President's Report for September 2023

 

OFFICE OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS      

 

Fellowship Leave Workshop

The Office of Academic Affairs will offer a workshop for those faculty who are considering applying for a fellowship leave for Fall 2024 on Wednesday September 6^th from 12 to 2 pm in the President’s Conference Room. This workshop will cover all aspects of applying for and reporting back on a fellowship leave. A formal email invitation will be sent out shortly.

 

Office of Center for Excellence in Teaching and learning (CETL)

 

The Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning (CETL) offers virtual and in-person professional development opportunities and individual consultations regarding instructional practice, scholarship, and pedagogical strategies for using educational technology.  The High Impact Practices (HIPs) workshops continue to support faculty in integrating Academic Service Learning, Common Read, Global Diversity Learning, Students Working in Interdisciplinary Groups, Undergraduate research, and Writing Intensive. Workshops on the "Scholarship of Teaching and Learning" encourage faculty to engage in the process of systematic scholarly inquiry that focuses on teaching practices and student learning. ​

 

Please visit CETL and OET homepages to see a complete listing of all upcoming events and professional development opportunities.

 

 

Office of Educational Technology (OET)

1. The Office of Educational Technology will be offering the following Technology Webinars at the beginning of the Fall semester:

• Introduction to Blackboard 
• Introduction to Blackboard Collaborate Ultra  
• How to Create Assignments, Safe Assign and Turnitin 
• How to Create a Discussion Board 
• Blackboard Tests and Grade Center 
• Introduction to VoiceThread 
• Enhancing Instructional Videos with Playposit 
• Introduction to SofChalk

 

Faculty can visit the OET web site to see a complete listing of all upcoming Distance Learning Webinars and Professional Development Opportunities. 

2. CUNY will be transitioning to a new learning management system (LMS), D2L “Brightspace.” The overall transition will be phased over two years, with four groups of campuses transitioning over sequential semesters: Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024 and Spring 2025. By Fall 2025, all courses will be delivered in Brightspace. Queensborough will be in the second transition group. For more information, click on the following link: CUNY’s LMS Transition web page.
3. The “Fall 2023 - Are you Ready? Student Learning Readiness Course” is currently available under "My Organizations" module on the Blackboard Home page for all students. While the course is likely to be most useful to first-time freshman who have the least familiarity with Blackboard, the course material could also be beneficial to any student who might need a refresher. The Fall 2022 – Spring 2023 report shows that 800 students have completed this orientation course.

Currently, the Office of Educational Technology is offering Drop-in Virtual Office Hours through Blackboard Collaborate. Faculty can join the OET Virtual Office to speak with an IT Academic Specialist, Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

 

Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs

 

Grants Awarded

May 9 – August 23, 2023

 

 

Biological Sciences and Geology

 

National Science Foundation, IUSE HSI Program: $143,366, Trujillo, Monica (with Queens College as Lead); “Collaborative Research: HSI Implementation and Evaluation Project: Developing a Wastewater-based Epidemiology Student Training and Education Program at CUNY.”

 

Continuing Education and Workforce Development

 

New York City Department of Youth and Community Development: Hartigan, Ellen & Conkling, Lori:

$79,797; Train & Earn Hemodialysis Cohort 1

$79,797; Train & Earn Hemodialysis Cohort 2

$90,739; Train & Earn 5G

$127,384; Train & Earn – HVAC

 

City University of New York; $499,994; Conkling, Lori; “Certified Recovery Peer Advocate Training”

 

Engineering Technology (with Continuing Education)

 

Heckscher Foundation for Children, The Heckscher Foundation Challenge: $397,352; Shannon, Rodney (CEWD) & Gayle, Marvin (ET); “Broadband Telecommunications Technology Technician”

 

Mathematics & Computer Science

 

National Science Foundation/Occidental College; $7,629; Franco, Maria Mercedes; “Center for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics (CURM) Mini Grant - Mathematics”

 

Physics

 

National Science Foundation, Research Supplement: $77,321; Damas, Marie Chantale; “GEM: Modeling and Analysis of Extreme Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GICs)”

 

