President's Report for November 2022

Enrollment Management Update

 

• The Office of Admissions continues to visit high schools and other organizations in-person and virtually to recruit new students for the upcoming Spring and Fall semesters.  In preparation for the Spring semester, the office started its series of accepted student webinars on September 29.  New student registration is set to begin on Wednesday, November 8, 2022. 

 

• The Office of Academy Advisement hosted a tabling event on 10/6 in which we were able to encourage early advisement and registration and assist students with making appointments with their adviser in Starfish. Our Tiger Advisers have been available on Zoom and through in-person workshops to help students with Schedule Builder or Starfish. In an effort to improve first year retention, fall 2022 first semester freshmen academy students will be required to see an adviser before registering for spring 2023 classes. Lastly, we will begin seeing incoming Spring 2023 students on Wednesday, November 9, with both in-person and virtual modalities.

 

New Personnel Appointments

As a result of a successfully completed search, I am happy to inform everyone that Dr. Robert Cortes has been appointed to the position of Director of College Discovery, effective October 24, 2022.  Dr. Cortes succeeds Ms. Sandra Sacrestano, who resigned in February 2022.  In this capacity, Dr. Cortes will be responsible for providing the overall leadership, supervision, coordination, and support of QCC’s College Discovery Program.

 The College Discovery (CD) Program is the longest-running New York State Opportunity Program operating within the CUNY system, having provided counseling, academic, and financial support to select students for over fifty (50) years.  Dr. Cortes earned a Doctoral Degree of Education from St. John's University, where his dissertation focused on the stereotype threat experiences of men of color persisting in community college.  He also earned a Master of Science Degree in Social Work, with a focus on Clinical Practice with Families and Children from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from CUNY Hunter College. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Cortes on his appointment.

 

Additionally, Ms. Kendra Mason has been appointed to the position of Student Life Manager – Military & Veterans Services in the Office of Military & Veterans Services as a result of a successfully completed search.  Ms. Mason succeeds Ms. Alexandra Venezian, who resigned in March 2022.  In this role, Ms. Mason will be responsible for serving as the primary contact for veteran/service member students and as a resource for prospective students.  Also, she will develop and implement strategies for recruiting military veterans that will help to establish Queensborough as a leader in an ongoing relationship with military agencies, as well as develop relationships with prospective military veteran students to ensure a more personalized approach in the enrollment process.  Ms. Mason obtained both her BA degree in English and her MA degree in English Literature from Queens College.  Please join me in congratulating Ms. Mason on her appointment.

 

Student Support Resources

• Faculty and staff are asked to encourage our students to avail themselves of the valuable and free resources through the QCC Advocacy Resource Center. Services provided include (but are not limited to) public benefits screening, financial coaching, legal assistance, tax preparation services, housing assistance, food pantry referrals, and more.  For additional information, contact the QCC Advocacy Resource Center at ARC@qcc.cuny.edu.

 

• 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. Periodic e-mail reminders to the college community outlining the grant eligibility and encouraging faculty and staff to refer students to apply. Please refer students with short-term financial emergencies to Ms. Amawati Gonesh, Program Administrator, via e-mail at AGonesh@qcc.cuny.edu.

 

• Applications for The Guttman Scholarship for High-Achieving Community College Graduates will open in November for eligible students. Faculty and staff are asked to encourage our students to apply. To be eligible for a Spring 2023 scholarship, students must earn an associate degree from a CUNY community college in the Spring 2022, Summer 2022, Fall 2022 or Winter 2023 semester, and must currently have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. Students must also be transferring to Brooklyn, City, Hunter, Lehman, or Queens College in Spring 2023, and must enroll full time (at least 12 credits/semester). Scholarship priority will be given to students who qualify for financial aid. Students who are awarded a scholarship will receive up to $4,000 paid over two years (four semesters at up to $1,000 a semester).
• TheDream.US Scholarship Program provides college scholarships to highly motivated students who entered the United States as minors under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Protect Status (TPS), and who, without financial assistance, cannot afford a college education. All funding is provided by private donations to The Dream.US organization.  Full details, including eligibility requirements, can be found HERE.  The application opens on November 1, 2022.

 

• The CUNY Ethics and Morality Essay Contest is funded by an endowment gift of $100,000 to the City University of New York by Dr. K. York Chynn and his wife Noelle Chynn. This annual award is intended to promote and stimulate thinking by college students at CUNY about the topic of ethics, morality, and virtuous behavior in their lives. More than ever, these issues arise not only in the personal relationships of individuals and family and friends, but also in the context of corporate, government, and social responsibility, whether it is about treating others fairly and honestly, or food safety. The topic of this year's essay is Virtue and the deadline to apply is November 4, 2022.

