6 THE QUEENS COURIER • NOVEMBER 21, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
QCC in Bayside sees increase in enrollment
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com
@jenna_bagcal
More students are enrolling in a Bayside
community college than ever before,
according to aggregated data from the
school.
Data from CUNY Queensborough
Community College indicates that more
students enrolled for the fall and winter
semesters compared to the same periods
last year. Approximately 15,000 students
enrolled in the current semester,
while planned enrollment for the upcoming
winter session has increased by 35
percent.
“Th e fact that freshman enrollments are
up is signifi cant, given the diminishing
number of high school graduates across
the city,” said Queensborough President
Dr. Timothy G. Lynch. “Community
College is the fastest way to obtain skills
for quality jobs and prepare for further
education. Th e winter session helps students
accelerate their studies and fi nish
college faster.”
Though Lynch cites a diminishing
number of high school graduates,
Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza
announced that the citywide graduation
rate rose to 75.9 percent in 2018. In
Queens, data showed that the number of
graduates increased from 77.8 percent to
79.5 percent.
Th is summer, Queensborough experienced
similar robust enrollments that
were up by nearly 10 percent over the
same period in 2018. According to the
school, more than 4,300 QCC students
and visiting students enrolled in summer
courses within the college’s 40 associate
degree programs.
QCC’s president described
Queensborough’s year-round academic
program as “trusted and transformative.”
“Many students here experience a drive
to learn more and excel beyond their
expectations,” said Lynch.
School leadership asserted that the
increased enrollment at Queensborough
marked greater demand for high-quality
education among students in the borough,
especially fi rst-generation college
students.
One such student is Biling Chen, a QCC
student who emigrated from rural China
to New York in 2016. She had very little
English skills when she arrived, but was
determined to enroll in college and study
science.
“Where I grew up girls are commonly
told to squash their dreams and
focus on cleaning and cooking and to
serve as loyal wives and mothers. I was
forced to quit school aft er graduating
from high school,” said the chemistry
major, scholarship winner and undergraduate
researcher.
Since enrolling at QCC in 2017, Chen
has worked closely with Dr. Susan
Karini and Dr. Paris Svoronos, her faculty
mentors in the chemistry department.
Together, they have conducted
investigations designed to reduce the
cost of synthesizing drugs used to fi ght
cancer.
“Every day I live and breathe chemistry,
and I love it. Aft er receiving my associate
degree, I plan to transfer to City College
to complete my bachelor’s,” Chen said.
Chen and thousands of other immigrant
students have enrolled and learned
English thanks to Queensborough’s Port
of Entry, an English language development
program.
“One of the advantages of
Queensborough is that students of all
abilities, under any circumstances and
from anywhere in the world, have the
means to achieve success here, in the fi eld
of their choice,” said Lynch.
Photo credit: CUNY Queensborough Community College
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