New York Space Grant Consortium (NSF funded): $1,997; Portnoy, Arkadiy; “QCC Telescope Project”

 

Pinkerton Foundation; $49,922; Marchese, Paul; “College Now STEM Research Academy”

 

Student Affairs

 

Morgan Stanley Foundation; $11,195; Pyak, Alexandra; “CUNY ASAP: Equity in Education” n

 

 

Division of Student Affairs

September 2023

Enrollment Management Update

 

Athletics Update

Fall sport teams began their preseason practices and tryouts as early as Tuesday, August 1 in the sports of Women's Volleyball, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Women's Cross Country, and Men's Cross Country. This will be the inaugural season for the Women's Soccer team. Fall season games and matches will begin on Tuesday, September 5, with the first home contest scheduled for Tuesday, September 12.

 

Faculty & Staff Counseling Consultation Hours

The Counseling Center extends their gratitude to the faculty for their response to the survey conducted in spring 2023. The counseling center will offer a series of Faculty and Staff Consultation hours with specific topics of concern identified in the survey. Please send additional recommendations to [email protected]:

 

• Reducing stigma and normalizing counseling
• Supporting you: consultation with counselors regarding student issues
• Counseling Center events: collaboration for student wellness
• Referring a student: process and expectations.
• Counseling Center website resources.

 

Please check your e-mail, the Events Calendar and the Counseling Center website (For Faculty & Staff) for the schedule. Lastly, we encourage you to continue using Kognito to support your interactions with students. This is the last semester that we will have access to that resource.

 

Student Honors/Achievements

The Queensborough Lambda Sigma Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society would like to acknowledge the following student members who received awards as part of the college’s 62nd annual commencement ceremony held on Friday, June 2, 2023:

 

• Valedictorian - awarded to a graduating student that has demonstrated superior academic performance in their academic class, contributed to the college community, and embodied the mission of Queensborough Community College. {Recipient: Mr. Raheem Popley-Carvey}

 

• Salutatorian – awarded to a graduating student that has demonstrated strong academic performance in their academic class, contributed to the college community, and embodied the mission of Queensborough Community College. {Recipient: Mr. Ho Martin Yuen}

 

• The John F. Kennedy Award - awarded to a graduating student who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the college and community. {Recipient: Mr. Raheem Popley-Carvey}

 

• The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award - awarded to a graduating student who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in promoting racial harmony and appreciation for cultural diversity. {Recipient: Mr. Hafiz Tariq}

 

Student Support Resources

• The Office of Financial Services customer service area has relocated to the first floor of the Administration Building, room 106. The office helps students identify all financial aid opportunities available and how to apply. Please refer student to the new space mentioned above.

 

• Faculty and staff are asked to encourage our students to avail themselves of the valuable and free resources through the QCC Advocacy Resource Center. Services provided include (but are not limited to) public benefits screening, financial coaching, legal assistance, tax preparation services, housing assistance, food pantry referrals, and more.

 

• Emergency funding is available to students who face a financial crisis that puts at risk their continued enrollment toward their QCC degree. Supported through a grant from The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation, the funds provide one-time, emergency grants to students in good standing with short-term financial emergencies to enable them to remain in school, rather than being forced to leave or drop out. Students with short-term financial emergencies should be referred to Ms. Amawati Gonesh, Advocacy Resource Center Program Manager, via email at [email protected].  Additional information can be found online at QCC Scholarships.

 

Upcoming Events

• QCC’s Welcome Back and Resource Fair will take place on Wednesday, August 30 at 11:00 am in the Humanities Quadrangle. All students are invited to join the event for fun, activities, music, giveaways, free food and get valuable information about on-campus and community resources. Additionally, meet with representatives from the QCC Academy Advisement, QCC Advocacy Resource Center, QCC Counseling Center, CSTEP, Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, Community Health Initiative of NY Presbyterian, GetCoveredNYC, MetroPlus Health, New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission, NYC Commission on Human Rights, NYC Department of Small Business Services, Womankind, OAS- Office of Accessibility Services, Office of Community Standards and the Queensborough Male Resource Center. This event sponsored by the Office of Student Activities, QCC Student Government and in conjunction with Metro Plus Health.

