Discimus ut serviamus:
We learn so that we may serve.
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The Psychology Department presented free training in the James Muyskens Conference Room on Wednesday, November 6, in recognizing and responding to an overdose. Thirty-five students, faculty, and staff—including resident assistants at The Summit Apartments—attended the session, offered at free hour by the Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention, Cure and Treatment, within the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Participants became certified opioid overdose responders and received rescue kits with naloxone, a medication that can save someone’s life by reversing the effects of an opioid overdose.
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Internships Can Pay Off
Speakers from America Needs You, the CUNY Service Corp, Inroads, QC Stipend, and Teaching in Vietnam will share their knowledge in “How To Land a Paid Internship” on Monday, November 25, from 12:15 to 1:30 pm in Kiely 250. A panel of QC students will explain how they won their positions; an employer will provide insight from an HR perspective. Reserve seats for this event, presented by the Center for Career Engagement and Internships, at
www.qc.cuny.edu/hireqc.
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Accounting for Excitement
The Center for Career Engagement and Internships and the QC Chapter of ALPFA visited BNY Mellon on Friday, November 8. Paulette Mullings Bradnock, a QC trustee and alumna, welcomed 22 students from Accounting and Finance. BNY did a presentation, had a panel, and networked with the students.
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A week later, approximately 40 QC accounting students with the World of Work Program visited the Manhattan offices of BDO USA and explored career opportunities with professionals at that firm.
Meanwhile, Israel Blumenfrucht (Accounting and Information Systems) reports that the Department of Accounting at QC was accepted as a member of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association. ISACA, which has 200 chapters in more than 80 countries, promotes research that results in the development of products that are relevant and useful to IT governance, control, assurance, and security professionals. “The organization is very selective in its acceptance policy,” says Blumenfrucht. “Membership in ISACA adds significantly to the prestige of QC in general and our department in particular. This is not limited to the Accounting Department, but can also be relevant to other departments at QC. We invite all who have technology innovations and ideas to join us.”
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CERRU To Incubate Best Cross-Cultural Practices across CUNY
New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson has awarded QC’s Center for Ethnic, Racial and Religious Understanding (CERRU) a $500,000 grant to develop a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Incubator. Its mission: to build on work already under way to transform CUNY’s campuses into spaces that are national models of equity.
The incubator will create programmatic training for CUNY staff and faculty in the areas of bias recognition and mediation, strengthen cross-cultural communication skills, and promote dialogue among diverse campus groups. CERRU’s recommendations, strategies, and practices will be piloted on five CUNY senior and community colleges by the end of 2020, with the goal of expanding the work university-wide.
“CUNY is the nation’s largest urban public university, and diversity is a part of our DNA. However, we are always striving to be more equitable, and to foster the creation of more inclusive spaces for all of our students,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “Now, thanks to the generous support of City Council Speaker Johnson, and with the Center for Ethnic, Racial and Religious Understanding leading the way, this vastly important undertaking will enable CUNY to help more students, and we will provide a national model for other universities to replicate.” The incubator will also work with diverse faculty across the university, providing additional support as they pursue tenure-track positions.
“New York City prides itself on its diversity, but we must make sure that everyone feels understood, supported, and protected,” said Speaker Johnson. “This doesn’t happen magically; it takes bold programs like the one CUNY has created to help staff recognize and address bias as well as build cross-cultural communication skills. The City Council is so proud to fund this incubator, which will be a national model for how large public systems can tackle equity.”
Next steps
CUNY staff will soon begin assessing issues and needs across the university through one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and dialogues. Training workshops will begin in January 2020, and will be held throughout the spring. By the end of the Spring 2020 semester, the incubator and its campus partners will have developed plans individually tailored for five senior and community colleges.
“It has been important for us to learn from our CUNY colleagues who have the institutional knowledge and can shed light on work that has already been done across the university,” said Sophia McGee, the director of CERRU. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion-based work needs significant backing and resources to be done correctly, and we are grateful that Chancellor Matos Rodríguez and Speaker Johnson have the vision to provide this support. We look forward to demonstrating what kind of campus climate transformation is possible with the right kind of support.”
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Alarming Developments Make Campus Safer
The installation of new panels and wiring—which many have noticed in some campus buildings in recent months—is the second phase of a major upgrade to fire safety systems.
As explained by Kelston Saul (Campus Planning, Design and Construction), project manager for the installation, “The Fire Alarm Upgrades Phase 2 project brings together several life-safety measures in one logical grouping that benefits the college in several ways: It ensures that devices are installed in campus buildings to match the latest FDNY code requirements, provides both audible and visual alarms on every floor, and it necessitated the upgrade of the main computer that houses all the data for these alarms.”
