Fyi October 2006

OCTOBER 2006 2 New Strategic Plan for College 3 Faculty Profile: Bill Helmreich 3 eCAT Comes to QC 6 Jewish, Female & Traveling Solo in Egypt BIOLOGY COLLOQUIUM Oct. 18 (See page 7) Queens FYIFYICollege Faculty & Staff News Armstrong House Museum Gets $5 Million for Visitors Center Man Bites Dog! An empty lot across the street from the from New York State. 1967 Lincoln Town Car, like the one College Students Louis Armstrong House Museum will be “The visitors center will provide sub- Armstrong drove. the site of an 8,500-square-foot visitors stantial benefits not only to our visitors, “We are deeply grateful to Senators Don’t Drink! center, thanks to an award of $5 million but to our community,” says Museum John Sabini and Serf Maltese, It is probably the kind of information Director Michael Cogswell, referring to Assemblymen José Peralta and Jeff parents hide from their children when plans for additional exhibitions, concerts, Aubry, and all the other elected officials they are making a decision about lectures, and other services and programs who worked so hard to acquire this essen- which college to attend. But one grad- in the new space. “We’ll be able to pre- tial funding,” says Cogswell. uate of Queens College, who is now a sent more community-oriented programs. The estimated total cost for design and successful journalist, decided to broad- Plus, cultural tourism has long been rec- construction is $9 million; Queens cast the news from the pages of the ognized as an important contributor to College must raise an additional $4 mil- Chicago Tribune: “Yes! My alma economic development. More visitors to lion for the center, which is expected to mater made it onto the lists in the the Louis Armstrong House Museum be completed in 2009. Lord Cultural Princeton Review’s 2007 edition of means that more visitors will stay in local Resources, one of the world’s top muse- The Best 361 Colleges, which went on hotels and eat in local restaurants.” um design firms, and Hardy Holzman sale last week. There it was, No. 8 on The new center will provide another Pfeiffer Associates developed the master one list. The list being: Stone-Cold significant benefit. “We currently hold plan for the center. The project will be Sober Schools.” concerts and special events in our beauti- administered by the CUNY Department Barbara Brotman ’78, a staff ful garden, but only in warm months and of Design, Construction, and reporter at the Tribune, couldn’t hide we hope for nice weather,” says Management. her enthusiasm for the rating: “A toast Cogswell. “With a visitors center we can “When we created the master plan for to my old school! Or maybe not. hold events all year long and never be the visitors center in 2003,” says Because our ranking on another list, rained out.” Cogswell, “we held more than 20 inter- this one for beer drinking, was even The center will also allow for restora- views with community leaders, elected higher. Queens College, part of the tion of the house’s garage to its original officials, and block residents to learn what City University of New York, had the state. That space now contains a gift shop, they wished for there. Many wonderful third-lowest rating for consumption of which will be moved to the visitors cen- ideas came out of those interviews and we beer.” ter. Once restored, the garage will house a are excited about realizing them.” Continued on page 2 QUEENS COLLEGE IS Ensuring a Strong Financial Foundation: the plan must include priorities set by QC Community to Create Continued from page 1 Mario DellaPina (Exec. Dir., QC CUNY in its 2004–2008 Master Plan and New Strategic Plan Foundation), John Walker (Accounting take into account performance goals “This rating only confirms what we and Information Systems) established by the chancellor for each col- at the college have always known,” With the announcement of the new cur- lege. “This plan will depend heavily on says President James Muyskens: “Our riculum and the ongoing success of the Strengthening the Quality of Life for the input from our faculty, staff, students, and students are serious and hard-working. capital campaign, President James College Community : Elizabeth Hendrey alumni,” says Muyskens. Muyskens believes the time is right to (Dean, Social Sciences), Naveed Husain But they are A first draft of the plan will be widely create a new Strategic Plan that builds (Asst. VP, OCT) also fun-lov- circulated among the QC community next upon these accomplishments and sets a ing.” This was Enhancing Physical Facilities, David March. It will be posted on the Web and a vision for Queens College for the next echoed by The Gosine (Dir., Campus Facilities), Thomas site created for online discussion. There five years and beyond. Best 361 Strekas (Dean, Math & Natural Sciences) will also be several town hall meetings. “Such a plan will guide our decisions Colleges, which Where appropriate, comments