 

• Hosted by the Office of Student Activities, the Fall 2023 Club Fair will take place on Wednesday, September 6 at 12:10 pm in the Humanities Quadrangle. Queensborough Community College recognizes that student organizations are an important aspect of the college experience. Students that are active in campus life are more likely to succeed in college. All students are invited to learn about the 40+ student groups on campus. Featuring student club officers from current student groups and organizations, QCC students will be able to obtain information regarding upcoming events and join a student group. The event will feature live entertainment, giveaways and refreshments.

 

• The Office of Health Services will host a Blood Drive, scheduled for Thursday, October 5 from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm in the Student Union Building – Upper Level. There is an ongoing blood supply shortage that strains the ability of our community to meet the critical health needs of its people. As a member of the campus community you can make a difference - every drop counts. All students, faculty and staff are welcome. Please consider participating in this important event, which is sponsored by the Maimonides Medical Center.

 

 

Events Report – September 12, 2023

Division of Strategic Initiatives and Advancement

 

Do Good. Give

Because of you, the Annual Fund Campaign raised a record $127,000 last year, an increase of 32%! The Campaign kicks off after Labor Day and we are again counting on the support of our faculty and staff. You may choose to support student scholarships, the Lucille A. Bova Food Pantry, the Emergency Aid Fund, or another key service or program that resonates with you. Click here to give online and make your selection from the drop-down menu. Your donation to the Annual Fund Campaign will make both an immediate and life-long impact on our students.

 

Con Edison awarded $15,000 in renewed grant funding to cover the cost of the summer and winter STEM Tuition Waiver for undocumented students enrolled at Queensborough.

 

The QCC Fund Board allocated $125,000 towards tuition arrears for students who owe between $500 and $1,000 and are in danger of stopping out. This will remove the holds on the students’ accounts and permit them to register for classes.

Alliance Bernstein awarded $30,000 in grant funds to furnish the newly opened Queensborough Male Resource Center (MRC) in the Student Union Building. The MRC offers access to tutoring, mentorship, leadership development, and mental wellness to its members. It is also a safe space where students can gather, interact, and grow together and is designed to help improve their sense of belonging on campus.

2023 Partners for Progress Gala. A record-breaking 600 guests attended the event at Terrace on the Park, and we raised a historic $360,000 through sponsorships, ticket sales, donations, and live pledges. We could not have done this without the support of our faculty and staff. Thank you!

Thank you for your continued support!

 

Art Gallery

 

Internship Program

 

• From June to present, the Gallery hosts two (2) interns from the Gallery and Museum Studies Program through the Department of Art & Design.
• Two (2) high school students participated in a five-week internship from the Summer Youth Employment Program from the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development.

 

List of Exhibits/Events - October 2023:

 

• Wenzhi Zhang

Daqi as a Medium

The Art of Porcelain in conjunction with Guangzhou University, China.

This exhibit will present a lecture on the Execution of the media.

 

• Drawing as a Medium

European Drawings from the 15^th to the 20^th Century.

The show will cover all drawing mediums.

This exhibit will present a lecture on the Execution of the media.

 

• Selection from the QCC Collection

Recent acquisition.

 

Kupferberg Holocaust Center

 

 

LAUNCH OF THE 2023-2024 KHC-NEH COLLOQUIUM:

Weaponizing the Past: Art, History, and the Rhetoric of National Greatness

https://khc.qcc.cuny.edu/neh-programs/

 

With neofascist movements currently on the rise across the world, this series looks back on the history of fascism in the twentieth century, with particular focus on the way in which an aestheticized national imaginary was used as the guiding rhetoric of the Nazi party. Our speaker series collectively seeks to explore how the Nazi party and other radical movements have utilized the fetishization of the past to violently erase those out of compliance with their retroactive national norm. Organized in dialogue with contemporary issues, the series is aligned with the current KHC exhibit, The Concentration Camps: Inside the Nazi System of Incarceration and Genocide.

