"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. | |
FROM THE PRESIDENT AND PROVOST | |
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Dear LaGuardia faculty and staff,
The Spring '23 semester is underway, and we are delighted to see the campus buzzing with energy and excitement as classes begin this week.
We want to thank everyone for attending (in person or online) our Opening Sessions event on March 6. Shout-out to moderator Dr. Rochell Isaac, President of Faculty Council, and to our panelists: Dr. Assuanta Howard, Interim Assistant Dean for Adult and Continuing Education; Shahir Erfan, Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance; Dr. Gail Baksh-Jarrett, Interim Associate Dean for Enrollment Management; Dr. Eric Hofmann, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Nayelli Valencia Turrent, Chief of Staff. Thanks as well to ASL interpreters Amy Rubinger and Susan Weinstein, the LPAC Staff, and the Communications and External Affairs Division.
If you missed it you can view the Opening Sessions program. It’s just under one hour. If you have questions or comments about what we discussed please contact us at your convenience.
As Gail mentioned at the event, we have seen an encouraging increase this semester in both new and transfer students. When it comes to continuing students we still need to do more to increase our Fall to Spring retention, but we have noticed a slight improvement over last year. Stay tuned for updates on Fall enrollment in the weeks ahead.
Big thanks to all of you who volunteered on our pre-semester strategic call campaign, including faculty and staff from across the college and members of the Enrollment Management and Student Affairs teams. Thanks, too, to the many volunteers who have been working this week as new student greeters, aides, and problem-solvers at the entrances to the E and C Buildings. Your smiles, kindness, and thoughtful assistance create a warm and supportive environment for all our students – new and returning.
A question was asked at Opening Sessions about class cancellations. This semester we are running 1,513 sections. Unfortunately, last week we had to cancel 34 sections because of low enrollment. Despite our budget challenges we are running a number of sections with fewer than ten students in order to meet students’ needs. Our intention is always to plan and offer a schedule that is as closely aligned with student needs as possible in order to minimize the number of cancellations. Alas, in this volatile post-Covid enrollment environment it is difficult to predict students’ plans. We know that class cancellations create hardships for adjunct faculty, and we truly regret that. LaGuardia’s academic chairs work very hard to maintain workloads for all their faculty and put extra effort into minimizing the impacts of cancellations on adjuncts.
Please pay close attention to the Campus Update newsletter published every Wednesday for information about important events and other campus news. If you have announcements for the Update please contact Dr. Manny Romero, Vice President of Communication and External Affairs at mlromero@lagcc.cuny.edu.
We want to thank all of you for your commitment and dedication to our students and community. We wish everyone a rewarding and successful Spring '23 semester.
Kenneth Adams
President
Dr. Billie Gastic Rosado
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
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Rise Light & Power Scholars Visit Ravenswood Generating Station
LaGuardia Community College students had the opportunity to visit the Ravenswood Generating Station to learn about New York City’s energy landscape. The visit was hosted by Rise Light & Power (Rise), a New York-based energy asset manager and developer. During the visit, the Rise Scholars had an opportunity to meet with Wil Fisher, Manager of External Affairs with Rise Light & Power; Simar Gill, P.Eng., Human Performance Engineer with Ravenswood Generating Station; Tania Marinos, Workforce & Economic Development Manager with Attentive Energy; and Andréa Savage, Communications Specialist with Attentive Energy. The Scholars asked a variety of questions related to renewable energy and the Ravenswood powerplant. The Rise Light & Power Scholars are Muhammad Abbasi, programming and software development major; Andrea Hernandez, computer technology major; Karissa Cook, biology major; Sayidjon Babkhodjaev, electrical engineering major; Abid Ramsamooj, biology major; Afra Taher, computer science major; Ling Lin, computer science major; Joe Gonzales, engineering science/civil engineering major; Julian Poli, engineering science/civil engineering major; Kevin Coronel, network administration and information security major; Jean Gabriel Decimus, engineering science/civil engineering major; and Bhupendra Pariyar, computer science major.
