Discimus ut serviamus: We learn so that we may serve.

QView #218 | December 9

From left: History Professor and Queens Hillel Board Member Arnold Franklin, Queens Hillel Executive Director Jenna Citron Schwab, President Frank H. Wu, Queens Hillel Board President Dani Shulman, Vice President for Institutional Advancement/Alumni Relations Laurie Dorf, Assistant Vice President for External and Governmental Relations Jeffrey Rosenstock, Center for Ethnic, Racial and Religious Understanding Executive Director Iyabo Oyewo-Hall

Queens College senior administrators and faculty met with the new chair of the Queens Hillel Board of Directors, Daniel Shulman, on Tuesday, December 2, to discuss future collaborations. 

From left: David Wu, Frank Wu, Joan Kaufman

Thousands of overseas students have had their visas revoked since January. President Frank H. Wu and Baruch College President David Wu discussed the impact of these visa revocations on CUNY campuses and beyond on December 2 during Serica Storytellers. The panel was moderated by Joan Kaufman, senior director for academic programs for Schwarzman Scholars, which subsidizes one-year master’s programs at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. 

From left: Jewel Escobar, chair of the Belle Zeller Scholarship Trust Fund; Jeff Beeler, chair of the Psychology Department; Daniel Weinstein, dean of Mathematics and Natural Sciences; Rachel Pakan, recipient of a Belle Zeller Scholarship; Brian Schwartz, vice president for research at The CUNY Graduate Center; Jay Hershenson, vice president for Communications and Marketing and senior advisor to the president; Maria DeLongoria, associate provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs; Manfred Philipp, co-ombudsperson and professor emeritus at The CUNY Graduate Center. Zavi Gunn, director of the Center for Career Engagement and Internships, was also in attendance.

Queens College was in the house at the annual Belle Zeller Scholarship Reception, held at John Jay College of Criminal Justice on the evening of Wednesday, December 3. Scholarship winners for 2025-26 include QC neuroscience major Rachel Pakan. The scholarships honor the memory of Zeller, a Brooklyn College political science professor and founding president of the Professional Staff Congress-CUNY.

From left: Emanuel Avila, David Goodman

Emanuel Avila (Student Affairs) met up with David Goodman at the December 3 fundraiser for the Andrew Goodman Foundation, which supports interns at QC and other colleges focusing on voter registration, awareness, and turnout. David Goodman, Andrew’s brother, received the President’s Medal at QC’s 2024 Commencement; he is secretary of the foundation and previously chaired its board. Avila coordinates voter registration at QC and mentors the college’s Andrew Goodman fellows—students who work on voting-related projects.

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness’s second annual Assessment Showcase on Friday, December 5, featured a poster session, presentations, and interactive assessment games.

In the afternoon, faculty and staff attendees voted on candidates for two Excellence in Assessment Awards. The English Department won the academic award; the Office of Honors and Scholarships and Rosenthal Library tied for the administrative prize. Recipients will receive a plaque commemorating their achievement early next year.

Laurie Cumbo, commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, addressed a December 8 gathering celebrating Cultural Institutions Group status for the Louis Armstrong House Museum (LAHM). Other speakers included Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr., District Attorney Melinda Katz, New York State Assembly Member Larinda Hooks, former Assembly Member Jeffrion “Jeff” Aubry, LAHM Board of Trustees Chair Jay Hershenson, LAHM Executive Director Regina Bain, and President Frank H. Wu.

Laurie Cumbo, Commissioner of Cultural Affairs for the City of New York

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr.

Indoor Track and Field Season Gets Underway as Several Knights Post Top Finishes

The Queens College Indoor Track and Field team held their first meet of the 2025-26 season last Saturday, with several Knights earning top finishes.

Freshman Jordyn Cruz placed second overall and first among Division II schools in the women’s 800-meter run (2:21.88) and junior Carly Koprowski was third overall and first among Division II schools in the women’s 400-meter dash (1:12.07). On the men’s side freshman Dorian Boyd finished ninth in the 400-meters (51.44).