 

2023-24 Faculty Fellows

Dr. Aliza Atik, Associate Professor of English

Dr. Kathleen Alves, Associate Professor of English

 

 

KHC ORIGINAL EXHIBITION:

The Concentration Camps: Inside the Nazi System of Incarceration and Genocide

On View and Online at: https://khc.qcc.cuny.edu/camps/

 

The KHC continues to offer self-guided audio tours of its original exhibition which surveys the scope and brutality of the Nazi system of incarceration and genocide, underscoring the horrific consequences of antisemitism, racism, and authoritarianism. In addition to the exhibit’s text, images, and artifacts, personal testimonies from local Holocaust survivors offer painful insights into these excruciating landscapes of degradation and dehumanization. This exhibit is curated by Dr. Cary Lane, KHC 2020-21 Curator-in-Residence and Associate Professor of English at QCC.

 

PROGRAMMING:

For list of all public programming offered in the Fall 2023 semester, visit: https://khc.qcc.cuny.edu/events-2/

 

KHC-NEH Lecture:

Weaponizing the Past: German Fascism in the Twentieth Century

Wednesday, September 27, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. EDT

Drs. Aliza Atik and Kathleen Alves, both Associate Professors of English at Queensborough Community College-CUNY.

 

KHC & QCC Welcome Read Partnership

Creating John Lewis’s March III: A Conversation with Nate Powell and Andrew Aydin

Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. EDT

Andrew Aydin, Author Nate Powell, Illustrator

 

KHC & USHMM Partnership/Holocaust Education

Integrating Holocaust Education into the Community College Classroom

Friday, October 13, 2023 from 10:00am – 12:00pm EDT

Part I: Pedagogical Resources

 

Recordings for any virtual or hybrid programs will be available on the KHC website:

https://khc.qcc.cuny.edu/recordings/

 

Visit the Education page of the KHC website at https://khc.qcc.cuny.edu/education/

for a complete listing of our comprehensive library guides and to view recorded events from our past NEH colloquia.

 

  

Queensborough Performing Arts Center (QPAC)

 

 

Thursday, September 21, 2023 – 6:30 p.m.

Tito Puente, Jr., and his Salsa Orchestra

 

Dance lessons are at 6:30 p.m. and the concert is at 7:00 p.m.

MacNeil Park, College Point, NY

Rain Date: 9/28/23 - 6:30 p.m.

Sponsored by Councilmember Vickie Paladino

If his father, Tito Puente, was the Rey del Timbale (King of Timbale), then surely, we have the prince in our midst. Rather than shy away from his father’s profound impact on Latin music, his son embraces the legacy and works to keep it alive. The heartfelt mission is fueled by passion. “There was magic in the music my father made. It made people happy all over the world.” His reverent and energetic 2004 album, In My Father’s Shoes, is a loving tribute to the songs his father played around the world. Even as he keeps the flame burning for his father’s music, Tito Jr. is coming into his own with originality. With a nod to the past and an embrace of the new, he is making his own waves on the Latin/Tropical scene with his newest record, Got Mambo? Get ready for an evening of vibrant, exciting music and let’s dance! Rain date: Thursday, 9/28/23. No tickets needed. Bring your own chair. Sponsored by Councilmember Vickie Paladino.

Sunday, October 15, 2023 – 3:00 p.m.

Chris Ruggiero: Magic Moments!

 

Chris Ruggiero, accompanied by a live orchestra, takes his audience on a journey through the golden age of rock and roll, breathing new life into the timeless music of the 1950’s, 60s and 70s. Chris has been described as an “old soul” at only 23 years old, whose approach to his concert appearances is more in line with that of a bygone era than it is the artists of his generation. Chris first came to national attention when he performed in concert on one of PBS-TV’s coast to coast broadcast specials. Since then, Chris has been traveling around the country delivering his unique brand of vintage rock and roll, sharing his passion for the classics. What Michael Bublé did for the swing music of the 40s and 50s, Chris Ruggiero did for the pop-rock standards of the 60s and 70s! $35 - $60

 

 

GOTTA DANCE KIDS!

QPAC’s Broadway Dance-Along Workout Challenge for Kids!