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Students, Faculty and Staff Invited to Participate in 1LaGuardia Campus Climate Initiative
LaGuardia Community College is made up of a diverse body of students, faculty and staff. Our college promotes opportunity and learning experiences that are equitable, inclusive and diverse – We are 1 LaGuardia! Throughout the Spring 2023 Semester, LaGuardia Community College will be hosting a variety of activities designed to bring awareness to the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion. Scheduled activities will include: keynote speakers, workshops, and an artwork/video contest. A kick-off event is scheduled on Tuesday, March 14, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Little Theater. Special guests will include: Joyce Moy, Former Executive Director, CUNY’s Asian American/Asian Research Institute; and Rabbi Mira Rivera, Rabbi-in-Residence at the Jewish Community Center in Harlem and the LUNAR Collective. REGISTER HERE to attend the kick-off event. For more information contact Wendy Nicholson, Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, at wnicholson@lagcc.cuny.edu or (718) 482-5140.
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Bootcamp Offers Opportunities for Students to Learn About Fine and Performing Arts Industries
Queens College School of Arts presented its inaugural Arts Leadership Boot Camp on March 3-5 for students to learn about the fine and performing arts. The event included panel discussions, small group meetings with experts, and workshops in branding and social media. Discussions centered around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), financial literacy, hybrid programming, and more. Nayelli Valencia Turrent, LaGuardia Community College Chief of Staff, moderated a panel titled, “Lessons in Arts Leadership”. Participants included: Sally Tallant, President and Executive Director of the Queens Museum; Leonard Jacobs, Executive Director Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, Inc. (JCAL); Regina Bain, Executive Director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum & Archives; and, Karesia Batan, Executive Director of the Queensboro Dance Festival. Students from LaGuardia, Hostos, and Queensborough Community College participated. Five students attended the Boot Camp on behalf of LaGuardia: Melissa Alonso, Richard Cabrera, Destinee Geathers, Michael Hernandez, and Isaac Ramos.
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LaGuardia Professors Recognized by Phi Theta Kappa
LaGuardia Community College continues to promote academic excellence across its more than 50 majors, certificates and programs. Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society recognizes the academic achievement of college students and provides opportunities for its members to grow as scholars and leaders. Established in 1918, PTK has a presence on almost 1,300 community college campuses in 11 nations. Recently, two LaGuardia professors were recognized for milestones in their years of service as advisors for LaGuardia’s PTK chapter (Alpha Theta Phi). Ann Matsuuchi (pictured top left), professor in the Library Department, was recognized for 10 years of service as advisor, and Dr. Dana Trusso (pictured bottom left), professor of philosophy, was recognized for five years of service as contact advisor. “Advisors are truly the lifeblood of our organization, and we are delighted to recognize them for their years of service,” said Lynn Tincher-Ladner, Ph.D., President and CEO of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Professor Matsuuchi and Dr. Trusso lead LaGuardia’s PTK chapter alongside Professor Dianne Gordon Conyers and Dr. Payal Doctor, who have served as advisors for eight and 12 years, respectively.
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LaGuardia Community College Co-Hosts CUNY LGBTQI+ Student Conference, March 31
LaGuardia Community College/CUNY is co-hosting the second annual CUNY LGBTQI+ Student Conference on March 31 at the LaGuardia campus, located at 31-10 Thomson Avenue, in Long Island City, Queens. The conference is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., beginning at the Main Stage Theatre, located in Room E-243.
The CUNY LGBTQI+ Student Conference brings together LGBTQI+ students from across City University of New York (CUNY) interested in learning more about leadership and creating change on our campuses and broader communities. The conference includes workshops, a keynote address, and the gathering of Queer & Trans students, faculty, staff, and allies. Students can REGISTER HERE to attend.
The theme of this year's conference is “Community, Advocacy, Power, and Healing,” and this year’s keynote speaker is founder of Trans Equity Consulting, Cecilia Gentili (pictured at left).
Cecilia started Transgender Equity Consulting in the beginning of 2019 after serving as the Director of Policy at GMHC, the world’s first and leading provider of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and advocacy from 2016 to 2019.
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LaGuardia Student Lizzi Bolger Turns Up the Heat on a Culinary Career
Elizabeth (Lizzi) Bolger’s search for an affordable college where she could get the training and degree that would allow her to make a mid-career change led her to LaGuardia Community College. Lizzi, age 37, spent more than a decade working for museums and galleries as an exhibition associate and gallery manager. She also managed a photography and videography company for many years.
Her enthusiasm for cooking was her motivation to find a new career. “I looked for a two-year program that would help me pursue a career as a chef—I’ve always loved to cook,” said Lizzi. “I chose LaGuardia because it had the major I wanted, Nutrition and Culinary Management, and the most options. I liked how each semester is broken up into two sessions, which gave me a lot of flexibility with my course schedule, and I was drawn to its diversity.”
