News from LaGuardia Community College
September 9 – the first day of classes for LaGuardia’s Fall semester – may seem far away to you, dear reader. However, it feels like it’s around the corner to me. It is busy around here. In these waning days of July, we are making preparations for our return to campus following 16 months of remote classes, activities, support, and administration. We are still in Spring II, the 6-week accelerated session of our Spring semester, which ends in early August. (Most classes are still taught remotely.) We are again hosting the NYC Summer Youth Employment Program, which provides young New Yorkers aged 14–24 with work experience and career exploration. Our on-campus daycare and childcare program (Early Childhood Learning Center) has reopened, enabling parents of young children (staff and students) to work and/or go to school. The Adult and Continuing Education (ACE) division is running a new summer program for incoming freshman that need to strengthen their math skills. Intensive math all day, four days a week not your cup of tea? We make it fun by inviting faculty to lead Friday workshops on the career opportunities to which LaGuardia degree programs lead. Thanks to support from donors to the LaGuardia Foundation, students get a paid stipend. 
 
Happy Summer!
 
Kenneth Adams 
President
ASL-English Interpreting Program Graduates 25th Class
Our American Sign Language (ASL)-English Interpretation Program (AEIP) recently marked its 25th graduating class since beginning at LaGuardia in 1995. This nationally recognized program trains ASL-English Sign Language Interpreters for educational settings—a vital role as deaf and hard-of-hearing K-12 students are increasingly educated alongside their hearing peers. The highly competitive program accepts just a handful of students every year and is open to those with an associate or bachelor's degree. Associate degree holders complete their bachelor's degree through a partnership with SUNY Empire State College. A generous grant from the U.S. Department of Education supports the program. LaGuardia’s AEIP was one of just 10 programs awarded the grant, from a pool of ASL-English Interpreting programs at four-year and graduate-level institutions. Notably, LaGuardia AEIP graduates pass the National Interpreting Certificate Knowledge Exam at a rate well above the national average. 
LaGuardia Helps NYC High School Students Prepare for College
LaGuardia’s pre-college programs collaborate with more than 30 NYC Department of Education high schools in Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan to help students take credit-bearing college courses and participate in activities that increase their college readiness. We are proud to have four rising high school juniors selected as Research Assistants in the College Now STEM Research Academy. In June, we saluted nearly 70 students that earned their high school diplomas and Associate degrees at the same time through our Early College Initiative.
Congratulations to our 2021 Nursing Graduates
The Covid-19 pandemic illuminated the city’s dependence on well-trained, empathetic healthcare professionals. I was pleased that the first commencement events I attended in person as LaGuardia’s new president were for graduates of our Licensed Practicing Nursing (LPN) and Registered Nursing (RN) programs. We are the only CUNY college in Queens offering LPN training, in which students receive an accelerated 10-month training, preparing them to get hired at home health agencies, nursing homes, and in other healthcare settings. Next, the graduates will take their respective national licensure exams. Based on recent outcomes—LaGuardia’s RN grads posted 100% first-time pass rates for two straight years and LPN grads have an average pass rate of 97%—they should be well positioned to pass these rigorous exams.

Helping Small Businesses Recovery from the Pandemic
LaGuardia’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has a long history of supporting small businesses in Queens through advising, education, research, and advocacy. Throughout the pandemic, our SBDC team stepped up by providing services to small business owners who lacked computer or internet access. Since March 2020, they have helped 1,377 small businesses secure over $16 million in grants, loans and investments. SBDC services are free for local small business owners seeking to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, or who are interested in starting a small business.
New Internship Program Springs from LaGuardia’s Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Initiative
As the anchor college of Goldman Sachs’ national 10,000 Small Businesses (10KSB) program, which provides local entrepreneurs with business education and support to grow their businesses and create jobs, we were pleased to be selected as one of a handful of sites nationwide to pilot the new Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Fellows (10KSB Fellows) initiative. This program will connect community college students with 10KSB alumni for internships in their businesses. Student interns will receive stipends funded by the Goldman Sachs Foundation. The fellowship builds on the success of 10KSB, through which more than 1,111 businesses have been served since its start at LaGuardia in 2010. So far, 150 local 10KSB alumni have volunteered to host LaGuardia student interns. Our hope is that in working with well-prepared interns, local small businesses will expand their talent pipelines, creating more opportunities for LaGuardia students.