The track and field team returns to action this week when they compete at the 2025 Seahawk Shootout on Friday at noon in Staten Island. Also this week, the men’s and basketball teams will each host a pair of games. On Wednesday, the women’s team takes on Southern New Hampshire University at 5 pm and the men’s team battles Franklin Pierce University at 7:30 pm. On Sunday, the teams will host a doubleheader against Roberts Wesleyan with the women tipping off at 1 pm and the men to follow at 3:30 pm.

For the latest Knights news, schedules, statistics, and more be sure to visit queensknights.com.

QC Names B School Dean

Carmen Cotei, associate dean at the Barney School of Business at the University of Hartford, has been named the inaugural dean of the Queens College School of Business. Subject to CUNY Board of Trustees approval, she will assume office in January 2026. Her title, Ally Bridge Dean of Business, is supported in part by an endowment from Frank Fan Yu ’94, founding CEO and CIO of the Ally Bridge Group.

“We mounted a rigorous search for the right person to lead our Business School forward, and we are extremely pleased that Carmen Cotei has accepted the challenge,” says President Frank H. Wu. “She is known as an innovative thinker and leader and has the combined faculty and administrative experience that will be key to the school’s future success. Moreover, we are grateful to the many stakeholders within and beyond the college who helped us realize our dream for the institution.”

“I am very honored to serve as the inaugural dean of the business school,” says Cotei. “This is a rare opportunity to help shape the school’s vision, building on its strong foundation and guiding it toward becoming a hub of innovation, collaboration, and impact. I look forward to working alongside faculty, students, alumni, and industry partners to create a learning environment in which bold ideas are nurtured, diverse voices are celebrated, and innovation drives meaningful change. Together, we will prepare students not only to succeed in their careers but also to make a lasting impact on their communities and beyond. I am very grateful to President Wu for offering me this opportunity and to Frank Fan Yu, whose generous gift made this appointment possible.”

A profile of Cotei will be published in QView next semester.

Caught Light-Handed

Traditional photography by more than 20 QC students and alumni is displayed in Light-Handed, a group show at the QC Art Center, Rosenthal Library, 6th floor. The exhibition features darkroom and alternative process prints, such as gelatin silver and cyanotype. Exhibition is on view Monday-Wednesday, 10 am-2 pm, through December 22.

Getting a Toehold on Spring Courses

Registration is open for free, non-credit bootcamps offered next month by the Learning Commons.

Four bootcamps will be held January 12–15, 2026:

• Prep for CSCI 111
• Prep for CSCI 220 (CSCI 111 Prerequisite)
• Prep for Statistics for PSYCH (PSYCH 107)
• Prep for Educating All Students Exam (online only)

To sign up, go to CUNYfirst, search "ACSKL," and select the appropriate bootcamp. Registration window will close January 1 or when sessions are full.

Student Actors Sought for New Musical

QC drama students are invited to audition for a new musical that will be workshopped on campus next semester. Students in Musical Theatre II will collaborate with director Galia Backal, who directed ride the cyclone last spring, and playwright Maiga Vidal to develop the text of Café Con Leche, a queer rom-com set in the competitive coffee shop business. The course will culminate in an end-of-semester industry showing.

“This is a great class for students passionate about musical theater and new play development,” says Drama, Theater, Dance, and Fashion Chair Meghan Healey. “Students will experience both the creative challenges and practical page-to-stage progress of how new musicals are created.”

To submit an audition to be part of musical theater history, send a short monologue and a song to meghan.healey@qc.cuny.edu by December 24.

’Tis the Season

Venues throughout Queens are getting into the holiday spirit.

