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"Campus Update" is a weekly e-newsletter published by LaGuardia's Division of Communications and External Affairs to provide news and information to the college community.

NEWS

LaGuardia Partners with NYC’s DOT, Open Streets to Host Greenway Plaza Events

Join Us April 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.


LaGuardia Community College/CUNY is taking over the streets of Long Island City, Queens with a series of culturally diverse, informative, and entertaining programs that are available for the public to enjoy. The series of programs are part of the LaGuardia Community Greenway, a collaborative effort to create a new open space for Long Island City, and LaGuardia’s 33,000 students, faculty and staff. LaGuardia envisions reclaiming public streets to create a space that is sustainable and positively impacts the physical and mental health of the community and environment. Faculty are encouraged to bring their classes!


Share Your Talent:

Calling all LaGuardians! Do you sing? Are you an artist? Can you lead a workshop? Share your talents and expertise with the community during the Greenway program series. We want to invite faculty and staff to put their talents forward, and perhaps on stage! We look forward to seeing your talent. SIGN UP!


Volunteers Needed:

Faculty and staff, we need your help making the LaGuardia Community Greenway a success! We need volunteers to welcome the community, assist at exhibition tables, coordinate program set-up and break down, and have fun! SIGN UP!

CUNY to End the Emergency COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate 


The City University of New York announced Tuesday that in the wake of significant advances in the three-year battle against COVID-19 and consistent with the federal government’s plan to end the Public Health Emergency, it is ending the emergency vaccination mandate for students, faculty and staff. The University worked closely with State and City health officials to make the determination which marks a major milestone in CUNY’s fight against the pandemic. The change is effective for LaGuardia June 16, and will allow students to enroll in classes, regardless of their vaccination status, starting with Spring II (summer) sessions.

COVID-19 Testing Updates

 

LaGuardia’s COVID-19 Testing Site will relocate from Room E-242 to Room E-150 on Monday, April 17.  Days and times of operation remain the same. For more information, visit the CUNY COVID-19 Testing Site webpage. 


CUNY policy has changed, and the University no longer requires students, staff, or faculty to share their negative test to return to campus after isolation due to a positive COVID-19 test. The CUNY website and LaGuardia website have been updated to reflect this change.



Please note that in alignment with lifting the vaccine mandate, CUNY will also end its testing program and close its testing sites on campuses and the Central Office by the end of June. 

LaGuardia Students Share Experience Through the CARE Program 


CARE is proud to partner with LaGuardia Community College, through the LaGuardia Humanitarian Initiative, to provide a year of learning and advocacy engagement for LaGuardia students, faculty, and staff from September 2022 to June 2023. The program teaches students to advocate with their members of Congress on the issue of food insecurity with a focus on UN Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger. CARE is providing students with opportunities to immerse themselves in this issue, learn advocacy fundamentals, hear directly from subject matter experts, and incorporate CARE research and projects into classroom learning. Over the course of the program, LaGuardia student participants have shared their experiences with CARE. Read their student reflections online

Theater Students Perform Well at Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival 


Congratulations to LaGuardia Theater students on their success at the 2023 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTAF) for Region 1! At the festival LaGuardia students competed for scholarships and recognition against students from two-year and four-year schools across the country, including prestigious conservatories and BFA programs. Analia Heredia is a regional finalist in the Musical Theatre category and will be heading to the Kennedy Center National Festival in Washington, D.C. the week of April 17. Analia was also awarded the region’s slot in the ASPIRE Arts Leadership program that took place in February.  

Clockwise from top left: Bambo Coulibaly, Analia Heredia, Ed Cardenas, Jaden Collins, Annabelle Paez, Michael Hernandez, and Lee Monahan.  

Students from Japan’s Doshisha University Visit LaGuardia 


In the first in-person international exchange with Japan after the pandemic, a group of students from Doshisha University in Kyoto visited LaGuardia on Friday, March 31. The students, winners of Nikkei Stock League 2023, a national virtual stock market competition, were here to learn about college life in New York and discuss cryptocurrency and other investment strategies with LaGuardia students studying Japanese. A scavenger hunt took the students, working in groups that mixed students from each school, on a campus tour that included the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Education Center in C-701. The visit was coordinated by Dr. Tomonori Nagano, professor and director of the Liberal Arts: Japanese Option, Dr. Kyoko Toyama, professor and College Discovery counselor, and George Tsouris, adjunct lecturer of Japanese Literature and Philosophy.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

“Uplifting Black Youth Through Community Engagement” at Black Lives Matter Summit this Month 


LaGuardia’s 8th Annual Black Lives Matter Summit is coming soon and will begin with a pre-Summit event on April 21. Additional events are taking place April 24- 28, including the keynote address featuring James L. Motley. The full week of programming will feature students, activists, educators, artists, entertainers, actors, legal experts, and psychologists from LaGuardia, CUNY, and beyond. Events are held through a mix of in-person and online formats; review the schedule and RSVP today

Commencement Volunteers Needed 


The Division of Student Affairs is seeking volunteers to help play a vital role in this celebratory moment for students. We need volunteers to provide directions, guide students to specific areas, assist with student line-up and processional, and answer questions. To sign up, please complete this quick form.  




