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

#62

L to R: Jeff Rosenstock (External Affairs and Governmental Relations), City Council Member Karen Koslowitz, Former City Council Member and Distinguished Lecturer James Vacca, and City Harvest’s Patrick Yacco and Jerome Nathaniel.

Former City Council Member and Distinguished Lecturer James Vacca (Urban Studies), a QC alumnus, enriches his classes with presentations by high-profile experts. City Council Member Karen Koslowitz—who serves Rego Park, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, and Richmond Hill—visited earlier this semester, along with representatives of City Harvest, a nonprofit that addresses food insecurity. On Friday, November 1, Vacca’s guest was Assembly Member Catalina Cruz, a Colombian-born DREAMer who became a lawyer and now represents Corona, Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights.

QC was privileged to host a Town Hall with Representative Grace Meng (center of front row) on Saturday, November 2, in Rosenthal 230, attracting more than 100 attendees from campus and community. State Senator John Liu also spoke at the event. 

Amber Guth ’79, a specialist in surgical oncology and breast surgery at NYU Langone Health, talked about her trailblazing career when she visited campus on Thursday, November 7, through Professionals on Campus. A biochemistry major at QC, Guth (at left in above photo) became the first female attending surgeon at NYU Langone. The next day, Professionals on Campus presented North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth (in center of photo below). First elected supervisor in 2014, Bosworth previously served six years with the Nassau County Legislature. She began her career as a New York City public school teacher and holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in Early Childhood Education from QC. Professionals on Campus is a program of the Office of Institutional Advancement.

Queens College saluted student and alumni veterans as well as veterans from the local community on Friday, November 8, with a pre-Veterans Day luncheon. The event featured remarks by Interim President William Tramontano and New York City Council proclamations in recognition of their military service. Alumni Allen Alagheband and Jose Cabrera, recipients of the college’s Thomas A. Mattia Memorial Scholarship for Veterans, and student Jorge H. Lopez, who is pursuing a bachelor's degree in music education, were among the honorees. Alumnus Ira Spar, an orthopedic surgeon who sponsors a premed scholarship at the college, was acknowledged for his service as an army battalion surgeon during the Vietnam War. Council Member Rory Lancman, a QC alumnus and veteran of New York’s 42nd Infantry Division, hosted the event; Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Assembly Member Nily Rozic, and Assembly Member Daniel Rosenthal were the honorary co-hosts.

Administrative offices, academic departments, and IT staff were well represented when AVP and CIO Troy Hahn and Vice President for Communications and Marketing and Senior Advisor to the President Jay Hershenson held a meeting of the Website Advisory Committee on Tuesday, November 5. Following a report on progress thus far on website redesign and a planned training program, members provided input on campus needs.

Winter Sports Preview

The temperature is dropping outside, but the action is just heating up in FitzGerald Gymnasium, with several of QC’s winter sports teams beginning play last week. Here’s a preview of our men’s and women’s basketball and women’s swimming teams. 

Women’s Basketball

After a disappointing 2018–19 season, the women’s basketball team will look to get back to their winning ways this season. The Knights return five players from a year ago, led by Lucy Tougas, who averaged 11.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last season, and My’eesa Grant, who averaged 8.5 points and 7.0 rebounds a year ago. Head Coach Elizabeth Naumovski will return for her ninth season at Queens. This year, she has brought in a strong recruiting class of six freshman, led by Harmony Philo, an All-State selection from Gloversville, New York, who scored over 1,800 points in her high school career.

The Knights opened the season this past weekend with a pair of games in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where they defeated Jefferson University, 63-58, on Saturday before losing to Chestnut Hill College on Sunday. They play two more games on the road before their home opener on November 20 vs. Southern New Hampshire University at 6 pm.

Men’s Basketball

The Knights just missed out on the playoffs a season ago, but they return most of their key players from a year ago and should make a run at the playoffs this season. Among the top returners from a season ago are Elijah Bovell (12.0 ppg); Dwayne Henry, Jr. (11.0 ppg, 2.14 assists per game); and Tyrese Crosdale (9.4 ppg, 50 three-pointers made). 

Matt Collier will enter his fourth season as head coach of the Knights and will look to lead the team to the ECC playoffs for the first time since the 2016–17 season. QC opened the season with an exhibition game against its borough neighbor, St. John’s University, and officially began the season this past weekend with losses to Adelphi University on Friday and Pace University on Saturday. The Knights’ home opener will be on November 13 at 7 pm vs. American International College. 

