"Campus Update" is a weekly e-newsletter published by LaGuardia's Division of Communications and External Affairs to provide news and information to the college community. | |
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LaGuardia Delegation Travels to State Capitol to Meet with Elected Leaders
On March 21, members of the LaGuardia community traveled to Albany to lobby for CUNY higher education budget priorities. Members of LaGuardia’s delegation included Kenneth Adams, President of LaGuardia; Manny Romero, Vice President for Communications and External Affairs; Nayelli Valencia Turrent, Chief of Staff; and Claudia Chan, Government Relations Manager. The group had the opportunity to meet with Assembly Member Catalina Cruz, Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Senator Michael Gianaris, Assembly Member Steven Raga, Senator Joseph Addabbo, Senator Kristen Gonzalez’ staff member, Assembly Member Patricia Fahy, and Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani. During the visit, President Adams thanked elected officials for their continued support of LaGuardia and CUNY and discussed enrollment, academic programs, and workforce development.
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LaGuardia Community College and Councilmember Julie Won Co-Host a Celebration of the Power of Women, March 24
The community is invited to join the Office of Councilmember Julie Won (26th District) and LaGuardia Community College/CUNY for a special event in honor of Women’s History Month. The event is scheduled 8:45 a.m.- 10:30 a.m., Friday, March 24, in the Poolside Café. CLICK HERE TO RSVP. This year’s theme, “Celebrating the Power of Women,” recognizes the selfless dedication, commitment to community service, and the hard work of eight women from the Queens community, including three honorees from LaGuardia. This year’s honorees (in alphabetical order) are: Claudia Baldonedo (above, left), Director of Youth Workforce Development Initiatives and Adjunct Associate Professor of Business Technology at LaGuardia; Adriana Beltran-Morelli, Deputy Director of Woodside on the Move; Judith Brown Fears, Community Coordinator with Community Capacity Development; Loretta Capuano-Vella (above, center), Director of the Student Information Center at LaGuardia; Courtney Crawford, Chief Executive Officer of Little Essentials; Pema Genkhang, Queens Regional Director with State Comptroller’s Office; Shahenaz Hamde, Program Director at Ravenswood Senior Center with HANAC; and Wen (Wendy) Ren (above, right), Financial Specialist with LaGuardia’s Budget Office.
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Provost Among Honorees of Greater NY Chamber of Commerce Women’s History Awards Reception
The Greater New York Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Women’s History Awards Cocktail Reception on March 30 and recognizing seven members of the Greater New York community, including LaGuardia’s Provost Dr. Billie Gastic-Rosado, for her dedication and leadership in education and for her advocacy for equity and access to higher education. Other honorees include Cassandra Alvarez, Chief of Staff with the NYC Department of Veterans’ Services; Rachel Amar, Senior Advisor in OATH Commission; Jumoke M. Fagbayi-Butts, Sr. Vice President Business Consultant for JP Morgan Chase; Teresa Delgado, Dean and Professor at St. John’s University; Judge Rachel “Ruchie” Freier, Acting NYS Supreme Court Judge; and Joan McDonald, Director of Operations with Westchester County.
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Casa de las Américas Kicks Off Spring 2023 Programming
LaGuardia’s Casa de las Américas (La Casa) recently launched it schedule of events for Spring Semester 2023. On March 14, la Casa presented its first session of Support Circle for First-Generation College Students hosted by La Casa Student Ambassadors. On March 16, the academic research of Clubes de Ciencia (Science Clubs) Colombia (CdeC) was featured in an event titled, “Science for All: Tales of the Colombian Scientific Diaspora,” and was organized by Milena C. Cuéllar, professor of mathematics and a Carnegie National Faculty. A full list of upcoming events is available on La Casa’s webpage.
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Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Announces $5.5 Million in Funding for CUNY Colleges in Queens
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards held a press conference earlier this month at LaGuardia to announce $5.5 million in funding for several CUNY colleges in the borough. LaGuardia is receiving $2 million to support the modernization and expansion of training facilities for our students preparing to join New York’s frontline healthcare workforce. This is a tremendous contribution to our “3,000 Heroes” initiative, launched back in November, with funding secured by Council Member Julie Won and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, which aims to train and graduate 3,000 frontline healthcare workers by 2027.
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GOOD NEWS FROM GRANTS DEVELOPMENT | |
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Empire State Development Awards $200,000 to LaGuardia for Workforce Development Program in Film
Empire State Development (ESD) announced on March 17, that the LaGuardia Community College Film Training Program has been awarded $205,000 through the New York Entertainment Workforce Diversity Grant Program which was developed to incentivize job creation and training programs that support efforts to recruit, hire, promote, retain, develop, and train a diverse and inclusive workforce for New York’s motion picture and television industry. LaGuardia’s Film Training Program will serve 40 unemployed and underemployed individuals offering a three-pronged training program that will match participants’ skill set to existing job opportunities, align training to the needs of local regional employers, and embed counseling and advisement throughout the program. The program will run two cohorts of 20 students each focusing on training for entry level employment film production assistance in electrical, grip, or prop design. The training will take place across approximately 112 hours per cohort and will be in partnership with IATSE Local 52.
