 |  | Good news! Enrollment is up. The growth isn’t jaw-dropping—it’s about 4%—but it’s encouraging. This is the first time LaGuardia has enjoyed an increase in enrollment since 2014. For the past nine years we have been trending down, at first modestly, mostly because of demographics. (There are fewer NYC public school students.) Then the pandemic caused our enrollment to drop like a stone. Now it feels like we are finally coming around. We saw a solid increase in applications over the summer. We had a nice bump in transfer students (generally, students coming to LaGuardia from other CUNY colleges), an increase in first-time freshmen, and, critically, an increase in continuing students (students who were here the prior semester and came back). This last group is key. Community colleges typically lose a lot of their students between semesters and over the summer. You get a job and don’t want to give it up. Someone at home becomes ill and needs your care. Life happens and college is pushed to the back burner. Big thanks to our advisors, both staff and faculty, who help our continuing students stay on track. Now our challenge is to maintain this positive momentum. The spring term starts in early March. Stay tuned.
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Fall Semester Begins with New Student Orientation and Opening Sessions
Nearly 1,000 LaGuardia students participated in New Student Orientation in early September. Attendance at the event – revamped by our new VP of Student Affairs, Dr. Alexis McLean -- was up over last year. According to surveys students especially enjoyed the departmental information sessions. A play written and presented by Theatre program students that shared advice about how to access college resources and make the most out of one’s LaGuardia journey was also a big hit.
That same week we welcomed faculty back to campus and kicked things off with the annual Opening Sessions event. This year’s theme was Student Success. I spoke about how we need to make exceptional student success the distinguishing feature of LaGuardia.
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Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the President’s Society
Throughout the past decade, more than 600 LaGuardia students have received a boost from the college’s President’s Society to enhance their academic and career success. President’s Society is an innovative leadership program that helps students gain the communication skills, confidence, and connections needed to succeed in today’s workforce. On September 28 more than 200 President’s Society alumni attended an anniversary party and networking event held at Boyce Technologies, Inc. here in Long Island City. (Thanks to our Foundation Board Chair Charles Boyce for hosting the event.) The program has a record of strong outcomes —95% of President’s Society participants graduated with their associate degrees from LaGuardia, and 88% earned or are currently earning their Bachelor’s degrees. Colleges and universities they transferred to include Columbia, Cornell, Amherst, Stanford, Wellesley, Brown, and all the CUNY senior colleges. President’s Society alumni work throughout New York City and beyond as doctors, lawyers, finance executives, software engineers, and more. Click here to watch a video produced by the Foundation featuring four President’s Society alumni.
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Annual Fall Report
Last week I delivered my annual Fall Report to the college community with the assistance of our provost and three vice presidents. The event was an opportunity for us to provide updates on various aspects of life at LaGuardia. We also described our respective goals for the fall semester. You can see a recording of our presentation here. The show clocks in at just under an hour. Feel free to fast-forward over my bit at the beginning but please pay close attention to everybody else.
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Pinning Ceremony Held for Foreign-Trained Nurses Preparing to Work in US
Last month our NYC Welcome Back Center (NYCWBC) held a pinning ceremony for 33 foreign-trained nurses who are on their way to becoming Registered Nurses in New York State. The event marked their completion of NYCWBC’s 2023 NY-BEST NCLEX-RN for English Language Learners class. The program incorporates ESOL instruction contextualized for work in healthcare surroundings to help students, who must have intermediate-level English proficiency, pass the NCLEX-RN exam to become nurses licensed to work in the US. NYCWBC is part of LaGuardia’s Center for Immigrant Education and Training, which helps low-income immigrants become independent, contributing citizens of New York City. Funding for the NYCBBC is provided by the NYC Department of Small Business Services to help meet the city’s need for a culturally and linguistically diverse healthcare workforce.
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Airbnb Helps LaGuardia Find Housing Solutions for Homeless Students
The City recently reported on LaGuardia’s unique partnership with Airbnb to help students who are homeless or on the verge of homelessness. Students who qualify for the program use the Airbnb platform to select rooms in Queens homes; Airbnb provides vouchers to the hosts to cover the rents. So far, the pilot program has helped fifteen LaGuardia students. Recent GED graduate and current nursing student Anthony Franco found a steady place to stay. Now he can focus on his studies. Kayla Henriques-Dunlap was able to move out of a city shelter. With enforcement of the new NYC regulations prohibiting short-term rentals beginning in early September, we’re worried about the future of our program, which was developed and generously funded by Airbnb. You can see the full article here.
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Alum to Attend Kennedy School Conference on Careers in Public Service
John Bahia (’23, Liberal Arts) has been invited to attend the Harvard Kennedy School’s annual Public Policy and Leadership Conference (PPLC). “My acceptance is the embodiment of the idea that with dedication and the right resources, students from all backgrounds can rise to achieve their dreams,” said John, who is currently studying at Columbia University, intending to major in Urban Studies. PPLC aims to inspire first and second-year undergraduates, especially those from historically underrepresented communities, to consider careers in public service. Through exposure to a graduate school setting with a focus on public policy and international affairs, PPLC also provides insights into fellowship opportunities that fund graduate studies. John works at the Office of NYS Assemblymember Steven Raga as communications coordinator and scheduler. In addition, he’s a voice for his community as a member of Queens Community Board 2.
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LaGuardia to Partner with New York Power Authority and Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens
On Friday, September 22, I joined Congress Member Nydia Velázquez, State Senator Kristen González, and New York Power Authority President and CEO, Justin Driscoll, at Sky Farm LIC to announce a partnership between LaGuardia, the New York Power Authority, and Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens (VBGCQ). Our collaboration will develop a curriculum for VBGCQ and community members for urban farming and sustainable agricultural practices. Sky Farm LIC, on the large rooftop of the Standard Automotive Products Building on Northern Boulevard, is an important “living laboratory” for students in our Sustainable Urban Agriculture program.
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