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

QView #233 | September 9

During orientation on August 19 for the internship program at Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, students learned about placements with New York City agencies and community organizations. 

From left: Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management Vivek Upadhyay; CUNY Clinical Social Work Supervisors Natalie Mena, Caridel Hernandez, and Tanya Weeks; Director of the CUNY Foster Youth College Success Initiative Shirley de Peña; CUNY Clinical Social Work Supervisors Jerisel Jimenez and Evelyn Campos; Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Sean Pierce; CUNY Clinical Social Work Supervisor Renaldo Stover

Establishing residence before classes start, students moved into the Summit Apartments on Wednesday, August 26. Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Sean Pierce, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management Vivek Upadhyay, Interim President Elizabeth Hendrey, and the Queens College Knight were on hand to assist.

First-year and transfer students marked their transition to Queens College on Thursday, August 27, by walking through the main Kissena Avenue gate to the Quad, where they were greeted by administrators, as documented in this video.

Welcome Day also featured ice-breaking activities, lunch, and a performance by rapper Boogie Wit da Hoodie.

Interim President Elizabeth Hendrey and members of the college’s leadership team held orientations for incoming honors students on Thursday, August 27, in the Patio Room. Students in Freshman Honors, the Kessler Scholars Program, and Macaulay Honors College attended the first session; the second focused on Transfer Honors students. The Honors and Scholarships team welcomed 165 new honors students in total, the largest incoming cohort in the history of Queens College's Honors and Scholarships programs.

Students aren’t the only ones to benefit from fall orientations. The Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Leadership (CETLL) invited new and returning faculty to the Music Building Atrium on Friday, August 28, for brief presentations by CETLL, ITS, the Library, PSC-CUNY, Financial Aid and the Registrar’s Office, the Office for Students with Disabilities and Access, and the Office of Innovation and Student Success. Afterward, attendees had the opportunity to talk to or get information from these areas and others. The event was co-sponsored by PSC-CUNY’s QC Chapter.

For additional help, faculty can join CETLL's virtual drop-in hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2 to 4 pm over Zoom or reach out via email CTLOnline@qc.cuny.edu.  

Queens College’s Percy Ellis Sutton Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) Program celebrated its 60th anniversary with a gala at the Edwards Davis Center in St. Albans on August 23. The Kappa Alpha Psi Scholarship Foundation hosted the event, which honored three QC SEEK alumni—U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat ’78; New York State Representative Khaleel Anderson ’19; and NASA Operations Engineer Akosua Dufie ’21, MA ’23—as well as Keisha Sutton-James, Percy Ellis Sutton’s granddaughter. A high point of the gala was the screening of a documentary about the program, Meaning.

As its name suggests, the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee (IHCC) is dedicated to promoting Italian and Italian American culture. The committee has been doing this work for half a century, first with a week of events, expanding in 1985 to a monthlong schedule. To celebrate IHCC’s golden anniversary, the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute has mounted 50 Years of Italian Heritage and Culture, 1976 – 2026, an exhibit of posters and proclamations associated with the committee’s programming. The show, in the Calandra gallery, will be on view through September 25.

Dragon Boat Racers Return to the Water 

Following up on their initial foray into Dragon Boat racing last summer, the CUNY Knight Dragons were once again among the dozens of teams competing at this year’s 36th annual New York City celebration of the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival. Competition took place August 8-9 on the waters of Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Crewed by 10 paddlers, a drummer to count off strokes, and a steerer at the tiller, teams again raced, as done in Hong Kong, in identical boats so no boat has a physical advantage. The long sleek wooden vessels with a dragon’s head and tail were provided by the festival. Dragon Boat festivals have been celebrated for over 2000 years to commemorate an idealistic poet and performer named Qu Yuan who drowned himself in the third century BC to protest his emperor's policies.

"We started in 1991 with only 10 teams, and this year we have over 180 teams," festival founder Henry Wan told Spectrum News NY1. "We're excited to have seen the event grow from a small, tiny event into a major festival in New York City."

