QView #186 | September, 24

Latin GRAMMY Award nominee Juan Fernando Velasco played to a sold-out crowd on September 14, when the Kupferberg Center for the Arts launched its fall season.

Students explored their overseas educational opportunities at the Study Abroad Fair on Wednesday, September 18. This winter, students can take courses in Asia, Australia, and Europe; subjects range from culture, history, film, and food, to, predictably, foreign languages.

That night over Zoom, the Center for Jewish Studies presented “Jewish Culture and Community in North Africa through the Lens of Judeo-Arabic.” Lecturer Ofra Tirosh-Becker (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) is a scholar of Judeo-Arabic, an ethnolect that was used throughout the Arabic-speaking world and was the basis for a thriving press in North Africa.

From left: Vice President for Communications and Marketing and Senior Advisor to the President Jay Hershenson, CUNY University Associate Provost for Careers and Industry Partnerships Lauren Andersen, President Frank H. Wu, Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Patricia Price, and Associate Provost for Innovation and Student Success Nathalia Holtzman

Lauren Andersen, CUNY University Associate Provost for Careers and Industry Partnerships, toured the campus on Thursday, September 19. She met with college officials leading programs to help students develop workplace skills. obtain internships, and access employment opportunities in their academic fields.

Like the Borough of Queens, which is famed for the diversity of its cuisine, QC is trying to offer something for everyone, as you can see in this video. Right now, between the dining halls and the food trucks, the menu includes Chinese food, Halal and Kosher options, and premade salads and sandwiches. The latest mailer from CFO Joseph Loughren itemizes what’s available and what’s coming soon.

Speaking of eats, the Flavored Food and Wine Festival, held on campus on Saturday, September 21, as a fundraiser for the Pearls and Ivy Foundation of Queens, attracted local gourmets. Seen here, from left: Arts and Humanities Interim Dean Simone Yearwood and New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. Pearls and Ivy runs a youth leadership academy and awards scholarships, among other initiatives.

Students took to the Quad for QC's annual Fall Festival; some climbed the wall, others enjoyed carnival rides.

Monthly Harvest

The Knights Table, QC’s food pantry, holds Harvest Fest during free hour on the first Wednesday of every month during the school year. On these dates, QC and CUNY students who experience food insecurity can receive a bag of fresh produce of their choice. In September, more than 200 students were served, assisted by 15 volunteers. Weather permitting, next month’s Harvest Fest will take place outdoors on Wednesday, October 9. The rain location is the Dining Hall. 

Ray Leads Cross Country Team with Third-Place Finish; Men’s Soccer, Women’s Tennis Earn Victories

Men’s cross country runner John Ray took home third place in a crowded field of 168 competitors to lead the Knights at the Golden Eagles Invitational in Bethpage on Saturday. Ray finished the 8k race in a time of 26:22.4. On the women’s side, Rachel Mow also had an impressive performance, placing seventh out of 162 runners in the 6k race with a time of 20:31.7.

The women’s tennis team, coming off a season in which they advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, picked up where they left off in their 2024 season-opening match last Saturday. The Knights topped Molloy University, 7-0, winning every match in straight sets.

The men’s soccer team opened up the conference portion of their schedule with a convincing 4-1 victory over Roberts Wesleyan University on Saturday. Harry Cooke led the Knights with two goals, while Carlos Almeida added two assists.

This week, women’s soccer will host Pace University on Tuesday at 6 pm and visit D’Youville University on Saturday at 3:30 pm. Men’s soccer welcomes Chestnut Hill College on Thursday at 7 pm and travels to D’Youville on Saturday at 1 pm. Women’s volleyball entertains Holy Family University on Wednesday at 5 pm and Georgian Court University on Friday at 7 pm, before traveling to Roberts Wesleyan on Sunday at 12 pm. Last, men’s tennis will open its fall season with matches at the Fordham Invitational beginning on Friday.

John Chin Named Interim Dean of AAARI

John J. Chin, professor of urban policy and planning at Hunter College, has been appointed interim dean of the Asian American/Asian Research Institute (AAARI), which reports to Queens College. Chin will report to Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Patricia Price. A search for the permanent dean will be conducted over the coming year. Diana Pan, who served as the institute’s interim executive director in 2023-24, has resumed her position at Brooklyn College as associate professor of sociology.

