"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. | |
The Division of Communications and External Affairs offers various additional resources to help you share news with the campus, including an event calendar, photography, graphic design, and more. | |
President Adams and Cabinet Members Attend CUNY State of the University | |
City University of New York Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez delivered his State of the University Address today, announcing that total enrollment grew 3%, the University’s second consecutive yearly increase, totaling almost 15,000 students over the past two years. Critically, this year’s jump was driven by a 6% increase at CUNY’s community colleges, which were hardest hit by pandemic-induced declines, and a 4% growth in new graduate student enrollment – the first in four years. President Kenneth Adams and members of the Cabinet attended the address, which was presented at New York City College of Technology. Read the transcript of the Chancellor’s address here. | |
LaGuardia Offers Funding Resources for Virtually Every Student | |
Through the Friedman Fund for new New Yorkers, any eligible student at LaGuardia can receive support through scholarships, experiential learning stipends, and emergency aid, to help students complete their degree or continuing education program. Students of any citizenship status can apply for support through the LaGuardia Foundation here. | |
The LaGuardia Theater Program's performance of Electricidad opens in the Little Theater later this month — grab your tickets soon! To purchase tickets for the remaining shows, click here. Tickets are $10 per person or $8 per person for students (with promo code STUDENTS), plus a $2 convenience fee. This modern adaptation of Sophocles’ Electra is a bilingual play in English and Spanish, set in an East LA barrio, reinterpreting the classic Greek tragedy through a contemporary lens. | |
LaGuardia Community Celebrates Nepali Heritage at Grand Cultural Event | |
LaGuardia’s Nepali Student Association (NSA) organized a Grand Cultural Event in the Main Stage Theater on Monday, November 18 to celebrate the legacy of Nepali culture. The NSA kicked off the event with welcoming remarks before playing the national anthem of Nepal and a short film. Following the film presentation, LaGuardia President Kenneth Adams gave remarks to the audience, which included New York State Assemblymember and Queens native Steven Raga, Nepali community leaders Amit Pratap Shah and Lenin Kandel, and Dr. Timothy Kroecker of the Air Force Research Lab. Following President Adams’ address, the NSA presented a cultural fashion walk, featuring a vibrant display of traditional Nepali attire, alongside explanations of each garment’s significance. The event also featured dance performances to traditional folk music, a poetry reading, and live singing. | |
Therapeutic Recreation Student Association Hosts Dynamic One-Day Conference | |
On November 15, LaGuardia’s Therapeutic Recreation Student Association Club hosted the 2024 “Reunited in Recreation” one-day conference in partnership with the New York State Recreation and Park Society (NYSRPS), Campus Life and St. Joseph’s University. This marked a significant milestone as the first major event organized by students in the Therapeutic Recreation Program, which is housed in the new Community Health and Wellness Department. More than 160 participants attended the conference to network, exchange best practices, and discuss innovative approaches in recreational programming, therapeutic practices, and community engagement. Attendees included students and faculty from LaGuardia’s Therapeutic Recreation Program and students and faculty from similar programs at Bronx Community College, Kingsborough Community College, Lehman College, and St. Joseph’s University. In addition to student participants, practitioners in the fields of Therapeutic Recreation, Recreation Education, and Community Recreation were in attendance. | |
CUNY Associate Professor of History Johanna Fernández Delivers 14th Annual Robert Fitch Memorial Lecture | |
The 14th Annual Robert Fitch Memorial Lecture took place on Tuesday, November 19 in the Poolside Cafe. This year’s lecturer was Dr. Johanna Fernández, an Associate Professor of History at the CUNY Graduate Center. Dr. Fernández gave a talk entitled “The Revolution within the Revolution: Gender in the History of the Young Lords.” She is the author of The Young Lords: A Radical History, a book which explores the history of the Young Lords, a gang and political organization that fought for neighborhood empowerment and self-determination for Puerto Rico, Latino, and colonized people. Her book on the Young Lords won the American Book Award and Frederick Jackson Turner Award. Her FOIL lawsuit recovered the Handschu files, the largest police surveillance records in the U.S. She has received Fulbright and Ford Foundation grants and curated the acclaimed exhibition ¡Presente! The Young Lords in New York. Dr. Fernández is editor of Writing on the Wall and producer of Justice on Trial. | |