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Kelvin Ortiz Gets a Second Chance at LaGuardia to Make His Immigrant Family Proud
Paralegal Studies major Kelvin Ortiz, 23, came to LaGuardia Community College after an unsuccessful experience at a four-year college. Kelvin’s story is not uncommon for many college students who struggle at a four-year school; however, his experience not only impacted his academic future, but the relationship with his family. After finishing high school, Kelvin enrolled at Hunter College. However, he was academically dismissed after two semesters. Kelvin tried to hide his dismissal from his immigrant family from the Dominican Republic, who had pinned their hopes and dreams for a better future in America on him. Despite his efforts, Kelvin’s mother found out about his dismissal; he went on to spend three years working hard-labor jobs, until deciding to return to college. Kelvin, who aspires to become a lawyer, chose LaGuardia because of its Paralegal Studies major. Outside of the classroom, Kelvin has served as acting president of the Criminal Justice Club and works as a Student Ambassador for Casa de la Américas.
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Enter the We Are 1LaGuardia Artwork and Video Competition
As one community, LaGuardia celebrates and nurtures the free expression of each person’s identity, need, and talents. Have you ever wondered who you are? It’s a philosophical question that we’ve all asked ourselves at some time or another. It involves thinking about our own identity and its meaning. LaGuardia is giving students, faculty and staff the opportunity to answer the question: “Who Are You?” as part of a Campus Climate Project, funded through the City University of New York. The 1LaGuardia competition gives participants the opportunity to express themselves through art and video in the spirit of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion on the LaGuardia campus. Submissions will be accepted through April 7, 2023.
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Sign-up Today for March 30th Campus Blood Drive
The New York Blood Center has declared a blood emergency. Its supply is at a critical level. To address this community need, the New York Blood Center will hold a blood drive at LaGuardia on Thursday, March 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. To schedule an appointment to make a donation, click here or call (800) 933-2566. Each donation could save up to three lives. The blood drive, coordinated by Luz Ruyol of Health Services, will be held in the Poolside Café.
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LaGuardia Community Encouraged to Participate in DEI Women’s History Recognition
March is Women’s History Month, and LaGuardia Community College is recognizing women from across campus. Women from the LaGuardia community who wish to be featured on the DEI Instagram page can submit their photo and information here. To learn more, visit the DEI website or contact Wendy Nicholson, Executive Director of DEI at wnicholson@lagcc.cuny.edu.
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Set Up Multi-Factor Authentication for M365 This Week
Our new cloud-based email system, Microsoft 365 (M365) will be launched on or around April 5. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), required in advance of M365, is now available to all faculty and staff. Please complete this step as soon as possible before the end of this week.
MFA helps protect you by adding an additional layer of security, making it harder for attackers to log in as you. Your information is safer because attackers would need access to both your password and a code or authorization from your device or cell phone. If the wrong code or no code is entered, your M365 email and Microsoft Office 365 account cannot be accessed.
To learn how to set up MFA using a free version of the Microsoft Authenticator mobile app and more about the M365 launch, visit the Microsoft 365 website or laguardia.edu/m365. Please look out for future IT email and Campus Update notifications and announcements which will provide you with more information and links to set up MFA using Authenticator.
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EDUROAM Now Available to CUNY Faculty, Staff and Students
CUNY now offers free, secure Wi-Fi access via eduroam at campus and Central Office hotspots. CUNY students, faculty and staff can configure an eduroam wireless network connection on their devices to access the internet through an eduroam Wi-Fi hotspot at CUNY or anywhere else in the world. Visitors from other institutions participating in eduroam can access the internet through CUNY eduroam Wi-Fi hotspots as well.
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LAGUARDIA AND WAGNER ARCHIVES | |
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LaGuardia Students Researching the 1986 Gay Rights Bill
LaGuardia and Wagner Archives is supporting faculty and student research on the 1986 Gay Rights Bill, passed by New York City Council to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in housing, employment, and public accommodations. Students are researching the City Council Collection at the Archives for primary source material that will contribute to curriculum for New York City public high schools, a Wikipedia page, and an online exhibit. In this photograph, students working under the supervision of Political Science Professor Nichole Shippen are researching community organizations in New York City that both supported and opposed the bill. Pictured: LGBTQ Student Fellows researching documents at LaGuardia and Wagner Archives with Political Science Professor Nichole Shippen (left) and Archives Historian Stephen Petrus (center).
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LAGUARDIA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER | | |
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Latest Updates from LaGuardia’s Library
- Construction Update: The Thomson Reading Room on the second floor is now accessible by elevator.
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Did you know we have a display of Faculty publications? Check it out right outside the Library in the E Atrium, or access it here.
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Students can borrow Chromebooks, ipads, calculators, and laptops from the Media Help Desk. Chromebooks available for loan for the entire semester.
