QView #195 | February 11

Nourit Zimerman, who is teaching courses at QC on the modern history of Israel, joined administrators and faculty members for breakfast on Wednesday, February 5. She teaches law at Sapir Academic College in Israel.

From left: Vice President for Communications and Marketing and Senior Advisor to the President Jay Hershenson, Assistant Vice President for External and Governmental Relations Jeffrey Rosenstock, CERRU Director Iyabo Oyewo-Hall, President Frank H. Wu, Nourit Zimerman (Jewish Studies), Julia Sneeringer (History), Social Sciences Dean Kate Pechenkina, Peter Liberman (Political Science), American Council on Education ACE Fellow Danielle Egan

That afternoon, Club Day—held during free hour—gave students the opportunity to explore many of the diverse extracurricular activities on campus.

The CUNY Queens County Legislative Breakfast, an annual ritual for the borough’s lawmakers and CUNY campus administrators, took place on February 6 at Queensborough Community College. The discussions focused on improvements to the proposed 2025-26 New York State Executive Budget.

From left: Benjamin Lotto, communications director for Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani; Nomi Tinkelman, policy and advocacy director for New York City Council Member Tiffany Caban; CUNY Vice Chancellor for Government Affairs Jeff Rodus; Assembly Member David Weprin; CUNY Law School Dean Sudha Setty; Evelyn Li, constituent liaison/field representative for Congresswoman Grace Meng; Queensborough Community College President Christine Mangino; Queens College President Frank H. Wu; CUNY Senior Vice Chancellor for Strategy & Policy Implementation Sascha Owen; Queens Borough President Donovan Richards; New York State Senator Toby Stavisky; CUNY Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning, Construction & Management Mohamed Attalla; New York City Council Member Linda Lee; York College President Claudia V. Schrader; Queensborough Nursing Student and Student Government Vice President for Part-Time Students Jake Jacobo; Assembly Member Steven Raga; Neil Trivedi, Deputy Chief of Staff for Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar; LaGuardia Community College President Kenneth Adams

President Frank H. Wu took a turn at the podium.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards was among the elected officials in attendance.

Former Silicon Valley Bank CEO Kenneth Wilcox, author of the China Business Conundrum: Ensure That "Win-Win" Doesn't Mean Western Companies Lose Twice, gave a lecture at free hour on February 6. The book is drawn from Wilcox’s business experiences in China. President Frank H. Wu hosted the event.

From left: Eric Rosano (Accounting) and Kenneth Wilcox

Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus Morris Rossabi visited QC on Monday, February 10. He organized a talk, “China and Central Asia: An Expert Opinion,” featuring visiting scholar Parviz Mullojonov, a political scientist, historian, and author.  

From left: Interim Arts and Humanities Dean Simone Yearwood, Yan Sun (Political Science), Morris Rossabi (History), Parviz Mullojonov (Columbia University, Asian Studies), President Frank H. Wu, Social Sciences Dean Kate Pechenkina, Yunzhong Shu (Chinese), Vice President for Communications and Marketing and Senior Advisor to the President Jay Hershenson

Queens magazine is filled with stories about the college, its programs, and its remarkable alumni, including Jennifer Bisram ’04, reporter for CBS News New York, and Frank Fan Yu ’94, founding chief executive officer and chief investment officer of the Ally Bridge Group. 

Awaka’s 30 Points, 23 Rebounds Propels Women’s Basketball Team to Victory

Sophomore Nkiru Awaka recorded a career-high 30 points and 23 rebounds in a dominating performance as the Queens College women’s basketball team defeated Roberts Wesleyan University last Friday, 77-66. It was a key win for the Knights, who took a one-game lead for the sixth and final East Coast Conference (ECC) playoff spot.

The men’s basketball team also earned a thrilling win over Roberts Wesleyan on Friday night by a score of 73-72. Omar Nkonde hit the game-winning free throw with just seconds remaining to clinch the victory. The Knights sit in third place in the ECC standings with six games left to play.

As the winter sports enter the homestretch, the spring sports are just starting up. The men’s tennis team started the season off right last Friday, defeating Division I Hofstra University, 4-3.

