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It’s quiet time at LaGuardia. The other colleges in the CUNY system, along with most other schools across the country, are back in action. We’re at about sixty percent. It’s quiet in the hallways and the cafeteria. What’s going on? Twenty-seven years ago LaGuardia changed its schedule to become a “12-6” college. What does that mean? Most colleges and universities have fall and spring “semesters” (from Latin, “semesters” are really six-month periods), but we have a twelve-week term called “Fall Session I” that starts in September followed by a six-week term we call “Fall Session II”. This year Fall I started on September 9. Fall II started on January 3. We repeat the pattern in the spring/summer: on March 7 we will start Spring Session I; on June 22 (the day after graduation) we will start Spring Session II, which will run into August. | |
Why follow the 12-6 schedule? Because community college students need scheduling options. More than half our students work. Many are parents. They have to balance their college studies with jobs to pay rent and make ends meet. The 12-6 set-up allows them to spread their credit load over a longer period. Importantly, twelve credits (typically four three-credit courses) make one a full-time student for purposes of government financial aid, which most LaGuardia students need. So, a LaGuardia nursing student, for example, who works part-time in a doctor’s office, can take three courses in the twelve-week term and then one in the following six-week term and qualify for federal and state aid. Ambitious students who want to get their Associate degrees quickly and transfer with haste to a senior college can load up. It’s not uncommon for some of our strongest students to do four and two (18 credits) or even four and three (21 credits). Two other CUNY community colleges operate on 12-6 calendars—Kingsborough and Guttman. This time of year, they have some quiet hallways, too. | | |
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Full Circle: Fatherhood Academy Grad Returns to Become Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator
Jesus Benitez first came to LaGuardia in 2012 and enrolled in the CUNY Fatherhood Academy. Like many young fathers, he had dropped out of high school to support his son, Mason. He signed up for the Fatherhood Academy to earn his high school equivalency diploma and prepare for a family-sustaining career. After earning his GED through the Fatherhood Academy, Jesus enrolled at LaGuardia and completed his Associate degree in philosophy, and then earned a Bachelor’s in philosophy from City College. All the while, he stayed connected with Fatherhood Academy, serving as a mentor, case manager, and in other roles. Recently, he accepted a full-time position as the Fatherhood Academy’s new Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator, making him the first program alumnus to be hired as a full-time staff member. In addition, Jesus is a member of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Family Advisory Committee. Welcome home!
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US Congress Gets Back to Work: Reps Secure Funding for LaGuardia
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Representative Nydia Velázquez, and former Representative Carolyn B. Maloney teamed up to allocate new funding to LaGuardia to create a Workforce Development Training Center for career and technical education in Electrical, Plumbing, and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC). The new Center will be located on the LaGuardia campus, outfitted with the latest industry-specified equipment. Training programs will be open to unemployed and underemployed individuals who are low-income, formerly incarcerated, veterans, homeless, disconnected youth, TANF or SNAP recipients, those who lack a high school diploma or equivalent, and those with limited English proficiency. From the Beltway to the Toolbelt. Thank you, friends of LaGuardia, in our nation’s capital.
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December Pinning Ceremony for LaGuardia Nursing Graduates
If you have never attended a Nursing Program Pinning Ceremony promise you will come with me to the next one. And bring a box of Kleenex. I’m serious. Pinning Ceremonies are among the most heart-warming and inspiring of commencement events. In late December, forty nurses from LaGuardia’s Nursing and LPN to RN Pathway programs recited the Nightingale Pledge, received their degrees, and did their part to advance our “3,000 Heroes” campaign – LaGuardia’s commitment to graduate 3,000 frontline healthcare workers for the City of New York by 2027.
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LaGuardia Student Appointed to Queens Community Board 2
John Bahia felt compelled to get involved in his community after witnessing the challenges his neighbors faced during the Covid-19 pandemic. He began seeking roles in community organizing and was hired as a public affairs associate at a local non-profit, Woodside on the Move/Youth on the Move. Last year John learned about an opportunity to join his local community board, Queens CB2 (also the Community Board for LaGuardia). He applied and was thrilled to be appointed. Serving on CB2 is proving to be a valuable experience for his interest in community organizing. “I find the meetings very informative,” John said. “Through hearing reports from elected officials like Councilmember Julie Won, I’m learning about the intersections of what they do and how young people can get involved. And it’s inspiring to hear members of the community, who attend the meetings, speak up when something affects themselves or their family.” John is on track to graduate from in June and plans to continue his studies here in New York. He hopes to work in the nonprofit or government sectors as a policy advocate, or in community organizing.
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Harvard Business School Alumni Design LaGuardia Healthcare Training Program
I recently spoke with reporters from the Social Impact Review of Harvard University’s Advanced Leadership Initiative. When you have a moment check out, “Solving Workforce Skills Gaps: Community Colleges, Employers and Integrators” here. Our discussion reinforces the value of partnerships between institutions like LaGuardia and the Harvard Business School Club of New York. Beyond the Harvard alumni volunteers who created this program for LaGuardia note the commitment of Weill Cornell Medical Center and Mount Sinai Health System—their teams worked diligently to prepare the curriculum for this highly successful training program in medical billing and coding. Conclusion: the most successful workforce training programs start and end with a motivated, committed employer partner.
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LaGuardia in the News
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THE FORUM: LaGuardia librarian Ian McDermott on the essential services that New York City public libraries provide our communities.
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE DAILY: LaGuardia was awarded $148,391 from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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QUEENS GAZETTE: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, along with Queens members of the House of Representatives, secured funding for vocational training at CUNY LaGuardia Community College for underemployed Queens residents.
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WBAI RADIO: Dr. Stephen Petrus, historian with the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives, is interviewed about the Greenwich Village folk music scene of the 1950s and 60s.
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE DAILY: LaGuardia will receive $404,774, allocated by U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, and former U.S. Representative Carolyn Maloney, to expand vocational training for the underemployed.
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QUEENS CHRONICLE: Former LaGuardia student John Perricone is the new executive director of the Woodhaven Business Improvement District (BID).
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THE CITY: LaGuardia is developing an offshore wind certification program to prepare students for jobs operating and maintaining wind farms.
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NEW YORK POST: In NYC, jobs in fields like medical billing are red hot--and free training is available at LaGuardia Community College.
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