"Campus Update" is a weekly e-newsletter published by LaGuardia's Division of Communications and External Affairs to provide news and information to the college community. | | The Division of Communications and External Affairs offers various additional resources to help you share news with the campus, including an event calendar, photography, graphic design, and more. | | Tenth New York Forum of Amazigh Film Takes Place at LaGuardia | | The New York Forum of Amazigh Film celebrated its 10th edition, A Decade of Celebrating Amazigh Voices in Film, on April 24 in the Little Theater. This milestone celebration featured a short film competition, highlighting stories from Morocco, Algeria, and the Amazigh diaspora. The event showcased documentaries from North Africa and Europe, as well as a creative workshop on tattoo symbolism called "Symbols & Self," which provided a hands-on opportunity to explore themes of identity and symbolism in North African Amazigh art. Professor Dahlia El Sayed shared insight into the artistic techniques and cultural significance of the works being explored. The event also included the discussion of the newly released book Amazigh Cinema: An Introduction to North African Indigenous Film, edited by Lucy R. McNair and Yahya Laayouni. This landmark publication offers a critical introduction to the rich and underrepresented world of Amazigh filmmaking in North Africa, shedding light on Indigenous cinematic narratives, cultural resistance, and linguistic identity. | | Library Hosts Book Talk and Signing with Local Author Abraham Chang | | | | Local author Abraham Chang will be on campus on May 7 to discuss his newly released debut novel, 888 Love and the Divine Burden of Numbers. The book talk and signing will take place in the Library from 2:15 to 3:30 p.m., and the first 25 students to attend will receive a free copy of the book. 888 Love and the Divine Burden of Numbers has been described as a “love letter to Western pop culture, Eastern traditions, and being a first-generation New Yorker.” Chang’s book can also be purchased from Book Culture in Long Island City here. | | Community Health and Wellness Department Hosts Melanoma Awareness Talk | | The Community Health and Wellness Department hosted a Melanoma Awareness Talk on April 24. The session highlighted the risks, warning signs, and preventive strategies related to melanoma—the most serious form of skin cancer. Raising awareness around melanoma is particularly important as the summer months near and more time is spent outdoors. Participants heard from Dr. Ann Lee, Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology, and Jyoti Narang, Chief Physician Assistant, at Bellevue Hospital, during the event. | | Last week, the Nutrition and Culinary Management Program hosted a Restaurant Worker Forum, featuring speakers from One Fair Wage, a national organization that advocates for improved labor conditions in the restaurant industry. The event aimed to shed light on the challenges that restaurant workers face all across the country. Saru Jayaraman, president of One Fair Wage, gave a presentation on the history of tipping culture in the United States. Jayaraman also invited three restaurant workers to share their experiences, followed by a Q&A session and clips from the film La Cocina and an episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. A total of 70 students attended the event, reflecting a strong interest in creating a more equitable and informed hospitality community. | | LaGuardia Faculty and Staff Receive Special Discounts at Local Businesses | | |
Members of the LaGuardia Community are eligible for discounts at several local businesses. Simply present a valid LaGuardia ID at any of the locations below to receive your discount:
-
Addys BBQ — 799 Elmont Rd, Elmont, NY 11003
-
Caffeine Cabana Coffee — 35-01 Queens Blvd, Long Island City, NY 11101
-
Eatzy Chinese — 37-21 72 St, Jackson Heights, NY 11372
-
Fresco Deli Café — 33-06 Queens Blvd, Long Island City, NY 11101
-
Holy Cow — 23-14 36 Ave, Astoria, NY 11106
-
Pete’s Grill — 39-14 Queens Blvd, Sunnyside, NY 11104
-
Tacombi — 27-10 43 Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101
-
Vanessa’s Dumplings House — Discount available at all locations
-
Long Island City YMCA — 32-23 Queens Blvd, Long Island City, NY 11101
For more information on specific discounts, visit our Discounts webpage.
