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

#60

L to R: Eva Fernández , Associate Provost for Innovation and Student Success; Susheel Kirpalani ’91; William Tramontano, Interim President; Elizabeth Hendrey, Provost; and at podium, Ross Wheeler, Director of Honors and Macaulay Honors College at QC

Outstanding Queens College students were honored on Thursday, October 17, at the annual Academic Excellence Award Ceremony. Susheel Kirpalani ’91 (flanked by Provost Elizabeth Hendrey and Interim President William Tramontano) delivered the keynote and received the President’s Medal, the college’s highest administrative honor. Kirpalani—a partner at law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP and chairperson of its Bankruptcy and Restructuring Group—dedicated his speech to Bill Urquhart, a special mentor and one of the firm’s original founders.

The College Fair for Young Men drew 2,300 high school students to campus on Friday, October 18. Eagle Academy Foundation, which operates the Eagle Academies for young men of color, and the New York City Department of Education partnered to present the event; Interim President William Tramontano and David Banks, president and chief executive officer of the foundation, used the opportunity to speak to recruiters from throughout New York State and beyond.

Stars Align for Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards

What do Martha Stewart, Joe Torre, Paul Shaffer, Brian d’Arcy James, Robert Klein, and Marissa McGowan have in common? Individually, they are a lifestyle guru, a former general manager of the Yankees, a bandleader, a Broadway actor, a comedian, and a Broadway actress; collectively, they will honor the memory of their late friend—and celebrated Queens College alumnus—by presenting prizes at the Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards, debuting at LeFrak Concert Hall on Monday, November 18, at 7 pm. The evening will feature performers from the Aaron Copland School of Music. Seats are still available. To order tickets, visit www.hamlischawards.org.

In a meeting of the borough’s minds on Friday, October 18, St. John’s University Provost Simon Moller and President Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw visited campus to discuss potential collaborations with QC Interim President William Tramontano, Chief of Staff Meghan Moore-Wilk, and Provost Elizabeth Hendrey.

Alumni enjoyed warm receptions at the President’s Residence in Douglaston on Sunday, October 20. Members celebrating the 75th, 70th, 60th, or 50th anniversary of their graduation attended one reunion; then there was a gathering for the classes of 1979, 1989, and 1994.

Plenty of Times to Vote

The New York City Board of Elections is encouraging New Yorkers to vote early—but not often. From Saturday, October 26, through Sunday, November 3, registered voters can go to a designated early voting site to cast a ballot in person. Your early voting location may be different from your normal polling site; to find the correct address, go to nyc.pollsitelocator.com/search or call 311. This year’s ballot includes a question that would introduce ranked-choice voting, among other changes, to the New York City Charter. For an explanation of what this amendment means, visit www.ballotpedia.org and search for New York City Ballot Question 1.

Program Cuts Transit Costs for Needy New Yorkers

Mass transit is the least expensive way to get around town. Fair Fares NYC—created by the city administration and the New York City Council—can make travel even more affordable for qualified members of low-income households.

Using the Fair Fares NYC MetroCard, eligible New York City residents receive a 50 percent discount on all subway and most MTA bus fares. (MTA Express Buses are not included.) Pay-per-Ride, weekly unlimited, and monthly unlimited options are all available.

Information about the program, eligibility criteria, and answers to frequently asked questions can be found at the Fair Fares NYC website. www.nyc.gov/fairfares.

QView thanks Distinguished Lecturer James Vacca (Urban Studies), a QC alumnus and former New York City Council Member, for bringing the Fair Fares program to our attention.

Mohammad Darawshe To Speak at CERRU Event

What conclusions can be drawn from the recent Israeli elections, and what consequences do they hold for Jewish-Arab relations within Israeli society? Mohammad Darawshe—director of Planning, Equality and Shared Society at Givat Haviva Educational Center and a faculty member of the Shalom Hartman Institute—will explore these and related topics in “From Coexistence to Shared Society: The Evolving Political Identity of Arab Citizens in Israel,” taking place next Tuesday, October 29, from 4:30 to 6 pm in the Dining Hall, Q-Side Lounge.

A leading expert on Jewish-Arab relations, Darawshe has made presentations at the European Parliament, NATO Defense College, World Economic Forum, Club de Madrid, United States Congress, Herzliya Conference and Israel’s Presidential Conference. Vice President for Communications and Marketing and Senior Advisor to the President Jay Hershenson will offer greetings at the event; Dean of Social Sciences Michael Wolfe will moderate the discussion. A light dinner will be served at the event, which is sponsored by CERRU, Center for Jewish Studies, Division of Social Sciences, Political Science, Sociology, Student Affairs, and Urban Studies. To reserve seats, go to http://bit.ly/33fMrSa.

From Football to Finance

A credit derivatives sales assistant for JP Morgan Chase & Company, Kuron Harris observes, “Without a doubt, had I not completed my master’s degree at Queens College, I would not have gotten my last two jobs.”

Born in Brooklyn, Harris was the second oldest of six sons raised by his single mother, who moved the family to Elmont when he was six. A talented athlete, he received a football scholarship from Albany State University, where he studied sociology, mathematics, and economics. Considering a career as a math teacher, he came to QC to receive a BA in mathematics but ultimately decided to use his math acumen to further himself in the field of finance. 

“I was doing really well as a banker, but was not able to transition over to the corporate side of things,” he says, explaining that his desire to move from retail banking to corporate banking is the reason he pursued an MS in Risk Management at QC.

Small class size and the accessibility of faculty are qualities he particularly appreciates about the QC program. Additionally, Harris says, “Queens College is here to help from the day you arrive on campus to the day you retire. The professors not only help you excel in the program, but after the program. I feel like they’re there for you the whole time. It really is a family environment, and it really doesn’t go away.”

He says he’s glad to benefit from the networking culture of the graduate program and glad to contribute to it by speaking with anyone with any sort of question about his field “because that’s the culture of Queens College and that’s the way it should be.”

Kristin Celello (History) is participating in “ Does Marriage Need an Update,” a discussion presented tonight—Tuesday, October 22, from 7 to 8:15 pm—at the Green Space (44 Charlton Street, Manhattan). Can’t get there in person? The event will be livestreamed . . . Hetal Jani ’14 has been named a 2019 Women of Worth honoree by L’Oréal Paris. She is being recognized for her work with SPEAK Mentorship, a nonprofit that advances diversity in leadership, mentors immigrant girls on cultural identity, and more . . . Mayank Goswami (Computer Science) has received $399,988 from the National Science Foundation; the grant, which lasts for three years, is his second from the NSF, which previously gave him a so-called “mini-career” award . . . Shige Song has begun serving as chair of the Sociology Department; the campus wishes former chair Dana Weinberg all the best . . . Anahi Viladrich (Sociology) is among the Queens-based Latino community leaders honored in a Hispanic Heritage Month exhibit presented by LaGuardia Airport Redevelopment in collaboration with the Queens Historical Society. The show will be launched in LaGuardia’s Marine Air Terminal Rotunda (Terminal A) with a reception on Wednesday, October 23 at 2 pm. Viladrich, who was born in Argentina, is the only CUNY scholar in the exhibit.