This week, the women’s and men’s basketball team will be on the road to take on D’Youville University on Friday (6/7:45 pm) and Daemen University on Sunday (12/2 pm). Men’s tennis will host Long Island University on Friday at 1 pm, and the indoor track and field teams will compete in the ECC Championship on Sunday at 4 pm.

For the latest news and complete schedules, visit https://queensknights.com/.

Black History Month at QC

Queens College is observing Black History Month through art, a trivia game, and a pair of events exploring the topic of African Americans and labor.

All month, the Godwin-Ternbach Museum is exhibiting two paintings by John Hunter: Kimani Had a Gun (2012) and Reynoldo Meets the Man (2012). The Godwin-Ternbach featured Hunter’s work last year in a solo show that examined his identity as a gay Black man who is a Renaissance scholar, curator, author, and artist.

Think you know Black history? Compete for cash and gift cards in a trivia game on Wednesday, February 19, 12:15-1:30 pm in Student Union 126 (Faculty & Staff Lounge). Register here for the contest, presented by the Office of Student Development and Leadership, QC Caribbean Student Association, and Neon Entertainment.

Later that afternoon, QC Africana Studies, SEEK, and the Shirley Chisholm Leadership Seminar will co-sponsor Better Conditions for Everyone: The Lessons and Legacies of Black Labor Organizing, a community dialogue with Chris Smalls, co-founder and former president of the Amazon Labor Union. Better Conditions for Everyone will take place at 4:30 pm in Campbell Dome.

The following Monday, February 24, QC Africana Studies, SEEK, and the Chisholm Leadership Seminar will co-sponsor Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: Molly Moon and Laboring for the Cause of Civil Rights. The discussion will be led by Tanisha C. Ford (CUNY Graduate Center), author of Liberated Threads: Black Women, Style, and the Global Politics of Soul and Dressed in Dreams: A Black Girl’s Love Letter to the Power of Fashion. A light lunch will be served at the event, to be held from 12:15 to 1:30 pm in Rosenthal Library, Presidential Room 2. Ford will be available to sign books afterward.

MTA Internships Put Students on the Fast Track to Success

Many CUNY students get to school via the MTA; they can also use it to get ahead in their careers. Through a program launched by North America’s largest transportation network in 2022, more than 50 CUNY students have transitioned from paid internships to full-time positions with MTA’s agencies—New York City Transit, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad, Construction & Development, and Bridges & Tunnels. Other participants continued their experience through MTA-sponsored internships such as the Authority’s College Aide and Technology and Engineering programs. 

The MTA is looking for its next cohort of summer interns. Interested students must apply by February 28 at MTA Internship Program – The City University of New York.

Patricia Greenberg ’85 Discovered Her Passion at Queens College

A lifelong passion for nutrition and fitness began for wellness and pro-aging expert Patricia Greenberg ’85 when she was a student at Queens College. A certified culinary professional, nutritionist coach, and personal trainer, Greenberg has published five books on nutrition and health, hosted radio shows, and spoken at events nationwide that have helped transform the lives of countless people looking to improve their health.

Her latest book, It’s Ok to Be Old, guides people of a certain age to embrace strategies that will help them live life to the fullest. Her other books include three cookbooks and Eat Well, Live Well, Age Well, which teaches how to dramatically reduce the stress that contributes to energy drain and premature aging.

In addition to her successful writing career, Greenberg hosts a weekly YouTube show that goes in depth into healthy aging concepts and features interviews with leading experts in the field.

Queens College and the Path to Wellness

A Long Island native, Greenberg first enrolled at Queens College looking to complete the pre-requisites she needed in the hopes of becoming a dentist. As part of her course requirements, she took a nutrition class that changed the course of her life.

“I took this one nutrition class, and I fell in love with the science of nutrition and I switched my major,” explained Greenberg.

She also worked for the school newspaper—at the time called the QC Quad—after one of her professors suggested she submit an article to it about nutrition. The article was well received and evolved into a monthly feature. In her senior year, she became the managing editor of the newspaper, where she honed her writing skills that would help her publish five books in the future.

“I loved being at Queens. I loved my professors, I loved the school,” recalled Greenberg. “Even though it's a commuter school, I had so many friends and I was involved in so many activities. I really attribute my interest in nutrition and journalism to Queens College.”

