July 2025

It’s been five years since I began serving as Queens College president, long enough to give me some familiarity with the borough’s initially bewildering street grid and hyphenated addresses. It’s a big place; I still have plenty of neighborhoods to explore in the world’s borough. And, more important, I derive great pleasure and much invigoration from the college’s on-campus activities. It’s especially rewarding to participate in events marking the end of the academic year. I am grateful to all those who help to organize these vital parts of campus life. 

Outstanding students were recognized at the Baccalaureate Convocation on Tuesday, May 27. I had the privilege of presenting the President’s Medal, the college’s highest administrative honor, to distinguished alumnus Douglas Ress. A scholar-athlete at QC during the 1970’s, he was captain and MVP of the ice hockey team. Douglas is now a prominent lawyer and generous philanthropist, and a member of the Queens College Foundation. Thanks to all the staff who expertly organized this well-attended occasion.

The next day, during a symposium held at Rosenthal Library, Townsend Harris High School students presented research projects they completed during their spring Honors in the Humanities 102 course. Antonio Donato (Philosophy) delivered the keynote. I hope that some of these talented students will matriculate at QC to continue their education.

Commencement, on Thursday, May 29, was glorious, with more than 4,000 students celebrating their graduation among family and friends. We extended our collective gratitude to our world-class faculty and staff who assisted and guided graduates on their journey. I had the pleasure of conferring distinctions on eminent journalists Brent Staples and Errol Louis. Staples, a Pulitzer Prize-winner and longtime member of the New York Times editorial board, received an honorary doctorate; Louis, an Emmy Award-winner, columnist, and host of “Inside City Hall” on Spectrum NY1, received the President’s Medal and delivered the commencement address.

Brent Staples

Errol Louis

Before the ceremony, I enjoyed breakfast with members of the platform party.

Following Commencement, we organized two “thank you” meals—a breakfast and a lunch—to express appreciation to staff from all of the college offices that helped with the myriad details needed. I especially thank Stacey Romano and the Commencement Committee, which worked for many months to plan a highly successful graduation.

On Friday, May 30, QC resumed its Annual Mathematics Competition for High Schools. The event was old school: calculators were not permitted; scrap paper and pencils were supplied as needed. The contest attracted about 60 students from nine high schools and Elliot Gangaram (Mathematics), who organized it, is already thinking about 2026.

It’s easy to think of summer as a slower time on campus, but my calendar suggests otherwise.

The Office of Academic Affairs, led by Provost and Senior VP for Academic Affairs Patricia Price, held its annual Summer Plunge—a planning retreat—on Thursday, June 5.

That afternoon, I welcomed Priscilla Deleon, QC’s new Legal Counsel and Labor Relations Director, to campus. Administrators from multiple areas joined us for coffee.

From left: Manager of Governmental Relations Liza Marquez, Assistant Vice President of External and Governmental Relations Jeffrey Rosenstock, General Counsel Dennis Cohen, yours truly, Legal Counsel and Labor Relations Director Priscilla Deleon, Chief Diversity Officer and Dean of Diversity Jerima DeWese, CERRU Director Iyabo Oyweo-Hall, Chief Information Officer Troy Hahn

A little while later, The Curious Cabinet, a site-specific exhibition and performance drawing on items from the collection of the Godwin-Ternbach Museum, held its opening. I was sorry to miss it. Students in the Music, Studio Art, Photography, and Drama departments participated in the show. I congratulate Curious Cabinet’s creators, Drama, Theatre & Design faculty Meghan E. Healey and Aniko Szucs, and the Godwin-Ternbach Museum, the Aaron Copland School of Music, and the School of Arts on their rewarding, interdisciplinary collaboration.

QC was proud to host the CUNY Pridefest; this year’s festivities—featuring dancing, crafts, lawn games, and a fundraiser for the AIDS Center of Queens County—took place on Friday, June 6. Pridefest 2025 was made possible through the support of the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium in partnership with the New York City Council; Queens College; LaGuardia Community College; and CUNY. Cosponsors included the Offices of the Queens College President, Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, Queens College Health Services, the CUNY Office of Student Inclusion Initiatives, the CUNY Coalition for Students with Disabilities, and the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives at LaGuardia Community College. Additional support was provided by Queens College student clubs and organizations, including the Gender, Love and Sexuality Alliance (GLASA); the Alliance of Latin American Students (ALAS); the Hispanic Club; Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority; the Committee for Disabled Students; and the Queens College PRIDE Team. Last but not least, I want to acknowledge the efforts of Student Life Events Manager and LGBTQIAA+ Programs Coordinator JC Carlson.

I left the event for lunch with a family with a personal connection to QC. Chinese immigrants Eugene Liu (MA ’88, MPhil ’90, PhD ’93) and Hong Yang (MPhil ’93, PhD ’95) met on campus while working in chemistry labs and completed doctorates at the CUNY Graduate Center. Their daughter, Jenny Liu, commemorated their journey in a painting that I display in my office.