A beloved classic gets a memorable spin in The Muppet Christmas Carol, which will be shown at the Museum of the Moving Image on December 13, 14, and 21. Michael Caine, the only non-puppet in the production, is Ebenezer Scrooge and Kermit the Frog is Bob Cratchit; the cast includes fan favorites Fozzie Bear, Beaker, and the Swedish Chef. For times and ticket prices, click here. After the screening, make a stop at the Jim Henson Exhibition. Created with donations from Henson’s family, the permanent exhibition features nearly 50 puppets—including Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Cantus Fraggle—as well as character sketches, storyboards, scripts, photographs, and costumes.

The Queens Historical Society will hold its 38th Annual Holly Tour on December 14 from noon to 4 pm. The tour, sponsored by ConEdison, encompasses Bowne House (built in 1661), Kingsland Homestead (1774), Lewis Latimer House Museum (c.1889), Quaker Meeting House (1694), and the Voelker Orth Museum (1891), with activities and refreshments at each destination. In keeping with the period theme, the New York City Trolley Company will provide free transportation to the sites. They lie within a roughly one-mile radius; patrons can walk or drive personal vehicles to cover the itinerary at their own pace. 

Looking for unique gifts? One-oh-Onederland (PS 101Q, 2 Russell Place, Forest Hills) on December 13, noon to 4 pm, will feature local vendors, plus a winter roller disco and photo ops with Santa. On December 14 and 21, from 1 to 5 pm, Sunnyside Holiday Market (Sunnyside Community Services, 43-31 39th Street) will also carry crafts and treats by local makers. Saint Nick will show up, too.

Eton Brooks (Public Safety) retired in September. Karl Mitchell (Economics) organized a party in his honor last month, in collaboration with Public Safety’s Deborah Huggins, Hemwatie Seusarran, and Laura Ballesty . . . . Jamie Cohen (Media Studies) is quoted in the Verge article “Welcome to fandom’s AI clout economy” . . . Nerve Macaspac (GSLIS) is quoted in the Drop Site article "U.S. Helicopters Used to Kill Civilians in Philippines, Locals Say". . . .

John Scarinci (Office of Communications and Marketing) published a middle-grade novel, Martian Baseball League. It’s a futuristic story that imagines a youth baseball team playing on Mars. “The idea is to teach kids about the physics of Mars through a fun story about baseball,” says Scarinci, who is a former collegiate pitcher.“For example, home runs travel much farther, and curveballs don’t work due to lower gravity and thin air” . . . . Johnathan Thayer (GSLIS) and Lori Wallach (Queens Memory Outreach Coordinator) published "Reclaiming the Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground Through Intergenerational Public History” in Public Historian, the journal of the National Council on Public History. The article details a decade of collaborative community history work involving Thayer’s graduate MLS/MA public history classes, Queens Memory, and the Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground Conservancy . . . . Dominick Yezzo ’75 (QView 157), general counsel of Vietnam Veterans of America and chair of its Incarcerated Veterans Committee, participated on October 16 in a House Veterans’ Affairs Committee roundtable on the needs of incarcerated and justice-involved veterans. Yezzo stated that thousands of veterans in prisons and jails remain “largely invisible” within the federal system . . . Terrance Pogue and Maayan Berman, recently graduated recipients of Phi Epsilon Pi Scholarships, each received a $600 Macy's gift card to purchase professional attire and accessories for future job interviews and placements. They were treated to personal stylist sessions at Macy's, where they got to utilize their gift cards! Pogue, an ACSM-trained classical vocalist, has a day job with a nonprofit and pursues musical gigs in his free time. He hopes to come back to QC for a master’s in music and eventually teach singing. Berman, who majored in psychology, is pursuing an occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) at Yeshiva University. Her dream is to become an occupational therapist practitioner as well as an educator. Bob Jacobs ’70 established the Phi Epsilon Pi Scholarship Fund with support from fellow Phi Ep fraternity brothers, who have raised over $800 thousand to help QC students succeed.

This is the last issue of QView for 2025. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all. The newsletter will resume publication in the spring semester.