President's Report for February 2024

Center for Excellence in Teaching and learning (CETL) and the Office of Educational Technology (OET) 

The Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning (CETL) in collaboration with Academic Affairs will host a webinar: "AI in Education: Applications and Reflection" on Fri, Feb 9 (11:00 AM-12:30 PM) facilitated by Dr. Rohan Jowallah (Artificial Intelligence and Learning Spaces Expert). Topics: AI Tools in Teaching, AI-Enhanced Curricula, and Ethical Concerns of AI in Education.

Please see registration link on the announcement. CETL & the Office of Career Services will be hosting The Third Annual "Connecting Coursework to Career: Easy Applications for Integrating Career Concepts into Coursework" webinar on Friday, Feb 23 (11:00 AM- 12:30 PM). This webinar will continue to build on QCC faculty's ongoing conversations and dynamic work that began several years ago, integrating the career readiness competencies and concepts into their coursework.  

All Faculty are encouraged to visit the CETL and OET homepages to see a complete listing of all upcoming events and professional development opportunities.  

Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs 

Grants Awarded – November 16, 2023 – January 22^nd, 2024: 

Academic Affairs

Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City: $64,289, Meyer, Mary Anne; “College Now for Careers” 

Continuing Education and Workforce Development

BNY Mellon Foundation: $75,600, Hartigan, Ellen & Conkling, Lori; “NYC Future of Work Initiative” 

ECMC Foundation: $15,000, Hartigan, Ellen & Conkling, Lori; “NCAL NON-CREDIT & CREDIT - TRAVEL” 

NYS Department of Labor: $206,156, Hartigan, Ellen & Conkling, Lori; “Education Stabilization Fund: REIMAGINE”

 Library

New York State Education Department:  $11,963, Kim, Mi-Seon; “Library Collection Aid” 

Student Affairs

ECMC Foundation: $3,300, Biggs, Jamal; CUNY BMI Wellness & Career Readiness”

Student Support Resources

• Faculty and staff are asked to encourage students to avail themselves of the valuable and free resources through the Advocacy Resource Center. Services provided include public benefits screening, financial coaching, legal assistance, tax preparation services, housing assistance, food pantry referrals, and more. 

• Representatives from the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance will help students and their family members prepare and e-file their income tax return both virtually and in-person for free. Virtual sessions will be held every Wednesday beginning January 31, 2024, and ending on April 10, 2024. In-person sessions will be held every Friday beginning February 2,2024 and ending on April 12,2024. Pre-registration is required. As such, students should call the Advocacy Resource Center at (718) 631-6347 or email ARC@qcc.cuny.edu.  Session days and times are as follows:
  • Wednesdays (Zoom) 11:00 am- 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
  • Fridays 9:30 am- 12:30 pm and Fridays 1:30 pm– 4:30 pm. 

• Emergency funding is available to students who face a financial crisis that puts at risk their continued enrollment toward their QCC degree. Supported through a grant from The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation, the funds provide one-time, emergency grants to students in good standing with short-term financial emergencies to enable them to remain in school, rather than being forced to leave or drop out. Students with short-term financial emergencies should be referred to Ms. Amawati Gonesh, Advocacy Resource Center Program Manager, via email at AGonesh@qcc.cuny.edu. Additional information can be found online at QCC Scholarships.

• The American Chemical Society (ACS) Scholars Program awards renewable scholarships of up to $5,000 to underrepresented minority students who want to enter the fields of chemistry or chemistry-related fields, such as environmental science, toxicology, and chemical technology. High school seniors and college freshmen, sophomores, or juniors are eligible to apply. The ACS Scholars Program was established in 1994 to attract African American, Hispanic, and American Indian students considered underrepresented in the chemical sciences by the National Science Foundation to pursue careers in the field. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2024.

• The New York State Transfer and Articulation Association (NYSTAA) Scholarship is now accepting applications from eligible students who anticipate they will complete their associate degree by August 2024 and plan to attend a current four-year NYSTAA member institution in fall 2024. The deadline to apply is March 24, 2024. For full details, visit the NYSTAA website.

• The Belle Zeller Scholarship Trust Fund is now available for eligible students to apply. The award shall consist of the yearly undergraduate tuition for in-state students as set by the university. For additional information, including eligibility requirements, please visit their website. The deadline to apply is February 29, 2024.

• The Women's Forum Education Award provides a scholarship of $10,000. The awards will be given to women aged 35 and over who have faced and overcome adversity and now, after an interruption in their education, have resumed the pursuit of their first associate or bachelor's degree. Applicants must demonstrate noteworthy promise and resilience in the face of challenges and must also demonstrate a commitment to helping others and to making a difference in their community, large or small, when their own career goals are achieved. Financial need and academic excellence are not the primary determining factors in the selection of recipients, although true financial need should be evident, and the candidate should be in good academic standing. The deadline to apply is February 1, 2024.