“As we seek permanent leadership for AAARI, John will be an exemplary steward of its mission, particularly as it relates to immigrant-led community advocacy and public policy affecting immigrant worker health,” said President Frank H. Wu.

“We are thrilled that John Chin has assumed the role of interim dean of AAARI,” said Price. “He brings a welcome combination of academic heft and community-focused leadership experience, and we’re most fortunate to have him at the helm of this important CUNY-wide Institute.”

Chin holds a BA from Cornell University, an MS in Urban Policy Analysis from the New School for Social Research, and a PhD in Urban Planning from Columbia University. He was a member of the National Institutes of Health Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council and is currently the chair of the National Advisory Committee for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Health Policy Research Scholars Program. Prior to his academic career, he was a co-founder and deputy executive director of the Asian & Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS (now a federally qualified, New York City-based health center known as APICHA Community Health Center). Chin also worked in the NYC Office of the Comptroller and the NYC Commission on Human Rights.

Dollars for This Year’s Scholars

There is still time for students to apply for Queens College internal scholarships. But you have to act soon—the deadline is Tuesday, October 15.

Awards are available in amounts ranging from $250 to $2,500; most will be applied toward the Spring 2025 semester. Some scholarships require full-time standing. Most require students to have filed the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Two letters of recommendation are no longer necessary, although they can be submitted as additional endorsements.

For details about specific scholarships and their criteria, review the scholarship list and application page.



Recipients will be notified of any awards through their QC email account.

Think Tank Thinks Highly of QC

Third Way, which describes itself as a policy institute that advocates for progressive solutions focusing on economic, social, and national security challenges, rates QC highly for enhancing the earnings and economic mobility of alumni.

“The top reason students pursue higher education is to increase their employability and gain financial security,” notes Third Way in its report About Us | Higher Ed Metric Values. Therefore, using data from the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Census Bureau, the think tank examined the performance of more than a thousand higher education institutions by two metrics: Price to Earnings Premium and Economic Mobility.

In the Price to Earnings Premium—the net price the average student pays out of pocket to obtain an academic credential, relative to the additional amount they earn by attending that institution—QC placed in the top 1 percent of schools that were evaluated (14th out of 1634).

In the Economic Mobility Index, which measures how well institutions serve low-income students and provide them with a return on their investment, the college is in the top 2 percent of the pool (27th out of 1354 institutions). Better than three-quarters of the top 25 schools on the Economic Mobility Index were public, with New York and California particularly well represented.

Rising in the Ranks



Three Queens College Public Safety officers—Cyrus Dieudonne, Yasmin Maldonado, and Paul Sookram—have been promoted to the rank of sergeant. (Public Safety is in the division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.)

Cyrus Dieudonne

Yasmin Maldonado

Paul Sookram

Dieudonne was born and raised in Jacmel, Haiti. Recipient of a degree in criminal justice from Kingsborough Community College, he began his law enforcement career there in 2014. As a community affair liaison officer, he bridged the gap between the Office of Public Safety and the college community. Dieudonne transferred to QC two years ago because he was smitten with the campus dynamic and the environment. “Queens College is one of the most beautiful campuses in CUNY,” he says. “The students are amazing, and I love the diversity.” He has received numerous honors, including the Meritorious Service Medal.

Maldonado, who holds an associate’s degree from Kingsborough Community College, worked in multiple capacities before feeling called to join Public Safety at QC. She was an admissions counselor and recruiter at Kingsborough Community College, attaining a supervisory role, and a college office assistant and college laboratory assistant at CUNY. A trained emergency medical technician who speaks Spanish as well as English, she has been recognized for her leadership during medical emergencies, special events, and outstanding engagement in providing service to the college community.

Sookram, who started at Queens College in 2000 in contracted security roles, has studied at Queensboro Community College. Over more than two decades, he passed exams and gained experience that enabled him to move back and forth between QC and New York City College of Technology, assuming increased responsibilities with each transition. Sookram returned to Queens College in 2016. “With the skills I have acquired throughout CUNY, it is my goal to use them in serving the Queens College community,” he says.

