QView #201 | April 8

On stage, from left: President Frank H. Wu at the podium, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Patricia Price, and Chief Diversity Officer and Dean of Diversity Jerima DeWese.

On screen, left image: Louis Armstrong House Museum (LAHM) Director of Research Collections Ricky Riccardi, who won his second Grammy this year, with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, holding one of Armstrong’s trumpets.

Right image: President Wu and Chancellor Felix V. Matos Rodriguez welcome Governor Kathy Hochul to LAHM.

Anthony Tamburri (Calandra) speaking in his capacity as chair of the Academic Excellence Selection Committee

A reception followed the ceremony.

President Frank H. Wu discussed developments of the past year in his State of the College Address in LeFrak Concert Hall on April 1. (If you missed it, a video is available.) Click here to download the program and full list of award recipients. After the speech, awards were presented to outstanding faculty and staff members. The event was well attended in Lefrak Hall and included a reception afterward in the Dining Hall Patio.

At a morning ceremony at the LaGuardia Community College campus on Wednesday, April 2, President Frank H. Wu and LaGuardia Community College President Kenneth Adams signed an agreement formalizing their institutions’ partnership in the Queens STEM Academy, or Q-STEM. The program provides holistic support to STEM majors transferring from LaGuardia to QC to pursue four-year degrees. The first cohort came to QC last fall. With the arrival of the second group this semester, nearly 70 Q-STEM students are enrolled at Queens College; most are majoring in computer science.

From left: Seth Obeng, a student who transferred from LaGuardia Community College (LCC) to Queens College; LCC President Kenneth Adams; QC President Frank H. Wu; CUNY Senior Vice Chancellor for Strategy & Policy Implementation Sascha Owen

Below: President Wu speaking at LCC

First-year student Khushmeet Kaur won this semester’s Presidential Suite Art Competition with The Silent Wait, which was unveiled in Kiely Hall on Wednesday afternoon. Kaur moved to the United States six months ago from India and has already participated in the Arts Leadership Bootcamp. Silent Wait depicts her family’s dog, who has passed away.

From left: Gideon Levy (Strategic Partnerships & Development); Raani Kaur, the artist’s aunt; Lupita Penaloza, a guest of the artist; Khushmeet Kaur; Liza Marquez (External & Governmental Relations); President Frank H. Wu; Julia del Palacio Langer (Strategic Partnerships & Development; QCArts); Simone Yearwood (School of Arts & Humanities); Neophytos Ioannou (QCArts); Louise Weinberg (Godwin-Ternbach Museum); Maria Pio (Godwin-Ternbach Museum); Sarah Restrepo (QCArts)

Despite the weather, sunny spirits prevailed on Sunday, April 6, when Become a Knight Day moved indoors from the Quad. Staff, faculty, and current students helped acquaint newly accepted undergraduates with campus life and information about academic opportunities.

Men’s Tennis Tops St. Thomas Aquinas to Move into First Place

The Queens College men’s tennis team won a hard-fought match against St. Thomas Aquinas College by a score of 4-3 last Friday to move into first place in the East Coast Conference (ECC) Standings. In the deciding match at #6 singles, Adam Laur won in three sets to clinch the win for the Knights, who are now 8-4 overall and 3-1 in the ECC.

In outdoor track and field, the Knights competed at the Delaware Invitational last Friday. John Ray led the Knights with a second-place finish in the 5000-meter run. Kyle Gault was sixth in the javelin throw and Damilola Babalola placed sixth in the 400-meter hurdles.

It will be a busy week of action for all the Knights’ teams, with multiple contests on the slate for men’s and women’s tennis, baseball, softball, and track and field. For the complete schedule, as well as news, statistics, and more, be sure to visit the QC athletics website.

In honor of National Student-Athlete Day 4/6/25

Gallery Goes Full Circles

Full Circles, a retrospective of QC alumnae Mary Ahern ’80 and Virginia Mallon ’85, opened this week at the Queens College Art Center.

Ahern works in paint, watercolor, and pencil, finding inspiration in her garden. Her paintings often combine floral images with abstract themes, evoking, she says, “the delicate equilibrium needed for universal survival.”

