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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.

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NEWS

LaGuardia Hosts Summer Project SEMBRAR Experiential Learning Opportunity for Students

This summer, LaGuardia Community College hosted a three-week intensive experiential learning program and paid internship, Project SEMBRAR, which concluded on July 12. This innovative initiative, designed to immerse students in the principles and practices of regenerative agriculture, food justice, and aquaponics, was conducted primarily at the new LaGuardia Farm and Research Center. Dr. Preethi Radhakrishnan, Environmental Science Program Director, said Project SEMBRAR was an educational journey into the heart of sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty. “Participants delved into crop rotation, green infrastructure, and the critical roles of pollinators and native plants,” Dr. Radhakrishnan said. “They engaged in hands-on learning experiences, including plant macronutrient and soil testing using advanced X-ray fluorescence technology and nutrient testing techniques. These activities provided invaluable insights into the scientific and practical aspects of modern farming practices aimed at sustainability and environmental stewardship.” 

The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation Supports LaGuardia Community College Student Success 

Earning a college degree and finding a sustainable career are key to a path of social and economic mobility. With the partnership and generous support from The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation, LaGuardia is making it possible for more students to achieve their dreams of earning a degree and securing a bright future. “We are proud to support LaGuardia and its hard-working students,” said Cass Conrad, Executive Director of The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation. “We hope these grants will help provide food and urgent financial support to students in need, enabling them to stay in school and earn their degrees.” The Petrie Foundation has awarded LaGuardia a renewed and increased grant of $30,000 to combat food insecurity among students, chiefly through funding for the college’s Food Pantry. Over the past six years, more than 16,000 LaGuardia students have benefited from this program. In addition, last year, Petrie gave $25,000 to enable the college to begin offering Petrie Student Emergency Grants of up to $3,000 each to students in immediate need of help with urgent expenses, such as rent arrears. Last month, The Petrie Foundation significantly increased its support for this new initiative by awarding a two-year grant totaling $80,000. Both grants are managed through the LaGuardia Community College Foundation, with services delivered by LaGuardia CARES, which connects students with resources, referrals and local community services to overcome financial barriers, stay in school and graduate. 

New Partnership with the Columbia University Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center

Last month, LaGuardia and the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) launched a new internship program aimed at helping LaGuardia students jump-start careers in clinical research. This program will provide students with hands-on experience within the HICCC, not only building their skillset, but also building a pipeline of experienced research assistants coming from a variety of different backgrounds. The inaugural interns are Jonathan Machado and Suborna Singha, both biology majors at LaGuardia. A full-time position as a research study assistant at the HICCC will be designated annually for LaGuardia interns, which they are eligible to apply for upon successful completion of the internship and their associate's degree. Interns will also take part in mentoring sessions on professional development, pathways to bachelor’s degrees, growth opportunities within the CPDM, and other healthcare careers and educational opportunities at the HICCC.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

College Closed on Fridays Through August 9 

As a reminder, LaGuardia is participating in CUNY’s Summer Four-Day Workweek Program, which remains in effect through August 9. This means that the college will be closed July 26, August 2 and 9. Please keep this adjusted summer schedule in mind, and be sure to check individual office hours when seeking assistance from your colleagues in other departments and divisions.

Introducing Navigate, LaGuardia's Student Portal  

Navigate is a platform for you to meet with advisors and connect with other members of the campus community. It replaces My LaGuardia, which shut down earlier this summer. Navigate offers a user-friendly experience for appointment booking, messaging campaigns, shared student notes, and more. Please visit our Navigate landing page to access the portal and for more information, or contact navigate@lagcc.cuny.edu

Safe Summer 2024 to Take Place on the Greenway on Thursday, July 25

Faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend Safe Summer 2024 on the LaGuardia Community Greenway, taking place Thursday, July 24. Co-hosted by Community Capacity Development, the Safe Summer initiative is a community-driven, multi-city effort aimed at preventing gun violence. New York City Council Member Julie Won and LaGuardia President Kenneth Adams will attend the event. Additional events scheduled to take place on the Greenway this summer include Mental Health Matters on July 31 and a Welcome Party on August 27. For more information about Greenway programming, visit the Greenway's webpage or contact Nayelli Valencia Turrent, Chief of Staff at nvalenciaturrent@lagcc.cuny.edu.

Casa de las Américas is Hiring!

Please encourage students to apply to be La Casa Student Ambassadors. The goal of the La Casa Student Ambassador Program is to provide mentorship, leadership, and civic opportunities to students of Latin American and Caribbean descent in order to enhance and support their experience at LaGuardia Community College. Throughout this ambassadorship, students will learn the moving parts of a college cultural center, which promotes career and personal development, and will prepare students for careers in multiple settings.  


La Casa Student Ambassadors can earn up to $2,000 through stipends in the Fall 2024 semester. They will be expected to participate in the ambassadorship activities for 7 hours per week when classes are in session. Check out the position requirements and apply online. Email casa@lagcc.cuny.edu for more information.

LAGUARDIA AND WAGNER ARCHIVES

Council Member Shekar Krishnan Visits LaGuardia

On July 23, LaGuardia’s Archives welcomed City Council Member Shekar Krishnan, representing nearby Elmhurst and Jackson Heights, for a tour. During his visit, the Council Member learned about LaGuardia’s Lavender Line exhibit and LaGuardia student research projects. Council Member Shekar has sponsored street names for the Hispanic, Bangledesh, and Indian communities to honor the diversity in Queens. The Archives staff also showed the Council Member artifacts donated by former Council Member Danny Dromm from the groundbreaking of Diversity Plaza, which he co-founded.