 

• The 2022 CUNY Thomas Tam Scholarship was established in honor of Dr. Thomas Tam's many contributions to the City University of New York. The scholarship award is given to a qualified undergraduate student currently enrolled in any of the CUNY colleges, Asian or non-Asian "who has demonstrated creativity in the communication of the concerns of the Asian American community in areas such as Health, Education, and Culture."  All currently enrolled CUNY undergraduate students are eligible to apply for the Thomas Tam Scholarship.  Display of communication of the concerns of the Asian American community can be in the form of written reports, film, video, new media techniques, and the development of performances or materials in the arts and sciences.  The deadline to apply is November 18, 2022.

 

• The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship makes it possible for the nation's top community college students to complete their bachelor's degrees by transferring to a selective four-year college or university. The Foundation provides up to $40,000 per year to each of approximately 45 deserving students selected annually, making it the largest private scholarship for two-year and community college transfer students in the country. Each award is intended to cover a significant share of the student's educational expenses – including tuition, living expenses, books and required fees – for the final two to three years necessary to achieve a bachelor's degree. Awards vary by individual, based on the cost of tuition as well as other grants or scholarships he or she may receive. The application opened on October 6, 2022 with a deadline to apply of January 12, 2023.

 

• 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 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, 2023.

 

Upcoming Events

• Various health insurance providers will be on-campus beginning October 17, 2022 through December 21, 2022 in the Science Building Lobby for students looking to enroll in a health insurance plan.  Students will have the option to choose from providers such as Affinity Health, Fidelis Care, MetroPlus Health, and Emblem Health.  For additional information, including dates of availability, click HERE.

 

• Free HIV/STI/STD Testing is available for QCC students beginning October 18, 2022 through December 21, 2022 from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm in the Office of Health Services, located in the Medical Arts Building – Room MC-02. Northwell Health will be administering testing every Tuesday and ACQC (AIDS Center of Queens County) will be administering testing every Thursday.

 

• The Office of Military and Veterans Services will host an event to honor our servicemen and women at the Charles F. Bova Veterans Memorial Grove on Friday, November 11, 2022 (Veterans Day) at 9:30 am.  Students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend and pay their respects.

 

• Beginning Monday, November 28,2022  through Friday, December 2, 2022, the Counseling Center will hoser a series of events to commemorate Mental Wellness Week.  During this week, they will present several workshops on various topics, including sleep, giving gratitude during challenging times, stress management, disconnecting from social media, coloring to distress, mindful eating, and anxiety management strategies.  Be sure to monitor the QCC Events Calendar for additional event details and updated information.

Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity

DEI is Who We Are! 

 

The Faculty Fellow for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity, Dr. Kerri-Ann M. Smith participated in the college’s Welcome Back, updating faculty on the Office of Academic Affairs’ commitment to antiracist pedagogy. Dr. Smith presented the college’s new Antiracist Curriculum Guide to support faculty and departments, as they rethink their approach to pedagogy to include more culturally responsive and antiracist practices. As part of that mission, she will focus efforts on developing a LibGuide in collaboration with Prof. Connie Williams in the library and will continue to be available to support faculty as they use the guidelines.

 

Dr. Smith also had the esteemed privilege of presenting alongside VP Mitra and AVP Matos for the Teacher’s College Community College Research Center’s program focusing on promising practices for Black and Latinx students. The event had over 400 registrants including members of the US Department of Education.

 

Dr. Smith participated in the college’s first ACUE pinning ceremony in celebration of our wonderful and dedicated faculty members who persisted and completed the ACUE courses, particularly the ITEL course that the Faculty Fellow for DEI facilitates. The ceremony was a great way to highlight the great work that our faculty members do to make the college more culturally responsive.

 

Dr. Smith sent out her monthly “What’s the FaculTEA?” newsletter to junior faculty of color, which included tips for staying on track with publication deadlines and tips for how to utilize our NCFDD membership. Our NCFDD membership has grown over the past six months and usership continues to increase, as faculty members take advantage of the many webinars, mentoring opportunities, and tips that are available through the college’s membership. Dr. Smith continues to hold weekly meetings with junior faculty of color to remain updated on their needs and to support their work. 

 

The next FaculTEA mixer will be on November 10 at 11am via Zoom and will feature a conversation with the Dean of Students, Ms. Tikola Russell.