Upcoming Events

• To celebrate Black History Month, the Queensborough Male Resource Center (QMRC) will host a Black Film Trivia event contest where participants will have the opportunity to answer questions relating to classic films in black history and culture. The event will take place in the Male Resource Center (Student Union – Upper Level Room 107) on Wednesday, February 7 at 12:30 pm. This event is open to all QCC students, faculty, and staff. 

• The Queensborough Male Resource Center (QMRC) and College Discovery (CD) Program will present a Cultural Wealth workshop on Thursday, February 15 at 1:00 pm in the QMRC (Student Union – Upper Level Room 107). This workshop will show individuals how valuable the various aspects of their culture and identity are and how they can be used to leverage success and achievement. 

• Get Fresh for Free! The Queensborough Male Resource Center (QMRC) is offering students free haircuts on a first come, first-served basis on Monday, February 26 from 2:00 – 5:00 pm in the Male Resource Center (Student Union – Upper Level Room 107)  We recognize the growing cost of many routine self-maintenance services students need in order to present their best selves, and we would like to help. 

The Queensborough Male Resource Center (QMRC) presents “Building Generational Wealth"”, a workshop which will speak to the many ways that an individual can build generational wealth. Individuals will learn the importance of having multiple income streams, learning what is considered an asset, and how you can make your money work for you. This workshop will take place in the Queensborough Male Resource Center (Student Union - Upper-Level Room 107)

Together, we raised $52,117 for our students on #CUNYTuesday AND received the third-highest number of donors among all 25 CUNY colleges! 

Thanks to YOU, we can provide critical tuition assistance to keep the students at risk of leaving school due to financial challenges; provide support to the one in four Queensborough students who face food insecurity; have resources for our students disproportionately impacted by opportunity barriers along their academic journey; and ensure our student-athletes have the additional support to succeed on and off the field.  

The QCC Nurses Give Back team earned the bragging rights to proudly display Tiger, the life-size mascot, for a year – this team raised the most dollars and had the highest donor count. The A-Team also deserves a mention for the second-highest donor count. 

What a wonderful demonstration of the special care, support, and encouragement our community extends to our students. Thank you so much! 

Tribute to Claire Dupree

Thanks to the outpouring of support from faculty, staff, family, and friends, we raised $9,125 in honor of Claire Dupree. Funds raised in her honor will provide critical tuition assistance to keep the students at risk of leaving school on track to earn their degree. Claire’s passion for life and commitment to her education inspired many within the Queensborough family. 

The New York City Marathon

Our four (4) charity runners in the 2023 NYC Marathon collectively raised $10,680. Thank you to Mateo Saenz,’18, Amanda LaSalle,’12 Christine Pagano in our nursing department, and Jose Lijo, a friend of the College, for supporting Queensborough students at such a quintessential New York event. 

SKANSKA USA CIVIL, awarded $5,000 in merit scholarships to the Engineering Technology students at Queensborough and is hosting a special Scholarships Awards Ceremony for the recipients at their offices in Astoria. 

East West Bank donated their suite at the Barclays Center, valued at $5,100 for the Male Resource Center (MRC) students to attend the NY Nets vs. the Houston Rockets game on January 21, 2024. 

DO GOOD. GIVE! Annual Fund Campaign

Click here to make an online donation to Queensborough’s Annual Fund Campaign. Please make checks payable to the QCC Fund, Inc. and mail them to Queensborough Community College, Office of Institutional Advancement, Room A-508, 222-05 56 Avenue, Bayside, NY 11364. 

Your donation to the Annual Fund Campaign will make both an immediate and life-long impact on our students.

Thank you for always caring! 

 

Art Gallery 

• European Master Drawings: The Creative Interpretation and Techniques

It is worth remembering that there are no rules in drawing apart from the artist’s own intention and ability to use the material as he wishes. Drawing is more complex than this exhibition suggests, involving numerous stages and the use of many materials. This

exhibition of previously unseen drawings is therefore an opportunity to engage with artists and their individual relationship to the tools of their craft. The works created by European artists from the Renaissance to the 19th century are chosen to emphasize the role of drawing in the history of art. 

Kupferberg Holocaust Center 

KHC ORIGINAL EXHIBITION:

The Concentration Camps: Inside the Nazi System of Incarceration and Genocide

On View and Online

https://khc.qcc.cuny.edu/camps/

The KHC offers self-guided audio tours of this original exhibition which surveys the scope and brutality of the Nazi system of incarceration and genocide underscoring the horrific consequences of antisemitism, racism, and authoritarianism. In addition to the exhibit’s text, images, and artifacts, personal testimonies from local Holocaust survivors offer painful insights into these excruciating landscapes of degradation and dehumanization. This exhibit is curated by Dr. Cary Lane, KHC 2020-21 Curator-in-Residence and Associate Professor of English at QCC.

