News from LaGuardia Community College |
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LaGuardia’s American Sign Language-English Interpretation Program (AEIP) held its commencement event on June 30. Professor John Collins, director of our Deaf Studies program, organized the celebration and emceed the festivities in American Sign Language (ASL). LaGuardia interpreters translated for hearing members of the audience and for guest speakers who didn’t know ASL, like me. Launched in 1997, AEIP is a one-of-a-kind program in our region that prepares deaf as well as hearing students to become sign language interpreters in NYC public schools. There are approximately 2,400 deaf and hard-of-hearing students in New York City K–12 schools, and, you guessed it, there are not nearly enough ASL interpreters to serve them, making it hard for many of them to derive the full benefits of their educations. Unfortunately, just when we should be expanding this program budget constraints are forcing us to cut it back. I don’t like to hijack this newsletter to make pitches for specific programs, but in this case I must: If you or someone you know would consider supporting LaGuardia’s programs for deaf and hard-of-hearing students please let me know.
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The Challenge of Students “Stopping Out” |
I recently had a call with James Barron of The New York Times about a troubling post-pandemic phenomenon affecting college enrollment – students quitting school, or not enrolling in the first place, to work. Some are attracted to rising wages in service sector jobs. Others had frustrating online experiences during Covid and are burnt out on school. In his article Barron profiles a recent LaGuardia grad, Nicholas Figueroa, who chose Chuck E. Cheese over Queens College – for now, at least. Nico’s story is part of a larger labor market conundrum here in NYC this summer: The unemployment rate for New Yorkers aged 18-24 reached a staggering 19% in the first quarter of this year. Under those conditions CUNY community colleges should see lines out the door. But enrollment is still way down. Are young people opting out of school and work? Or are they finding jobs, as Nico did, and their status is not yet picked up in employment data? If you have a guess please drop me a line.
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Taking a Stand to Clean Up our Neighborhood |
A scorching July Friday is an absolutely lovely time to rally a group of caring neighbors by a stagnant, rancid creek while diesel-belching garbage trucks careen down the street you’re trying to meet on. You should have been there. We were! Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, NYC City Council Member Julie Won, and NYS Assembly member-elect Juan Ardila and I took part in a press conference to sound the alarm about the deteriorating shoreline along the Dutch Kills Tributary of Newtown Creek, which runs behind LaGuardia. Large chunks of a retaining wall surrounding the creek have collapsed -- adding pollution to the waterway, creating dangerous instability in the adjacent roadway on 29th Street, and making it difficult for students and faculty involved in research projects and cleanup efforts at the Superfund Site to safely access the tributary. Never mind the Fishing Club. The Newtown Creek Alliance has developed a plan, with the help of our President’s Society Environment students, to rehabilitate the area and improve access to Dutch Kills. Now we’re hoping for assistance from the MTA, the NYC Dept. of Transportation, and the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation to address these conditions and transform the area into a public space that benefits the LIC community.
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LaGuardia STEM Graduates Well Prepared to Meet Needs of Leading Employers |
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education recently featured our Mastercard cybersecurity apprenticeship program in an article about the urgent need to fill job openings in STEM disciplines. Dr. Dionne Miller, associate dean for academic affairs, spoke with Diverse about how our program will demonstrate to this Fortune 500 company, and other major employers, that LaGuardia students are capable of filling entry-level roles in cybersecurity and other areas. Our Mastercard collaboration has become a model for other STEM fields. We have similar partnerships in the works for programming and software developer jobs.
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Amtrak Passengers Greeted by LaGuardia Professor’s Installation |
Next time you’re in Penn Station be sure to check out LaGuardia Fine Arts Professor Dahlia Elsayed’s work on display there. Professor Elsayed was selected as part of a new program, Art at Amtrak, that showcases compelling visual works to the thousands of visitors and commuters who pass through Penn each day. You can check out Professor Elsayed’s installation, “Parallel Incantations,” in the new (and glorious) Moynihan Train Hall, Amtrak’s home at Penn Station, through mid-September. |
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Summer Youth Employment Program in Full Swing |
Under the firm hand of the incredible Claudia Baldonedo, LaGuardia’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), housed in our Adult and Continuing Education division, is back in business. Over 3,000 adolescents and young adults from across the city are receiving job training and employment opportunities this summer at LaGuardia. Now in our 34th summer, SYEP at LaGuardia is one of the oldest and largest job training programs for young people in Queens. And thanks to a grant of $4.6 million from the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, this year we are serving younger youngsters. Teens aged 14 and 15 are receiving stipends for project-based learning on topics like active citizenship and restorative justice. Our program’s success is due to our strong partnerships with organizations committed to supporting New York City youth, excellent staff, and Claudia’s dedication and leadership. By the way, Claudia has overseen SYEP at LaGuardia since its inception in 1988 -- that’s 34 summers without a day at the beach.
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