This year’s festival celebrated the Year of the Fire Horse, in which individuals are encouraged to harness their strengths for personal and communal growth. The CUNY Knight Dragons certainly worked to do just that as they adhered to a schedule of weekly training sessions to make them racing fit.

“We started as early as April working out in the FitzGerald Gym and doing weightlifting, and by May we were on the water,” says Sabrina Castro (Office of Communications and Marketing), who was a returning crewmember in addition to taking photos and video.

“We trained at least once a week. There was a Saturday practice and a Sunday practice, so everyone trained at least once a week each week,” she says of the 90-minute sessions that also involved paddling technique and team coordination.

Castro says paddlers were recruited through word of mouth and postings on Instagram and Facebook. Hemwatie Seusarann (Public Safety) and Adrian Peters, also veterans of last year’s team, both served as coaches; Liza Marquez (External and Governmental Affairs), who coordinated last year’s team, provided behind-the-scenes assistance.

Queens College alumni and students and some family members were on the team as well as some people from another team with which Seusarann competes. They were entered in the race category Regular/Mixed, meaning teams with both female and male paddlers.

Some female Knight Dragons also competed in the All-Women’s Race, and some also raced with the New York Water Warriors team.

As at last year’s event, competition involved dozens of races and consisted of 250-meter races in the morning and 500-meter races in the afternoon. Teams raced in qualifying heats of four or five boats, with winners advancing to the finals.

CUNY Knight Dragon Results

Races #3, #25, #63

Mixed Race #3: third place

Mixed Race #25: fourth place

Education Invitational #63: third place (2 seconds away from first place!)

New York Water Warriors Results

Races #13, #36, #42, #47

All Women’s Team

Race #13: third place

Race #36: first place — advanced to the finals

Race #42 (the finals) 1st place

Race #47 (Industry Invitational): 3rd place

The team was also sponsored by Spectrum and placed 4th in Race #51.

QC Soccer Teams Off to Fast Start to 2026 Season

The Queens College men’s and women’s soccer teams hit the ground running to start the 2026 season.

The men’s squad kicked off the year with a 2-1 victory over Dominican University of New York on August 27. Following a 1-1 draw against Southern New Hampshire and a close 2-1 loss to Holy Family, the Knights made a loud statement last Saturday by dominating East Stroudsburg University, 5-1. Tommy Gunn paced the attack early on, tallying two goals and two assists through four matches.

On the women’s side, QC opened with back-to-back shutout victories—a 2-0 win over Felician University and a 3-0 triumph against Caldwell University. Though they dropped a match to Bentley University on September 2, the Knights rebounded on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Georgian Court University. Ashley Kieblesz has been sensational upfront with five goals on the young season, while goalkeeper Samantha Hines-Hirsch has already posted three clean sheets.

Looking ahead, many of the Knights fall teams have a busy schedule this week:

Men’s soccer travels to Bridgeport on Wednesday, September 9 at 6 pm before returning home to host Georgian Court on Saturday, September 12 at 7:30 pm.

Women’s soccer welcomes Pace University to campus on Wednesday, September 9 at 7 pm, followed by a matchup against Dominican University on Saturday, September 12 at 5 pm.

Women’s volleyball heads to Wilmington, Delaware for the Wildcat Invitational this weekend. QC takes on Adelphi (1 pm) and Holy Family (5 pm) on Friday, September 11 followed by matches against Saint Anselm (9 am) and host Wilmington (5 pm) on Saturday.

Women’s tennis opens the 2026 season on the road at Jefferson University on Wednesday at 2 pm, then returns home to play against the University of the District of Columbia on Saturday at 1 pm.

For the latest athletics news, scores, statistics, and more, visit queensknights.com.

State Renews Funding for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies

The Center for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies (CBMGS) has secured a $300,000 New York State grant in renewed funding through the support of former New York State Senator Michael Gianaris, the CBMGS advisory board, and the Queens College administration, as reported by QNS.

