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

QView #229 | May 12

Asian American Asian Research Institute Dean John Chin (left) and President Frank H. Wu paused for a photo op with Assemblymember Grace Lee on Friday, May 8, at the AAPI Summit in Albany. The summit is an annual event attended by Asian American and Pacific Islander legislators, community organizations, advocates, and activists from across New York; this year’s theme was “AI for All.”

Commencement was the topic at a luncheon on Monday, May 4, when President Frank H. Wu announced that Distinguished CUNY Professor of Sociology Emeritus Pyong Gap Min and SEYS Associate Professor Magnus Bassey would serve, respectively, as chief marshal and deputy marshal.

Highly accomplished alumni Ricardo L. Cortez ’72 and Lyn Stiefel Hill ’67, MA ’72 were the honorees at Queens College’s 34th Gala on Tuesday, May 6. Mary Murphy ’81 and Edward Smaldone ’78, ’80 MA co-emceed the event, which raises funds for student support.  

From left: Student-athlete Sam Linck, President Frank H. Wu, Ricardo L. Cortez ’72, Vice President for Institutional Advancement/Alumni Relations Laurie Dorf

From left: President Frank H. Wu; Lyn Stiefel Hill ’67, MA ’72; Vice President for Institutional Advancement/Alumni Relations Laurie Dorf

A tap group of students from the Drama, Theater, Dance, & Fashion Department performed “Thank You, Mr. Quincy Jones,” choregraphed by Marshall Davis (Dance).

Congresswoman Grace Meng visited QC on May 6 with CUNY Vice Chancellor for Government Affairs Dermot Smyth. Their tour included a stop at the Tech Incubator, site of the Queens Technology and Innovation Hub. The hub is part of a package of student- and community-focused STEM projects on campus supported by over $3 million in federal funding secured by Congresswoman Meng, New York’s senior member of the House Appropriations Committee.

From left: President Frank H. Wu, Congresswoman Grace Meng, Tech Incubator Executive Director Ying Zhou, CUNY Vice Chancellor for Government Affairs Dermot Smyth

Meanwhile, Albany was observing Queens Day. Kupferberg Center for the Arts Director Jon Yanofsky visited Assembly Member Nily Rozic for supporting upgrades to the theatrical systems in Colden Auditorium. A portion of the capital grant KCA received from Rozic’s office went toward the purchase of sound equipment that supports live events in Colden—from concerts to graduations, and everything in between. Previously, much of this equipment, such as microphones, monitors, speakers, cables, and audio consoles, had to be rented.

May is Asian American Pacific Island Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month. QC celebrated both on Thursday, May 7, with “People of the Brush, People of the Book,” a lecture and workshop. Chinese calligrapher Wei Tang and Jewish sofer Rabbi Michael Gordan gave presentations on their ancient scribal arts. Then students took up brush and quill to practice the foundational strokes and forms that shape Chinese characters and Hebrew script.

The Political Science Department recognized outstanding students in its annual honors and awards ceremony on the afternoon of Thursday, May 7.

That evening, at the Political Science Program's Awards Night at the CUNY Graduate Center, the honoree was Francois Pierre-Louis ’94, (far left) recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Pierre-Louis is professor of Political Science at Queens College and International Migration Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center, and former chair of the QC Political Science Department. His research, including books and articles, involves citizen participation, and urban, comparative and immigration politics.

Jesters, courtiers, and knights-errant were among the 400 students who converged on the Quad on Thursday, May 7, for the annual Second Chance Prom. In keeping with this year’s theme—Renaissance Faire—students waved their red or black pennants and cheered on their favorite contestants in a knights’ tournament. As always, prom royalty were crowned. The festivities included food and dancing under the stars. Students received free framed prom portraits. The Second Change Prom encourages LGBTQIA+ and ally students to attend a prom as their authentic selves and bring the date of their choice without any gender restrictions or stigma! This magical event was free to all attendees courtesy of the Queens College Gender, Love and Sexuality Alliance/GLASA, LGBTQIAA+ Programs and Resource Center at Queens College, Queens College Student Association, and the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium in partnership with the New York City Council. Other sponsors included the Alliance of Latin American Students at Queens College/ALAS, and the CUNY Office of Student Inclusion Initiatives.

The Department of Mathematics counted on an enthusiastic turnout for its end-of-semester celebration.

Women’s Tennis Wins NCAA East Region Match to Advance to NCAA Championship Round

The Queens College women’s tennis team’s outstanding season continued as they defeated Wilmington University, 4-2, in one half of the NCAA East Regional Tournament on Saturday.

With the victory, the Knights will head to the NCAA Championship in Surprise, Arizona, which begins with the first round on Tuesday, May 19 and continues until the championship match on May 23. The pairings will be announced later this week.