Lizzi completed an internship through Project SEMBRAR, where along with her fellow interns, she visited a rooftop garden, a water treatment facility, and an aquaponics farm, and learned about soil testing and how pollenating insects make green spaces. Soon after, Lizzi embarked on a seminal culinary internship with the New York Jets football team. Lizzi put the technical skills gained through her classes at LaGuardia to work in the Jets’ kitchens. Lizzi’s experience with The Jets has led her back to working at a museum—the Metropolitan Museum of Art—except this time she is a chef. Lizzi says she is grateful for the guidance and experience she received at LaGuardia.
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Casa de las Américas Unveils Student-Created Mural at Spring Open House
At its Spring Open House on March 8th, Casa de las Américas unveiled a new mural on a wall of its office in M-141. La Casa co-directors, Drs. Ryann Mann-Hamilton and Sonia Alejandra Rodriguez, describe the mural as a “labor of love that seamlessly weaves the styles of six distinct artistic voices.” The six artists represented in the mural are La Casa Art Fellows and current Fine Arts majors Melissa Alonso, Richard Cabrera, and Isaac Ramos; New Media Technology: Digital Media major Analy Marin; and LaGuardia alumni Cindy Garcia and Michelle Sanchez. The mural “is a homage to the diverse fusion of the musical and artistic traditions found en Latinamérica y el Caribe, where graphic, realism, abstraction, African, and Indigenous styles birthed a unique brand of Modernism.” Additional support for the mural’s design and creation was provided by Fine Arts major and LaGuardia gallery intern Luka Ochoa, Fine Arts CLT Christine Eng, and La Casa Office Manager Stefania Gonzalez. Special thanks to Professors Gary Vollo and Arthur Simms for helping to install the piece. La Casa has a full calendar of events planned for the spring 2023 semester, including a support circle for first-generation students and a music series featuring a salsa class and demonstration and a percussion ensemble performance. The full calendar of events and more information is available on La Casa’s website.
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LaGuardia Community Encouraged to Participate in DEI Women’s History Recognition
March is Women’s History Month, and LaGuardia Community College is recognizing women from across campus. Women from the LaGuardia community who wish to be featured on the DEI Instagram page can submit their photo and information here. To learn more, visit the DEI website or contact Wendy Nicholson, Executive Director of DEI at wnicholson@lagcc.cuny.edu.
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Join the Sustainability Council and Help Plan Earth Day Activities
LaGuardia’s Sustainability Council is celebrating Earth Day on April 22 and throughout the Spring semester. This year’s theme is “Invest In Our Planet”. Please sign up for our newsletter and join the council to share your fresh ideas. The first Earth Day planning meeting will be in early March. Join us!
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Mindfulness Meditation Sessions Available Twice Weekly
The LaGuardia Mindfulness Project (led by Professor Koun Eum, Ellen Quish, Dr. Paul Arcario, and Deema Bayrakdar) invites all faculty, staff and students to Mindfulness Meditation sessions every Wednesday at 8:00 PM and Thursday at 12:00 PM via Zoom. Please use the NEW REGISTRATION link to participate.
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LAGUARDIA AND WAGNER ARCHIVES | |
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Together, Not Alone: Looking Back on Three Years of Resilience in the World’s Borough
On Sunday March 19, please join us for this free, short film screening and discussion at The Local (13-02 44th Ave.) in Long Island City to mark the third anniversary of New York City’s pandemic lockdown of 2020. Lineup includes films by The Zip Code Memory Project and the Queens World Listening Tour, The Five Boro Story Project, the Asian American Documentary Network, and from the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives and the Queens Memory Project. We will honor and explore the role of citizens and community-based cultural organizations who responded quickly to create a record of life in Queens during an extraordinary moment in history. One film highlights the work of LaGuardia students documenting and reflecting on their experiences during lockdown. Let’s celebrate how we all stretched, grew and transformed, virtually and literally, to meet the needs of Queens, the borough where we live, love, work, and serve. Doors at 4pm. Screenings from 5-6pm followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers. The Gardiner-Shenker project, "Portraits of an Epicenter: NYC in Lockdown" is available online.
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Our Namesake, F.H. La Guardia, Garnered International Gratitude
As the globe focuses on the worsening refugee crisis resulting from the war in Ukraine, LaGuardia and Wagner Archives is revisiting Fiorello La Guardia's work with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA). Having served seven terms in Congress, and three in the NYC Mayor’s Office, in 1946, Fiorello La Guardia was appointed by President Truman as Director General, to head UNRRA. It was their task to assist millions of Europeans displaced by the devastation resulting from World War II.