“QC formed me,” she added. “I was not athletic. I was not the most popular person. I wasn't very fit. And I wasn't put together. And really that all changed [during my Queens College years]. I really developed my confidence. I got very good at what I do.”

Helping People Live Their Best Lives

After Queens College, she went on to earn a culinary arts degree from Le Cordon Bleu in Scottsdale, Arizona, and had a wide variety of positions in the food and service industry, including as a manager of menu development for America West Airline and owner of her own restaurant.

Throughout the years, Greenberg took on other wellness jobs, such as teaching culinary arts, private wellness coaching, and delivering presentations and speaking engagements. This led her to landing a gig as the host of the radio show, The Fitness Gourmet, which aired on KCSN in Northridge, California, from 2001 to 2009. In 2019 she hosted another show, Eat Well, Live Well, Age Well, on KABC radio in Los Angeles, where from 2019 to 2021 she did regular food segments on the morning news program.

Practicing What She Preaches

Naturally, Greenberg is passionate about her own health and fitness. She has completed 20 marathons (the NYC marathon represents 10 of them) and 115 half-marathons; she recently started competing in tower-climbing competitions in places such as the Freedom Tower, the Empire State Building, and the Hancock Tower. Later this month, she plans to climb the Stratosphere in Las Vegas—at 64 years old.

“I just love talking about wellness through food and fitness,” added Greenberg. “It's just become a complete way of life for me.”

Not only did Queens College help her find her career path and her passion, but Greenberg also credits QC with helping her feel young. She has remained an active member of the QC alumni community, returning to QC speak to the dietetics department and frequently attending alumni events.

“One of the interesting, wonderful things about how you age healthy is maintaining good relationships, communication, and friendships,” explained Greenberg. “And one of my greatest networks is the Queens College people. I can't say enough about that every time I meet somebody from Queens College; it's an instant friendship.”

Greenberg is a recurring guest on News12 Long Island, and she is planning to host a live/in-person seminar in the spring called, “It’s Ok to be Old.” To learn more about Patricia Greenberg go to www.patriciagreenberg.com. Her books are available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Campus Eats

Three food vendors opened QC locations late last month, expanding the on-campus menu. The newcomers, all in the Main Dining Hall kiosk area, are Mama’s Kitchen (VHQ-certified Kosher), Taiwanese Yummy, and Tealicious/Reem's Grill House (HMS-certified Halal). They join a lineup that includes grab-and-go options and food trucks on the Quad. A coffee and pastry location is in the works. For details about all the eats on campus, please see this mailer from CFO Joseph Loughren.

Jeffrey Carr ’60

Jeffrey Carr, the first doctor in Putnam and Westchester Counties to participate in and develop what would become the Westchester-Putnam Hospice Program, passed away in December 2024. He was 86.

A Brooklyn-born alumnus of Erasmus Hall High School, Carr crossed the borough border to study at QC, where he pledged Tau Delta Phi. After earning his MD degree at the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine, he came back to Brooklyn for his internship and residency in Maimonides Hospital. Subsequently he served in Vietnam with the United States Army Medical Corps, which awarded him the Combat Medical Badge.

Honorably discharged in 1968, Carr moved to Mahopac and opened a private practice in internal medicine. An attending physician at Putnam Hospital, he held numerous leadership roles, including medical director of Alcohol & Substance Abuse Services and the Carmel Narcotics Guidance Council and president of the Putnam County Medical Society. Upon retiring from private practice, he became the medical director at Putnam Ridge Nursing Home and then at Daytop Village.

Carr is survived by his wife, Diane; children Gayle, Brett, Rachel and Michael; and seven grandchildren.

Edward Helmke ’56

Edward Helmke, a lawyer who specialized in real estate, died on December 21, 2024, at the age of 95.

Upon graduating from Stuyvesant High School, Helmke enrolled at QC, taking night classes so he could work during the day. He subsequently earned a JD at St. John’s University School of Law and a master’s in taxation law from New York University. He held positions at Talcott, RCA, NBC, and finally at General Electric, where he was director of real estate, managing commercial holdings—a job that sent him all over the world. 