Student Panel Discusses This Year’s Presidential Election Cycle | |
The Women’s Center and LGBTQ+ Hub partnered with the Political Science Program this week to host an event to help students make sense of the 2024 election cycle. The event, entitled “An Election Happened… What Now?!?!” took place on Wednesday, November 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in E-500, serving as a sort of retrospective on this year’s election for president of the United States. A student panel addressed the outcomes of this year’s election and talked about coping skills, activism, and how to be social agents of change regardless of the presidential election’s results. | |
National Election Commission of South Korea Visits LaGuardia | |
On Friday, November 15, eight members of South Korea's National Election Commission visited LaGuardia's campus to tour the campus and speak with school officials, including President Kenneth Adams. The commission is currently on a research field trip to the United States in an effort to gain insights and collect data on current issues regarding the recruitment of election officials in the country's election systems. The commission's members were particularly interested in learning about the role of academic institutions like LaGuardia in promoting increased youth voter turnout. | |
LaGuardia Community Invited to Closing Sessions and Holiday Reception on December 4 | |
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President Kenneth Adams invites all faculty and staff to attend the Fall Closing Sessions on December 4 in the Little Theater (M-Building). Remarks will begin at 12:00 p.m. Closing Sessions will be followed by the Holiday Reception and Faculty Council's Auction and Plant Sale in the E-Building Atrium. If you're interested in purchasing a poinsettia, cactus, or wreath at the Plant Sale, please place an order here no later than November 26. | |
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Join the Division of Communications and External Affairs (CEA) for a workshop to focusing on marketing and communications best practices. Learn about CEA guidelines relating to the website, social media, videography, flyers/ posters, digital displays, and more. Working with Communications & External Affairs will be held on Tuesday, December 3 at 2 p.m. in Room E-500; please RSVP to attend. | |
LAGUARDIA AND WAGNER ARCHIVES | |
Students From Across New York City Take a Visit to the Archives | |
Seven classes and more than 100 students passed through the doors of the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives doors last week. We were proud to introduce this exceptional number of students to archival procedures, teach how to interpret historical documents, and most importantly, to show off cool artifacts in the cold storage room! We even hosted a group of students from the NYU Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions to see primary sources from our Steinway collection. And you too can come for a visit. Whether you’re a professor who wants to introduce their class to an archive, a student needing some historical resources for a class, or just plain curious, contact us to arrange a visit here. | |
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Meet Priyanka Fnu, a member of the LaGuardia Community College Class of 2024. Priyanka graduated earlier this year with an associate degree in Computer Science, thanks to the support of the LaGuardia Foundation. An exceptional international student from India, she consistently landed a spot on the Dean's List and excelled as a Student Success Mentor, guiding her first-year peers. Now she’s a software engineer at a tech talent development company during her OPT training. As we approach CUNY Tuesday on December 3, join us in empowering a new diverse workforce by making a donation to the LaGuardia Foundation. 100% of your donation will support LaGuardia students and help students like Priyanka access scholarships, career programs, and other critical resources. | |
Center for Teaching and Learning Organizes Three Faculty Conversations this Week | |
The Center for Teaching and Learning’s (CTL) Faculty Conversations series is back on a roll this week with three different sessions taking place in Room E-255, after a brief pause earlier this semester. On Thursday, November 21 from 1:30 to 3 p.m., the center will host a session entitled “Online Learning Pedagogy,” facilitated by Janet Michello, an Associate Professor in the Social Science Department and Michele de Goeas-Malone, a Lecturer in the Education and Language Acquisition (ELA) Department. The following day, Friday, November 22 from 2:15 to 3:30 p.m., the CTL will host a panel on reading and artificial intelligence called “Can AI Tools Help Students Read?” Ximena Gallardo, a Professor in the English Department and Sue Livingston, a Professor in the ELA Department will lead this session alongside Iain Coggins of Lehman College. Earlier in the week, the center hosted a session on the CUNY Building Bridges of Knowledge Project on AI, with updates from Milena Cuellar, a Professor in the Math, Engineering & Computer Science (MEC) Department, Daniel Boudon, a Lecturer in the Social Science Department, Maria Savva, a Professor in the ELA Department, and J. Elizabeth Clark, a Professor in the English Department. Those interested in attending this week’s upcoming Faculty Conversations can attend in person in Room E-255 or virtually via Zoom. To attend via Zoom, RSVP for Thursday’s conversation here; RSVP for Friday’s conversation here. | |