Amongst the La Guardia Collection at the La Guardia and Wagner Archives is an assemblage of powerfully human letters sent to the Director General in appreciation for all that he had done to restore peace and prosperity to their lives. The illustrations and calligraphy penned by these young correspondents are delightful, and heartwarming. Please enjoy more of these works of art within the La Guardia Collection, including “Nostro Amato Protettore” (Our Beloved Protector) pictured above. If you would like to view the original letters, please stop by the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives (Room, E-238).
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Faculty Spotlight: CUNY Graduate Center Appoints Professor Tao Chen as Doctoral Faculty
Dr. Tao Chen, professor of mathematics with the Math, Engineering and Computer Science (MEC) Department has shared his academic work and approach to teaching mathematics with peer-reviewed journals and academic organizations. Most recently, Dr. Chen’s work has led him to an appointment as a Doctoral Faculty member at the CUNY Graduate Center.
“It’s an impressive achievement for a community college professor,” said Abderrazak Belkharraz Idrissi, professor and chairperson of MEC.
The CUNY Graduate Center is the only CUNY entity that awards doctorate degrees. In addition to a limited number of full-time faculty, Doctoral Faculty come from all throughout CUNY, while retaining their college appointments.
As a Doctoral Faculty member, Dr. Chen may serve as an advisor for PhD students in mathematics, review thesis proposals, participate on thesis defense panels, and teach graduate level courses. Currently, Dr. Chen is running a non-credit seminar, bringing in experts to speak with Graduate Center students about complex dynamics.
Dr. Chen’s research includes a paper, “Slices of Parameter Space for Meromorphic Maps with Two Asymptotic Values,” published in the January 2023 issue of Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems (published by Cambridge University Press). The paper, as described in the abstract is “part of a program to understand the parameter spaces of dynamical systems generated by meromorphic functions with finitely many singular values.” Dr. Chen and his research team used previous research conducted by Goldberg and Keen (1990).
In the classroom, Dr. Chen says he tries to engage students and help them understand mathematical concepts by drawing connections to things already familiar to students. For example, he was interviewed in a 2021 blog post for the Mathematical Association of America about using economics concepts to contextualize areas of mathematics.
“I do magic with my students, and teach them poker tricks,” he said. “Anything to develop their confidence in their math skills.”
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Faculty Encouraged to Participate in COACHE Survey
Harvard University’s Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) is a consortium of institutional leaders working to improve outcomes for faculty. Conducting the COACHE survey at CUNY is part of the university’s commitment to its faculty and its mission, and the data generated from the survey will be important to our college. Thus far LaGuardia has seen a 35.1% response rate and a30.7% completion rate.
Faculty are urged to participate. Your unique link will be sent from coachefaculty@abtsurvey.com or coachefaculty@abtassoc.com. The survey closes in early April.
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Celebrating Women’s History Month
The Women’s Center and LGBTQIA Safe Zone Hub, in partnership with Casa de las Américas, the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Option, and the Photography and Fine Arts Programs will present a series of events commemorating Women's History Month. The theme, “Personal is Political”, will draw focus on women in the arts. Events begin March 16 and run through the month.
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“Creating Tomorrow’s History: Transforming Gender Norms” Series Launches at CUNY
The Mount Sinai Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention (SAVI) Program is launching a series of events, open for all CUNY students.
The ABCs of Dating; March 8, 4- 5 p.m. via Zoom; RSVP
Let's talk about the basics of dating through the lens of consent, like how to start a conversation, listen for interest, and ask for a date. We'll talk about navigating rejection, first dates, and how gender can play into dating dynamics.
Beyond Binaries: Exploring The Spectrum of Identity; March 15, 6- 8 p.m., hybrid (in-person at Queens College or via Zoom); RSVP
This program will help us explore the landscape of sexuality and gender identity. In her workshop, Robyn asks us to consider how we identify privately and publicly, where we locate ourselves on sexuality and gender continua, how others understand us, and more. The first 50 in-person attendees will receive Robyn's book, Getting Bi.
