Queensborough Community College presidentdesignate
school’s sixth leader. Courtesy of CUNY
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.2 COM | JULY 10-JULY 16, 2020
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Longtime Flushing resident
Sandra Ung is looking
to become the first Asian-
American woman to represent
Flushing in the City
Council.
Ung, who is currently
serving as a special assistant
to Congresswoman Grace
Meng, launched her campaign
for the 20th Council
District in a video released
on Monday.
“I am excited today to
announce my candidacy for
the New York City Council. I
want to spend the next year
talking with my neighbors,
hearing their concerns and
creating a campaign that is
responsive to the needs of
this community,” Ung said.
“Our district needs better
services for our diverse seniors,
and our small businesses
need direct assistance
as they prepare to reopen. I
will work specifically to assist
the silent survivors of
domestic violence — an issue
that has spiked during the
COVID-19 pandemic.”
The 20th Council District,
which includes downtown
Flushing, Murray Hill and
Queensboro, is currently represented
by Councilman Peter
Koo, who Ung described
as a “stalwart leader” in the
community.
Koo was elected to the
Council in 2009. At the end of
2021, he will vacate the seat,
as term limits prevent him
from running for re-election.
After serving the Flushing
community with distinction
for the past 15 years, Ung
is vowing to represent all in
the City Council.
She is a lawyer, public
servant and a community advocate
on issues that impact
women, survivors of domestic
violence, youth and the
environment.
Born in Cambodia and
raised in Taiwan, Ung immigrated
to New York City
with her parents when she
was just 7 years old and has
resided in Flushing since she
was 10.
Ung attended P.S. 22,
J.H.S. 189, Flushing High
School and Hunter College,
and then received her law
degree from Columbia Law
School in 2001.
After graduating from
Columbia University, Ung
worked with Sanctuary for
Families, a nonprofit that
provides free services to
those facing domestic violence.
She has worked as a
staff member in the New
York State Assembly, and has
served in the office of multiple
New York City Comptrollers.
For the last eight years,
Ung has been a vital piece of
the constituent service and
community outreach operation
at the office of Congresswoman
Grace Meng.
Last month, Ung was reelected
as a State Committeewoman
for Flushing. As
a State Committeewoman
Ung has provided free legal
assistance, mammograms
at no cost, and has delivered
food to scores of home-bound
seniors. Throughout the
COVID-19 pandemic, Ung
has donated food to first responders
— doctors, nurses,
EMTs, police and firefighters
— who are working long
hours on the front lines.
BY BILL PARRY
When the City University of New York ended
a two-year search and appointed Dr. Christine
Mangino as the sixth president of Queensborough
Community College, the board of trustees
voted unanimously for a woman who “is driven
by a deeply held belief in the importance of community
colleges,” according to Chancellor Félix
V. Matos Rodríguez said.
Growing up in North Merrick, Long Island,
Mangino would become the first in her family to
go to college.
“When I was in high school I had no clue about
going away to a four-year college, so I applied to
Nassau Community College,” Mangino said. “It
was within those walls that I learned the love of
learning which I did not know in high school. It
was there that I knew what I wanted to do for a
living.”
After earning an associate’s degree at Nassau
Community College, Mangino moved on to
Hofstra University, where she earned a bachelor’s
degree and a master’s degrees in education. Later,
she received a doctoral degree in Instructional
Leadership at St. John’s University in Jamaica.
“My first job was at the Early Childhood Center
in Jamaica teaching 2-year-olds,” Mangino
said. “And then I went on to be an elementary
teacher in Brooklyn and later as an adjunct professor
at St. John’s.”
For the past 16 years, Mangino has flourished
at Hostos Community College in the Bronx, where
she currently serves as the provost and vice president
for academic affairs. That experience, she believes,
made her better prepared for Queensborough
Community College, one of the most diverse
campuses in the nation, which comprises nearly
equal populations of Black Americans, Asians,
Caucasians and Latinos, where the students have
roots in 127 countries and speak 78 languages.
“At Hostos, 99 percent are students of color.
We all talk about diversity, but they really live it,”
Mangino said.
Under her leadership, Hostos doubled its threeyear
graduation rates, expanded the college’s online
course offerings, and increased the number
of students participating in service-learning,
where class assignments take students into the
community, encouraging civic engagement.
She also increased Hostos’ faculty diversity
and female representation and collaborated with
colleagues to incorporate cultural competencies
within the curriculum. Mangino was attracted
to the “Queensborough Academics Model for Student
Success,” a nationally recognized student
support initiative that serves all full-time students
from the moment they enter to graduation
and beyond.
“One of the most important factors in engendering
student success is keeping everyone —
teachers, students, parents and the community —
connected and invested in the learning process,”
Mangino said.
Dr. Christine Mangino is set to become
She will succeed Interim President Timothy
G. Lynch, who has led Queensborough since 2018,
following the retirement of President Diane B.
Call.
“Queensborough Community College is honored
to have Dr. Mangino at the helm,” Lynch
said. “She is a masterful educator, and unwavering
in her commitment to providing diverse student
populations with access to transformational
educational opportunities. Her depth and breadth
of experience is invaluable, and I look forward to
working with her.”
In a message to the students, faculty and staff
at Queensbough’s Bayside campus, Mangino said
she is looking forward to joining the community
on Aug. 17.
“Transitions can be stressful and so much
more so during these times, but working together
we will emerge even stronger, more resilient and
equipped to add to and celebrate your achievements,
our students’ success and Queenborough’s
excellence,” she wrote.
Mangino is looking forward to working with
the faculty and staff at the school.
“They have an amazing reputation for focusing
on student success and, having watched
both of my kids go through college, I know how
important it is for every student to have that
connection where they feel supported by the faculty
and staff,” Mangino said. “I know the experience
these students are going through prior to
entering our doors.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.
Longtime Flushing resident Sandra Ung declared her candidacy
for the 20th City Council District.
Photo courtesy of Sandra Ung
Flushing resident announces
bid for City Council seat
Incoming president brings
‘breadth of experience’
to Queensborough CC
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