Women’s Swimming

The women’s swimming team will be under new leadership this season with John Yearwood taking over as head coach. He was the head coach at the College of New Rochelle for the past three seasons. Top returners to the pool this season for the Knights will be seniors Gabriela Almeida and Megan Dawes. The duo was part of three relays that established new school records last season (400-medley, 400-freestyle, 800-freestyle).

QC opened the season with two losses in a tri-meet at home vs. Baruch College and Adelphi University last Thursday. They will return to action with another home meet vs. Kean University and St. Joseph’s College-Brooklyn on November 14.

For up-to-date results, schedules, news, and statistics be sure to visit queensknights.com.

Hire Each According to Their Abilities

All CUNY students, alumni, faculty, and staff can learn about job search, disclosure, and disability at a presentation on Wednesday, November 13, at free hour, in Kiely 150. The speaker will be Taniqua Hunter, who has extensive experience with social services, education, and the disability community. She appeared on campus in October 2018 in conjunction with National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Lunch and beverages will be served at the event, which is sponsored by CUNY LEADS (Linking Employment, Academics and Disability Services) Program, the Center for Career Engagement and Internships, The Office of Special Services, and the Committee for Disabled Students (Facebook) (Instagram). To reserve a seat, register at this link by November 12.

CERRU Holds Tenth Innovation Exchange

The Center for Ethnic, Racial, and Religious Understanding (CERRU) is hosting its annual Susheel Kirpalani Innovation Exchange on Wednesday, November 13, from 5:30 to 9 pm in the Student Union Ballroom. This year’s theme, “Re-Imagining Leadership,” examines innovative approaches to leadership through the lens of pressing social and political issues, such as climate change, education, gun control, housing, and immigration. Participants include Steven Barton, director of Intergovernmental Relations for Senator Chuck Schumer, and QC’s own Soribel Genao (Education and Community Programs). As is customary at CERRU’s innovation exchanges, attendees will have the chance to engage with thought leaders, activists, and educators from public and private sectors, and participate in workshops facilitated by experienced practitioners. “I am excited for all of us to use this opportunity to think about new paradigms of leadership, and how we all might work together to transform pressing issues,” says Sophia McGee, director of the center, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary.

Pepsi Sponsors Student Raffle

Like their peers at other CUNY campuses, QC students* have the chance to win an Amazon Echo Smart Assistant. To participate, students fill out an entry form and deposit it in the Pepsi ballot box in the cafeteria from Monday, November 18, through Monday, November 25. The food service manager will conduct a random drawing and notify the lucky winner. Good luck to all contestants!

*School employees and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter the raffle.

Edward Smaldone (ACSM) conducted the Queens College Orchestra in rehearsal for the Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards Ceremony.

We’re Playing His Songs

Debuting next Monday, November 18, at 7 pm in LeFrak Concert Hall, the Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards ceremony promises to be memorable: The evening will feature celebrity presenters from many walks of life and a performance by the Queens College Orchestra, comprising students from the Aaron Copland School of Music. Don’t miss your chance to attend this event, which honors Hamlisch, a celebrated composer and QC alumnus. Click here to order tickets.

Exhibition on Futurism Opens Soon

Futurism and its relationship with typography, advertising, technology, and politics was the subject of an Italian culture class taught this semester by Nicola Lucchi (European Languages and Literatures). Everyone is invited to a reception on Tuesday, November 19, at 1:30 pm, for the course’s capstone project— Futurismo! The Italian Avant-Garde and its Cultural Impact, Selections from the Merrill C. Berman Collection—on display at the Norman and Carole A. Barham Rotunda in Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library, Level 3. Light refreshments will be served.

The show includes original Futurist manifestos, posters, books, journals, poems, and other ephemera. Students wrote catalog essays and descriptive material for the exhibition, and created a companion website, Queens College gratefully acknowledges the Merrill C. Berman Collection, Rye, New York, for the generous loan of original artworks and materials.

Bernice Gross Altarac, a member of QC’s first graduating class, passed away last month at the age of 99. She taught in Long Beach for 40 years and after her retirement became an adjunct professor at SUNY Old Westbury. Local institutions repeatedly honored Altarac for her contributions to the city in educational, religious, and civic roles. The League of Women Voters named her an “Unsung Heroine,” Long Beach Memorial Hospital designated her “Volunteer of the Year,” and Temple Israel in Long Beach gave her numerous awards. She was also a Long Beach High School Wall of Fame inductee. Her daughter, Rochelle Altarac Pachman, recalls that “one of the sweetest days for her (and me) was the 2011 Commencement when the Class of ’41 was honored. To see those then 90-year-olds march into the commencement in caps and gowns was truly breathtaking.” The Daily News’ coverage of the event featured a photo of Altarac holding her 1941 yearbook. She is survived by her son-in-law Matt and grandsons Seth and Brandon in addition to her daughter.