Fall workshops will be held inside QPAC:

September 30, 2023, 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

October 7, 2023, 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

October 14, 2023, 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

 

QCC DANCE ENRICHMENT (QCC Students)

Sponsored by Council Member Shekar Krishnan

 

Enrichment at QPAC is an exciting initiative serving the unique needs of the education and theatre communities, by connecting professional artists with aspiring artists to provide cultural and artistic opportunities to QCC’s own students.

 

Wednesdays: QCC – DANCE ENRICHMENT!

FOR QCC STUDENTS ONLY!

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

 

Wednesday workshops run for 5 (five) weeks and take place inside the Student Union on the campus of Queensborough Community College.

 

Fall: 5-week session (Held inside QPAC):

Wednesdays: September 13, 2023 – October 11, 2023

 

CREATIVE SERVICES

  

“ContinYOU” Campaign for CEWD

Creative Services has created and is implementing a campaign to promote the course offerings of the College’s Continuing Education and Workforce Development Office called “ContinYOU.” The campaign includes three-months of paid search on Google, social media using Meta’s Facebook, Instagram and Meta Ads Manager platforms, and a zip-code targeted postcard mailing. The “secret sauce” of this campaign is the new landing page that the campaign will point to which will not only allow us to capture important visitor data for future campaigns but also determine how visitors learned of CEWD via a simple survey. Survey results will determine how we allocate resources in the most efficient manner and get the greatest ROI.

 

Strategic Marketing Plan

The framework for a new Strategic Marketing Plan is complete and the Plan is now in the research phase. The goals of the Plan are in line with both the “culture of care” and focus on closing equity gaps that are the foundation of the College’s Five-Year Strategic Plan.

 

  

Office of Finance and Administration

FY24 Budget Update

 

Starting this fiscal year and at the request of the CUNY Board of Trustees, the colleges were required to submit a four-year financial plan earlier than previously requested. A preliminary plan was submitted in late July and is currently being revised and updated in coordination with CUNY. As part of the transition to the new QCC Vice President for Finance and Administration, Dr. Gissette Forte, she and retired VP Bill Faulkner met with the Academic Senate Budget Advisory Committee to review the plan and discuss suggestions for updates and changes. Currently, the financial plan assumes a 2% annual increase in enrollment, a small increase in essential and student-facing personnel, reductions in part-time staff costs and OTPS spending.

 

Driven by the dramatic loss of enrollment during and after the pandemic, QCC continues to have a structural deficit since current expenses to operate the college are greater than the tuition revenue from enrollment and the State/City support QCC receives. QCC, along with all the CUNY colleges, have been covering the deficits with federal stimulus funds. With the remaining stimulus available for at least this year (FY24) and the next fiscal year (FY25), QCC's has limited time to execute plans to reduce the structural deficit and operate within available resources. In order to meet our plan and significantly reduce our structural deficit to a point of breakeven operations, we must increase enrollment and continue our vigilance in the use of available funding by holding staff vacancies open and scrutinizing and approving only critical OTPS expenditures. Finalized financial plans will be communicated in the Fall when approved by the CUNY BOT.

 

 

Procurement

 

The CUNYBuy Procure to Pay (P2P) Marketplace is now live.  CUNYBuy replaces CUNYfirst for requisitions and receipts. All authorized users who need access to CUNYBuy are required to complete the required course(s) based on their role(s) in the system. The purchasing team will be providing in-person training to facilitate the transition to the new system. A communication will be shared shortly with more details.

 

 

QCC Facilities 

 

It has been a busy summer as facilities have prepared all buildings for the Fall semester and have completed a number of internal projects over the summer, including:

• The creation of a Financial Aid Office in the Administration lobby, providing our students with access to all services in one building location. 
• The expansion of the Center for Tutoring & Academic Support (CTAS) on the first floor of the Library Building.
• The move and consolidation of the Mathematics Learning Center services into the new CTAS Library space.
• The soon to be addition of the QCC Help Desk in the Academic Computing Center (ACC), also conveniently located on the first floor of the Library Building.
• The renovation of three student learning laboratories including the Departments of Nursing, Biological and Geology Sciences and Engineering Technology.
• In the Humanities Building - Performing Arts Center upgrades have been completed.
• In the Technology Building a Roof Reconstruction was completed as well.