| | | 29th Street Mural Information Session | | | | Calling all artists: Do you have an idea for a street mural you’d like to see on 29th Street? The college is seeking submissions for street mural designs to be placed on the LaGuardia Community College Greenway later this year. Faculty, staff, and students who are interested in submitting a design are encouraged to attend an info session on May 8 from 11 a.m to 12:30 p.m. in Room E-500. RSVP for the info session here. You can find the guidelines for design submissions here. The deadline for submissions is May 18; once all submissions are received, members of the LaGuardia community and the Long Island City Partnership will vote for their favorite design. A winner will be announced May 28. For more information, contact Vice President for Communications and External Affairs, Manny Romero, or Chief of Staff Nayelli Valencia Turrent. Artists can submit their designs here. | | Sign Up to Work At or Attend Commencement | | |
Preparations are well underway to celebrate LaGuardia’s 53rd graduating class at Commencement, taking place Friday, June 20 on the Quad at Queens College.
Sign Up to Work at Commencement
- Celebrating the hard work and achievements of our students takes a large team. Sign up to work on site at Queens College on Commencement Day. Help is needed with the student line-up, ushering, check-in, site set-up, wheelchair assistance, and more. Please be sure to check with your supervisor if you are unsure about signing up.
Academic Procession and Audience Members
- Faculty and staff are invited to attend Commencement; RSVP here. Those wishing to march in the procession must wear academic regalia; rentals are available through Herff Jones, if needed. All orders are placed online; the deadline for home delivery is May 9.
| | | Sign Up to Add a Professional Headshot to Your Faculty Profile | | | | LaGuardia’s Communications and External Affairs Division is hosting a series of “Photo Days” for faculty and staff who need to update their professional headshots! Your headshot can be used for a variety of purposes and adds a personal touch to your Faculty Profile on the LaGuardia website. Book your timeslot now—May 13 is the last session of the semester. For more information contact Anastasia Figuera, photographer, Ext. 7471. | | LAGUARDIA AND WAGNER ARCHIVES | | Living in the Shade Exhibit On Display in M-Building Until May 23 | | See it before it's too late: The Archives' Living in the Shade: NYCHA Open Space Past, Present, and Future exhibit showcases LaGuardia student work, historical photographs, and architectural models of public housing in NYC. Located in the lobby of the M-Building, you can bring your class for a guided tour of the exhibit. Living in the Shade highlights the impact of open space in the lives of millions of public housing residents for over 90 years. The exhibit is open until May 23. Please email Stephen Petrus at spetrus@lagcc.cuny.edu to arrange a visit with your class. | | President’s Society Students Learn about MoMA-LaGuardia Scholars Program | | |
Since 2017, the MoMA-LaGuardia Scholars Program has offered President’s Society and other LaGuardia students the opportunity to intern at the Museum of Modern Art, a program funded by Alice Tisch. The program gives students hands-on experience across various museum departments, including Accounting, Security, Publishing, Learning and Engagement, Building Operations, and Exhibitions and Collections. On April 21, Alice Tisch and her daughter Louise joined the current scholars for lunch, where they heard directly from the students about their work and learning at MoMA. This year’s MoMA-LaGuardia Scholars are Chime Sherpa (Psychology), Joane Putricia (Business Administration), Eselda Sharka (Mechanical Engineering), Lin Lin Myat (Accounting), Fnu Thinlay Dolma (Accounting), Miranda Schrade (Liberal Arts: Math and Science), Haofeng Lin (Applied Math), and Sunny Sanchez (Liberal Arts: Social Sciences and Humanities).
