Saludos - July 2018

I hope everyone is having a rewarding, enjoyable summer. It seems like a good time to share with you this special edition of “Summer Saludos 2018,” given the many noteworthy activities underway at Queens College. For much of June and the first half of July, we have been working to serve our increased summer session enrollments. I am very pleased that more students than last year are taking full advantage of the panoply of courses made available by the faculty and are progressing further toward obtaining valued credentials. We will review final figures at the end of summer but for now we celebrate our student’s ambitions and determination. Both our young and adult students are bringing new energy and enthusiasm to our beautiful campus. Our summer camp, beloved by families for 30 years, has been offering an exciting menu of sports, computer training, and performing arts programs to close to 1,000 children and teens this season. Queens College 80th anniversary recognitions are going strong. At City Hall on June 7, the Queens County delegation presented me with a proclamation in honor of the year-long celebration of our anniversary eighty years ago. In this photo, I am joined by four of our borough’s City Council members—all proud QC alumni

Pictured with me are (left to right) Council Member Rafael L. Espinal Jr. ’06, Council Member Rory I. Lancman ’91, Council Committee Chairman Costa Constantinides ’05, and Council Member Robert Holden.

Five days later, Senator and alumna Toby Ann Stavisky (bottom, presenting the QC resolution) and Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, co-sponsor (right, a graduate of Townsend Harris High School, located on our campus) were among the legislators who greeted me in Albany as the New York State Senate and Assembly also issued proclamations marking the college’s anniversary. You can read the Governor’s and Mayor’s communications as well the entry into the Congressional Record by Congresswoman Grace Meng by clicking here.

On July 12, our 80th Anniversary Queens College Alumni Night took place with the New York Mets at Citi Field. QC alumnus Michael Weisman ’71, the 24-time Emmy Award-winning sports producer, realized every baseball fan’s dream by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch; I was happy to be behind the plate as the evening’s honorary catcher. The more than 220 members of the QC community who turned out for the game had an Amazin’ time.

Please watch the video and tell me whether I should consider changing careers.

If some people think our campus slows down between Commencement and the start of the fall semester, my virtual scrapbook proves otherwise.

On June 6, we inaugurated the Queens College Urban Teacher Residency Program, an alternative certification process, in partnership with New Visions for Public School and the New York City Department of Education. After their summer residency at QC, the first cohort—11 graduate students in education—will work in classrooms part-time, mentored by veteran educators. Then these new teachers will transition to full-time positions in high-needs schools.

That same day, our Division of Education hosted a My Brother’s Keeper event for District 28’s graduating middle school students. Mabel Muniz-Sarduy and Juan Mendez, respectively the district’s primary school superintendent and high school superintendent, addressed the students, who received advice about preparing for college.

While I’m on the subject of education, I want to share the news that EECE professors Helen Johnson and Michelle Fraboni received a two-year, $134,750 grant from GraduateNYC’s College Completion Innovation Fund. Their project, aimed at improving momentum for transfer students in elementary education, builds on work they have been doing in this area. Congratulations are in order! Out of 60 applications and 20 full proposals, only four were funded.

Good weather—and great work by QC students, staff and CUNY colleagues—made for a memorable CUNY Pridefest on the Quad on June 14.

From left to right, Ann Morgado, Gina Fini, Glenda Grace, Judith Massis-Sanchez, Victoria Owen, Odalys Díaz Piñeiro, Justin Homer, myself and Adam Rockman.

Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority held a press conference at the Summit here on June 21 to announce Governor Andrew Cuomo’s nation-leading clean energy goal: By 2030, half of the state’s electricity should come from renewable sources.

Brian Goldstein (third from right), director of the New York State Small Business Development Centers, stopped by in June to meet with members of my team. He and his colleagues received a tour of the QC Tech Incubator courtesy of its executive director, Ying Zhou.

Near the end of the month, Maria de Fatima Mendes, consul general of Portugal, and José Carlos Guerreiro Adão (far left), deputy coordinator for the Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua Portuguesa, met with José Miguel Martínez-Torrejón, chair of Hispanic Languages and Literatures, to explore cultural and academic collaborations between QC and Portuguese universities.