“We are deeply grateful to Senator Gianaris for his generous support of the Center for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies,” said Interim President Elizabeth Hendrey. “The work of the center celebrates the rich cultural heritage of so many of our students as well as the enduring sociological and economic history of the New York City communities that their parents and grandparents have built.”

The New York State grant will support scholarships for undergraduate students choosing to major or minor in Byzantine and Modern Greek studies; travel grants for CUNY students applying to the Study Abroad in Greece program for the winter and summer 2027 sessions; travel grants for CUNY graduate students engaged in Byzantine and Modern Greek studies; program conferences; and lectures, books, publications, and CBMGS administrative functions.

“The Center for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies has been a mainstay of the Greek American community for decades, and I am proud to have secured funding so its mission can continue,” said CBMGS Director Fevronia Soumakis. “I look forward to many more years of success educating future generations about the importance of this history.” 

For more information about this grant, see the press release.

Rankings Filed

Tis the season for higher educational rankings. Queens College is in enviable positions, starting with sixth place in the United States on the Wall Street Journal’s “Best Value College” roster for 2026. Meanwhile, Princeton Review has named QC a “Best College” for the 35th consecutive year. QC is also included in TIME's inaugural edition of “America's Best Colleges 2026-2027,” a list of 500 colleges nationwide. The Washington Monthly just weighed in, calling QC one of its “2026 Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars: Northeast.”

“We offer an excellent, always up-to-date education, competitive with the best schools but at a more affordable cost,” says Interim President Elizabeth Hendrey. “Our faculty are standouts who win many awards and honors, our facilities are enviable, and our students are highly motivated. We are an indispensable gateway to professional careers and graduate school.” 

On-site Day Care

Commuting to QC can be complicated for students, faculty, and staff with young families. Fortunately, flexible, affordable child care is available on campus at the Child Development Center (CDC). The CDC has programs for 2½- to 5-year-olds, led by attentive certified teachers. Learn more about the center’s services through this video.

Zoe Beloff Blends Art, History, and Activism in Latest Installation

For Zoe Beloff (Media Studies), filmmaking, visual art, and history aren't separate endeavors—they all work together to tell a story and spark conversation. This is evident in her latest installation, Life Forgotten, on exhibit at City Lore in New York City until September 13.

Honoring Early Labor Activists

Life Forgotten is a series of artworks, a film, and a book that imagines an encounter between early cinema and young women labor activists of the Lower East Side in the early 20th Century. The work blends archival footage with a reenactment that centers on a storefront cinema in New York City.

“These very young immigrant women who came to New York at that time were working in these awful factory conditions,” Beloff explained. “They wanted to organize with nothing—no money, no connections, no power. I’ve been really interested in that history. My film is about celebrating what immigrants with nothing can do.”

Beloff wanted to work on a piece focused on this time in history but was struggling to figure out how, until she stumbled upon one old photo that sparked her imagination.

“It was this one photograph of a little storefront movie theatre at 58 Willett Street, just next to the Williamsburg Bridge,” she recalled. “Before there were real movie theaters, there were storefront movie theaters—all they needed was a screen and a projector and they were in business.

“What really fascinated me was that these little movie theatres were one place that women could gather. Their parents wouldn’t let them go to bars or dance halls, but they could go there. I thought this little movie theater would become the form where I would make this project. I imagined these young garment workers watching movies about themselves.”

The exhibit features a 50-minute film alongside a series of drawings, prints, and objects that create an immersive experience. Beloff also released a book of the same name in conjunction with the installation.

Exploring Community Through Film

Beloff’s projects bridge the gap between historical research and creative storytelling; her other works share a similar theme to Life Forgotten, often centering around marginalized communities and popular culture. Another recent film of hers, Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk, is a retelling of Franz Kafka’s short story of the same name. In it, the "mouse folk"—a metaphor for struggling Eastern European Jews that Beloff extends to include various immigrant diasporas—put aside their hard lives to gather around a singer who gives them a sense of community.

