QView #205 | May 20

Next Steps into Teaching, presented by the School of Education on Tuesday, May 13, gave future educators the opportunity to learn from and network with professionals in the field. The program included a panel discussion featuring principals of several Queens schools.

From left: James Harrell, principal of Queens Collegiate; Melissa Manzo, assistant principal of BTECH; Ann Ebe, director of Professional Practice & Community Partnerships; Brigid Connor MAT ’25, moderator; Rachel Thomas, principal of PS 360Q; Kaliopi Vlachos, assistant principal of Queens Valley School of Arts; Ashley Zinnel, clinical professor of SEYS

That evening, District Attorney Melinda Katz hosted her annual celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the Dining Hall. Her co-sponsors were Congresswoman Grace Meng, State Senator John Liu, Assembly Member Steven Raga, New York City Council Member Sandra Ung, Glow Cultural Center, and GPK Foundation.

For promotion to full professor, what constitutes faculty service? CETLL tackled that topic on Wednesday, May 14, with Faculty Service: Strategies to Recognize and Communicate Our Contributions. Panelists Susan Davis (ACSM), Stephen Grover (Philosophy), and Daniel Weinstein (dean, Mathematics and Natural Sciences) shared their perspectives.

From left: Susan Davis, Daniel Weinstein, Stephen Grover

Call it a historic occasion: the History Department held its honors luncheon on Wednesday, May 14.

A reception for Jian Yang’s solo exhibition, Theater State, brought art lovers to the Queens College Art Center (QCAC) on the evening of May 14. Yang (far right, above) is the second artist in residence at QC through a program supported by the Thomas Chen Family/Crystal Windows Endowment. Theater State will be displayed at QCAC, located on the sixth floor of Rosenthal Library, through May 24.

At the Political Science Department’s annual honors ceremony on May 15, Camille R. Rivera ’04, a partner in the political consulting firm New Deal Strategies and an adjunct at Columbia University, was given the Distinguished Alumni Award. Outstanding students received recognition and President Frank H. Wu said a few words.

Political Science Chair Francois Pierre-Louis presented the Distinguished Alumni Award to Camille R. Rivera ’04.

Next stop for President Wu was the Helen Marshall Cultural Center at Queens Borough Hall, where he emceed Queens Borough President Donovan Richards’ Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Celebration.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards (fourth from left), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (fifth from left) and President Frank H. Wu (far right) joined the evening's honorees.

They may no longer work here, but members of the Queens College Retirees Association like to keep in touch! On May 16, the association gathered on campus to hear President Frank H. Wu speak about recent college developments. Former Vice President for Finance and Administration William Keller was also a featured speaker.  

Christie Chung, associate provost and dean at Mills College—now part of Northeastern University—dropped by campus on Monday, May 19, for lunch with President Frank H. Wu, faculty and staff. Chung is the author of Inspire to Lead: Bridging Mind, Culture, and People. President Wu provided a foreword. 

From left: Interim Arts and Humanities Dean Simone Yearwood, Assistant Vice President for Human Resources Lee Kelly, President Frank H. Wu, Associate Provost and Dean at Mills College (Northeastern University) Christie Chung, Asian American / Asian Research Institute Interim Dean John Chin, Jeff Beeler (Psychology), Vice President for Communications and Marketing and Senior Advisor to the President Jay Hershenson

Athletics Holds Annual Awards Ceremony as Tennis Teams Head to NCAA Tournament

Good sports were recognized at the annual Athletics Awards Ceremony, held on the evening of May 13 in LeFrak Hall. In another strong year for the Knights, men’s and women’s tennis teams won the East Coast Conference Championship and qualified for the NCAA tournament. Baseball, women’s volleyball, men’s basketball, men’s soccer, and women’s soccer teams qualified for the ECC playoffs, and several track and field athletes set new ECC records. QC had 52 students receive all-conference honors, seven were named to all-region teams, and one was named an all-American.

While most of the Knights’ teams have completed their seasons, the men’s and women’s tennis teams are still playing in the NCAA Tournament. Both teams qualified for the Sweet 16 after winning the NCAA East region and will travel to Altamonte Springs, Florida this week.

The men’s team is the #13 seed and will face #4 Lubbock Christian University today—Tuesday, May 20—at noon. If they win, they will advance to the quarterfinals the following day to take on the winner of Grand Valley State and Columbus State.

The women have also earned the #13 seed and will battle #4 University of North Georgia on Wednesday, May 21 at 8 am. A victory would put them in the quarterfinals on May 22 where they would face the winner of Flagler College and University of Charleston.

You can catch up on all the tennis results this week by visiting queensknights.com.

New York State Budgets for Higher Education

For the second year in a row, the New York State budget has expanded eligibility for part-time TAP, reducing the minimum required credits from six to three a semester. Research has shown that TAP recipients are more likely to graduate.

The fiscal year 2026 budget also includes funding for the ACE and ASAP programs; investments in artificial intelligence; and additional support for operating and capital expenses. 

Hochul

Matos Rodriguez

“The 2026 New York State budget is a testament to Governor Kathy Hochul and the state legislature’s support for higher education,” said Chancellor Felix V. Matos Rodriguez in a statement. “These vital resources will enable CUNY to offer an affordable, first-class education and a pathway to upward mobility for students now and in the future.”

Bidding Farewell to Withanachchi

Faculty, staff, and students gathered in the President’s Lounge on May 14 to give an affectionate sendoff to Schiro Withanachchi, associate dean of the School of Business and director of the Business and the Liberal Arts honors minor: She’s crossing state lines to become associate dean for Undergraduate Programs at Rutgers University School of Business–Camden, effective this summer.

Withanachchi came to Queens College in 2010 to join the economics faculty. In addition to her work with BALA and the B school, she has served as coordinator for Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and co-administered a program that placed economics students as interns with startups at the QC Tech Incubator. Her contributions were acknowledged in 2021, when she was the inaugural recipient of QC’s Faculty Diversity and Inclusion Award.

More recently, Withanachchi received a Fulbright Specialist Program award to work with the Economics Department at the University of the West Indies, Mona, in Jamaica. The goal of the project is to integrate United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into curricula through COIL.

Michael Dease, former faculty at ACSM, is among the 198 members of the newly named cohort of Guggenheim Fellows. Dease is now on the faculty of Michigan State University . . . . Julia Del Palacio Langer (School of Arts) danced as part of a performance by the band Los Guachinangos at Terraza 7 in Elmhurst on May 17 . . . . 

Students lined up for free soft serve ice cream on Monday, May 19, courtesy of the Student Association. To wish everyone good luck on their exams, the SA arranged for an ice cream truck to park on the Quad.