Queensborough Community College Jointly with Queens College Receives Heckscher Foundation for Children Grant to Support Seamless Transition Between Schools
Bayside, NY — January 17, 2025 -- Queensborough Community College (QCC) is pleased to announce that it has received a combined grant in partnership with Queens College (QC), with each institution receiving $75,000 from the Heckscher Foundation for Children to support a project aimed at facilitating a seamless transition for students from QCC to QC. Ithaka S+R, a strategic support and advisory firm that is also partnering in the initiative, received $20,000.
The project, “Seamless Transitions: Strengthening the QCC to QC Vertical Transfer Process,” will address the obstacles some students face when transferring from QCC to QC, specifically credit loss and barriers when transferring credits. The grant will focus on curriculum alignment and career mapping initiatives to support student retention and allow students who start their academic journey at QCC to smoothly transition to QC and complete their bachelor’s degree, opening the door to future career success.
"This is significant for the many Queens residents who depend on community colleges as an entry point to higher education," said Queensborough President Christine Mangino. "We are thankful to the Heckscher Foundation for Children for their generous support of this vital initiative, which helps create stronger connections between Queensborough Community College and Queens College while also breaking down some of the obstacles that hinder students from reaching their academic goals."
As part of this initiative, faculty from both Queensborough Community College and Queens College will collaborate to create transfer and career pathways for QC majors, as well as organize joint events aimed at promoting successful transfer experiences.
"I am most grateful to the Heckscher Foundation for Children for their support of the relationship between Queensborough Community College and Queens College,” said Queens College President Frank H. Wu. “Together, we serve the World's Borough and our many students, most of whom will continue to live in the borough and contribute in important ways to its continued vibrancy. Transfer students are the lifeblood of Queens College, and we are committed to strengthening our support for their success in college and beyond."
Ithaka S+R played a vital coordinator and leadership role in bringing QCC and QC together to focus on the institutions’ shared students.
The project will begin during the spring 2025 semester.
About Queensborough Community College
Queensborough Community College is New York State’s highest-ranked community college and one of the best community colleges in the United States, according to a 2024 report released by WalletHub.com. It is the sixth year in a row Queensborough has been listed as a top institution of higher education by WalletHub for its education outcomes, career outcomes, and affordability. Queensborough was also ranked among the best community colleges in New York in 2024 by the online publication Intelligent, and number two in New York in 2024 by the online publication Niche.
About Queens College
Queens College enjoys a national reputation for its liberal arts and sciences and pre-professional programs. With its graduate and undergraduate degrees, honors programs, and research and internship opportunities, the college helps its students realize their potential in countless ways, assisted by an accessible, award-winning faculty. Located on a beautiful 80-acre campus in Flushing, New York, the college has been consistently cited by Princeton Review as one of the United States’ Best Value Colleges, as well as being ranked a Forbes Magazine and Wall Street Journal Best Value College thanks to its outstanding academics, generous financial aid packages, and relatively low costs. Forbes Magazine, Money Magazine, Princeton Review, and U.S. News and World Report recognize it as an overall top northeastern public college. Visit our homepage to learn more.
Queens College produces more education graduates who become principals, teachers, and counselors for the city’s public schools than any other college in the metropolitan area. The college is a powerful economic engine and contributes to the local talent pool as a leader in tech education. Students from across the country and around the world are attracted to study at its School of Arts, which houses renowned programs in theatre, dance, fashion, studio art, and design as well as the Aaron Copland School of Music (ACSM) and the only Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Literary Translation program in CUNY. ACSM’s renowned faculty and alumni include nationally recognized composers, conductors, and performers who have received over 100 Grammy Awards and nominations. The Queens College Business School expands beyond traditional offerings in accounting and economics to fintech, policy analysis, and risk management.
About the Heckscher Foundation for Children
The Heckscher Foundation for Children uses venture philanthropy to fund innovative, results-driven programs and partnerships that level the playing field for underserved youth. Its grants focus primarily on education, including college access and persistence, workforce training and job access, and arts education that improves achievement in the classroom. Learn more at heckscherfoundation.org.
About Ithaka S+R
S+R’s strategic advice and support services help institutions improve their performance and further their missions. It generates action-oriented research for institutional decision-making and acts as a hub to promote and guide collaboration across the communities it serves. With its partners, it designs and evaluates projects that make higher education, scholarly communication, and cultural collections more accessible to diverse populations. Learn more at Ithaka S+R.org.
For more information, please contact:
Tanisha Mallette
Tanisha.Mallett@qcc.cuny.edu or (718) 631-6686
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