Fabulous Energy Brings Everyone Together on First Day of Fall Semester
Volunteers at the front gate and at the welcome tables greeted a steady stream of incoming students last Wednesday, the first day of the fall semester. Students convened on the Quad to learn about the diverse courses and activities offered but mostly to have a fun time enjoying ice cream, BBQ and listening to DJ’s Remix.The first day of the fall semester was also celebrated at the Convocation for faculty and staff held in QPAC, which featured greetings from Queensborough President, Dr. Christine Mangino, along with members of the Queensborough administration; Dr. Phyllis Curtis-Tweed, Provost and Vice President, Academic Affairs, Dr. Brian Mitra, Vice President for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management, Amaris Matos, Assistant Vice President for Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Stephen Di Dio, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Division of Strategic Initiatives and Advancement, Dr. Gissette Forte, Vice President, Finance and Administration, and Nelmy Negrete, Executive Director for Human Resources. Good news was announced on several fronts:
-
On August 1, Queensborough welcomed a new Dean of Faculty, Linda Bastone and Christopher Adams, Communications, Theatre, and Media Production Department; and Francoise Apollon-Dutreuil and Mara Loren Poljak, Nursing Department.
-
The College is close to meeting its overall fall 2024 enrollment goals and exceeding new international students.
-
The launch of the latest version of the QCC Connect App, and Brightspace, the new University-wide early alert system to replace EAB Starfish called EAB Navigate360.
-
The Building and Grounds team has completed upgrades to accessibility ramps on the north side of campus and critical repairs to the swimming pool in the RKF Building. The College has been working to address the ongoing issues with elevators in the Medical Arts, Science, and Humanities buildings, and implemented a protocol for timely notification of outages and updates from the vendor responsible for maintenance and repairs.
-
A new “Hilltop Kitchen” was opened in the Oakland Building for the enjoyment of students, faculty, and staff.
-
In keeping with Queensborough's Strategic Plan commitment to fostering a Culture of Care, a new LGBTQ+ Resource Center will open this fall on the second floor of the Administration Building. The data reveals that 17% of Queensborough students identify as LGBTQIA+ and nine percent identify as non-cisgender. Students who indicated a gender other than cisgender man or woman had the lowest sense of mattering. This new center will create a reaffirming space that supports students and reminds them that they belong here.
-
And last semester as part of the ongoing work with Achieving the Dream (ATD), Queensborough hosted a college-wide “Capacity Cafe” to deepen understanding of strengths and improvement areas in policies and processes, teaching and learning, data and technology, and communications. Out of these conversations the College will introduce Conversations with Christine, an informal way to connect with the President each month. Information on the date of the first session will be forthcoming soon.
###
