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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Dear LaGuardia Community,
As part of our follow-up to our successful Middle States reaccreditation and mindful of our on-going recruitment and retention challenges, I am pleased to invite you to consider taking part in a new planning process that will help us develop and launch three key initiatives to enhance student success and support LaGuardia faculty and staff: Advising; Guided Pathways; and Professional Development. Three new "Priority Initiatives Planning Teams" will work collaboratively to assess existing conditions, identify best practices, and draft plans for the implementation of the initiatives. Advising will be co-chaired by Dr. Billie Gastic Rosado and Dr. Fay Butler; Guided Pathways will be led by Sunil Gupta and Dr. Eric Hofmann; Professional Development will be co-chaired by Marta Clark and Assuanta Howard. We will share more specific information about these initiatives soon; this note today is simply intended to introduce this work. I hope that when you know more about the initiatives you will be tempted to volunteer for one of the three Planning Teams. I know everyone is busy. We promise to be considerate of your time and are grateful in advance to those of you who are able to participate.
Sincerely,
Kenneth Adams
President, LaGuardia Community College
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The New York Times: Employer Connections Help Students Enter Tech Careers
On November 7, The New York Times published an article about a new report from the Center for an Urban Future about CUNY's largely untapped potential to be "the city's largest and most equitable springboard into technology careers." Budget constraints have resulted in little investment in career development. A recommendation in the report is for the handful of successful but small programs that connect students to internship, apprenticeship and hiring opportunities—like LaGuardia's cybersecurity apprenticeship program with Mastercard—to be sharply expanded. The article closes with a quote from President Kenneth Adams urging CUNY to invest more resources in persuading more employers to offer internships and apprenticeships for its students. “It will take time and effort, but if we can get the connections right, we can lift people out of poverty into great careers in technology,” he said.
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President’s Society Students Engage with Donors and Alumni at Sponsored Reception
On Wednesday, November 2, the President’s Society Ambassadors of LaGuardia Community College and other current and past recipients of student aid met some of their generous funders and their friends for a reception in Manhattan. Thirty-six LaGuardia students and alumni gathered at the Colony Club, a New York City landmark since 1923, for an evening of conversation with almost 50 invited guests. The event was sponsored by a generous donor to the LaGuardia Community College Foundation. Other Board members and donors were also in attendance. One donor remarked that our students "have so much grit, perseverance and resiliency it’s inspiring.”
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Nicole Pascaretta Takes the Stage in “Spring Awakening”
As Broadway World reported in September, Nicole Pascaretta plays Ilse in the Theatre Program’s production of Spring Awakening, directed by Professor Stefanie Sertich. Originally from Michigan, Nicole moved to New York City in 2018, after earning a bachelor’s from Western Michigan University, to pursue her dream of performing on stage. She decided to take classes to improve her technical skills and enrolled in LaGuardia’s Music Performance program. Her vocal instructor, Professor Lisa DeSpain, encouraged her to audition for Spring Awakening. Nicole, age 31, says she’s learning a great deal from the experience and couldn’t be prouder of the cast and crew’s hard work and dedication. Spring Awakening runs November 10- 12 in the Little Theater, and tickets are available now.
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Support for Students through LaGuardia’s Neurodiversity Program
The Neurodiversity Program consists of trained student support assistants who specialize in working with issues pertaining to social interactions and self-esteem. The program serves students that identify with: Autism Spectrum Disorders including Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) and Asperger’s Syndrome, Social Anxiety Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) / Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Isolated and Stigmatized Individuals, Neurologically or Cognitively Impaired Individuals, and Auditory Processing Disorders other than deaf/ Hard of Hearing (HH). Learn more and refer students to the online intake form.
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LPAC’s Rough Draft Festival Marks Ninth Year with RD Workshops and Open Rehearsals
The Rough Draft Festival at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (LPAC), now in its ninth year, is introducing workshops and open rehearsals geared towards the LAGCC community to provide a closeup look at the artistic creative process. The first workshop/open rehearsal combo will be held on Mainstage on Thursday, November 10. From 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., dancer and choreographer Brian “Hallow Dreamz” Henry will introduce KRUMP (street style dance) as a tool for choreographing a theatrical scene. Then from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. an open rehearsal will be held for the play “Triggerman,” featuring fight choreography by Brian "Hallow Dreamz”. Attendees will get a behind-the-scenes peek at the process of staging a production. For more info and to RSVP, click here.
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LaGuardia’s Email is Transitioning to the Cloud
Information Technology (IT) is happy to announce that LaGuardia is transitioning from our current email system to Microsoft 365 (M365), a cloud-based email system that will significantly increase our ability to securely share and integrate files with Office 365 apps from a variety of devices. Among the many benefits to this upgrade:
- A much larger mailbox – Up to 100 times larger than the standard mailbox size.
- Cloud based email and calendars – Increased reliability and access.
- Increased Security – Features multi-factor authentication (MFA) and security tools.
All CUNY campuses are moving to Microsoft 365 and IT is working closely with CUNY/CIS to ensure an efficient transition. IT is projecting to have the new email system in place for faculty and staff during winter 2022-23.
