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Queens College, City University of New York

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This article refers to a college in New York. For the college in New Jersey formerly known as Queen's College, see Rutgers University. For other institutions named Queens College, see Queen's College (disambiguation).

Queens College is one of the senior colleges of the City University of New York.

Queens College of The City University of New York
File:LogoQueens.gif
MottoDiscimus ut serviamus (Latin)
("We learn so that we may serve")
TypePublic
Established1937
PresidentJames L. Muyskens
Academic staff566
LocationFlushing, New York,  United States
CampusUrban, 77 acres
MascotKnights
Websiteqc.cuny.edu

History and enrollment

Queens College was established in 1937 to serve the needs of the growing borough's population, including newly arrived immigrant families. Much as it does today, the college in its early years provided an affordable opportunity to New Yorkers who were eager for a quality education. In 2006 Queens College had an enrollment of 18,107 including 13,662 undergraduates and 4,445 graduate students. Students from 120 different countries speaking 66 different languages are enrolled at the school, located in Flushing. While it is widely known as a liberal arts college, Queens College is, in fact, a comprehensive college offering over a 100 undergraduate and graduate degrees at the master's level as well as a number of advanced certificate programs. Queens College itself does not grant Doctoral degrees, but is part of the consortium through the CUNY Graduate Center and is home to a variety of doctoral programs. It is also one of seven participating schools in the CUNY Honors College, a recently inaugurated competitive program that offers exceptional students a full scholarship, a free laptop, and other benefits. Upon choosing a home campus, these students are designated as University Scholars, and enroll in Honors Seminar courses for their first two years in addition to Queens College curriculum. The department for Continuing Education offers non-credit courses and enrolls over 5,000 students.

The campus and facilities

The 77 acre campus located off Kissena Boulevard is on a plateau, one of the highest points in the borough. Prior to becoming a college it was originally the site of a school for juvenile delinquents. This institution consisted of several Spanish style buildings dating back to the early 20th century, such as Jefferson Hall built in 1900. Six of these original buildings still stand while the college has expanded to include over 40 buildings including the main classroom building, Powdermaker Hall, built in 1962 and named after the college's distinguished anthropologist Hortense Powdermaker.

The college recently announced that it is soliciting offers to build a low-rise dormitory on campus, projected to open its doors in the Fall of 2009. Queens College would then join Hunter and City College as the only CUNY campuses with dorm facilities.

The campus also maintains a well respected and state of the art Library, The Benjamin Rosenthal library. The library's Chaney-Schwerner-Goodman Clocktower was named after the three civil rights workers who were murdered in 1964, including Andrew Goodman a Queens College student. Built in 1988 the library contains 752,900 books, 32,600 print and electronic materials, the college archives, and a growing collection of multimedia materials in its Media Center. The library is also home to the papers of Robert Morris and the Louis Armstrong archives. The library also houses the art library and art center which has approximately 70,000 books and 5,000 bound periodicals, as well as 15,000 slides, and the rare books collection. The art center displays the works of both established and emerging artists in all media.

The college is also home to the Aaron Copland School of Music located in the music building, constructed in 1991. The building houses the music library and the 490-seat LeFrak Concert Hall with a tracker organ, electronic music studios, classrooms, rehearsal rooms, and a professional-level recording studio.

The Godwin-Ternbach Museum is located in Klapper Hall. The museum maintains a fine collection of 3,500 pieces of art as well as as artifacts from all cultures dating from ancient times to the modern day. These include works by Rembrandt Van Rijn, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Georges Braque. The museum also hosts a series of exhibitions each year.

CUNY's law school is located on the campus of Queens College, although it is a separate administrative unit of CUNY.

Academic centers and institutes

The College is home to many centers who focus their research on various pressing social issues facing the local communities, students, faculty and the many ethnic and religious groups of the Queens area.

  • Asian American/Asian Institute

Works to integrate the talents of individual faculty and the resources of other CUNY institutes to create a community of scholars to help focus their energies on Asia and the Asian American experience.

  • Asian/American Center

Dedicated to community-oriented research that analyzes the multi-cultural diaspora experience of Asians in global and local communities.

  • John D. Calandra Italian American Institute

Fosters higher education among Italian-Americans and insures that the legacy of the Italian-American experience is documented and preserved for future generations. This is accomplished through research, counseling, lectures, symposia, and administering an exchange program with CUNY and Italian universities.

  • Center for the Biology of Natural Systems (CBNS)

Conducts research that analyzes real world environmental and resource problems and their policy implications. Recent projects include a study of the impact of air pollution on asthma sufferers in the South Bronx and a continuing examination of the health workers involved in the cleanup of ground zero after the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001.

  • Center for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies

Initiates, supports, and coordinates the teaching of Byzantine and modern Greek studies. The center also promotes Byzantine and Neo-Hellenic scholarship and publications; and relates academic research and teaching to the needs of the Greek community in Queens and beyond.

  • Center for Jewish Studies

Through outreach and research, serves as a bridge between the academic Jewish Studies program and the community. It offers numerous lectures, concerts, symposia, and performances.

  • Center for the Improvement of Education

Forges linkages between public schools and Queens College that will allow staff from each to perform their primary functions more effectively.

  • The Michael Harrington Center for Democratic Values and Social Change

Promotes public discourse about social issues, advocates for social change, and works in partnerships with others to build a more just and equitable democratic society. The institute is primarily concerned with the employment, health, and educational needs of economically disadvantaged communities.

  • The Neuroscience Research Center

The goal of the center is to enhance the research and education of students at Queens College through the establishment of programs at both the under-graduate and graduate levels concerning neuroscience. Members of the center have established a five year NIH MARC program at the college for minorities in the biomedical research sciences. The faculty at the center have produced over 800 peer-reviewed publications over the past fifteen years, with nearly 300 in the past five years alone. Since 1990, the center faculty have also received funding for 51 external and 54 internal grants.


Rankings

In its 2006 edition of "America's Best Value Colleges," The Princeton Review ranks Queens College eighth in the United States. The college ranks 5th among Northern Universities-Master's by U.S. News & World Report (tied with Baruch College, another CUNY college).

Notable alumni

The QC Quad. Photo by Faisal Zafar
Rosenthal Library, QC. Photo by Faisal Zafar
Powdermaker Hall, QC. Photo by Faisal Zafar

Notable faculty

Famous faculty at Queens College have included

References

  1. America's Best Colleges 2006, Northern Universities - Master's: Top Schools, U.S. News & World Report

External links

Units of the City University of New York
Two-year
(community colleges)
Four-year
(senior colleges)
Graduate and
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Media

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Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
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