“Life Forgotten and Josephine both talk about community and popular entertainment and how popular entertainment brings community together,” added Beloff.

Looking Back and Forward

Beloff, who holds an MA in drawing and art history from Edinburgh University and an MFA in film production from Columbia University, has been on QC’s media studies faculty since 2004, teaching courses such as beginning filmmaking, cinematography, and creative sound production. She got her start in teaching at City College in 1989 and has taught at numerous schools throughout the metropolitan area including Columbia University, Bard College, and the College of Staten Island.

Over the course of her career, Beloff has continually used art to explore working-class history, including older projects such as The Days of the Commune (2012), a street performance and installation about the Paris Commune of 1871, and Dreamland: The Coney Island Amateur Psychoanalytic Society and their Circle 1926-1972 (2009), an exhibition and fictional story inspired by Sigmund Freud’s visit to Coney Island in 1909.

Beloff has other exciting projects in the works. She is preparing to perform a new participatory project in Berlin titled A Recipe for Disaster—which she hopes to adapt for New York audiences next year—and is developing a new short film, Archive of Ashes.

Through all her projects, Beloff remains focused on creating spaces that foster connection.

"A lot of my work has to do with history, past and present, and how it can help us think about where we are and how we might go forward."

You can learn more about Zoe Beloff and her work at her website or read a review in the Brooklyn Rail. Her Life Forgotten installation is open on Saturdays and Sundays, 12-6 pm or by appointment until September 13 at City Lore, 56 East First Street, New York, NY.

Ronald Lawson

Ronald Lawson, professor emeritus of urban studies, died on August 3. He was 86.

Born in Australia, Lawson earned a doctorate in history and sociology at the University of Queensland; he came to the United States on a Fulbright to conduct postdoctoral research at Columbia University. Staying in New York City, he taught at Hunter College for six years before joining the QC faculty in 1977.

At first, Lawson focused on housing issues and tenant movements. Upon learning about the role some church organizations played in tenant organizations and housing preservation, he began studying the global evolution of religious groups—such as Mormons, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Pentecostals—that originated in the United States. His interest was more than academic. A Seventh-Day Adventist, he held leadership positions in the faith’s forums in cities in Australia, the United States, and Canada. In addition, he was one of the founders of Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International, an organization for LGBTQIA+ current and former Adventists.

Lawson received an Excellence in Teaching Award from the college as well as the Student Association’s first “Teacher of the Year” award. He retired in 2009 to focus on writing; his works are collected on www.RonaldLawson.net. He is survived by his partner, family, friends, colleagues, and members of the Kinship community.

Lawrence Opitz ’69

Lawrence Opitz, professor of theater emeritus at Skidmore College, passed away in June a week before his 78th birthday.

Opitz majored in theater and studio art at QC and honed his skills at the Studio and Forum of Stage Design in New York City; was already working off-Broadway as a technician and designer before he completed his degree. He taught at Columbia University's Teachers College and helped build the Queens Playhouse—the first professional regional theater in the Borough of Queens—serving as its technical director.

When Opitz joined the Skidmore faculty in 1974, the theater department was located off campus. He is credited with helping to plan and design the Janet Kinghorn Bernhard Theater, the department’s on-campus home. A man of many roles, he was a designer, producer, director, playwright, and actor in theatre, opera, dance, and film; he held membership in United Scenic Artists (LU#829 of IATSE), the Actors’ Equity Association, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and the Dramatists Guild. In his 49 years at Skidmore, he developed numerous courses and was involved in 126 productions in one capacity or another. He also co-founded the Saratoga Shakespeare Company, designed Capital Repertory's theater in Albany, and consulted on renovations of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, among many other projects.

