March 2025

Queens College is a truly remarkable community, and I enjoy working with and meeting alumni. Last month, I had the opportunity to do both at a wonderful brunch the Office of Institutional Advancement and Alumni Relations organized in Pompano Beach, Florida. Queens College Foundation Chair Chaim Wachsberger ’73 joined college officials in speaking with our graduates and I’m especially grateful for his service to his alma mater. We also met with loyal alumni in different parts of the state who continue to support our current students with scholarships and more.

Kathy (McNally) Smith ’91 graciously hosted a cocktail reception for new and long-time supporters of Queens College at her home in Ocean Ridge, Florida. Kathy studied history and education as an undergraduate and went on to teach at Teaneck High School. She was a proud member of the tennis team and credits the team and the coaching staff for bringing her the most joy as a QC student.

QC faculty members routinely invite experts to campus to explain what students can do with their degrees. On the basis of a hybrid SEES colloquium on Wednesday, February 26, I conclude that geology careers rock! In person and over Zoom, engineer Eric Greppo and geologist Jean Patota from the New York State Board for Engineering, Land Surveying, and Geology talked about the work geologists do in New York, the organizations that hire them, and how and why to pursue the state’s professional geologist license.

At roughly the same time, the Study Abroad Fair drew students to Midway Court, where they learned about their many educational options overseas.

Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Jennifer Jarvis was among the honorees on February 27 when Schneps Media toasted this year’s Power Women of Queens. I thank all the award recipients for making this borough a better place and I congratulate them on their achievements.

From left: Interim AVP for Student Affairs Sean Pierce, Interim Director of Public Safety Lt. Deborah Huggins, Interim Arts and Humanities Dean Simone Yearwood, Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Jennifer Jarvis, me, Associate Professor of English and Academic Senate Chair Kevin Ferguson, Student Affairs Executive Assistant Irving Uribe

From left: Vice President for Communications and Marketing and Senior Advisor to the President Jay Hershenson, VP Jarvis, Chief Diversity Officer and Dean of Diversity Jerima DeWese

I want to warmly acknowledge the talented students who submitted work to the Presidential Suite Art Competition by the February 28 deadline. We’re reviewing the entries and will name a winner soon.

Ramadan began over the weekend, so I wish Ramadan Mubarak to the college’s Muslim community.

Congratulations to our men’s basketball team, who qualified for this week’s East Coast Conference (ECC) playoffs. The Knights finished the regular season with a record of 12-16 overall and 8-8 in the ECC, earning the #3 seed in the ECC Tournament.

QC will host Molloy University in the opening round on Wednesday, March 5, at 7 pm. Should they win, they would advance to the semifinals to take on St. Thomas Aquinas College on Saturday, March 8, at 7:30 pm. The finals will be held on Sunday, March 9, at 3:30 pm. The semifinal and final rounds will be held at Daemen College in Amherst, NY.

I encourage you to get out to FitzGerald Gymnasium to support the Knights in their playoff game on Wednesday. But if you can’t make it, you can watch the game live on the ECC Sports Network or on the ECC Network app.

I’m happy to report that Queens College was among the eight colleges nationwide that received an “A” rating on the latest Campus Antisemitism Report Card issued by the ADL. The report card reviewed 135 schools; Brooklyn College also received an “A”. These were the only colleges in the New York/New Jersey region to receive this letter grade. It is, as is so much of our efforts, both a reflection of the great efforts of the college community and a work in progress. 

There was a wide-ranging conversation with student journalists yesterday, during the Knight News Roundtable Luncheon. College officials discussed several initiatives underway and answered questions from the reporters who attended.

Since March is Women’s History Month, QC and CUNY are offering very worthwhile programs.

On Monday, March 10, at 7 pm, the annual Marjorie Hecht Watson Memorial Reading will feature Edwidge Danticat, author of Breath, Eyes, Memory; Krik? Krak!; and Brother, I’m Dying. (Matthew Watson established the reading series in memory of his wife, a member of the class of 1964 who was passionate about literature and labor justice.) The free hybrid event, cosponsored by the Queens College Foundation, School of the Arts, Department of English, and the MFA Program in Creative Writing and Literary Translation, will take place in LeFrak Concert Hall and over Zoom.

A week later—Monday, March 17, from 9 am to 3 pm—CUNY’s Career Compass for Women Leaders will hold a virtual conference, CUNY Means Business: Empowering Women to Thrive as Professionals. To attend, RSVP by Friday, March 14.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz will return to campus on March 19 at 6 pm for her annual Women's History Month celebration. Reservations are required for those who want to join us.

At Home with Queens College will mark Women’s History Month on March 27 at 4 pm by presenting “Women’s Liberation and the 1970s at Queens College” over Zoom. The speaker will be Caitlin Colban-Waldron, an archivist and special collections specialist in Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library. To attend, register here.

March is also Knights Give Back Month. The Office of Student Development and Leadership is asking for donations of new or gently used clothing, reusable bags, toiletries, and/or nonperishable food. Please bring items to the Knights Giving Room in Student Union LL50 on Wednesday, March 19, from 11 am to 3 pm. Materials will be distributed to the Knights Table and the Pomonok Community Center.

We are continuing our regular visits to Albany and meeting with legislators and their staffs as we seek improvements in the 2025-26 NYS Executive Budget for Queens College and the City University of New York. We are advocating for additional operating and capital aid to provide academic and student services enhancements as a wise investment in the quality of education we offer. The state budget is scheduled to be adopted by April 1.

We mourn the passing of Hazel Nell Dukes, the longtime leader of the New York State NAACP and indefatigable community activist. She was 92. Ms. Dukes was well known for her enduring commitment to racial and social justice. She was a recipient of the Queens College Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award presented in Colden Auditorium at the annual birthday celebration. Ms. Dukes was a frequent visitor and speaker at the college, most recently before Percy E. Sutton SEEK students, faculty, and staff at an event with the Chisholm Leadership Fellowship. We extend deepest condolences to her family and friends.

Dukes is seen here at the June 2023 Chisholm Leadership pinning ceremony.

From left: New York State Assembly Member Khaleel M. Anderson ’19, Aiden Nelson, Hazel Dukes

I’ll close by reminding students that Summer Session can help them reach their academic goals. As of today, Tuesday, March 4, classes are available to view in CUNYfirst; registration begins next Monday, March 10. Learn more about learning more this summer at www.qc.cuny.edu/summer. 

Spring will soon be here. I look forward to seeing you at our beautiful campus.