 

Dr. Smith met with the members of the Teaching Excellence Award Committee to begin conversations around developing two awards for full-time and part-time members of the faculty. Dr. Smith was asked to serve as chairperson of this committee.

 

Dr. Smith participated in the CUNY Incubator meetings, collaborating with colleagues from Queens College, York College, Baruch, and BMCC on DEI strategies to bolster belongingness at CUNY.

 

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion website for the Office of Academic Affairs was updated and redesigned by Dr. Smith and now includes the “Thriving in Academia Symposium” videos and the Antiracist Curriculum Guidelines.

 

 

Office of 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 Office of Academic Affairs has scheduled a workshop on the "Nuts & Bolts of IRB Applications" (Wed, Nov 9, 12:00-2:00 PM; CETL Lab - L 313) in order to support faculty in human subject research. 

 

The "Scholarship of Teaching and Learning" workshop series will continue to support faculty in the process of systematic scholarly inquiry that focuses on teaching practices and student learning. ​All Faculty are encouraged to visit CETL homepage to see a complete listing of all upcoming events and professional development opportunities.

 

 

Office of Research 

 

Upcoming Event

Undergraduate Research Day 2022 will be held on December 2^nd in the Student Union.  Abstract Submissions are open and will close on Nov. 11^th.   Faculty engaging students in all forms of UR are encouraged to participate with their students.  Register in advance for this meeting.

 

 

 

STEM Tuition Waiver Program

 

The STEM Tuition Waiver Program will continue in FY23.  Historically, we have had robust program participation from our students and maximized use of the funds.  Along with other funding sources, the balance of the funds will be spent during the summer 2023 session.

 

The goal of the STEM Tuition Waiver Program is to promote credit accumulation in STEM courses while not jeopardizing TAP eligibility.  Current QCC students who are in good academic standing, and enrolled in a degree or certificate program will be offered a chance to receive the waiver. The waiver would cover the tuition for one STEM course (includes lab) that is part of their degree plan during the winter 2023 session, on a first come, first serve basis  Student fees are not covered by the waiver.

 

 Events Report – November 8, 2022

 

The Eugene M. Lang Foundation awarded $25,000 in emergency grant funds for the FY22-23 academic year for undocumented and immigrant Queensborough students to ensure they receive the support they need to stay in school and on track to graduate. 

#CUNYTuesday – November 29, 2022

Last year, with the help of Queensborough faculty and staff we raised 62,000 dollars for #CUNYTuesday. Thank you!

 

This #GivingTuesday, Queensborough Community College is again participating in the social media-driven #CUNYTuesday fundraising challenge. 25 CUNY Colleges, 24 Hours, and one (1) chance to make a difference. We are excited to share that our social media campaign this year will also include TikTok and LinkedIn for the first time! Make a powerful statement about our shared commitment to student success and set an amazing example for our alumni, and friends by supporting #CUNYTuesday on November 29^th. You can make your gifts online for #CUNYTuesday as early as today, just click here. 

 

Check out our raffle prizes and remember, 100% of your gift is tax-deductible! 

We are even planning a fun “Thank You” kick-off event on the Quad for Wednesday, November 30^th so please stay tuned.

 

The Annual Fund Campaign 

We are asking faculty and staff to please support the Annual Fund Campaign by donating to Student Scholarships, the Lucille A. Bova Food Pantry, the Student Emergency Fund, or another key area or program that resonates with them. Here is the link to give online. Please make your checks payable to the QCC Fund, Inc. and either drop off in A-508 or mail to Queensborough Community College, Office of Institutional Advancement, Room A-508, 222-05 56 Avenue, Bayside, NY 11364. Can we please count on your support?

 

Faculty and staff donations to the Annual Fund Campaign continue to make both an immediate and life-long impact on our students!

Thank you for your continued support!

 

There will be a Thanksgiving Food Distribution scheduled for Tuesday, November 22, 2022, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Perishables and Thanksgiving items will be purchased from a generous $1,000.00 donation from Ridgewood Savings Bank. There may be additional sponsors for the Thanksgiving distribution.

 

 

 

 

Art Gallery

 

 

November 17, 2022 

Opening Exhibition Reception – 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. in the QCC Art Gallery

The Art of the Yaka and Suku

 

The Art of the Yaka and Suku - QCC Art Gallery (cuny.edu) 

 

The Art of Yaka and Suku features a wide collection of objects produced by the Yaka and Suku people who reside in the Kwango region, the southwestern area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The exhibition presents some of the finest examples from a major donation by the Dr. Arthur P. Bourgeois estate with contributions from international private lenders. 