Phase 1, completed in 2016, he says, allowed for alarm upgrades in the Heating Plant, Klapper Hall, the Music Building, and the Science Building as one project. The new systems are designed to report to a new Windows-based computer that provides graphics of each floor plan showing the exact position of each activated device, making it easier to identify trouble locations.
Phase 2 comprises Kiely Hall, Rosenthal Library, Remsen Hall, and FitzGerald Gymnasium, and will expand to cover eight more buildings including the Colden Complex, Razran Hall, Dining Hall, and I-Building. By the time the third phase is completed, anticipated in 2025, alarms in all campus buildings will have been upgraded.
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Sociology Seminar Looks at Contemporary Greece
Sokratis Koniordos of the University of Peloponnese will discuss his recent findings on Wednesday, November 20, from 12:15 to 1:30 pm, in “Sociological Aspects of Crisis: The Case of Greece,” taking place in Queens Hall, Room 015. Nicholas Alexiou (Sociology) will make introductory remarks at the seminar, which is sponsored by the Department of Sociology and the Hellenic American Project / Archives—Library—Museum.
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Remember QC on Giving Tuesday
Like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday has become part of Thanksgiving tradition. Please remember QC this year, when Giving Tuesday falls on December 3. No gift is too small. To make a donation of any amount,
click here.
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Dollars and Sense
A critical topic will be on the menu on Wednesday, December 4, from 9 to 11 am, when the next Business Forum Breakfast presents “Financial Literacy 101: What to Know and What to Do” in the Student Union Ballroom. Panelists will be Lisa Kidd Hunt, executive vice president of Charles Schwab & Co. Inc., and QC’s Joan Nix (Economics). To reserve your seat, RSVP by Friday, November 29, at
www.qc.cuny.edu/businessforumRSVP. Admission for students is free; suggested donation of $25 for everyone else.
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Recalling an Accomplished Singer and Teacher
Among the people influenced by Karol Rathaus, the subject of an article in last year’s
Queens magazine, was the late Cora Wolff Alter ’57, an alto and music educator. “My wife much admired and even revered Dr. Rathaus as a musician, instructor, and friend,” says Harvey Alter ’52.
QC played a crucial role in introducing Cora and Harvey to each other. “I had returned to campus in December 1954, shortly after receiving my MS in chemistry and having started work on my PhD,” recalls Harvey, a retired chemist and international environmental policy manager. “Several of my friends from Alpha Phi Omega, the service fraternity, were in from Korea. Cora was a member of Gamma Sigma Sigma, the sister service sorority. We met that evening at an ΑΦΩ-ΓΣΣ party. Then we started a correspondence—and romance.”
The couple married in February 1957 and settled in New Jersey, where Cora worked as a junior high school music teacher. After the Alters moved to Maryland, she embarked on a classical vocal career, performing at the White House for President John F. Kennedy and at churches and synagogues as an alto soloist. Auditioning in Russian-language repertoire for the Washington Opera Company, she won a position in
The Emperor’s Nightingale, conducted by its composer, Igor Stravinsky. During the production, she had a reunion with Reri Grist ’54, cast as the Nightingale. (Grist received an honorary doctorate from QC at Commencement last May.)
When the Alters relocated to Illinois, Cora sang in many places, but primarily with the professional unit of the Chicago Symphony. When Harvey was transferred back to the Washington area in 1968, his wife picked up where she had left off. Her expanded opportunities encompassed events performed and produced at the Kennedy Center and chorus mistress responsibilities with two concert opera companies; several
Washington Post reviews cited her choral leadership. She was also active as teacher, leading summer arts programs and working with seniors at the local community college, and served as music director for some community productions, one of which was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award.
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The Alters visited campus 25 years after Cora had graduated and enjoyed a warm reception from Alexander Kouguell—who had been her cello instructor at QC—and many others. “It was already the start of the December holiday break, but she wanted to see the then-new Music Department offices,” says Alter. “Kouguell looked up from talking to a student and said, ‘I’ll be with you in a moment, Cora.’ She was striking and in many ways unforgettable.”
Cora passed away six years ago. In her memory, her loving husband approached the QC Foundation and the Music Education Department and established the Cora E. Alter Scholarship in Music Ed, perpetuating her work for future generations.
Cora Wolff Alter can be seen in her student days at far left in this publicity photo with John Castellini (at the piano), one of the founders of QC’s music program and founding conductor of the Queens College Choral Society.
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Alum Is Game To Bring Pro Soccer to Queens
Michael Cohen ’83 is part of an ownership group led by former New York City Football Club star and World Cup champion David Villa that will bring a professional men’s soccer franchise to the borough of Queens.
Queensboro FC has been awarded a United Soccer League (USL) franchise and is scheduled to begin play in 2021, competing in the USL Championship, the top tier of the USL.