Members of the CUNY Service Corps, including QC students (from left) Joaly Burgos and Janielle Moye, volunteered for construction work in Puerto Rico this summer. I learned more about the project and talked to Joaly and Janielle on June 28 at an informational lunch organized by Cecilia Britez, the CUNY Service Corps manager on campus (photo).  At press time of “Summer Saludos 2018,” I was invited to join Governor Cuomo and a group of CUNY and SUNY students, educators, and lawmakers on a relief mission to Puerto Rico. I am thrilled that two of our students were scheduled to participate.

The Department of Political Science sent Lucy Passaro and Sabah Javaid to the Women’s Campaign School at Yale last month. We hope to hear more about Lucy and Sabah in the future; our “Genius” alum Cristina Jiménez Moreta is among previous QC students to benefit from this valuable training.

From left, that’s Lucy; Patricia Russo, executive director of WCSYale; Sabah; and Stephanie Berger, WCSYale president.

QC students are impressive. Just this month, Tameka Edwards and Melissa Wegener were named 2018 Women’s Forum Education Fund Fellows. Only 20 fellows were chosen; the program issues $10,000 awards, in two installments, to women age 35 and older who pursue a college degree.

Every summer a small group of QC students flies to Ho Chi Minh City to intern in a program that teaches English to children. This year’s team is made up of Ioanna Catsimalis, Sarah Salem, Sarah Wu, Noelia Fernandez, George Ciani and Ethel Rodriguez. Their schedule gives them time to immerse themselves in Vietnam and its culture.

I spent July 17-18 in Washington, DC, attending a roundtable, the Aspen Postsecondary Achievement for Parents Initiative. The event, presented by Ascend—the educational policy wing at the Aspen Institute, an international think tank—focused on students who are parents, and how institutions can best work with them. As an Ascend Fellow, I made a presentation based on my experiences in both human services and higher education (photo); Anne Mosle, vice president of the Aspen Institute and executive director of Ascend, served as moderator.

Also last week, I was honored by City and State magazine at a reception for the fifty most influential people in Queens. Our great Borough President Melinda Katz was the keynote speaker. There were many more deserving honorees in attendance. I was glad to interact with the dedicated business, labor, civic, community and educational leaders who contribute so much every day to the vitality and growth of our borough.

My scrapbook wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t mention a few examples of QC people in the news.

On June 29, Flushing Town Hall feted saxophonist and composer Jimmy Heath, an anchor of the jazz program at Aaron Copland School of Music, in the most appropriate way possible: by inviting him to lead his Queens Jazz Orchestra in a tenth anniversary concert. Jimmy’s ACSM colleagues Antonio Hart and Steve Davis were part of the ensemble.

Dennis Torres, head of our Office of Veteran Support Services, was honored by City and State magazine as a veteran who continues to serve New York. He received his award at a city-wide recognition ceremony on July 11 at Battery Gardens in Manhattan and was one of only five recipients. That's Dennis (at left) with VP for Student Affairs Adam Rockman.

This Thursday, July 26, the QC Committee for Disabled Students is holding its annual barbecue on the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, signed into law 28 years ago. The barbecue takes place outside the Student Union from 11 am to 3 pm, and admission for food and fun costs $5. All are welcome; bring colleagues and an appetite.

Cornerstone Theater, a troupe that immerses itself in communities to create plays about local people and their experiences, set up shop on campus on July 12. I’m proud that Cornerstone, based in California, selected Queens for its first summer residency outside its home state. The new play will be performed at Goldstein Theatre on Friday, August 10, at 8 pm, and Saturday, August 11, at 2 and 8 pm. You can read more about this project at here.

I’m signing off with one request: B&G is asking everyone to complete a brief anonymous survey online. It’s painless! I did it myself.   Enjoy the rest of your summer! I look forward to seeing all of you at the end of August. Saludos,     Felo