Dr. Marta Kowalczyk Selected for CUNY Faculty Fellowship Publication Program | |
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Dr. Marta Kowalczyk, assistant professor with the Natural Sciences Department, has been selected to participate in the spring 2025 CUNY Faculty Fellowship Publication Program (FFPP) as a Faculty Fellow. Dr. Kowalczyk is one of six CUNY professors who were selected for the program. The FFPP is sponsored by University Human Resources to advance CUNY’s institutional commitment to faculty development on the basis of diversity principles. The group sessions will begin in February 2025 and are designed to assist selected untenured assistant and associate professors, and tenured assistant professors in the design and execution of scholarly writing projects that are essential to progress toward tenure and promotion. Dr. Kowalczyk’s project is titled, “The effect on students’ beliefs on transferable math skills in first-semester chemistry class.” | |
Tabia Tarannum, a 19-year-old biology major and first-generation college student from Bangladesh, has been named a 2024 Kaplan Leadership Fellow. This program supports high-potential, low-income, and underrepresented community college students in completing their associate degrees and transferring to selective four-year institutions. As a Fellow, Tabia will receive stipends, tutoring, academic advisement, leadership and career training, and other resources. Tabia is grateful for the mentorship she’s received from faculty and advisors, especially Dr. Ingrid Veras (Natural Sciences) and ASAP advisor Anabel Rivas. Tabia is on track to graduate from LaGuardia in Spring 2025 and aims to transfer to a prestigious institution, like Stanford or Harvard, to pursue a bachelor's degree in biology with a minor in psychology. Her goal is to complete an MD-PhD program and conduct biomedical research, focusing on improving healthcare for underserved communities. | |
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Dr. Julianne Salazar, co-director of the Transfer Engagement Initiative (TEI), expressed gratitude to the Kaplan Leadership Program for supporting students like Tabia. TEI helps LaGuardia students transfer to four-year colleges by streamlining communication about scholarships and resources. The initiative is co-directed by Dr. Misun Dokko (English), with support from Josie Bergin-Ko. | |
Students looking for enrollment services support can now access virtual office hours every Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Virtual One Stop takes place on Zoom and allows students to drop in and meet with staff from the Admissions, International Student Services, Registrar, Student Financial Services, Student Information Center, Transfer Credit Evaluation and Testing offices. | |
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Center for Immigrant Education and Training Hosts Immigrant Family Literacy Program Family Night | |
The Center for Immigrant Education and Training (CIET) hosted its bi-annual Immigrant Family Literacy Program Family Night last Friday, November 15. More than 150 people attended the event, which served as an opportunity for students in the CIET’s classes to mingle with one another and share their work with family members. Six different cultural institutions — the Museum of Modern Art, the Noguchi Museum, the New York Historical Society, the Queens Botanical Garden, Anja Dance, and the Brooklyn Museum — offered a variety of fun arts and crafts workshops for the students and their families to participate in. The CIET offers free, contextualized English classes and job training programs, along with career counseling and case management services to low-income Queens immigrants and their families. | |
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Women’s Basketball
- November 21, 6 p.m. at Kingsborough
- December 5, 5:30 p.m. at Queensborough
- December 7, 1 p.m. vs. Suffolk
- December 10, 6 p.m. at Bronx CC
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Men’s Basketball
- November 21, 8 p.m. at Kingsborough
- November 25, 6 p.m. vs. Mohawk Valley
- December 5, 7:30 p.m. at Queensborough
- December 7, 3 p.m. vs. Suffolk County
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Updates from LaGuardia’s Library | |
- It’s National Native American Heritage Month. Check out our collection of books.