Students in LaGuardia’s President’s Society have access to professional development workshops, cultural and corporate outings, and internship opportunities like this one. If you know a student who may be interested in joining the 2025-2026 cohort of the President’s Society, encourage them to apply here by June 16.
| | Creative Writing Read-a-Thon to Take Place May 7 | | | | LaGuardia’s annual Creative Writing Read-a-Thon is right around the corner: On May 7, from 2:30 to 5 p.m., writers from across the campus community will gather at the Poolside Cafe to share their original work. Hosted by LaGuardia's Creative Writing program, this year's event marks its 16th iteration. Students, faculty, and staff are all invited to share their work; each writer will have a total of five minutes to share their piece. If you are interested in sharing your work, you can sign up to do so here. | | English Professor Receives Two Fellowships | | Congratulations to Dr. Anita Baksh, a professor in the English Department, on receiving two fellowships. The first is a week-long training on “Building Digital Caribbean Archives, hosted by the The Caribbean Digital Scholarship Summer Institute (CDSsi) at the University of West Indies in Jamaica and funded by the Mellon Foundation. The second, awarded by the Americal Council of Learned Societies and funded by the Mellon Foundation, is part of a one-year pilot program for faculty in the humanities and social sciences at two-year colleges and includes a part-time residency at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, MA. While in residency, Dr. Baksh will work on her research project, “Human and Marine Mammal Kinship: Whales and Colonized Peoples in the Writing of Contemporary Caribbean American Writers.” | | | |
Students looking for enrollment services support can now access virtual office hours every Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Virtual One Stop takes place on Zoom and allows students to drop in and meet with staff from the following offices:
- Admissions
- International Student Services
- Registrar
- Student Financial Services
- Student Information Center
- Transfer Credit Evaluation
- Testing
| | | Updates from LaGuardia’s Library | |
- Join us in the Library on May 7 at 2:15 p.m. for our first Book Talk and Author Signing! Local author Abraham Chang will discuss his book 888 Love and the Divine Burden of Numbers, a love letter to Western pop culture, Eastern traditions, and being a first-generation New Yorker. A free copy of the book will be given to the first 25 LaGuardia students to attend!
- MoneyBoss workshops are throughout the Spring semester. Please check our website for our next workshop.
- If you know a student who is interested in joining a book club, the Library is interested in sponsoring one! Encourage them to fill out the form here.
- Did you get an A on a research paper in the Fall semester? Want a chance to win an Amazon HD Fire tablet? Enter the 44th Annual Library Research Review Competition. Students can enter research papers written for courses taken at LaGuardia during the 2024-25 academic year. The deadline is July 5, 2025.
| | | Meet with a TIAA Financial Consultant at LaGuardia | | |
No matter where you are in life, just getting started or planning for retirement, a session with a financial consultant can help you create a plan. At no additional cost, you'll get answers to questions like:
Am I invested in the right mix of investments?
Am I saving enough?
How do I take income from my retirement account when I retire?
TIAA will be available in E407 for the following dates and times for one-on-one sessions:
- Thursday, May 1, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Monday, June 23, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Register for sessions here.
| | New York State Deferred Compensation Plan 457b Webinar | | |
Join the NYS Deferred Compensation Plan (NYSDCP) for a conversation about the benefits of joining the Plan. NYSDCP will go over the basics of the Plan, compare the 457b to a 403b and how to enroll in the NYSDCP through a few easy steps. All are welcome to participate.
| | LaGuardia Seeks to Fill Open Faculty and Staff Positions | | |
LaGuardia currently has several ongoing searches for new faculty and staff members. Current faculty and staff are welcome to share the opening below with individuals who they believe may be a good fit for the role or apply for the positions themselves. For more openings, visit Employment Opportunities.
| | DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (DoIT) | | |
Complete Mandatory Cybersecurity Awareness Training
Please log in to Blackboard and complete the Cybersecurity Awareness Training course under the “Organizations” tab. This course covers phishing, spam, and best practices to protect CUNY accounts and sensitive data. Your participation is vital for safeguarding the University’s information. For questions, contact Maritza Acero.
| | LAGUARDIA IN THE HEADLINES | | "Campus Update" is produced and published by the Communications and External Affairs Division. Faculty and staff who wish to submit items for publication can email CampusUpdate@lagcc.cuny.edu. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. Monday to be considered for publication on Wednesday. |
| | | |