Mellon Grant Supports Archival Internships

Through a Mellon Foundation grant awarded to Faculty Organizing for Community Archives Support (FOCAS)—a collaborative drawn from nine universities in the United States and Canada—the Graduate School of Library and Information Studies (GSLIS) will receive over $500,000 to support internships at the Lesbian Herstory Archives, the WFMU Radio Archive, the LGBT Center Archive, Interference Archive, and other community archives. 

The three-year program, funded by Mellon’s Public Knowledge program, will place archival studies students as interns in community archives. The project will also support curricular development, directly fund community archives for their services and expertise, and fund student participation in conferences and professional associations.

“GSLIS has always been the library school of the people’s university in New York,” says James Lowry (GSLIS). “This grant continues that work by redistributing resources and know-how between our school and our communities. The grant funds our students for their work, supports community archives, and will feed into the critical reorientation of our curriculum.” 

In 2022, FOCAS was formed of faculty from University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Washington, the University of Arizona, City University of New York, McGill University, the University of British Columbia, Dominican University, East Carolina University, and University of Chicago’s Black Metropolis Research Consortium, which will be working with students from Chicago State University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Murphy Institute Helps Union Workers Advance Their Careers

If you are a Queens College student and a union, school, or daycare worker, then you have access to several free services that can enhance your college experience and set you up for success—courtesy of the Murphy Institute for Worker Education at Queens College.

Whether you are a new student needing help with admission or a current student needing academic support, the Murphy Institute can help. It partners with unions, community-based organizations (CBOs), employers, and other CUNY units to provide adult learners with free services such as union tuition benefits information, workshops to support student success, writing tutoring, academic advisement and career counseling, teacher certification preparation workshops, guidance with graduate school applications, and much more.

The Murphy Institute serves a number of prominent unions. They include but are not limited to:

1. United Federation of Teachers (UFT)
2. The Communication Workers of America (CWA), Local 1180
3. 1199 SEIU Health and Hospital Care Workers
4. The Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA)
5. District Council 37 (DC37)
6. The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)
7. The Retail, Wholesale, and Department Stores Union (RWDSU)

History

The institute’s roots trace back to 1984 when it was first established at Queens College in collaboration with three New York City labor unions, offering courses and programs in labor and urban studies. In 2005, it was named in honor of Joseph S. Murphy, an advocate for labor and worker education who served as Queens College president and CUNY chancellor. The institute grew into the newest school in the university, the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLU), in 2018. The Murphy Institute remained within the new school to collaborate with other CUNY units and to expand higher education opportunities to union members and adult learners. Throughout these transitions, the Murphy Institute for Worker Education has been an active hub for union members and adult learners studying at Queens College.

How to Access Murphy Institute Services

Those who are interested in using the services of the Murphy Institute at Queens College should complete this form. For more information, call 718-997-3060, email workered@qc.cuny.edu or visit the Murphy Institute webpage.

Hall of Science Hosts STEMocracy Festival

STEMocracy—the interaction of STEM and democracy—is the theme of a Climate Week festival running at the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) through Saturday, September 28. Events include a panel on local efforts to combat climate change; the debut of an immersive rainforest installation; and screenings of Films for the Forest, a juried international collection assembled by the Rainforest Partnership. On closing day, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards will host his annual Climate Expo. Attendees can learn ways to make their property more resilient, find a new job, or be a part of Queens' green revolution.

The Whole Schmear

New York BagelFest–, now in its fifth year, is being held in Queens for the first time, sponsored by King Arthur Baking Company. Nearly four dozen purveyors of bagels and related products will showcase their wares at Citi Field’s Piazza 31 Club on September 28 from 10 am to 4 pm; fans of the iconic local specialty may be surprised by the participation of bakers from beyond New York. Panel discussions, competitions, tastings, family-friendly games, and live entertainment are on the menu, too.

