News from LaGuardia Community College |
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Pictured with Sapir College's provost, Nir Kedar |
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Earlier this month I traveled to Israel with Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez and eleven CUNY presidents and deans. The trip was organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York and included visits to three universities, meetings with government officials (Israeli and Palestinian) and discussions with about 20 guest speakers of diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Given the country’s rapid development—Israel’s annual population growth rate is the second highest of the 38 OECD members—and evolving demographics, many of our meetings were devoted to exploring issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and local institutions’ responses to them. The trip helped CUNY presidents and deans get a better understanding of the many complex political, social, and religious issues related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I had not been to Israel in ten years, so it was a helpful refresher for me. In what I hope will be a beneficial collaboration for LaGuardia faculty and students, I pitched a partnership to the provost of Sapir College in Sderot. I hope we will soon add Israel to the list of 22 countries that are part of our terrific Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) network. |
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LaGuardia Named Aspen Prize Semifinalist |
Your favorite community college has been named one of 25 semifinalists for the 2023 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s most important recognition of community colleges. Awarded every two years by the Aspen Institute, the Aspen Prize honors colleges for outstanding performance in five critical areas: teaching and learning, certificate and degree completion, transfer and bachelor’s attainment, workforce success, and equitable outcomes for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. The selection committee will winnow the 25 semifinalists to ten finalists by next spring. When you consider that there are about 1,200 community college across the US being in this elite group of 25 is none too shabby.
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Meet LaGuardia Class of ’22 Rep. Talha Islam |
On June 21 (rain or shine) some 2,000 LaGuardia graduates will march in our first in-person commencement since 2019. They’ll be expecting words of inspiration from their 2022 Class Representative Talha Islam. Talha is a Business Administration major who came to the United States seven years ago with his parents, seeking asylum from political persecution in Bangladesh. As an asylum-seeker, Talha couldn’t get government financial aid. LaGuardia, of course, is not free. So, the LaGuardia Community College Foundation provided him with scholarships and grants. This fall he'll start classes at Cornell University towards a bachelor’s degree in Applied Economics with concentrations in marketing and entrepreneurship. He wanted me to express his gratitude to those of you who donate to the foundation. Thank you.
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Training New First-Responders |
Speaking of graduations, Bronx Assembly Member Kenny Burgos spoke at an April commencement event for 80 new Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). Through Global Medical Response’s Earn While You Learn program, the students got paid throughout their EMT training. In addition to an hourly salary, the training was provided for free, and GMR picked up the tab for textbooks, uniforms, and fees. In return, participants agree to work for GMR for one year after becoming a certified EMT. The program helps address the urgent need for first-responders ready to serve their communities. Read more about the program and one of our EMT graduates here.
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Electrical Engineering Major Heads to Beantown |
LaGuardia students know that to succeed they need to work hard and jump on opportunities that come their way. Take Electrical Engineering major Evelyn De La Rosa, who enrolled at LaGuardia at the age of 24 while expecting her first child. When Evelyn (President of The Red Hawk Engineering and Computer Science Club) learned about our National Institutes of Health (NIH) Bridges program, she dove right in and secured a $14,000 NIH grant to conduct research on neurotransmitters and prosthetics. On May 5, Evelyn sent me an email to tell me that she been admitted to M.I.T. (with tuition and housing assistance). This summer, she, her partner Luis, and their one-year-old daughter will make the move to Cambridge so Evelyn can get started on her Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science.
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Two LaGuardia Students Named Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholars |
Graduating students Mohamad Bekhit and James Stuart have been selected as 2022 Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholars—among 100 winners chosen from over 1,200 applicants nationwide. Each will receive up to $55,000 a year to complete their Bachelor’s degrees, along with comprehensive advising to support their transitions to senior colleges, as well as internships, study abroad, and other terrific opportunities. Read more about our scholars here.
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Students Advocate for LaGuardia Community Greenway |
President’s Society Environment (PSE) students have been advocating for more green space around campus, including new outdoor spaces for students and community members to gather, learn and celebrate in. To promote their new LaGuardia Community Greenway plan, PSE students hosted a Pop-Up Plaza on 29th Street, next to the C-Building. The May 11 event featured games, live music, a food pantry, giveaways, a job fair, and resume review. More than 1,000 people enjoyed the festivities, including Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and our local City Council Member Julie Won. Read more in QNS or watch a news story here.
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LaGuardia Faculty Lead Community Colleges in Mellon Foundation Fellowships |
Five LaGuardia professors have been named 2022 Mellon/American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Faculty Fellows. Winners were selected for their contributions to Humanities research and teaching. Each receives a $40,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to support their research. LaGuardia awardees are English Department Professors Paul Fess and Joy Sanchez-Taylor, Social Science Professors Dušana Podlucká and Nichole M. Shippen, and Humanities Professor Ari B. Richter. Their research topics include slavery, the Holocaust, fantasy literature, learning differences, and colonialism. Their findings will enhance the learning experiences of LaGuardia students, enlighten the broader community, and advance the study of the Humanities.
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