An appreciation for the works will be enhanced by the inclusion of Dr. Bourgeios' archival documents including field notes from (then) Zaire, films, photographs, letters which informed his 

dissertation, as well as his many monographs and articles published throughout his career. Scott Rodolitz curates this exhibition.

 

November 17, 2022

Opening Reception – 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. in the QCC Art Gallery

Purple Sins: Eleanor M. Imperato

Purple Sins - QCC Art Gallery (cuny.edu)

The Purple Sins exhibition features 20 photographs by Eleanor M. Imperato, a writer, poet, and photographer. A hint of mystery and even danger suffuses these photographs: tall trees hiding secrets behind their slim trunks, their crowns splashed with sunlight; mushrooms growing strong and glowing in the darkness. 

 

Viewers are invited to delve deeper into these mysteries through Imperato’s poetry book of the same name, Purple Sins, which accompanies this exhibition. The poetic images conjured by the poems, as well as the poetry evinced by the photographs that illustrate them, arouse our own sentiments and beliefs.

 

QCC Art Gallery Press 

Purple Sins, 2022
ISBN:  978-1936658527 

Softcover: 138 pages

Purchase Purple Sins on Amazon

 

In her second collection of poetry, Purple Sins, Eleanor M. Imperato melds both her poetry and her photography into one splendid, impressive creation. This publication accompanies the exhibition with the same title that opens on November 17, 2022.

 

As Susan Astor states in the Afterword to the book, “Imperato’s poetry touches on a broad variety of subjects, from the natural world to the ambiguities of human relationships, from the pull of memories to the push of rapidly changing norms. The subjects covered in the pages of Purple Sins, though universal in their appeal, are tied to events and emotions, real and imaged fused in the poet’s life. Intimacy and its absence, literature and its themes, history and current events, nature in all its lushness and cruelty — the reader feels her connection to each.” 

 

 

 

 

The Hats or Hats Nots, 2022

ISBN: 978-1936658510

Hardcover: 110 pages

Purchase The Hats and Hat Nots on Amazon

 

“The Hats or Hat Nots” explores the territories of those who make up the overwhelming majority of the black diaspora in the enormous American lands. Its focus, the Hat, and all its sub-textual trappings, legitimacy, power, honor, righteousness, and the glory and resurrection.” 

 

“Allen’s images are knee-deep in the estuaries of life, Black life, and their unique communities that have adapted and flourished nonetheless within the brackish waters, and not so delicate nuances, of ongoing cultural oppression.”  “His image cadence interjects black and white color onto the populated rectangular solids, cubes, spherical, and triangular edifices of the clotted hierarchical urban spaces we call home.” “Moreover, like his imagination, this refined palette can place whites 

on top of each other with perfect separation and definition and corral unlimited shades and values of gray while coalescing around blacks, the most prominent color in the universe.” 

Extracted from the Introduction, by Joe Lewis

” The Hats and Hat Nots”

 

Internship Program:
The Gallery continues the internship program for the Fall 2022 semester. The program demonstrates undergraduate research by providing unique opportunities for the individual to develop practical experience in the art administration field. The participating individuals continue to assist with the documentation of the permanent collection and incoming donations. 

• The Gallery is hosting two (2) interns from the Gallery and Museum Studies program through the Department of Art & Design.

 

• The Gallery’s Internship Program with Bayside High School is in person this year and will begin the first week of November.

 

 

 

Kupferberg Holocaust Center

 

 

2022-2023 KHC-NEH COLLOQUIUM 

Trauma, Remembrance and Compassion 

https://khc.qcc.cuny.edu/neh-programs/ 

 

What is trauma? What does it mean to remember? What is compassion? This year’s colloquium explores trauma, both historically and in our contemporary culture, and how remembrance and compassion both have and continue to offer meaningful responses to atrocities. If genocide and incarceration are crimes and practices that silence people and remove their humanity from them, then remembering is an act of restoration. In preserving the stories of those who have been dehumanized, we honor their suffering and affirm their humanity. In this colloquium, we explore remembrance as a social action that speaks back to the destructiveness and dehumanization of trauma. We also explore how to meaningfully engage with trauma, to hold space for and learn from past traumas. Finally, we seek to identify ways to respond to trauma through compassion, to consider how in the face of traumas, we can choose to act deliberately to alleviate suffering. 

 

Organized in dialogue with contemporary issues, the series is aligned with the current KHC exhibit, The Concentration Camps: Inside the Nazi System of Incarceration and Genocide. 