Next stop for me was the graduation for the Congressmember Shirley Chisholm Leadership Fellowship. In addition to celebrating the legacy of the fellowship’s namesake, the ceremony honored the memory of two legendary New Yorkers: local and national NAACP executive Hazel Dukes, and long-term Harlem Congressmember Charles Rangel. I was honored to participate in a superb program. Many thanks to Norka Blackman-Richards and Carmine Couloute, the fellowship’s co-directors, for their leadership in organizing the festivities.

In Manhattan that day, CUNY honored QC’s Federal Work-Study Coordinator Taungela Thompson. Under her leadership, three-quarters of our Federal Work-Study participants held roles in community service. With the highest such percentage in CUNY, QC helped the university win recognition from the National Partnership for Student Success for contributions to Community Service initiatives.

The Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Leadership (CETLL) presents fascinating programs. The latest one—Pedagogies of Place: A Faculty Development Workshop about Teaching at Queens, held June 10-12—deepened participants’ understanding of the college’s namesake and explored how engagement with local contexts can inform teaching practices. The workshop, open to faculty from any discipline, was organized and facilitated by CETLL, Lindsey Albracht (English), Eric Goldfischer (Urban Studies), Soniya Munshi (CETLL/Urban Studies) and Amy Wan (English); co-sponsored by the QC Library’s OER Initiative; and funded by a New York State Open Educational Resources Grant.

From left: Soniya Munshi, Lindsey Albracht, Eric Goldfischer, Amy Wan

Pedagogies of Place panelists, from left: Zani Simmons (Pomonok Center), Annie Tummino (Special Collections and Archives), Maria Pio (Godwin-Ternbach Museum)

Queens likes to think of Louis Armstrong as one of our own—he chose to settle here though he was born and raised in New Orleans. It was a special treat to escort Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League and former NOLA mayor, through the Louis Armstrong House Museum and Louis Armstrong Center on Saturday, June 14. He was joined by his wife, Michelle Miller, news anchor of “WCBS Saturday Morning”; Amsterdam News Publisher Elinor Tatum and her daughter Olive; jazz musician Calvin Johnson; and NYS Regent Hasoni L. Pratts. The visit is captured in this highlight video and in a second video, Morial shares his enthusiastic review.

As CUNY’s inaugural chief transformation officer, Rachel Stephenson (back, right, in white shirt) oversees multiple university programs, such as the Career Success Fellowships and the Constructive Dialogue Initiative. We discussed these and other projects after she toured campus on Tuesday, June 17 and met with faculty and staff. 

I learn much from talking to other college presidents. Jane Fernandes, president of Antioch College, visited QC on Tuesday, June 24. Fernandes is deaf and I was happy to inform her that QC offers classes in American Sign Language and that we visited the Lexington School for the deaf. Today, President Fernandes is leading an institution known for its social justice orientation. I know her from my time serving on the Board of Gallaudet University, which introduced me to the importance of the disability rights movement and the passage of the historic federal legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which ensures equality for all.

The next day, my guest was Hunter College President Nancy Cantor. President Cantor leads the President’s Alliance, which advocates for immigrant students. We work wonderfully together, including on issues relating to student success and important immigration matters impacted by national developments.

From left: Director of the President’s Office Stacey Romano, me, Hunter College President Nancy Cantor, Hunter College Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Manoj Pardasani, Hunter College Chief of Staff and Director of Operations Maria Camaj

Denese Gordon, interim assistant vice president for Facilities Planning and Operations, has worked at QC for more than 25 years, so she’s keenly familiar with campus. She took advantage of the cooler weather on Friday, June 25, to walk the grounds and meet staff who maintain the campus and work year-round on improvements to our facilities. We gave out water to help hard-working staff cool down.

CUNY’s roots go back to the mid-19th century. During “CUNY 101,” Jay Hershenson presented his perspective on its evolution from his experience as a former university-wide senior vice chancellor, CUNY Board of Trustees secretary, NYS Commission on Higher Education member, executive director of the Committee for Public Higher Education, and CUNY student trustee in the mid 1970’s. "CUNY 101" was a Brown Bag event on Monday, June 30, noon to 1 pm, in Kiely 1207.

I’ll close by offering warmest congratulations to two esteemed members of the QC community.

Distinguished Professor of English Kimiko Hahn has been named New York State Poet. This citation, established in 1985 by Governor Mario M. Cuomo and the State Legislature to promote poetry in New York, is awarded biennially under the aegis of the New York State Writers Institute. She will receive the Walt Whitman Citation of Merit for Poetry on Friday, September 26, in a ceremony at the University at Albany.

Simone Yearwood has been appointed, following a national search, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities after holding the interim title for two years. A triple graduate of QC, she previously served the college as associate dean and chief librarian. See mailer.

PS: Once again, Queens College is adding joy to summer by showcasing top musicians in free outdoor performances.

The Kupferberg Center for the Arts’ Live at the Gantries, a series in Gantry Plaza State Park, starts next Tuesday, July 8, at 7 pm. Live at the Gantries is presented in collaboration with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and with generous support from the Mathis-Pfohl Foundation.

The Queens Jazz Trail Concert Series—presented by Kupferberg Center for the Arts, Flushing Town Hall, and the Louis Armstrong House Museum, in Partnership with NYC Parks—is already under way in parks throughout the borough.

Have an enjoyable and productive summer!