On Monday, the men’s tennis team won the NCAA East Regionals for a berth in the NCAA Championship.

Be sure to check queensknights.com for the latest score updates.

While the other spring sports have wrapped up their seasons, several student-athletes were honored with post-season honors recently. For the baseball team, outfielder John Harkins was named East Coast Conference (ECC) Co-Rookie of the Year after he posted a .333 batting average with five home runs and 20 RBIs. Vincent Mallon was named to the All-ECC First Team and Michael Villardi earned second-team honors. Mallon batted a team-best .406 and tied a school record with 13 home runs. Villardi batted .311 while also chipping in on the mound, earning four wins.

The softball team had four players earn All-ECC honors with Caylea Campbell earning a first-team selection and Kadie Cain, Oliva Wanser, and Nellie Donahue landing on the second team. Campbell batted. 284 while also earning three wins as a pitcher. Olivia Wanser had a team-best .489 batting average and nine home runs, and Kadie Cain was second on the team in hitting (.377). Nellie Donahue led the Knights with a 3.95 ERA and 7 wins as a pitcher.

Guggenheim Fellowships Awarded to Faculty

Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich

Molly Rose Lieber

For the second year in a row, two members of the QC faculty have received prestigious Guggenheim Fellowships, as reported by the Queens Gazette. Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich (Media Studies) and Molly Rose Lieber (Dance and Women’s and Gender Studies) will receive stipends supporting their respective projects in film and dance.

“The Guggenheim Fellowship is one of the most competitive and desirable faculty awards in the world. As a public institution with a longstanding commitment to the arts and humanities, we are delighted to see our faculty honored in this way,” says President Frank H. Wu. “Professors Lieber and Hunt-Ehrlich both add tremendously to campus culture and, equally, students’ learning opportunities.”

Guggenheim Fellowships offer unrestricted grants, allowing recipients the freedom to pursue their dream projects.

Hunt-Erlich will use her fellowship to support completion of her second feature film, The Last Photograph, currently in development. With a feature-length screenplay, it is part melodrama, part allegory about cameras, and part elegy to a fading era of photography. As she explains, “The Last Photograph is the culmination of themes I’ve long explored in my filmmaking practice: memory, identity, and the enduring presence of the photographic archive.”

Lieber was awarded a fellowship for choreography of a complex project titled Garden, in collaboration with fellow artist Eleanor Smith. Garden serves as a feminist exploration of nature, embodiment, and reciprocity. Lieber describes it as “a practice of consensus with the environment and recontextualizing femme iconography through movements and mirrored tableaus in nature.”

QC ExCELs at CUNY BMI Research Symposium

Members of the Queens College community enjoyed the spotlight during the second annual CUNY BMI Research Symposium at Hostos Community College on Friday, May 1. Student researchers from QC’s Project ExCEL BMI presented thoughtful and innovative work, as did Project ExCEL mentors Hanan Latiff, Morayo Adoumbou, Fatoumata Drammeh, and Hemlata Gocool. Former Academic Advisor and Project ExCEL BMI Coordinator Ronald Sanchez gave the keynote. CUNY BMI Assistant Program Manager for Research Diego Ortega played a key role in planning and coordinating the symposium. Congratulations to all!

CUNY Launches Fellowship on Holocaust Distortion

The Wasserman Jewish Studies Center at Baruch College, in partnership with Hunter College and Queens College, invites applications for the CUNY Faculty Fellowship on Holocaust Distortion. This selective, year-long faculty fellowship is designed to support innovative teaching, deepen historical understanding, and confront the distortion and misuse of Holocaust history.

From fall 2026 through summer 2027, fellows will participate in a two-day intensive seminar; attend monthly cohort meetings; design a new course or substantially revise an existing one; take part in experiential learning opportunities in New York City; go on a cohort study trip—all-expenses-paid travel—to Holocaust sites in Poland and the Czech Republic; and contribute to and present at a major public-facing Summit.

For more information about the program and how to apply, see this PDF. Applications are due May 31.

Helping Students Afford Housing

Lack of affordable housing can derail students from completing college or graduate school. In response, the LCU Fund for Women's Education partners with higher educational institutions in New York City to provide housing grants to students who live independently and have financial needs. These scholarships primarily assist juniors and seniors pursuing careers in education and health services.

Last year, during QC’s initial partnership with the LCU Fund, the college received $40,000 to support housing for six students. For academic 2026-27, QC has been awarded $60,000—a fifty percent increase—to support ten students. Brooklyn College, City College, Lehman College, and the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College are among the ten other institutions that received LCU grants for 2026-27.