will be regarding where we should invest our Increasing the Visibility and Reputation of incorporated into the final document that notes how “free resources,” he observes. “At the same time, the College in New York City and Beyond: will be issued in May 2007. hour events it will sharpen our sense of institutional Rachel Lyon (Media Studies), Maria Terrone (Asst. VP, Communications) bring everyone Brotman identity and enhance the college’s visibility together for parties, speakers, discus- both nationally and internationally.” Setting Performance Measures and sion groups, or food” and students In a recent memo to the college com- Ensuring Accountability: Craig Michaels What Do You Think? “are very active in clubs and after- munity, Muyskens provided the outlines (Educational and Community Programs), If you could make one change to the school activities.” of the process that will create the Penny Hammrich (Dean, Education) college, what would that be? Send Strategic Plan. It includes a Strategic Brotman also noted, “In addition to your ideas to [email protected]. Planning Council which he chairs, com- Each committee will produce a position the sober living lists, Queens College All suggestions thoughtfully prised of members from various sectors of paper that will be submitted to the council is also on the Princeton Review’s lists the campus community, including faculty, in January 2007. considered. of ‘Best Northeastern Colleges’ and students, staff, alumni, members of the As described in the president’s memo, ‘America’s Best Value Colleges.’” QC Foundation, and a member of the A member of the Chicago Tribune Queens Chamber of Commerce. The since graduating from QC, Brotman council has ultimate responsibility for In July Tom Cracovia competed at the seventh Gay Games in Chicago, currently writes for the paper’s metro- creating the Strategic Plan. It will advise politan news section’s special projects on issues and ideas, review all drafts, and where he won three medals in swim- team. She wrote one of the stories in formally adopt the plan at the end of the ming events in his age group: two process. Within the council are eight gold in the 4x100-meter free-style the Tribune’s 2004 series, “Struggle Strategic Planning Committees formed relay and the 4x50-meter medley for the Soul of Islam,” which won first around various key topics. The commit- relay and a silver in the 50-meter place in the Religion Newswriters tees and their co-chairs are: breaststroke. Some 12,000 athletes Association’s Templeton Story Award Enhancing Academic Quality: June Bobb from all over the world competed category. She also enjoyed writing this (Asst. Provost), James Moore and there were over 30,000 atten- article. (Anthropology) dees. Formerly called the Gay The ‘Stone Cold Sober’ rating led Olympics, the event has been held in to a deluge of national publicity for The Balance of Teaching and Research: different cities around the world since Jeffrey Halperin (Psychology), Donald the college, leading Brotman to 1982. Cracovia, who is on the board Scott (History) observe: “It’s been a blast hearing of directors for the event, has previ- from so many Queens and CUNY Strengthening the Quality of the College ously won medals in track and field grads out here. A lot of satisfied cus- Experience for All Students: Joe Bertolino and masters physique as well as tomers, we former teetotalers.” (VP for Student Affairs), Joyce Chang swimming. (Sociology) Tom Cracovia 2 FACULTY PROFILE QC Launches New try use DegreeWorks. While some CUNY schools have their own stand-alone Director of Center for Jewish Studies Online Advising Tool DegreeWorks systems, Queens College’s Bill Helmreich program is among five that are being run “I stand on sand students who are Bukharian For students and their advisors, the “What on CUNY’s central server. Consequently, the shoul- attending Queens College,” he says. if?” aspect of course selection recently it must be accessed through the central ders of “We surely have the largest Jewish received some important technological CUNY Web site. Lipper says she believes giants,” Bukharian college student population in assistance with the launch of the university’s goal is to eventually have observes Bill America, and we ought to help that DegreeWorks (which at Queens College is all the schools on the central server. Helmreich, community maintain itself culturally.” being called eCAT, an acronym for The QC system, which took almost quoting a “All these things are going to require Electronic College Advising Tool). two years to get running, went live last 12th-century money,” says Helmreich, who has an “We took the 2003–2005 college bul- May but only on a limited basis, says French established track record as an effective letin and coded all the different degree Lipper, as it was important to be sure all philosopher fundraiser.

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