Cohen, a minority owner, is the president of Bizzy Signals entertainment, a television and media company specializing in developing and producing sports and non-scripted programming. The recipient of eight national Emmy awards and 15 nominations, Cohen has created shows, launched successful media properties, produced major events, and headed talent development. He was head of production for two FIFA World Cups, a Women’s World Cup, 15 MLS Cups and All-Star Games, and he has been a part of the production team for nine Olympic Games, the World Series, the Super Bowl, Indy 500, Kentucky Derby, Wide World of Sports, 14 NFL drafts, and the inaugural X Games. Cohen also serves as the USL’s broadcast expert and was instrumental in crafting the league’s current broadcast partnership with ESPN+.
A promotional video was released along with the announcement on November 12. You can view it
here.
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Scholarships for Italian American Women
The National Organization of Italian American Women
www.noiaw.org is now accepting applications for its annual scholarship program, which provides financial awards to highly qualified Italian American women enrolled in college and graduate school. To be eligible, students must be American citizens currently enrolled at an accredited U.S. academic institution; demonstrate financial need; and have a minimum GPA of 3.5. Preferential consideration is given to individuals who have demonstrated excellence in fields of study related to Italian language and/or culture.
Applications must be submitted by Friday, February 14, 2020. All applicants will be notified by the end of March 2020. Winners should try to attend NOIAW’s annual luncheon in New York City on Saturday, April 18, 2020, when the scholarship awards will be presented. For more information, go to
www.noiaw.org/scholarships/.
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Building Futures Profile:
Dianne, Jack, and Jackson Kohl
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Education Expanded Their Worlds
“In Pittsburgh, when I was in high school, women married one of the football players or got a job as a secretary,” observes Dianne Kohl ’69. “Queens College opened up a whole new world to me.”
“It changed the direction of our lives,” agrees her husband, Jack Kohl ’75, who enjoyed the range of QC’s required courses, encompassing topics such as art appreciation and history.
The Kohls, who grew up in Steel City, were already married when they came to New York in 1961; Jack—formerly a child star who sang on the radio, accompanied by pianist Johnny Costa—hoped to pursue a career on Broadway. When that didn’t work out, he got a job as a lab tech in QC’s physics department. Upon learning that they could attend QC for free, husband and wife both enrolled in the college, majoring in education. Living in the garden apartments opposite campus, they had an easy commute.
Dianne graduated first, taught in the Bronx for a year, and went on leave after the Kohls had their first child, Jackson, who made frequent visits to the physics lab until the family moved to Long Island. “I played with the air-track cars,” he recalls. His dad was equally at home in the department. Indeed, upon completing his education degree, Jack stayed at QC until 1995 instead of looking for teaching positions, while Dianne earned a master’s in English at SUNY Stony Brook and eventually became an adjunct at Suffolk Community College.
Their son matriculated at QC after failing to get into the Juilliard School, where he had studied piano in the pre-college division with Leonard Eisner; indeed, Queens named Eisner an adjunct professor, allowing Jackson to continue working with him. “ACSM was as good as it boasted about,” says Jackson. He remains particularly grateful to his subsequent piano teacher at QC, Gerald Robbins, who told him not to look at his hands while playing unfamiliar music for the first time. “That has allowed me to keep working,” adds Jackson. He also appreciated his liberal arts education, immersing himself in English classes. “In Professor Bette Weidman’s ‘American Literary Transcendentalism,’ the single greatest course I ever took in higher education, I learned of the specific art of Emersonian/Thoreauvian indexed journal keeping, something I use as a writer each and every day.”
Today, Jackson—who earned a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of South Carolina—divides his time between piano and computer keyboards. He’s a performer as well as a writer, with three novels and one collection of essays,
Bone Over Ivory: Essays from a Standing Pianist, to his credit. He stays in touch with ACSM, literally—just last spring, he prepared for a harpsichord gig by practicing on one of the music school’s instruments.
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Looking to Warmer Times
Cold weather last week reminded us that summer is only seven months away! QC offers four summer 2020 sessions, and registration for all of them has already opened. This is a great benefit for planning and scheduling purposes. To learn more, students can
click here, view “Enrollment Dates” on their CUNYfirst Student Service Center, or consult an academic advisor.
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Antonio Alarcon ’18 joined other New York activists as observers at the
DACA hearing in U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, November 12. Alarcon was one of six New York plaintiffs who filed a successful challenge in federal court against President Donald Trump’s 2017 executive action to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals . . .
Natalie Bogdanos ’95, general counsel, corporate secretary, and data protection officer at ContraFect—a clinical-stage biotechnology company—was named
Businesswoman of the Year 2019 by
CEO Today.
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