Predeceased by his wife Peggy and one of their grandsons, Helmke is survived by three daughters, six grandchildren and their spouses, and a great-granddaughter born a few days after his death.

Mitchell Kahn

Singer, pianist, and band leader Mitchell Kahn, a QC alumnus, passed away on January 10. He was 71.

Trained in classical and jazz piano, orchestration, and voice, Kahn enjoyed a diversified career. A member of The Yiddish Artists & Friends Actors Club and The Yiddish Theatrical Alliance, he was also devoted to the Great American Songbook. Kahn’s resume included performances at the Rainbow Room, Sardi’s, Tavern on the Green, and the Copacabana, and on many syndicated radio and television programs.

Peter Rothholz ’50

Peter Rothholz, founder of an eponymous public relations firm that counted the governments of Barbados, Italy, and New Zealand among its clientele, died on December 20, 2024. He was 95.

Rothholz wasn’t even ten in 1938, when he and his father immigrated to England from Germany. Seven years later, Rothholz sailed to New York on a Cunard liner. Enrolling at QC, he majored in history and dreamed of joining the United States Foreign Service, but, as he recalled in an autobiographical essay shared in Frankly Speaking December 2023, he did not meet State Department citizenship and age requirements. Instead, after graduation and Army service, he earned an MBA from New York University and held jobs with a tour operator and KLM Airlines—experience that proved useful when he launched a public relations company specializing in tourism and economic development.

Through his work with foreign government agencies, Rothholz moved in elevated circles, meeting four U.S. presidents. He accompanied an executive of the Israel Government Coins and Medals Corporation to Independence, Missouri, to present a proof set of Israeli coinage to the Truman Library (retired President Harry S. Truman was a numismatist). President William Clinton appointed Rothholz to the board of the U.S. Council on Aging. As a member of the Barbados delegation, he attended a White House reception hosted by President Jimmy Carter. When President Ronald Reagan took a goodwill tour through the English-speaking Caribbean, Rothholz was asked to be the liaison between the Barbadian press and Larry Speakes, Reagan’s press secretary. Closer to home, Rothholz taught in QC’s Business and Liberal Arts program and served as president of the Queens College Foundation.

After shuttering his business, he signed up with the International Executive Service Corps, a volunteer organization which worked with the United States Agency for International Development to provide expertise and guidance to private industry. Assignments took him to the Middle East and Eastern Europe. In 2013, he moved to Santa Monica, California, where he was active as a freelance writer and as a lay leader in his synagogue.

Rothholz was predeceased by his daughter from his first marriage, Amy Elisabeth Rothholz. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Margules Rothholz ’55; stepsons David and Thomas Margules; Thomas’s wife, Julie; and granddaughter Leah Amy Margules.

The Queens College School of Arts partnered with the Macquarie Group Foundation in December 2024 for the opening of its Community Art Gallery, located inside the organization’s Americas headquarters at 660 Fifth Avenue. The gallery showcases emerging artists based in New York City; the space was inaugurated with an exhibition of works by QCArts students and graduates. 

From left: School of Arts Program & Communications Manager Neophytos Ioannou; School of Arts Associate Dean Julia Del Palacio; School of Arts student Mizznna Sharief; former CUNY Office of the Chancellor Confidential Executive Coordinator and CUNY Arts Strategic Partnerships & Cultural Awareness Manager Fatima Hernandez; School of Arts student Silvia Mihai; CUNY Office of the Chancellor Office Assistant Debra Zechowski; The Macquarie Group Foundation, Americas Coordinator, Willa Kendrick; Queens College student Kenny Ulysses Grant; The Macquarie Group Foundation, Americas Regional Head, Pritha Mittal; The Macquarie Group, Americas Creative Lead, Chuck Reese; CUNY Office of Strategy and Policy Implementation Chief of Staff Vernitta Chambers; CUNY Office of Careers and Industry Partnerships Director of Industry Growth and Partnerships Abby Hamilton.

