QView #206 | May 28

About a dozen members of the New York Police Department (NYPD) were out and about on campus on Tuesday, May 20. Not to worry—it was one of the safest events in New York City that day! The QC Dining Hall was the site of the Youth Development Conference for Queens high school students interested in law enforcement and community policing careers. NYPD officers and officials viewed and discussed original exhibits and displays students prepared on topics such as homelessness, healthy relationship boundaries, and gun violence.

Queens College’s Kessler Scholars Program honored this year’s graduates and welcomed incoming students at its annual awards ceremony on the evening of Tuesday, May 20. President Frank H. Wu was among the speakers. QC has been a member of the Kessler Scholars Collaborative since 2021. Sixteen U.S. colleges participate in this initiative, which supports first-generation college students.

Rain could not dampen anyone’s enthusiasm on Wednesday, May 21, when the Louis Armstrong House Museum (LAHM) moved its Pops Is Tops program indoors from its original garden venue. President Wu offered welcoming remarks to the audience of public-school students and their teachers. All listened attentively to featured artist Alphonso Horne, who has played trumpet with Jon Batiste’s Stay Human, formerly the house band of the “Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

QC faculty members Karen Strassler (Anthropology) and John Yao (ACSM), two recipients of the 198 fellowships just announced by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, discussed their projects over coffee with President Wu and other members of the administration on Thursday, May 22.

From left: Anthropology Chair Larissa Swedell, Interim Arts and Humanities Dean Simone Yearwood, President Frank H. Wu, Karen Strassler, John Yao, Social Sciences Dean Kate Pechenkina, Director of Research and Sponsored Programs Poline Papoulis

Business and Liberal Arts (BALA) saluted members of the class of 2025 at a gathering on Thursday, May 22, in the Muyskens Conference Room.

NCAA Tournament Comes to an End for Men’s and Women’s Tennis Teams

The Queens College men’s and women’s tennis teams both saw their seasons end in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Altamonte Springs, Florida last week.

The men’s team lost to Lubbock Christian, 4-0 last Tuesday, while the women’s team fell, 4-0 to University of North Georgia on Wednesday. The men finish the season with a record of 18-5 and the women finish 10-6. Both teams won the East Coast Conference title and the East Region in an outstanding season.

In other athletics news, two members of the Queens College track and field team—John Ray and Carly Koprowski—received U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Regional Honors. Each athlete earned All-Region honors by virtue of having a top-five time in an event. Ray had the fourth-fastest time in the 10,000-meter run in the region (32:18.97), and Koprowski recorded the fastest regional time in the 800-meter run this season (2:12.99).

The baseball team also has an All-Region member, as pitcher Nate Rodriguez (above) was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) All-East Region Second Team.

For the latest Knights athletics news, visit queensknights.com.

Congratulations to the Class of 2025!

More than 4,000 graduates will be recognized during QC’s 101st commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 29, at 9 am on the campus quadrangle. Journalists Brent Staples and Errol Louis will also be recognized. Pulitzer Prize-winner Staples will receive an honorary doctorate; Emmy Award-winner Louis will receive the President’s Medal, the school’s highest administrative honor, and deliver the commencement address. The student speaker will be Sofia Mitts, who is graduating summa cum laude (4.0 GPA) with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a minor in Honors in the Social Sciences. 

Brent Staples

Errol Louis

Sofia Mitts

A link to the livestream will be available on the homepage and broadcast on QPTV.

Students can make progress toward graduation by earning up to 15 credits at QC this summer! Choose from three sessions and nearly 600 courses offered in three formats: in person, online, or hybrid.

Expressing Pride in the Borough

June is Pride Month. Local celebrations will start right away with the Queens Pride Parade on Sunday, June 1, in Jackson Heights. To march along 37th Avenue (from 89th Street to 75th Street) with the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium, the CUNY LGBTQI+ Council, and CUNY partners, register here.

On Friday, June 6, the party moves to Queens College, which will host the annual CUNY Pridefest from noon to 4 pm, rain or shine. Expect a rainbow of performances and activities, with fun for all. Register here.

All That Jazz in Iconic Queens Park

QCArts is teaming up with NYC Parks to present free jazz concerts in David Dinkins Circle in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The series will start on Saturday, May 31, with the Javier Madrazo Quartet. Other dates will feature the Jazz Tide, the Pablo Lanouguere Quartet, Naisayma, and the Loose Change Quartet. CarNyVal Dancers and Javier Madrazo will share a double bill at the Unisphere on Sunday, July 20. For the complete schedule, click here.

Dinkins Circle is adjacent to the East Gate of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Barbara Strongin-Friedlander ’57

Barbara Strongin-Friedlander, who held leadership roles in multiple New York area nonprofits, died on May 6 at the age of 90.

Settled in Long Island with her family, Strongin-Friedlander immersed herself in causes that mattered to her. She was the field executive for the Greater New York Girl Scout Council, Queens, from 1967 to 1971 and thereafter spent seven years as the education director of the Suffolk County Girl Scout Council. Next, she served eight years as executive director of Planned Parenthood of Suffolk County (the precursor of Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic). In addition, she was a founding member of Suffolk County Voluntary Action Center, founding treasurer of the Suffolk Network on Adolescent Pregnancy, and served as a consultant for other organizations, including the Long Island Association for AIDS Care.

"She was a trailblazer in everything," said her daughter, Ronni Mordechai-Strongin. "Mom was an advocate for AIDS care and prevention when it was stigmatized and was very active in local politics in Suffolk County, providing voter registration to everyone."

Strongin-Friedlander is survived by her four children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Norka Blackman-Richards

Zeco Krcic

Norka Blackman-Richards, director of the Percy E. Sutton SEEK Program at QC, is listed in City & State’s Trailblazers in Higher Education . . . .CUNY Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities, Operations, and Emergency Response Zeco Krcic, formerly assistant VP who oversaw Facilities at QC, bicycled with State Senator John Liu last week for most of a 206-mile trip from New York City to Albany to promote Bike to Work Day. The event is scheduled annually on the third Friday in May; Liu hit the road the following weekend to avoid missing a senate session. A bike malfunction took Krcic off the road after mile 177.

This is the last issue of QView for the semester. Warmest congratulations to all members of the 205 graduating class. The newsletter will be published once over the summer and resume its usual schedule in Fall 2025.