Mallon explores religious, historic, and mythological women, personal histories, and the psychological undercurrents of modern society through paint, photography, and mixed media. In addition to canvases, she paints on nontraditional surfaces, such as burlap, slate, found objects, and cigar boxes.

Bloomberg Recruiters Hold Workshops

Recruiters from Bloomberg have returned to campus this month through the Recruiter in Residence program. Remaining dates areThursday, April 10, and Thursday, April 24, from noon to 3 pm, in Frese Hall 213. Both dates will feature a workshop followed by small group sessions and one-to-one meetings. The topic on April 10 will be resumes; interviews will be discussed two weeks later. Interested students should RSVP at Sign In | Handshake.

Recruiter in Residence is presented by the New York Jobs CEO Council | Homepage.  

Five Days of Diversified Activities

QC’s third annual Diversity Week will take place April 21-25. Activities will include the Passport to Diversity, a showcase of international food, music, and traditions, on Monday, April 21; a screening of From Here/From There, film about the rights and activism of undocumented people, on Tuesday, April 22; and the Dismantling and Combating Hate Conference on Thursday, April 23. For the complete schedule, go to Diversity Week - Office of Compliance and Diversity.

Environmental Theater

Following performances in Queens and on Long Island, Flood Sensor Aunty will come to QC on Thursday, April 23, from 6 to 7 pm, in the space between Kiely and Klapper Halls. Written by public theater artist, community organizer, and urban planner Sabina Sethi Unni, Flood Sensor Aunty combines theater and community disaster prevention: The show is about a flood sensor and aspiring movie star working at her aunt’s chai shop.

Urban Studies, Asian American Community Studies, and CUNY Social Practice are presenting Flood Sensor Aunty in honor of Earth Week, Diversity Week, and QC’s new Minor in Sustainable Cities.

Supporting Parkinson’s Research Is a Walk in the Park

When the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s Parkinson’s Unity Walk returns to Central Park on Saturday, April 26, a team organized by the QC Speech Language Hearing Center will hit the 1.2-mile course. “It is truly inspiring to come together for the shared purpose of helping as many people as possible who are impacted by Parkinson’s,” says Elizabeth Viccaro (Linguistics and Communication Disorders).

All Unity Walk proceeds go directly to the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s research and policy programs. This year, up to $1.5 million of every dollar raised on April 26 will be matched, potentially generating $3 million. Would-be walkers who can’t go to Central Park may register virtually and go the distance in their own neighborhood. To join the QC team or support its efforts, visit the Team Fundraising Page.

Check-in at the Naumburg Bandshell will begin at 8:30 am. (Nearest park entrance is at 72nd Street and Fifth Avenue.) Teams will depart in a rolling start through noon; the event will end at 1 pm.

In addition to the walk, the day will feature specialized programming from local Parkinson’s groups and advocates. Individuals and families affected by Parkinson’s disease will have the opportunity to connect with industry representatives, community partners, and Parkinson’s experts offering valuable resources. “The Speech Language Hearing Center will be sponsoring a booth again this year, so come and visit us to learn more about our program,” says Viccaro. Through support from the Parkinson Voice Project, Queens College provides SPEAK OUT!® therapy at no cost to people with Parkinson’s in the New York area.

Poetry Month, Part 1

In the days of hope we had poetry.

Lines of Sa’di inscribed

on the entrance of the United Nations

almost convinced us we belonged

to each other, children of Adam

with a president reciting this verse

to our siblings on their new year

and a foreign president who reciprocated

by rhapsodizing about the origins

of the young enterprising nation.

Enemies of the first called him “Muslim”

like it was bad, his message going back

to the Qur’an as source of universal love

just as enemies of the second called theirs “Western”

shaming him for aspiring to such values.

Despite differences we related to the idea

of the 13th century Sufi mystic.

Sometimes we experienced it as love

though we couldn’t quite explain it,

which is why we needed poetry.