Set Sail on the Graduation Cruise


The Graduation Cruise is back! Campus Life is hosting a Graduation Cruise on Friday, May 26, 2023, from 7 to 10 p.m. If you are interested in chaperoning, please email Campus Life at campuslife@lagcc.cuny.edu by May 12. Space is limited, and is on a first-come, first-served basis. The cruise sails from Pier 36 (299 South St. in Manhattan) and includes a buffet dinner. 

College Website Redevelopment Update 


Teams from Communications & External Affairs and Information Technology have been working behind the scenes preparing for our website to migrate to a new content management system. Individuals that provide updates for the site are asked to respond to requests for content review to help ensure information moves accurately to the new system. Edits to website text can be requested online; if you have questions, please contact Gina Taraskewich.


The Opening Sessions Committee Needs Your Input 


Fall 2023 Opening Sessions is less than six months away, and the planning committee is seeking input from faculty and staff. Share what matters to you and themes that you would like to see highlighted in the keynote and concurrent sessions. Please take a moment to submit your response by April 21. And be sure to mark your calendars for Opening Sessions on Wednesday, September 6.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

M365 Email Has Migrated! Set Up MFA Today! 


Microsoft 365 (M365), our new cloud-based email system launched last Weds., April 5. But to access M365, you must set up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) as soon as possible.  


To learn how to set up MFA using a free version of the Microsoft Authenticator mobile app, view the videos on laguardia.edu/m365 or follow these step by step instructions


Note: If you do not set up MFA, you will not be able to access your M365 email or Microsoft Office 365 apps. 



To learn more about M365 and the launch, visit the Microsoft 365 website or laguardia.edu/m365

Please look out for IT email and Campus Update notifications and announcements about M365. 

LinkedIn Learning Availability Ending April 18, 2023 



Our two-year subscription to LinkedIn Learning (LIL) was up for renewal in April and despite the benefits offered by LinkedIn Learning’s high-quality content, after carefully considering the high cost of renewal and the College’s budgetary priorities combined with an activation rate of 18% after two years, the difficult decision was made to not renew the subscription. 


Your access to LinkedIn Learning will be terminated as of April 18, 2023.  This means that all access to the course content, as well as user learning history, will no longer be available to you and all faculty, staff and students after that date.  If you are a LIL user, we urge you to read the IT Updates sent via email April 3 and 11, or visit the LIL webpage. 

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Chelsea Vaughan Applies Caregiving Skills and Experience Working with Children to Her Nursing Education 


Before enrolling at LaGuardia in fall 2021, Chelsea Vaughan, 33, had spent nearly 10 years working as a nanny and art teacher in Sunnyside, Queens. When she became unemployed during the “big pause,” as she refers to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chelsea decided to pursue becoming a Registered Nurse. “LaGuardia was my first choice, not only because it is the top-ranked nursing school in New York State, but because it puts nursing students in clinical settings from day one.” Chelsea is now in her second semester in LaGuardia’s Registered Nursing Program. Additionally, she’s involved in research with biology professors Dr. Ingrid Veras and Dr. Joby Jacob, testing Newtown Creek for antibiotic resistant bacteria. Chelsea is receiving a stipend from the CUNY Research Scholars Program (CRSP) for the research project, and recently earned a Marilyn Skony Stamm and Arthur Stamm Scholarship from the LAGCC Foundation. Chelsea is on track to graduate with her associate in nursing in spring 2024, and enjoying her clinicals where she gets to work with patients. “I sometimes try to see patients as children. It might sound funny, but it makes me more comfortable,” she adds. “It allows me to feel in control and able to provide comfort. I want to make my patients feel like we’re on the same team.” Her goal is to become a nurse anesthetist. 