Opitz was described as a lifelong New York sports fan who was betrayed by the Dodgers, devoted to the Mets, dismayed by the Jets, and grateful for the 2026 Knicks.

He is survived by his wife of over 59 years, Barbara, whom he met at QC; two sons and their respective partners; and a granddaughter.

Shirley Strum Kenny

Shirley Strum Kenny, Queens College’s seventh president, died on September 3. She was 92. 

Always an academic standout—she was valedictorian of her high school in Tyler, Texas—Kenny majored in English and journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, graduating with high distinction. After a year’s study in England on a Fulbright scholarship, she earned an MA at the University of Minnesota and a PhD from the University of Chicago. She taught at Gallaudet College, the Catholic University of America, and the University of Maryland, where she chaired the English department. Pivoting to administration, she served as provost of Maryland’s College of Arts and Humanities.

Appointed president of Queens College in 1985, Kenny worked tirelessly to increase funding, improve campus infrastructure, expand academic programming, and foster opportunities for first-generation students. She played a pivotal role in negotiations with the City of New York for Queens College/CUNY administer the Louis Armstrong House as a museum and entered into an agreement implemented in 1987 with the Department of Cultural Affairs on various aspects relating to the historic collections and property. Recognizing the need to promote the college, she commissioned celebrated graphic artist Milton Glaser to design a logo and an ad campaign. Kenny left QC in 1994 when she was named president of the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Kenny was predeceased by her husband, whom she met at the University of Texas, and one of their sons. She is survived by four children and their spouses as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Shirley Strum Kenny at Queeens College in 1985

Anna Maria Bounds (Sociology) is quoted in “The End of the World as We Know It,” an episode of “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper” that explores the U.S. prepper movement . . . . Julia Sneeringer (History) and Meredith Katz (SEYS) were selected for the CUNY Faculty Fellowship on Holocaust Distortion, funded by the Claims Conference. Baruch, Hunter, and QC each have two fellows in this pilot program . . . .

Eugenia Paulicelli (Italian) co-curated the exhibition Ferdinando Sarmi New York: un viaggio nella moda da Firenze alla Fifth Avenue (Ferdinando Sarmi New York – A journey in fashion from Florence to Fifth Avenue) at the Museum of Fashion and Costume at Palazzo Pitti. She also co-directed the docufilm Ferdinando Sarmi: Untold Stories of New York Fashion, which debuted at the museum in conjunction with the show. Ferdinando Sarmi New York will be open until December 31 . . . . Queens College received a $69,000 grant from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) to renew support for the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) for the 2026-27 academic year. The award, made on the recommendation of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, recognizes Queens College's continued commitment to supporting undergraduate scholars and expanding pathways to doctoral study and academic careers. ACLS also approved the rollover of unexpended funds from the previous grant cycle, bringing the program's total 2026-27 budget to $129,739. Miles Grier (English) coordinates MMUF in collaboration with the Honors and Scholarships Department . . . . The School of Business has become a university partner of the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council (CREFC), the trade association of the commercial real estate finance industry. Through this partnership, Queens College students gain complimentary academic membership in CREFC and access to a comprehensive suite of educational programming, career resources, industry events, and professional connections. The program runs on the academic calendar, with programming anchored to each semester and on-demand content available year-round . . . . Charlie Dennis, a University of Hawaii at Manoa history major who spent academic 2025-26 at QC through the National Student Exchange (NSE), just received the exchange’s Wendel Wickland Student Achievement Award. This prize, which is accompanied by a $500 stipend, primarily recognizes academic accomplishments but also takes account of social welfare service, contribution to the campus or community, and creative use of time while on exchange. During his time at QC, Dennis worked as a direct support professional at All Abilities Beloved & Respected, a local nonprofit serving individuals with developmental disabilities. He hopes to return to QC to pursue a dual master’s degree in history and library science. Accredited institutions in the United States, U.S. territories, and Canada participate in NSE. QC students looking for a change of educational scenery can learn more here.