Please check your emails regularly for more information about M365 benefits and the transition including what will change, what will stay the same, how the new system will work to your benefit, the availability of a comprehensive M365 web page, and progress updates.
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Faculty Spotlight: Joby Jacob
Joby Jacob is associate professor of biology. His research focuses on microbial diversity in Newtown Creek -- looking at how bacterial diversity in the creek changes over time, and in response to different factors such as pollution, sewage contamination, and attempts to remediate the pollution. He collaborates with fellow Natural Sciences faculty on this research: Drs. Ingrid Veras, Joshua Tan, Olga Calderon, and Holly Porter-Morgan. Dr. Jacob is also a transportation and environmental community advocate. He's part of a college group pushing for 29th Street next to the C-Building to be closed to traffic and made into an outdoor gathering place, which would be called the LaGuardia Community Greenway. He's also working with community-based organizations to get protected bike lanes installed on Skillman and Thomson Avenues, and is working with Community Board 11 (serving Bayside and several nearby neighborhoods) to get a network of bike lanes installed there.
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ELA Open House Nov. 15, 2 to 4 p.m. in the E-Atrium
The Education and Language Acquisition Department will host a Global Language and International Culture Day on Tuesday, November 15 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the E-Atrium. In addition to learning about ELA courses, the hundreds of languages and cultures represented at LaGuardia will be celebrated. Attendees are encouraged to wear cultural garb or proudly don their country's flag.
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Register Now for LaGuardia’s First CUNY-Wide Experiential Learning Conference
You're invited to LaGuardia’s first CUNY-Wide Experiential Learning Conference, where faculty and staff from thirteen CUNY campuses will present their work related to pedagogy, assessment, student experiences, career readiness, virtual Experiential Learning, among others. The conference will be held on Zoom and is free and open to all. The conference will be held Friday, November 18, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., featuring keynote speaker Dr. Dawn Michele Whitehead (pictured), Vice President of the Office of Global Citizenship for Campus, Community, and Careers at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). Please be sure to register by Friday, November 11.
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Phi Theta Kappa to host Health Wellness, & Resource Awareness Week
The week of November 14 will be packed with events and activities for students during Health, Wellness, & Resource Awareness Week, hosted by the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. The “Health, Wellness and Resource Fair” will be held on Wednesday, November 16 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the E-Atrium. Services to explore at the fair include LaGuardia CARES, Wellness Center, ASAP, Casa de las Americas, Center for Career and Professional Development, College Discovery, CREAR Futuros/BMEC, CUNY EDGE, Health Services Center, International Student Services, Nutrition and Culinary Management Program, LaGuardia Humanitarian Initiative, Library Services, Phi Theta Kappa, SGA Tutoring, Transfer Services, Veterans Resource Center, Women’s Center and LGBTQIA+ Safe Zone Hub, and Writing Center. Check out additional events here.
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CUNY-Wide Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil on November 18 at City College
Join us for the first ever CUNY-Wide Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil, hosted at City College. Through speakers and guests, we will honor the lives of those who were lost as a result of anti-transgender bigotry and violence and shed light on the experiences that transgender people face in their daily lives. We will also highlight the violence affecting the transgender community, especially communities of color. This event will feature speakers throughout CUNY, including LaGuardia’s Provost Billie Gastic Rosado, and The City College of New York’s President Vincent Boudreau. Our Keynote speaker will be Angel Flores, better known as Chiquitita (or Chiqui for short), a drag performer, event producer and visual artist. RSVP here.
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CUNY Fatherhood Academy Expands to Support Degree-Seeking Students
The Division of Adult and Continuing Education (ACE) is pleased to announce that LaGuardia’s CUNY Fatherhood Academy (CFA) has received additional funding from the CUNY Black Male Initiative to expand services to LaGuardia credit students. CFA helps young fathers between 18 and 30 who are unemployed or underemployed to earn a high school equivalency diploma while focusing on academic and personal success. The new CUNY Fathers Support Network (CFSN) will provide degree student fathers with socio-emotional support while encouraging the completion of credit bearing courses or accreditations leading to higher wages to better support their families. Students may be referred to CUNY Fatherhood Academy to discuss CFSN eligibility: Room C-225, (347) 840-0266 or fatherhoodacademy@lagcc.cuny.edu.
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LaGuardia Students to Begin Internships with NYDesigns Resident
NYDesigns and the Center for Career & Professional Development (CCPD) recently collaborated to provide eight LaGuardia matriculating students with internships at Priority Groups, a resident company in LaGuardia’s business incubator. CEO and co-founder Segun Olaniyi is a CUNY alum, having attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice to earn his bachelor's degree as well as a master's degree in public administration. Priority Groups is a service-based business focusing on home care services; medical, IT, and security staffing services; and janitorial/maintenance services. The interns, who were recruited by CCPD over the summer, are from varying degree programs including Business Administration, Business Administration/Healthcare management, Accounting, Liberal Arts: Social Science and Humanities, and Liberal Arts: Math and Science Applied Mathematics Option.
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LAGUARDIA IN THE HEADLINES | |
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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