Dear LaGuardia Community,

The holiday season is upon us and the end of the semester is fast approaching. I know you’re all busy, but I hope you will please take a moment to mark your calendars for two events taking place on Wednesday, December 14.

First, I will share my Closing Sessions remarks at 11 a.m. in the Little Theater (located on the second floor of the E-Building). My talk will include observations on this unique year of return and recovery as well as a forecast of things to come in the New Year. In case you can’t make it to the Little Theatre, Closing Sessions will be streamed and recorded.

That afternoon we will host a reception to celebrate the holiday season in the E-Building Atrium from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. All staff and faculty are cordially invited to enjoy refreshments, comradery, and holiday cheer!

I look forward to seeing you on December 14.

Happy Holidays!

Kenneth Adams

President

LaGuardia Receives $5M at Launch of "3,000 Heroes" Campaign



On November 29, President Kenneth Adams was joined by New York City Council Member Julie Won to announce the launch of “3,000 Heroes,” the college’s new initiative to expand training of frontline healthcare professionals. Council Member Won presented President Adams with a check for $5 million to support the campaign with the upgrading and expansion of workforce training facilities on LaGuardia’s campus. The $5 million includes an allocation of $3 million from Council Member Won and $2 million from City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. The investment will expand the college’s capacity to provide hands-on education and skills building for programs that require specialized equipment and facilities, such as Nursing, Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN), Paramedic, EMT, and other healthcare fields. 

LaGuardia Hosts Panel Discussion with New York City Comptroller Brad Lander

Earlier today, President Kenneth Adams hosted a panel discussion with New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, our city’s budget watchdog and chief accountability officer. Those in attendance included LaGuardia students, faculty, and staff, who learned about our New York City government, politics, and finance. He explained how the Office of the Comptroller works to expand opportunities for New Yorkers, create shared prosperity for people of all backgrounds, and ensure that pandemic recovery is inclusive across all NYC communities. One strategy discussed is increasing access to paid internships for LaGuardia students, and those from other public higher education institutions, at accounting firms and within government entities like the Office of the Comptroller. Lander was first elected to the City Council in 2009 where he co-founded the Council’s Progressive Caucus. 

LaGuardia Graduate at M.I.T. Featured in Boston Globe 

Today’s Boston Globe features LaGuardia alum Evelyn De La Rosa (’22, Electrical Engineering) currently in in her first semester at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) studying electrical engineering and computer science. The article explores how the “Transfer Scholars Network” showed Evelyn that transferring to a prestigious school like the M.I.T. was in reach for her. LaGuardia is one of 10 community colleges nationwide part of the Transfer Scholars Network, which connects standout community college students with admissions officials at selective colleges. Transfer Services will hold an information session for students about the Transfer Scholars Network on Thursday, December 15 at 3 p.m. Please encourage students to register for the event here: TSN Info session. For more information, contact Jose Plasencia (Transfer Services) or Dr. Karlyn Koh (English). 

Student Groups Invite Foundation Board Member to Share Expertise on Human Rights 

LaGuardia Foundation board member and renowned human rights attorney Sara Darehshori visited campus recently with colleagues to speak to students about their work. Attendees from the President’s Society and the Criminal Justice Club, which is mentored by Professor Jill Kehoe, heard from several experts: Carrie H. Cohen, partner at Morrison Foerster; Jaime Fellner, former senior advisor of the HRW US Program; Laura Pitter, deputy director of the HRW US Program; and Aisling Reidy, senior legal advisor at HRW. Through work with HRW, Sara, Jaime, Laura and Aisling have worked on several major cases of our time, including Rwanda War Crimes, Bosnian War Crimes, Guantanamo Bay, sexual harassment in the military, and the missing people of Columbia. Carrie has worked extensively to promote the success of female attorneys. The students were deeply inspired by each of these women and, as one of them commented, “Now I really understand what it means to live a meaningful life." 

Education and Language Acquisition Faculty Evaluate Scholarship Applications 



Professors Arthur Lau and Maria Savva, both Education and Language Acquisition Department faculty, recently served as application evaluators for the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). The Gilman scholarship provides financial assistance to Federal Pell Grant-eligible students to study abroad. Pell recipients “display exceptional financial need” in pursuit of a college degree. In its 21-year history, the Gillman scholarship has supported 34,000 students. 

A New Career for Devin McDonald

After losing her job marketing Broadway shows during the pandemic, Devin McDonald decided to change paths and pursue a career in nursing. She applied to LaGuardia as it was near her home in Woodside, Queens. After taking pre-requisite courses, she was thrilled to be accepted for candidacy into our #1 New York State-ranked Nursing Program. She loves the program, especially the hands-on training she received in LaGuardia’s nursing simulation labs, which prepared her for clinical internships at Bellevue and Elmhurst Hospitals. Devin, age 33, was on hand yesterday to thank Council Member Julie Won for the $5 million in funding to rebuild workforce development programs at LaGuardia like our nursing simulation labs. When she graduates this Spring, Devin will be among the first group of nurses graduating as part of the “3,000 Heroes” campaign to train 3,000 frontline healthcare workers by 2027. 

Registration Now Open for Online Teaching Essentials:

Faculty are invited to register for Online Teaching Essentials (OTE), a three-week online workshop facilitated by CUNY SPS. OTE focuses on best practices in online pedagogy and flexible use of online teaching resources in any modality, from fully asynchronous online to hybrid, flipped, and blended modalities. The major topics covered in the OTE are Understanding the Online Learning Environment, Inclusive Teaching, Backward Design & Effective Assessment, Online Presence & Engagement, and Communicating & Interacting Online. LaGuardia faculty interested in participating should sign up by December 14; please reach out to Pablo Avila with any questions. 

Faculty Spotlight: Tom Fink

Dr. Tom Fink is a professor in the English Department. He most frequently teaches Composition I, Composition II: Writing through Literature, Introduction to Poetry and Poetry Writing. His area of study is Modern and Contemporary U.S Poetry. Books he’s published are Zeugma (a book of poems), Marsh Hawk Press, Nov. 1, 2022, and Reading Poetry with College and University Students: Overcoming Barriers and Deepening Engagement, Bloomsbury Academic, Oct. 20, 2022. Additionally, he’s written 15 books, three edited volumes, over 250 articles, reviews, and interviews. Besides writing poetry, Professor Fink is also a painter. He has been doing abstract acrylic paintings since his third year at LaGuardia, and his canvases have been reproduced on most of the covers of his books and on the covers of books by three other poets. 

LaGuardia STEM Club to host “Scientific Kaleidoscope” on Friday 

On Friday, December 2, the LaGuardia STEM Club will host “Scientific Kaleidoscope: Interdisciplinary Presentations on Climate Change,” featuring professor of microbiology Xenia Freilich, and photographer professor and program director Scott Sternbach. The virtual event will be at 1 p.m., and student attendees can enter a raffle to win an Amazon gift card. Register here to attend, and contact LaGuardia STEM Club Mentor Dr. Richa Gupta with any questions.