Talk to Me! A Workshop on Communication Strategies; March 22, 4– 5 p.m. via Zoom; RSVP
Join us as we discuss the importance of building our body-mind connection when communicating. We'll practice active listening, assertive communication, and boundary setting in this interactive workshop
Lunch and Learn with SAVI: Gender-Based Violence; March 24, 12– 1 p.m. via Zoom; RSVP
Bring your lunch as we discuss how transforming gender norms can help us work toward ending gender-based violence. With the Trans Day of Visibility approaching, we'll talk about the how trans oppression and sexual violence intersect.
What’s the Message? A Media Literacy Workshop; March 29th, 4:00 – 5:00 PM via Zoom; RSVP
Let's talk about how to make sense of the media and how media literacy can help us end genderbased violence. We'll talk about strategies for thinking critically about what we consume. You can submit pieces of media you want to analyze to us at emily.durand@mssm.edu.
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Campus Worksites Needed for Summer Youth Employment Program
For 35 continuous years, LaGuardia has hosted the largest Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) in Queens, under the direction of Claudia Baldonedo. SYEP offers young adults ages 16- 24 paid summer work experiences, funded by the New York City Department of Youth & Community Development. There is no cost to LaGuardia departments to host SYEP participants—all that is needed is your support, guidance, leadership and mentoring while they are working with you. If you are interested in hosting one (or more!) SYEP participant, please speak with your supervisor and then contact Claudia at claudiab@lagcc.cuny.edu or 718-482-5236.
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M365 Update Featuring Multi-Factor Authentication
As we get closer to the Spring launch of M365, our new cloud-based email system, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), required for M365, is running down a parallel track.
MFA helps protect you by adding an additional layer of security, making it harder for attackers to log in as you. Your information is safer because attackers would need access to both your password and a code or authorization from your device or cell phone. If the wrong code or no code is entered, your M365 email and Microsoft Office 365 account cannot be accessed.
Since MFA will be necessary for all of us to have prior to the M365 transition, MFA will be rolled out in phases to cross departmental and divisional groups during the coming weeks. You’ll learn how to set up MFA using a free version of the Microsoft Authenticator mobile app.
Please look out for future IT email and Campus Update notifications and announcements which will provide you with more information and links to set up MFA using Authenticator.
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Student Technology Helpdesk Now Open
The new Student Technology Helpdesk is now open and provides basic help and support to students with technical issues logging in or accessing LaGuardia applications and online resources. Students can get help with: Blackboard, LaGuardia Mobile App, Wireless Configuration, Student Email, CUNYfirst, Adobe, Microsoft Office 365, My LaGuardia, Zoom, LinkedIn Learning, Dropbox, and OneDrive. The Student Technology Helpdesk will be open to students in B-127, and can be reached at 718-482-6117, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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PUBLIC SAFETY TIP OF THE WEEK | |
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How to Protect Your Data
- Lock your screen when stepping away from your computer.
- When posting photographs and information on the Web, consider the information you might unwittingly be giving a predator, such as your name, appearance, addresses, school names, etc.
- Do not give personal information (Account numbers, Social Security number, PIN, etc.) to anyone unless you know they are legitimately entitled to have such information.
- Back up computer data. If a computer is stolen, the loss of the data on the computer is very often more interruptive to you and potentially more valuable than the loss of the computer. Set up a routine for backing the data and be faithful in keeping to it. Store the back-up away from the computer, preferably off-site. Consider password-protecting documents containing personal information.
- Protect files, email, financial accounts, and other accounts with strong passwords. Strong passwords are not found in a dictionary; they contain a mixture of characters and are not easily identified. Be careful not to reveal the password to anyone.
- If possible, use only your College-issued device for work. These devices are managed and have additional security controls in place to better protect you and your data. Do not let friends or family use university-owned devices.
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Stay on a private, secure Wi-Fi network. Do not use public computers for work, and avoid using public Wi-Fi. If public Wi-Fi is your only option, use a virtual private network (VPN) to create a private encrypted connection between your computer and the university's network.
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Stay vigilant for phishing attacks. Be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls, visits, or email messages from people asking about employees or other internal information. If an unknown individual claim seems to be from a legitimate organization, try to verify that person's identity directly with the company.
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Do not reveal personal or financial information in an email and do not respond to email solicitations for information. If you are suspicious of an email, don't hesitate to forward it to Spam@lagcc.cuny.edu.
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LAGUARDIA IN THE HEADLINES | |
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Wednesday, March 8
Thursday, March 9
Friday, March 10
Monday, March 13
Tuesday, March 14
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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. |
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