Almost a year ago, Queens College, like its sister CUNY campuses, transitioned to primarily remote operations. Even as our community endured painful losses, people responded with extraordinary ingenuity, not only enabling faculty to teach and students to learn, but also tackling a host of other issues, from instituting new safety protocols on our campus grounds and gathering PPE for first responders to reducing food insecurity. As the availability of effective vaccines allows us to contemplate a return this fall to something resembling normality, with a mixture of in-person and online classes, I thank all of you—faculty, staff, and students—for your patience and flexibility. The resilience of Queens, impacted so hard at the onset of the pandemic in the United States, is inspiring. |
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Despite the challenges of the past year, Queens College maintains its strong national reputation. The latest commendation comes from intelligent.com, which lists QC eighth on its list of the Top 50 Affordable Colleges. My colleagues and I are constantly working on initiatives to make this remarkable college even better and position it for the future. We’re especially grateful for the ongoing support of Queens legislators. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet virtually with the Queens delegation to the City Council and make the case for funding a complete renovation of the food science and management laboratory, which is critical to FNES programs. I look forward to sharing with you my overall vision when I livestream my first State of the College address on Wednesday, March 10, from 11 am to noon on YouTube. I especially look forward to recognizing staff who have helped maintain our campus during the pandemic of the past year.
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Strategic Plan for 2021-2026 |
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As you know, we are moving forward with deliberations on the Strategic Plan for 2021-2026 with the exemplary help of the Steering Committee and Working Groups. Their discussions are informed by the town halls we conducted this past fall. We are maintaining a landing page to help keep the college community informed and fully engaged. Six new town halls—for department chairs; faculty; staff; students; the President’s Council; and alumni, the Queens College Foundation, and members of the community—have been scheduled for May. Links will be sent out later this semester to allow people to sign up.
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I hope everyone has been enjoying Big Ideas at Queens College, the innovative online video series created by the Office of Communications and Marketing. The series, launched on February 11, gives QC faculty from different disciplines the chance to discuss their projects with audiences beyond the college. This Thursday, March 4, we’ll hear from Isabel Cuervo, a senior research associate with the Barry Commoner Center for Health and the Environment, who is studying the risks common household products pose to the people who work as domestic cleaners.
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Current Episodes of Big Ideas |
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The next day, Tarry Hum (Urban Studies) and George Hendrey (SEES) will give opening remarks at the CUNY Queens Sustainability Consortium’s Community Roundtable, taking place from 10 am to 4:30 pm. Panels, moderated by faculty from other CUNY colleges in our borough, will explore such topics as city planning and environmental justice, and public health and quality of life for all in Queens. I’m especially pleased that QC alumnus Costa Constantinides, chair of the City Council’s Environmental Protection Committee, will deliver the keynote. Click here to register for this virtual event.
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Also taking place on Friday, March 5, is Stop the Hate! Safer Space Training, starting at 1 pm. Led via Zoom by Shane Windmeyer, founder and executive director of Campus Pride, Stop the Hate! teaches CUNY student leaders, faculty, and staff how to create a more inclusive campus and virtual spaces for the LGBTQIAA+ community. Certificates of completion will be sent to participants. Pre-registration is not required for this session. Zoom link. The meeting ID is 872 9344 9644 and the passcode is 537815.
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Queens College’s continued support for diversity and equity is reflected in two Women’s History Month panels, presented remotely. “Women, Advocacy, and Activism in a Global Pandemic,” on Monday, March 15, at 12:30 pm, features alumna Indrani Goradia, founder, Indrani's Light Foundation; alumna Hetal Janai, founder, Support, Prepare, Empower, Aspiring, Kids (SPEAK); teacher and activist Jenny Brown, organizer of National Women's Liberation; and Diana Moreno, programs director at New Immigrant Community Empowerment. Register for this event here. On Wednesday, March 24, at 12:15 pm, the topic is “TRANSforming Feminism: Building a More Inclusive Movement.” Panelists include Red Washburn, director of the Women and Gender Studies Department at Kingsborough Community College; trans activist Tracee McDaniel; trans feminist author Julia Serrano; and Marisa Iovino and Abigail Thomas, QC and New York City College of Technology students, respectively. JV Fuqua, director of Queens College’s Women and Gender Studies Program, will moderate. To attend, register here by March 23.
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I close this edition of Frankly Speaking by announcing an important appointment.
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Brenna St. George Jones began serving as director of Venue Rentals on February 22. This position facilitates Queens College’s year-round efforts to promote and implement opportunities to generate vitally important revenue that helps support campus programs. Brenna's career has encompassed arts programming, production and administration, including nine years as a senior administrator at Columbia University. She helped open two multimillion-dollar arts centers, including Columbia’s Lenfest Center for the Arts, designed by Renzo Piano for the university’s new Manhattanville campus. Brenna brings valuable expertise to Queens College. I am delighted to welcome her to our campus family.
I hope you are having a successful Spring semester. Stay safe and well.
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