- The Library will be closed Thursday, November 28 - Sunday, December 1. We will re-open on Monday, December 2, at 8 a.m. Please see our calendar for more details.
- LRC 103, our Internet Research Strategies course, is a one-credit class. You can find more information about this class and our other classes here.
- Free digital subscriptions to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal are available to all students, staff, and faculty. Use your LaGuardia email to sign up.
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HUMAN RESOURCES AND PERSONNEL UPDATES | |
Receive Your 2024 W-2, 1127 Waiver and 1095C Forms Electronically
As an employee of a CUNY Community College, you may choose to have your 2024 W-2, 1127 Waiver and 1095-C forms delivered electronically instead of by paper copy. Electronic Delivery is voluntary, secure and accurate. To choose Electronic Delivery, log in to your NYCAPS Employee Self-Service (ESS) account. The electronic version can be viewed, printed and/or downloaded.
Employees are reminded:
- If you have previously chosen Electronic Delivery, do not re-enroll.
- To electronically receive your 2024 W-2, 1127 Waiver and 1095-C Forms, select the paperless option in ESS before noon, Friday, January 3, 2025.
- You will receive an email providing instructions for securely accessing your 2024 W-2, 1127 Waiver and 1095-C forms.
- If you choose electronic delivery after noon, Friday, January 3, 2025, your 2024 W-2, 1127 Waiver and 1095-C forms will be printed and mailed directly to you.
- All employees in an inactive leave status on Friday, January 3, 2025 will have their 2024 W-2, 1127 Waiver and 1095-C forms printed and mailed directly to them.
For more information about NYCAPS, visit About NYCAPS Employee Self-Service. If you have questions, contact LaGuardia’s Payroll Department at payroll@lagcc.cuny.edu or ext. 5518.
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CCA Webinar Invitation: The Connection Between Exercise and Mental Health
You are invited to attend an exciting upcoming CCA webinar on The Connection Between Exercise and Mental Health, delivered by a sought-after expert on this topic, Shanti Douglas.
In this class, participants will learn how exercise benefits our immune system, reduces our risk for contracting disease, and lowers our stress levels. Explore how to get started on a healthy path towards improved mental health and how to stay motivated to reach your goals!
For questions and additional information, please contact Yasu Denda.
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CUNY Benefits Office Open Enrollment Until November 30 | |
Open enrollment for active employees and retirees is November 1- 30. Open enrollment is the one time during the year when you can change your benefit elections, add or remove dependents for health, dental and vision plans without a qualifying life event. For more information, visit: Benefits Open Enrollment 2024. | |
Recognizing and Reporting Phishing
Receiving unexpected messages requesting personal information should put you on alert to proceed with caution. Take a moment to assess whether the email looks legitimate before opening or clicking on links or attachments.
Resources to help Recognize and Report Phishing:
CUNY emails, supporting information and a growing security resources list are available on National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) and CUNY Information Security.
If you suspect you’ve received a suspicious or phishing email, please forward it to spam@lagcc.cuny.edu. If you already responded to a phishing email, clicked on an attachment or link, immediately contact our IT HelpDesk by submitting a ticket through the Faculty & Staff Portal or by email at ITHelp@lagcc.cuny.edu, or call 718-482-6134.
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IT Reminder: Complete Mandatory Cybersecurity Awareness Training
This is an important reminder to log in to Blackboard and complete the Cybersecurity Awareness Training course. You can find this course under the “Organizations” tab, along with the other essential annual training courses required for CUNY employees. This course was developed specifically for CUNY and covers phishing attacks, spam, and best practices for protecting your CUNY accounts and sensitive data. We encourage you to take it as soon as possible to protect the University's data, as well as your own. Your active involvement is crucial to our collective security efforts. If you have any questions regarding the training, please contact Maritza Acero.
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LAGUARDIA IN THE HEADLINES | |
"Campus Update" is produced and published by the Communications and External Affairs Division. Faculty and staff who wish to submit items for publication can email CampusUpdate@lagcc.cuny.edu. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. Monday to be considered for publication on Wednesday. |
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