 

2022-23 Faculty Fellows

 

Dr. Angela Ridinger-Dotterman, Associate Professor of English 

Dr. Ilse Schrynemakers, Associate Professor of English 

Dr. Jodi Van Der Horn-Gibson, Associate Professor of Communication, Theatre, and Media Production 

John Yi, Lecturer of English 

 

KHC ORIGINAL EXHIBITION 

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

On View and Online 

https://khc.qcc.cuny.edu/camps/ 

 

This year, the KHC will be offering self-guided audio tours of its 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. Dr. Cary Lane curates this exhibit, KHC 2020-21 Curator-in-Residence and Associate Professor of English at QCC.

 

PROGRAMMING

For list of all public programming offered in the Fall 2022 semester, visit:

https://khc.qcc.cuny.edu/events-2/

 

Holocaust Memory/Annual Kristallnacht Commemoration

Keynote: Stones of Memory with Dr. Ruth Mandel

Wednesday, November 9, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. EST

Click here to register: https://tinyurl.com/pfemw443

On the anniversary of the Kristallnacht pogrom of November 9 and 10,1938, Dr. Ruth Mandel, Professor of Cultural Anthropology at the University College London, discusses her ethnographic research on Stolpersteine, a counter-memorial art project marking the final homes of Jewish and Romani victims of Nazi violence found throughout Europe.

 

KHC-NEH Workshop (Faculty Only)

Mindfulness and Meditation: Towards a Compassionate Self

Wednesday, November 16, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. EST

Click here to register: https://tinyurl.com/2p9ydmw5

Are you stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed? Do you want to learn how to practice mindfulness and meditation to slow down? Join QCC Professors Alison Cimino, Lecturer of English, and Dr. Joanne Chang, Professor of Music, in this workshop as they help us to deepen awareness, mindfulness, and compassion for self and others, especially during stressful and busy times.

 

KHC-NEH Workshop (Faculty Only)

Imagining Possibilities: Social Practice as a Pedagogy of Care

Friday, November 18, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EDT

Click here to register: https://tinyurl.com/4222x8j5

In this workshop, participants will hear from artist-researchers Heather Huggins, Assistant Professor of Theatre at QCC and Dr. Tania Alice, a Professor of Performance Art at Federal 

 

 

 

 

University of the State of Rio de Janeiro. They will share social practices at the intersection of performance and mindfulness, along with concrete examples from their research applying these 

practices in their campus communities. Attendees are invited to experience these practices for themselves by engaging in embodied practice, reflection, and discussion.

 

PLEASE NOTE:

All programming will be held virtually for Fall 2022.

Recordings will be available on the KHC website: https://khc.qcc.cuny.edu/recordings/

 

Visit the Education page of the KHC website at https://khc.qcc.cuny.edu/education/ for a complete listing of our comprehensive library guides and to view recorded events from our past

NEH colloquia.

 

 

Queensborough Performing Arts Center (QPAC)

 

August 25, 2022 – December 16, 2022

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

Virtual reenactments of classic novels and plays, historic events, and dramatic readings. This is 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 where classes can be invited.

 

THE SUBMISSION PROCESS IS ON-GOING:

• 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.

CREATIVE SERVICES

 

Small Mouth Sounds

In-person theatre has returned to Queensborough! The Department of Speech, Communication and Media Production’s fall production is Small Mouth Sounds. Set at a silent retreat, six characters in search of stillness arrive at a wellness center hoping to quiet the inner cacophony that has led them to sign up for a five-day break from their smartphones and small talk. Promotional collateral for the show includes original artwork, flyers, posters, banners and social media and the College’s new digital signage. The show runs from Tuesday, November 22 through Friday, December 2. Attached is a poster featuring original artwork designed by Creative Services.

 

October is Advisement Month

The Division of Marketing & Communication continues to support our Student Affairs offices with advisement and registration communications through October and into November. Additionally, the 

office will be conducting further Signal Vine training for administrative offices on Friday, October 28. To schedule a refresher, please email Angelica May at amay@qcc.cuny.edu.

 

Undergraduate Research Day

The Division of Marketing & Communication is supporting student research and success by assisting the Office of Academic Affairs in promoting this year’s Undergraduate Research Day, which will take place on Friday, Dec. 2 in the Student Union from 10AM – 3PM. This event is a showcase of faculty-mentored undergraduate research efforts across the disciplines at the College. It provides an opportunity for faculty at Queensborough to showcase the range and depth of the research projects in which they engage our students. The conference gives undergraduate students an opportunity to present their research activities in various fields.