Greetings, LaGuardia Fans. Here’s the latest from your favorite community college in Western Queens. The start of the fall semester brings good news and not-so-good news. The good news is that we are back on campus. Students are in classrooms, labs, the library, theatre, and gym—where they are supposed to be. It’s just that there are not enough of them. Our roller coaster enrollment looks like this: Fall 21 – 12,000 degree-students; Spring 22 – 10,000; Fall 22 – 11,000. 

I remain convinced that a major factor behind our enrollment decline is the economic impact of the pandemic on our students. As you know, LaGuardia serves predominantly low-income students from Queens, many of them immigrants. When the city lost almost one million jobs in the Spring of 2020 because of the Covid lockdowns, who was most affected? Low-income workers, many of them immigrants, in retail, tourism, restaurants, and other services. In other words, our students, or their family members.

Many LaGuardia students are working now to help their families stabilize their financial situations. They have to pay back rent or face eviction, deal with unpaid medical bills, put food on the table. And because of inflation, the money they earn buys them less, so they have to work more hours to pay for the same bag of groceries. Fortunately, we have several solutions that we’re putting in motion to help these students get back to LaGuardia for the spring semester. I described them last week in my Fall Report to faculty and staff. You can read the text of my presentation here. Please contact me if you have questions, concerns, or suggestions. Thank you

Barbara "Bobbi" Hart, program manager for LaGuardia's Community Health Worker training, was recently named to the Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary, Community-Based Linkages (ACICBL) by Secretary Xavier Becerra of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The ACICBL provides advice and recommendations on policy and program development to the Secretary of Health and Human Services concerning the activities under Part D of Title VII of the Public Health Service Act, which includes Area Health Education Centers, Geriatrics, Rural Health, Allied Health, Podiatry, Chiropractic, Mental and Behavioral Health, Pain Care, and Quality Improvement and Patient Safety. Bobbi's extensive experience in the public health and education fields includes running the Certified Peer Recovery Advocate Training Program at Bronx Community College (BCC), teaching community health courses at BCC, and serving as executive director of The Bronx Health Link. 

Thanks to a collaboration between LaGuardia, the Queens Public Library, and the American Philosophical Association, philosophy faculty will lead a series of community discussions regarding some of life’s big questions at the Forest Hills branch. Sessions will explore love; knowledge, truth and belief; and consciousness and how artificial intelligence may affect it. Sessions are free and open to the public. The project is led by Dr. Andrew McFarland and Dr. Cheri Carr. A grant from the American Philosophical Association will help pay two student interns to assist with the workshops.

On September 10, Dr. Tameka Battle, professor of Health Sciences and director of LaGuardia’s Therapeutic Recreation Program, led a half-day session about the legacy of racism, discrimination, and inadequate healthcare of African Americans at the 2022 American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) Annual Conference in Birmingham, Alabama. She presented her workshop, “Using the Civil Rights Era to Explore the Relationship Between Racism, Health Outcomes, and Culturally Competent Practice for Marginalized Populations,” at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, in partnership with ATRA’s Diversity Task Force. Dr. Battle led participants in exercises that explored racism as a determinant of health outcomes. Attendees came away with an understanding of why marginalized communities can be hesitant to seek health care, and strategies to increase treatment and access.

Our new Casa de las Américas is getting a boost from a $38,000 grant from CUNY’s Black, Race and Ethnic Studies Initiative (BRESI). The proposal submitted by La Casa co-directors Dr. Ryan Mann-Hamilton and Dr. Sonia Rodríguez was one of ten LaGuardia projects selected by CUNY for the first round of BRESI awards, which were announced on August 19. LaGuardia faculty were awarded over $140,000 in BRESI grants. They were selected from hundreds of proposals submitted by faculty across all 25 CUNY campuses. Not to be immodest, but LaGuardia faculty did disproportionately well.

Craig Greene joined LaGuardia as our new Chief Diversity Officer and Title IX Coordinator on September 26. Craig brings extensive Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) investigation, compliance, and reporting experience to this critical position at the college. Previously, he led EEO and compliance teams for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the New York City Department of Design and Construction, where he oversaw a wide range of EEO programs. He also worked at the U.S. Department of Labor. Craig has expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, affirmative action plans, and human resources. Reporting to me, Craig will work closely with Marta Clark, Executive Director of Human Resources, Wendy Nicholson, Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Maria Cook, Executive Counsel to the President/Campus Counsel, to ensure that LaGuardia is a truly diverse, inclusive, and welcoming community for all, free from any type of bias or discrimination. 

LaGuardia-loving golfers hit the links on October 3 for the 9th Annual Mark C. Healy Scholarship Fund Golf Outing at Indian Hills Country Club in Northport, Long Island. Proceeds fund the Mark C. Healy Scholarship Fund, created by Mark Healy -- LaGuardia alum, former VP of Adult and Continuing Education, Foundation board member, and super-generous, all-round good guy. Big thanks to Mark and all his many friends that turn out every October for this fun day of golf to support our students.

Being a community college means doing things in the community. To see what this look like, join us on Saturday, October 22 for our Community Run, an event we’re bringing back to the streets of Long Island City for the first time in many years. Runners and walkers of all abilities (over the age of seven) are encouraged to sign up. Non-running fans and volunteers are needed, too! Athletic and recreation experts mapped out a scenic 5-K route from our glorious parking lot down to Hunters Point South on the East River waterfront, and back to campus. An activities plaza will feature face painting and games, tabling from sponsors and local small businesses, and plenty of refreshments. Proceeds from the LaGuardia Community Run will support scholarship funds through the Foundation. See you on race day!

Questions? Comments? Contact me at PresidentAdams@lagcc.cuny.edu.