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CUNY students, staff, and faculty are eligible for free digital subscriptions to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
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LaGuardia Professor Receives BRES Fellowship
Justin Brown, Assistant Professor of Health and Sciences, was recently awarded a Black, Race, and Ethnic Studies (BRES) Research Faculty Fellowship in the amount of $2,000 for his project, “Educational Policy Impacts on Black Queer Folks Pursuing BRES Graduate Education: Intersectional Policy Analysis & Potential Determinants of Health Repercussion.” The award was presented by the BRES Collaboration Hub at the CUNY Graduate Center. Dr. Brown is also the Community Health Program Director at LaGuardia and serves as the first Black Executive Director of the Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS). He is a co-principal investigator of the Black, Race and Ethnic Studies Initiative funded Jumpstarting the Black and Latinx Emerging Scholars Pipeline project. Brown addresses BIPOC LGBTQI+ youth health inequities through intersectional, culturally responsive PAR. Currently, his work explores the impact of social policies on public health infrastructures and implementation of science practice. Previously, Dr. Brown was Deputy Director of the CUNY Institute for Health Equity and was Program Director for one of the only national social service agencies dedicated exclusively to working with BIPOC LGBTQI+ youth. Brown completed his graduate training at CUNY (Graduate Center, School of Public & Health).
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Commercial Photography Professor Maureen Drennan’s Work Exhibited at the Museum of the City of New York and JFK Terminal 4
Maureen Drennan, associate professor of commercial photography, is one of 32 artists featured in a new exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York through August 27, 2023. The exhibit, New York Now: Home invites viewers to see the city they thought they knew through fresh perspectives. The exhibit includes five works from Drennan’s time in Broad Channel, Queens. She began photographing the community in 2012, several months before Hurricane Sandy devastated the community; many lost their homes and possessions. Beginning on March 29, the exhibit will have an extension at JFK Terminal 4, featuring images by Professor Drennan and two other photographers.
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Inaugural Gathering of CUNY Mindfulness & Contemplative Studies Open to All
CUNY Mindfulness & Contemplative Studies (CMCS) is organizing a gathering on Friday, March 24 for faculty who are interested in building community around contemplative practice, research, and pedagogy. The program will include time for shared practice, brief presentations of a few current projects, and breakout sessions to exchange ideas, experiences, and aspirations. While this event will focus on the faculty perspective, all are welcome, as the CMCS seeks to foster a broadly inclusive contemplative culture that supports all members of the CUNY community. We look forward to welcoming you there! Please register to attend.
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Students Receive Warm Welcome (and Hot Breakfast) to Start the Spring Semester
On Wednesday, March 15, President Kenneth Adams and Interim Associate Dean Dr. Fay Butler were joined by several LaGuardia staff members to welcome students to the new semester and serve up breakfast favorites.
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Neurodiversity Program and BMEC Launch Weekly Discussion Group for Male Identifying Students
The Man Cave is a new group for men/ male identifying persons to get together each week to discuss common problems and how to resolve them through shared experiences. The goal of The Man Cave is to help guys experience more personal growth, success, and satisfaction as LaGuardia students. The Man Cave is presented by the Neurodiversity Program and BMEC of the Student Affairs Division. Please contact Linden Isles or Matthew Joffe for more information.
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Spring Fest to Welcome NYC Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams
Campus Life and Casa de las Americas is hosting Spring Fest: Student Clubs, Service Learning & Civic Engagement Fair on Wednesday, March 29, from 12- 4:30 p.m. in the Gymnasium. Special Guest Jumaane D. Williams, NYC Public Advocate, (former NYC Council Member 2010-2019), will be coming at 12:30 p.m. to provide remarks to student leaders. Legacy Women will also be in attendance to kick off the musical performances. Special thanks to the Film Club for creating the Spring Fest video. Please contact Campus Life at campuslife@lagcc.cuny.edu if you have any questions.
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Students Can Win $1,000 Tuition Credit Raffle at Financial Aid Awareness Day
Student Financial Services invites students to attend Financial Aid Awareness Day on Wednesday, March 29 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the C-Building Lobby. Financial aid representatives will be available to review accounts and provide 2023-2024 FAFSA and NYS Tuition Assistance Application assistance. There will also be representatives from: LaGuardia CARES, ASAP, College Discovery, Bursar, and Veterans Services. Multiple raffle prizes will be featured, including the Grand Prize of $1,000 Fall 2023 Tuition Credit; drawing to be held at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday March 29, 2023. Registration is required to be entered into the Grand prize raffle.
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Important Information About Filing Taxes
It is very important that members of the LaGuardia community—especially students and their families —who are eligible for the EITC to file their tax returns and receive these benefits in addition to any refunds they get. The good news is that the LaGuardia CARES team, in collaboration with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, offers free weekly virtual tax preparation for students, faculty, staff, and the general public until April 13th.
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LAGUARDIA IN THE HEADLINES | |
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Thursday, March 23
Friday, March 24
Saturday, March 25
Monday, March 27
Tuesday, March 28
Wednesday, March 29
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"Campus Update" is produced and published by the Communications and External Affairs Division. Faculty and staff who wish to submit items for publication can Share a Story or send an email to CampusUpdate@lagcc.cuny.edu. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. Monday to be considered for publication on Wednesday. |
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