Email the Center at KHC@qcc.cuny.edu to schedule a class tour.

PROGRAMMING:

For a list of all public programming offered in the Spring 2024 semester, visit: https://khc.qcc.cuny.edu/events-2/

KHC-NEH Lecture
Erasing Uncomfortable Histories
Wednesday, February 14, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. EDT.

Virtual Event
Dr. Christina Dobbs, Assistant p\Professor and Director of the English Education program at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development

Dr. Eileen Chanza Torres, Associate Professor/Chair, Gender Studies program at Westminster College

KHC & QCC Theatre Department/CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium Collaboration
Art as Archive Talkback (following “Julio Ain’t Goin’ Down Like That” Performance)

 In Person at QPAC
Thursday, February 22, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. EDT
Richard Shpuntoff in Conversation with playwright C. Julian Jiménez

Moderated by Dr. Laura Cohen, KHC Executive Director

KHC & QCC Theatre Department/CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium Collaboration
‘Bent’ Film Screening

In Person – Location TBD

Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. EST

Queensborough Performing Arts Center (QPAC)

QPAC’s From Page to Stage (On-Going Faculty Collaborations):

Virtual reenactments of classic novels and plays, historic events, and dramatic readings. An ongoing series of educational presentations (done live and recorded for continued use). These virtual renditions of great works will be available in perpetuity for use by the collaborating department (English, Theater, History, Language, Media classes, etc.). Any work can be researched, rehearsed, and presented. Historic speeches can be recreated. There is no fee for this service. After the initial live presentation, these works can be utilized in the classroom over and over. Special in-person live events can be accommodated for which classes can be invited.

 The submission process is ongoing:

• Requests for adaptations will be reviewed on an on-going basis.
• Faculty can request specific works by sending an email to Susan Agin, Executive & Artistic Director, QPAC (SAgin@qcc.cuny.edu).
• Assuming the availability of the material and copyright permissions, a performance/recording schedule will be submitted within two weeks following each proposal received.

We encourage submissions and we are available to answer any questions.

Saturday, March 9, 2024 – 8:00 p.m.

Can’t Stop Laughing!

Join us for this season’s Comedy Marathon! Whatever the occasion is - date night, an evening with the boys, a girl’s night out - our featured guests will have you rolling in the aisles. You are guaranteed great laughs from these top tier professionals who include America’s Got Talent alumni Tom Cotter, New Jersey’s Bad Boy, Mike Marino, and Amazon Prime featured comedian, Chris Monty. High energy performances, rapid fire comebacks, and hysterical one-liners all await you at this season’s funniest show! With numerous club, TV and film credits including The Tonight Show, Comedy Central, Mall Cop, Inside Amy Schumer, Make America Italian Again, and more, these three comedy pros take no prisoners. They have one mission – and that is to make you laugh! Great ready for a great night out! Purchase your tickets early. $35-$60

 Children’s Book Club and Performance Series Events:

February 13, 2024: Harriet Tubman

February 27, 2024: Freedom Songs

February 28, 2024: Jackie Robinson

February 29, 2024: Brilliant Brave

March 1, 2024: Great Women of Black History March 5, 2024: Chinese Acrobats

March 6, 2024: Chinese Acrobats

Other Activities:

February 14 – February 25, 2024: QPAC Performances of Julio Ain’t Going Down Like That

March 4, 2024: QPAC – Achieving the Dream March 5, 2024: QPAC – Achieving the Dream March 12, 2024: QPAC – Music Department Classes

Gotta Dance Adults:

Saturday, March 9, 2024

  FACILITES UPDATES:

• We finally have tentative calendar for construction of the Science Atrium and Cafeteria project. The proposed schedule by DASNY have the work starting March 2024. The project will take approximately 18 months. During those months we will be utilizing Oakland as the main cafeteria for students, faculty, and staff. Which means that we will need to identify other spaces for meetings and gatherings. As we get closer to the dates, we will share more details of the plan.
• Cloverdale parking will be accessible from 5pm to 6pm for exiting only.
• Childcare Design was approved by CUNY Central and we can now start with the next steps. 

Auxiliary Updates:

• Farmers Fridge vending machines will be operating February 2^nd. Two locations: Basement of SUL and Lobby of Medical Arts. The machines are an alternative to alleviate the need for vegetarian meals.
• The Starbucks Cafe by the Library will start operations this semester.

Budget and Finance

• CUNY absorbed – The first PEG (5%) of November. We did not receive any information about January or April.
• A little bit of good news: the financial measures taken have helped to keep our campus financially stable. We are one of the CUNY schools in good standing and we will continue to strive to be strategic and prioritize the needs of the college.