To promote Make Music New York’s winter solstice event, the Queens College Vocal Ensemble (QCVE) performed Pete M. Wyer’s Street Motets for New York City on NPR’s “New Sounds” on December 18, 2024, under the direction of James John (ACSM). For the solstice three days later, the piece was reprised outdoors. Wearing earbuds and paired with others on the same part—soprano, alto, tenor, and bass—participants curated by John walked designated routes through the East Village and Greenwich Village, singing to electronic tracks played on their smartphones. Each two-person team intersected with others en route to Astor Place Plaza, where the chorus assembled for a finale. A film STREET MOTET NO 1 - YouTube of the event features QCVE’s live studio recording.

Make Music New York (MMNY), a not-for-profit organization, partners with cultural institutions and businesses across the city to present live public programs on June 21 and December 21. It commissioned Street Motets to commemorate its tenth anniversary of working with Wyer. John, similarly, has been working with MMNY for about a decade. Since 2012 or so, he has been leading its “Pilgrimage,” a medieval caroling event on the Upper West Side. “Last year, however, James Burke—MMNY’s executive director—contacted me about doing something different, so we put the ’Pilgrimage’ on hiatus, and did the Street Motet event,” explains John.

Adrien Brody, QC alumnus, won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama, for his performance in The Brutalist . . . Constantia Constantinou BA ’87, MA ’91, MLS ’95 has been appointed executive director of the Whiting Foundation, which provides support for writers, editors, educators, librarians, and archivists . . . . Nicole Cooley and Kimiko Hahn (members of the English faculty) will participate in an Afternoon of New Poetry on March 2, 4 pm, at the Hudson Valley Writers Center . . . . Frances Curcio (SEYS emerita) published Around the world in 22 days: A Staten Islander shares her experiences - silive.com, an account of her Smithsonian Journeys-TCS World Travel tour . . . . Holger Eisl (SEES) is quoted in The South Bronx Has a Pollution Issue. Congestion Pricing May Worsen It. - The New York Times . . . . Azriel Genack (Physics) published “Ohm’s law lost and regained: observation and impact of transmission and velocity zeros” in Nature Communications . . . . Aylin Johnson, a QC undergraduate, is among the latest CUNY recipients of the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships. The Gilman program enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad . . . . Peter Liberman (Political Science) is the co-author of Russia’s Costly Conquest in Ukraine | Foreign Affairs . . . . Nick Lieto MSEd ’93, band and jazz band director at Scarsdale Middle School, served as a clinician at the 27th annual Liberty Jazz Festival on Saturday, February 1. The festival, hosted by the Liberty Central School District Music Department, featured high school and middle school jazz ensembles from the Liberty, Monticello, Tri-Valley and Livingston Manor school districts . . . .

Steven Markowitz (Barry Commoner Center) is quoted in REI Sells the Great Outdoors While Workers Breathe Chemicals in a Windowless Basement . . . . Kirk Persaud ’24, who at QC received a scholarship from the St. George’s Society of New York (SGSNY), spoke at the organization’s British Bash fundraiser in December 2024. He was in good company: He spoke alongside Andrew Ridgeley of Wham! . . . . Thomas Plummer (Anthropology)—lead author of a paper published in Science showing that hominins used tools in food preparation 3 to 2.6 million years ago—is among the scientists interviewed in Archaeologists discover ancient tools dating back millions of years - CBS News . . . . Rose Kacherian Rybak ’79, author of works published in Plays Magazine —a source of plays appropriate for elementary school, middle school, and high school students—has at age 96 sold one more: Whale Ahoy. As reported in a story in the Armenian Weekly, Liz Preston, Plays Magazine editor, called Whale Ahoy “quite entertaining, with a good message and wonderful information about these beautiful, yet vulnerable mammals” . . . . Richard Vetere (Film Studies) got a positive writeup Maspeth Playwright Richard Vetere Receives Run Extension For Successful Play - Queens Ledger for his play, Black and White City Blues, a one-act set in the 1970s . . . .

Schiro Withanachchi (Economics, BALA) received a Fulbright Specialist Program award. She is working with the Economics Department at the University of the West Indies, Mona, in Jamaica. The goal is to integrate United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into curricula through Collaborative Online International Learning . . . . The largest creatures to roam the earth seemingly came to life in Colden Auditorium on February 3 during Erth's Dinosaur Zoo Live (2/2/2025, recap) - YouTube.