Cheryl Ann Fellers ’78

Cheryl Ann Fellers, director of the Equal Employment Opportunity Office for North Carolina’s Department of Corrections, died on September 4, a day before her 78th birthday.

An education major at QC, Fellers began working for North Carolina after moving there in the 1980s. She held positions with the Department of Human Resources and Division of Aging before joining the Department of Corrections in 1999, retiring 11 years later.

In addition to serving on the state’s Human Relations Commission, Fellers was a member of the American Correctional Association, the Women Working in Corrections Association, and the North Carolina Association of Human Rights Workers. During her distinguished career, she accumulated numerous honors, including the Old North State Award from Governor Beverly Perdue in 2010; Women Working in Corrections and the North Carolina Correctional Association recognized Fellers for outstanding professional services.

She is survived by her sisters, two daughters and stepdaughter, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, extended family members, and many friends.

Clifford Pearlman

Lawyer and social investment advocate Clifford Pearlman died on August 1. He was 79.

Born on Long Island and raised in Queens, Pearlman graduated from QC and Yale Law School. He focused on finance and real estate for almost a decade, becoming a partner in the real estate practice at law firm Pepper, Hamilton & Scheetz, now known as Troutman Pepper. 

Seeing another use for his skills, he left that firm to co-found the Conservation Company—eventually renamed the TCC Group—a consultancy that creates strategic philanthropy and social investments for foundations, nonprofits, and companies. Pearlman took pride in connecting clients that wanted to make a difference to those in need of funding for social justice projects. “But it’s like any other business,” he told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “You’re only as good as your last deal.”

Retiring in 1999, Pearlman had more time to play sports, go hiking, prepare wonderful meals, and make recycled art. A long-term Philadelphia resident, he patronized local food entrepreneurs and farmers markets and is remembered for giving generous tips to takeout establishments during the pandemic.

Pearlman is survived by his wife, two sons, and grandson. 

Mark Podwal ’67

Mark Podwal, a doctor who attained international fame for his art, much of it on Jewish themes, died on September 13. He was 79.

Podwal grew up in Queens; his father owned a bar and his mother, a Polish immigrant, was a homemaker. After learning that her brother David died in Treblinka, she had a nervous breakdown, causing her to be hospitalized for the rest of her life. “I’ve been told that my Uncle David drew very well,” Podwal told the New York Jewish Week in 2016. “I’d like to believe that my talent in art is a gift to his memory.”

Podwal’s aptitude manifested itself in childhood, but he never attended art classes. At his parents’ behest, he majored in biology and went to medical school at New York University, choosing a specialty—dermatology—that would leave him time to draw. He published his first book, The Decline and Fall of the American Empire, a collection of political cartoons, during his internship. That project led to assignments for the New York Times and the launch of his parallel career.

While practicing medicine, Podwal illustrated books by Elie Wiesel, Maurice Sendak, and himself; created posters for Metropolitan Opera productions; and designed textiles, Torah covers, and even a mosaic floor for synagogues around the world. With its distinctive visual vocabulary, his work was collected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, Vatican Pontificia Università, Israel Museum, Yad Vashem, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Munich Stadtmuseum, Carnegie Museum, and the Jewish Museums in Prague, Berlin, Vienna, Stockholm, and New York. Some of his most personal drawings were inspired by a 2016 visit to his mother’s hometown in Poland, Dąbrowa Białostocka, at the invitation of its mayor. Podwal completed 18 images evoking the majority Jewish community and its eradication in World War II. (The letters of the Hebrew alphabet have numerical values; the word for life, chai, adds up to 18.) He also painted a mural on the town’s high school, at the request of a local teacher.

Podwal is survived by his wife and two sons.

Hacks, an HBO comedy series for which Carol Leifer ’78 is a writer and co-executive producer, won multiple Emmys. The honors include Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. Among other credits, Leifer previously wrote for the eponymous series starring QC alumnus Jerry Seinfeld ’76 . . . . ACSM’s Joel Mandelbaum and Ed Smaldone composed some of the repertoire that will be performed by the Alegria Trio on Thursday, September 26, at 12:15 pm in LeFrak Hall. For those who cannot attend in person, the program will be livestreamed here.