—Roger Sedarat

Graduate Center Fashions New Program

In July, the CUNY Graduate Center will debut a noncredit program, the Fashion Institute. Open to fashion industry professionals, students, and educators from around the world, the institute will comprise four modules on topics such as sustainability and beauty and wellness. Each module will involve workshops, lectures, and field trips in addition to core curriculum and supervised independent work. Participants can register at The Graduate Center for any or all modules. Faculty will include Eugenia Paulicelli (ELL).

Warming Up to Summer at QC

With hundreds of courses, flexible scheduling, and in-person and fully online options, Summer Session allows students to make progress toward graduation and still enjoy a break. In this video one student shares her plans and how Summer Session fits into them. To see the complete schedule, click here.  

Michael Friedman ’69

Michael Friedman, Suppes Professor of Philosophy of Science at Stanford University, died on March 24, shortly before his 78th birthday.

A philosophy major at QC, Friedman earned his doctorate at Princeton University. Prior to Stanford, he taught at Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, University of Illinois, Indiana University, and University of California, Berkeley.

Friedman was acclaimed for his work in the philosophy of science; his first book, Foundations of Space-Time Theories: Relativistic Physics and the Philosophy of Science, won the Franklin J. Machette Foundation Book Prize from the American Philosophical Association and the Lakatos Award from the London School of Economics. He was also known for historical work on Immanuel Kant, Martin Heidegger, and Ernst Cassirer.

Friedman is survived by his wife and fellow philosopher, Graciela De Pierris.

This article draws on material provided by Stephen Grover (Philosophy).

Rolf Swensen

Longterm campus librarian Rolf Swensen passed away in March.

Swensen held a BA from Lawrence University, an MLS from Columbia University, an Archival Certificate from Western Washington University, and a PhD in United States History from the University of Oregon. In a wide-ranging career, he served as university archivist at Oregon State University and chief archivist at the National Archives in Papua New Guinea before joining Queens College in 1990 as a social sciences librarian, a position he would hold for nearly 30 years. In 2005 he became a professor of library and from 2013 to 2015, he served as acting chief librarian.

Colleagues recall that in the mid-2000s, Swensen worked with Frank Warren (History) to create HIST 791 (Introduction to Historical Research), which became a required course for History MA students. Swensen taught HIST 791 several times.

A scholar of U.S. religious history, specifically that of Christian Science, he received three fellowships from the Mary Baker Eddy Library and published a dozen or more articles on the history of Christian Science. In retirement he packaged nine of his articles as well as recent insights into “And O’er Earth’s Troubled, Angry Sea”: The History of Christian Science in the United States, to be released by Routledge in May. 

This article draws on material provided by James Mellone (Library).

Irene Butter ’53 received the 2025 Anne Frank Award for Human Dignity and Tolerance in a ceremony last month at the Washington, DC, residence of Dutch Ambassador Birgitta Tazelaar. Butter, who taught economics at the University of Michigan, is a peace activist and the author of From Holocaust to Hope: Shores beyond Shores, A Bergen-Belsen Survivor’s True Story . . . . Mara Einstein (Media Studies) spoke at Seton Hall on March 19 about her latest book, Hoodwinked: How Marketers Use the Same Tactics as Cults; the event was covered by the student newspaper . . . . Kristy Caldwell (Art) has been awarded a William H. Helfand Fellowship by the Grolier Club Library. Her fellowship project will culminate in a set of illustrated bookplates inspired by the club’s archive, along with a public talk at the club . . . .

Eugenia Paulicelli (ELL) has just published Fashion under Fascism. Beyond the Black Shirt, 2nd edition . . . . Leo Pinto ’23 signed with the American Soccer Club New York as a midfielder. ASC New York will begin its inaugural season in the National Premier Soccer League on Sunday, May 4, against Osner’s FC at a venue to be announced. Pinto is pursuing a doctorate in physical therapy at Stony Brook University . . . . Cathy Savage-Dunn (Biology) is the co-author of an Op-ed that ran in the Daily News . . . . President Frank H. Wu and husband-and-wife alums James and Ashley McMillian spoke at a QC alumni event on Long Island on Sunday, April 6. Kate Pechenkina (Social Sciences), Karl Mitchell (Economics), Zavi Gunn (Center for Career Engagement and Internships), and Laura Abrams (Alumni Relations) were in attendance.