Provost Elizabeth Hendrey, Susheel Kirpalani, Interim President William Tramontano

In a Worthy Exchange, Alumnus Funds Annual CERRU Event

When bankruptcy attorney Susheel Kirpalani ’91—a partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP—read about QC’s Center for Ethnic, Racial and Religious Understanding (CERRU) in the pages of Queens magazine, he became intrigued. As a child of immigrants, he understood the value of a diversity education center that promotes the use of nonviolent communication tools to bridge social differences and create a more equitable society. He established an endowed fund to support CERRU’s signature annual event, known since 2017 as the Susheel Kirpalani Innovation Exchange.

Each year, the exchange assembles experts from various fields to discuss a social justice challenge that warrants further community exploration. The next exchange, on reimagining leadership, as indicated above, will take place on November 13 from 5:30 to 9 pm in the Student Union Ballroom, 4th floor. The event will showcase leaders in the critically important areas of climate change, gun control, immigration, education, and housing.

“The Innovation Exchange is a place for people to go to talk about and hear about issues that really matter to everyday life,” says Kirpalani. “People can get involved in the issues and meet other people who have other perspectives. I think that’s really the goal of it. You should have some discourse over issues that matter in a setting that’s very safe.”

Born in New York City, Kirpalani spent his early childhood in Corona. After moving to Long Island with his family, he went back to Queens almost every weekend to visit relatives. When it came time to choose a college, he went to SUNY Albany, but he realized the school wasn’t the right fit for him. After one semester, he returned home and enrolled at QC, majoring in drama.

 

“I can’t minimize the importance of it being affordable and accessible,” recalls Kirpalani. “I wanted to work and wanted to pay my way through college.”

After taking several economics classes with future Provost Elizabeth Hendrey, he developed a liking for the subject. He took a job with Hendrey, updating spreadsheets, and eventually switched his major to economics. Meanwhile, he held down three other jobs—delivering flowers, handing out towels at a tennis club, and helping investors at a mutual fund. He even joined the Knights’ tennis team for one season, which he considers one of the best experiences of his life. Equally memorable was the pre-law class that piqued his interest in the legal field. 

“I grew up in a patriarchal immigrant society where you don’t say much and don’t express your views,” notes Kirpalani. “In a law class, it’s the exact opposite. There’s a lot of inclusiveness. You want to express your opinions and you have to defend them or change them. It was liberating.”

After graduating, Kirpalani passed on a job offer from the mutual fund and entered Fordham University School of Law. With his bachelor’s degree in economics, bankruptcy law turned out to be a great fit for him. 

Kirpalani is widely respected for his expertise. Law360 named him a “2018 Bankruptcy MVP” for his representation of the largest group of bondholders stemming from Puerto Rico’s financial crisis. He testified before Congress regarding the fairness of the restructuring title of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act, which was ultimately enacted into law. He has also been invited to speak on panels across the country on topics related to financial crisis litigation, distressed investing, and bankruptcy. In October, Kirpalani delivered the keynote at the Academic Excellence Award Ceremony, and Interim President William Tramontano presented him with the President’s Medal—the college’s highest administrative honor.

Jacob M. Appel, MFA ’13 drew on his expertise as a doctor to write Who Says You’re Dead (Algonquin), a collection of challenging medical and ethical dilemmas that asks readers, “What would you do?” . . . Brian Brigham, an alum of the SEES graduate program, was featured in a spotlight article by The Graduate Center, . Brian’s research focuses on the impact of urban wastewater discharge on greenhouse gas emissions and how these emissions contribute to global climate change . . . Eugene Jin Byun, who holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from ACSM, led the King’s Choir—a children’s vocal ensemble—in Carnegie Hall on Sunday, November 4, during “Neo Classic,” a program featuring popera countertenor Sehun Jung . . . Sunny (Ho) Chan (IT) has won a CUNY CIS Excellence in Technology Award; he will receive the award at the upcoming CUNY CIS IT Conference . . . Lawrence Waldron (Art History) presented “Unforgetting Islands: Continuities Across Two Thousand Years of Pre-Columbian Caribbean Art” on November 8 at the symposium El Mar Caribe: The American Mediterranean, sponsored by the Denver Art Museum’s Mayer Center for Pre-Columbian and Spanish Colonial Art.