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Fine Arts Professor Ari Richter Speaks About New Graphic Memoir with New York Times Editor Rachel Dry

Ari Richter, Professor of Fine Arts, will be speaking about his forthcoming graphic memoir, Never Again Will I Visit Auschwitz: A Graphic Family Memoir of Trauma & Inheritance, on Thursday, July 25, 7 p.m. at Books are Magic at 122 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights and on YouTube Live. The book weaves together two haunting stories—Richter’s grand- and great-grandparents’ imprisonment in Dachau, Buchenwald, and Auschwitz, and his own awakening to the contemporary rise of authoritarianism and the continuing crisis of anti-Semitism. He will be joined by Rachel Dry, an editor at The New York Times and stand-up comedian. “Together, we'll put the tragedy + time equation to the test!” said Professor Richter. Tickets are $10.89 each. For more about Professor Richter’s book, read a recent Publishers Weekly review, which states, “By turns funny and horrifying, [Richter’s book] adds up to a telling study of how the past informs the present.”

Animal Science Discovery Program Closes Out Inaugural Summer Programming

Nearly 30 students participated in the first Animal Science Discovery (AnSciD) program’s Summer Experiential Learning Program and Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, a joint initiative between LaGuardia and Rutgers University made possible by a $4.5 million grant in funding awarded by USDA NIFA NEXTGEN. Students who participated in this first year of AnSciD's summer programming had the opportunity to learn about animal science on the Rutgers campus. AnSciD creates a pathway for LaGuardia students to seamlessly transfer and earn a bachelor’s degree in animal science and agriculture-related majors at Rutgers. In addition to summer learning opportunities, students participating in the program can receive a full-tuition scholarship to study at Rutgers.

ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT

Virtual Office Available Every Thursday for Enrollment Assistance

Students looking for enrollment services support can now access virtual office hours every Thursday 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.  

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Continuing Education Hosts Successful Resource Fair  

The Division of Adult and Continuing Education (ACE) had a great turnout for its second Continuing Education Resource Fair, which took place on July 16. More than 255 LaGuardia ACE and degree students, as well as people from the local community, attended the tabling event to learn about ACE’s many offerings, including High School Equivalency/GED, English as a Second Language, and Workforce Training programs as well as Small Business & Entrepreneur Services. Information on additional resources, such as the Career Development Center, Credit for Prior Learning, College Admissions, and LaGuardia CARES, was also available. Staff from the ACE Enrollment Office were on hand to help answer general questions and direct visitors to the areas where they were interested. “Many thanks to all who helped promote and participated in the event, including LaGuardia Security, who did a fantastic job of checking attendees in and directing traffic,” said Sunil Gupta, Vice President for Adult and Continuing Education. “This was a wonderful opportunity to engage with the community and create awareness of all that LaGuardia has to offer.” 

LIBRARY NEWS

Updates from LaGuardia’s Library

  • The Library will be closed Friday, July 26, as part of CUNY Summer Fridays. Please make sure to check our calendar before heading in. 
  • Group Study Rooms are open! Students can reserve a room here.
  • Not sure what to read for fun next? Let the LaGuardia Librarians make some recommendations (for you or your child). Complete this form and a LaGuardia librarian will email you a list of five titles (from our collection, and within CUNY and SUNY) we think you might enjoy borrowing and reading. 

HUMAN RESOURCES AND PERSONNEL UPDATES

Need Help? Have Questions? Contact Us!  


The Human Resources Department is here to support employees while they carry out the mission of the college. In order to best serve you, we want to be sure that you have the contact information where you can get answers for your most frequently asked questions. 


Please make a note of our email addresses and phone numbers.


Human Resources Main Office


Mary C. DiGangi

Executive Director

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

IT Update: Mandatory CUNY Cybersecurity Awareness Training Course

 

CUNY has announced that the 40-minute Cybersecurity Awareness training course, designed specifically for faculty and staff, is now mandatory annually, beginning this year. This course will help safeguard the security of our data against increasing cybersecurity risks, such as phishing attacks, spam, and hacked accounts, while providing best practices for safeguarding your data. You can view the course on Blackboard. All LaGuardia faculty and staff are required to take this course and we encourage you to take it as soon as possible to protect your own and the University's data. If you have any questions regarding the training, please contact Maritza Acero.

Security Alert: Guard Against Increasing Phishing Email Attacks  


There has been an increase in phishing attacks directed at CUNY from a variety of Gmail accounts. Most are of the familiar job scam variety which students are prone to acting on. CUNY/CIS teams are working with Microsoft to block these attacks, which are not “spammy” or “phishy” in nature so they aren’t automatically blocked by email security measures. CUNY/CIS urges all to guard against responding to potential phishing emails, as well as to communicate with colleagues and students to generate greater awareness about the scam increase. 


Recommended User Actions Include: 


  • DO NOT reply to unexpected or unusual emails. 
  • DO NOT reply to emails with personal information or passwords. 
  • DO NOT click links or open attachments in unsolicited emails.  
  • DO read the CUNY Ransomware and Phishing Advisories.  
  • DO complete security awareness training at security.cuny.edu


If you suspect you’ve received a suspicious or phishing email, please forward it to spam@lagcc.cuny.edu. Do not forward it to the LAG Information Technology Division or other group distribution lists or employees, including IT personnel. If you already responded to a phishing email, 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. If you have questions, please contact LaGuardia's Information Security team

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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 email CampusUpdate@lagcc.cuny.edu. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. Monday to be considered for publication on Wednesday.