LAGUARDIA AND WAGNER ARCHIVES

COVID Anniversary Marked with “Portraits of an Epicenter” Screening in LIC 


On March 19th, the Gardiner-Shenker Students' project "Portraits of an Epicenter" was screened alongside other Queens-based films grappling with the impacts of COVID-19 and the city's shutdown in 2020. The event marked the three-year anniversary since the beginning of the pandemic and the films were emotional to see in conversation with each other. The event took place at The Local—a hostel and bar in Long Island City, Queens—and more than 100 people were in attendance. Two former LaGuardia students, whose work was featured in the film, attended and saw themselves on the large screen. Dr. Molly Rosner, who ran the program from the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives, gave brief comments about the project and the strength and resilience of the students whose lives were disrupted. Current LaGuardia students working on the current Gardiner project attended the event, as did LaGuardia faculty members who work with the Archives. The organizations that participated included the Queens World Film Festival, the Zip Code Memory Project, the Queens Memory Program, Queens World Listening Tour, the Five Boro Story Project, Union Docs, and the Asian American Documentary Network, and independent filmmakers.  View the film on the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives' YouTube page; student photography and written reflections are also available online

Pictured left to right: Martina Colova, Prof. Maureen Drennan, Summer Walker

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Nominations for The Holberg Prize Due May 15 


The Holberg Prize is awarded annually and recognizes outstanding scholarly contributions. According to their website, The Holberg Prize was established by the Norwegian Parliament 1 July 2003, and was awarded for the first time in 2004. The objective of the prize is to increase awareness of the value of academic scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, law and theology. Faculty wishing to be considered for a nomination should reach out to Provost Rosado by May 15.

Language on Campus Survey 


Dr. Maria Jerskey, professor in the Education & Language Acquisition Department, and Dr. Tara Coleman, associate professor in the English Department, are conducting a study called “What Does It Take to Enact Linguistic Justice on Campus? An Institutional Ethnography” (IRB #2023-0156). The study aims to learn the role language plays in the lives of LaGuardia community members, in the hopes of pursuing more just and equitable language practices on campus. Faculty, staff and students are invited to participate by completing a brief, confidential survey and will have the opportunity to to sign up for an additional 45-minute interview. Please contact Dr. Jerskey and Dr. Coleman for additional information. 

LIBRARY NEWS

Latest Updates from LaGuardia's Library

  • The Library will resume normal hours on Friday, April 14, at 8 a.m. You can see our full calendar here
  • Our next MoneyBoss workshop will be IN PERSON! Join us on Monday, April 17, at 4:35 p.m. in Room E-111. We will have snacks! And a book raffle! Register here
  • The Mezzanine is still accessible to students by the side staircases and the elevator. The Thomson Reading Room on the second floor is open and accessible by elevator. 
  • In addition to books and research databases, did you know we have Streaming Video? Check out our offerings! 

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Career Chat in Tech and Engineering Coming Next Week 


Students are invited to join in a conversation with technology and engineering professionals to learn about career possibilities in related fields. Panelists include Victor Fuhrman, project manager at Juniper Engineering, Karin Sommer, executive director of the NYC Department of Transportation Division of Transportation Planning & Management, Biren Patel, engineering manager at JustWorks, Jason Rivera, principal civil engineer with Parsons Corporation, Jose Aron-Diaz, director of information technology at Bezos Earth Fund, and Gabrielle Ferrara, chief operating officer at Ferrara Manufacturing. The discussion panel will take place on Zoom, Wednesday, April 19 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please contact CCPD for more information. 

Annual Hackathon Coming in May; Pre-Hackathon Event Registration Now Open 


Get ready for the Career and Technical Education Assistance (CTEA) Center’s annual hackathon, coming up in May! A hackathon is a social coding event that brings computer programmers and those with an interest together to improve upon or build a new software program. To prepare for this exciting 2-day online event, students can attend the Pre-Hackathon Idea-thon virtually or in person on April 20 from 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. They will have the opportunity to start brainstorming ideas and meet others participating in the hackathon, which is open to all LaGuardia credit and non-credit tech students. Register today to join the fun!

LAGUARDIA IN THE HEADLINES

COMMUNITY COLLEGE DAILY: “Launch!” program at LaGuardia Community College pairs volunteers with first-generation students for transfer advice


ASTORIA POST: Longtime Sunnyside childcare expert applies skills to her nursing education at LaGuardia Community College 

EVENTS

Thursday, April 13 

 

Monday, April 17 

 

Tuesday, April 18 

 

Wednesday, April 19 

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"Campus Update" is produced and published by the Communications and External Affairs Division. Faculty and staff who wish to submit items for publication can Share a Story or send an email to CampusUpdate@lagcc.cuny.edu. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. Monday to be considered for publication on Wednesday.