Re-interpreting the Life and Work of Anne Frank

Eighty-one years after her death in Bergen-Belsen, Anne Frank remains a compelling figure. Her WWII diary has been translated into more than 70 languages; adapted for the stage, cinema, and small screen; and inspired novels imagining or reimagining her experience. (In The Ghost Writer, Philip Roth envisions her as Holocaust survivor who made her way to the United States.) Frank’s world and ours is the topic of the Center for Jewish Studies Annual Yom Hashoah Commemoration Lecture on May 14 at 7 pm in Rosenthal Library 230. Ruth Franklin, author of The Many Lives of Anne Frank, will analyze how the teenaged writer has been understood and misunderstood, both as a person and as an idea—and what that means today.

QC Choral Society To Present Faure’s Requiem on May 16

The Queens College Choral Society, Treble Choir, Vocal Ensemble, and Orchestra will team up for a performance of Fauré’s Requiem on Saturday, May 16, at 8 pm in Colden Auditorium at Queens College. The program will also feature the world premiere of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass: Cantata for Soprano Solo, Chorus and Orchestra by Los Angeles-based composer and alumnus David Stern. James John (ACSM) will conduct. Tickets are available through the Kupferberg Center Box office at (718) 793-8080, or online here.

Ali Jimale Ahmed

Scholar and poet Ali Jimale Ahmed, professor of comparative literature at Queens College and the CUNY Graduate Center, passed away on March 31. He was 71.

Ahmed was born in Mogadishu, Somalia. According to “Farewell to Professor Ali Jimale Ahmed: The Message Lives On,” posted to the website Dawan Africa, he was educated at a Qur’anic school (dugsi), and then primary and secondary schools. Next, the article continues, “he underwent training at Halane and participated in programs supporting rural communities affected by drought. He worked in a refugee camp of approximately 24,000 people in the Galgaduud region—an experience that left a lasting impression on him at a young age.”

Ahmed graduated from Lafole College of Education with a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature and began his career as a journalist. As reported in an obituary posted by the African Studies Association, he was a contributing editor at Vigilance, Somalia’s only English-language weekly at the time, and hosted Writing and Writers, a weekly radio program.

In his twenties, Ahmed came to the United States to attend graduate school. He earned master’s and doctoral degrees at University of California, Los Angeles and was editor in chief of Ufahamu—an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal of African studies run by graduate students—for two years. 

Moving to New York City, Ahmed joined the comparative literature faculties at QC in 1990 and at the Graduate Center the following year, eventually chairing those departments. In addition, he taught for the World Studies Program and the Department of Classical, Middle Eastern & Asian Languages & Cultures.

“While his work spanned poetry, fiction, criticism, and university teaching, the deeper coherence of his work lay in a sustained endeavour to interrogate the semantic and political construction of ‘Somalia’ as an object of knowledge,” noted the African Studies Association. His books include The Invention of Somalia; Daybreak Is Near: Literature, Clans, and the Nation-State in Somalia; and the poetry collections Fear Is a Cow, Diaspora Blues, and When Donkeys Give Birth to Calves: Totems, Wars, Horizons, Diasporas.

A memorial to Ahmed was shared at the Academic Senate meeting on April 16. In part, it reads: “We in the Department of Comparative Literature were fortunate to work with him. His students admired and respected him for his wisdom and integrity. An esteemed and beloved colleague, he made our department a place of dialogue and intellectual exchange. As a chair, he proved himself a respected leader and a consummate diplomat. Most of all, as a human being, Ali was frequently sought after by students and colleagues alike for advice and counsel, due to his wisdom, fair-mindedness, and insights into the human condition. He was one of Queens College’s brightest lights, and his passing is a great loss for all of us.”

Danny Burstein ’86 has just become the most-nominated male actor in Tony Awards history, securing his ninth nomination for his performance in Marjorie Prime. In 2020 he won the Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his work in Moulin Rouge! The Musical . . . . James Cohen (Media Studies) was a live guest on CBC Radio’s “Just Asking” . . . . Carmen Cotei (School of Business) is the subject of the cover story in Long Island Press Business . . . . 

Patrick Kennedy BMus ’15, MSEd ’19 has been named director of fine and performing arts for the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District. He will be taking over from another alum, Izzet Mergen MSEd ’01 . . . . Ted Kesler (EECE) has been accepted as a fellow in George Washington University’s fourth annual fellowship and summer institute on Antisemitism & Jewish Identity in Educational Settings . . . . The New York State Legislature issued a resolution honoring Anthony Tamburri (Calandra) on the occasion of his designation for recognition by the New York Conference of Italian-American State Legislators on May 18, 2026, when the state will observe Italian American Day . . . . President Frank H. Wu is listed in City & State’s 2026 Asian Trailblazers. Also, he recently made a virtual presentation in a SUNY series on leadership in higher education.