eligibility requirements include, but are not limited to, minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher; at least half-time enrollment status, and a connection/commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community. The application period is currently open, with a deadline of October 23 at 8:00 pm EST.

• The Point Foundation Flagship Scholarship empowers LGBTQ students who are earning their undergraduate, graduate, & doctoral degrees at accredited colleges in the United States by offering financial support, community resources, and professional development. Eligible applicants must have a 3.3 or higher cumulative GPA, be enrolled/intending to enroll at an accredited college/university based in the United States. Community college students must be transferring to a bachelor’s degree program at a four-year college or university for the 2026-2027 academic year. The application period is currently open, with a deadline of November 20 at 8:00 pm EST.

• The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship makes it possible for the nation's top community college students to complete their bachelor's degrees by transferring to a selective four-year college or university. The Foundation 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. Five (5) QCC alumni have previously received this prestigious scholarship and we hope to produce more. The application opened on October 1 and will close on January 7, 2026.

• The 2026 Women's Forum Education Award provides a scholarship of $10,000 to women age 35 and over who have faced and overcome adversity and now, after an interruption in their education, have resumed the pursuit of their first associate or bachelor's degree. Applicants must demonstrate noteworthy promise and resilience in the face of challenges and must also demonstrate a commitment to helping others and to making a difference in their community, large or small, when their own career goals are achieved. Financial need and academic excellence are not the primary determining factors in the selection of recipients, although true financial need should be evident, and the candidate should be in good academic standing. Most recently, two (2) QCC students were announced as 2025 award recipients. The scholarship application opens October 1 and will close on February 1, 2026.

• The 2025 Dr. K. York & M. Noelle Chynn CUNY Ethics and Morality Essay Contest is funded by an endowment gift of $100,000 to the City University of New York by Dr. K. York Chynn and his wife Noelle Chynn. This annual award is intended to promote and stimulate thinking by college students at CUNY about the topic of ethics, morality, and virtuous behavior in their lives. More than ever, these issues arise not only in the personal relationships of individuals and family and friends, but also in the context of corporate, government, and social responsibility, whether it is about treating others fairly and honestly, or food safety. The submission deadline is Friday, November 7.

• The 2025 CUNY Thomas Tam Scholarship was established in honor of Dr. Thomas Tam's many contributions to the City University of New York. The scholarship awards $1,000 to a qualified undergraduate student currently enrolled in any CUNY institution, Asian or Non-Asian "who has demonstrated creativity in the communication of the concerns of the Asian American community in areas such as Health, Education, and Culture." Display of communication of the concerns of the Asian American community can be in the form of written reports, film, video, new media techniques, and the development of performances or materials in the arts and sciences. The submission deadline to Friday, November 7.

• The 2025 CUNY South & Southeast Asian American Equity Scholarship supports students committed to elevating South and Southeast Asian narratives through academic and community-oriented projects. The scholarship aims to promote equity and representation by recognizing students who are committed to elevating South and/or Southeast Asian American narratives within academic and public discourse. We encourage submissions that deepen the understanding of South or Southeast Asian American experiences. Eligible projects may explore topics such as migration, culture, activism, and disparities within the community. The submission deadline is Friday, November 7.

Upcoming Events:

• The Queensborough Male Resource Center (QMRC) Fashion/Talent Show event will take place on Wednesday, October 15 from 12:00 – 2:00 pm in the Queensborough Performing Arts Center (QPAC). The theme for the event will be Neo-Nostalgia where models will be able to model clothing that showcases a nostalgic vibe. Students will have the opportunity to model clothing, and the show will feature live performances from QCC students showcasing their special talents. See you there!

• The Annual Fall Blood Drive, sponsored by the New York Blood Center and organized by the QCC Office of Health Services, will take place on Tuesday, October 21 from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. Open to QCC students, faculty, and staff, all are invited to support this event and schedule an appointment for a donation should they wish to do so (click HERE to schedule an appointment and use QCC”s 07717 sponsor code).

• Get Fresh for Free with the QMRC! The Queensborough Male Resource Center (“QMRC”) is offering students free haircuts on a first come, first-served basis, as part of Barbershop Day on Monday, October 27 at 2:00 pm in the Student Union – Upper Level Room 107. We recognize the growing cost of many routine self-maintenance services that students need in order to present their best selves, and we would like to help.

• The Office of Accessibility Services will host a Bake Sale on Tuesday, October 28 at 10:00 am. The Bake Sale aims to raise funds in support of student scholarships, with all proceeds directed toward expanding educational access for students registered with the Office of Accessibility Services. The event will feature a wide array of baked goods and snacks, some provided by volunteers, drawing strong participation from students, faculty, and staff across campus. This initiative reflects our ongoing commitment to fostering an inclusive campus environment and supporting the academic success of all students, particularly those facing barriers to higher education. In addition to raising funds, the bake sale will help increase awareness of the resources and support available through the Office of Accessibility Services.

• On Thursday, November 6 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm please join the QMRC, Business Department, ASAP, and QCC’s First Year Experience program for a Professional Etiquette Dinner. This unique event is designed to help students master the art of professional etiquette. Whether preparing for job interviews, networking events, or client meetings, this dinner will guide students through the proper conduct expected in professional dining settings. This event will be facilitated by Professor Gail Lewis from the Communication, Theatre & Media Production Department. Students must RSVP to attend the event, and business attire is required.

• Do you have great ideas but are 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 Thursday, November 13 at 5:00 pm, located in the Student Union Upper Level, 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.