Invest In CUNY

Established in 1959 and opened in 1960, Queensborough Community College (QCC) offers the Associate in Arts (A.A.), Associate in Science (A.S.), the Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees as well as numerous certificate programs and continuing education courses. As of fall 2009, all entering, full-time freshman will enroll in one of six Freshman Academies: Business, Education, STEM (Science, Technologies, Engineering & Mathematics), Liberal Arts, Visual and Performing Arts, or Health Related Sciences. The Freshman Academies are designed to guide students through the first two semesters, create a more enjoyable campus experience, facilitate interactions with peers and faculty, and assist students in successfully meeting their goals. Queensborough Community College is located in Queens, the most diverse borough of New York City. Reflecting the diversity of the borough, almost half of the students are foreign-born, originating from more than 135 countries. Forty-six percent speak a language other than English at home. The college houses the Performing Arts Center, the Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center & Archives and the Queensborough Art Gallery --- all of which are used as learning laboratories for its students as well as cultural resources for its community.

Philanthropic Support FY00-FY09 — $14,953,264
Projected Target through FY2015 — $25,000,000

Philanthropic Support to Queensborough Community College totaled $14,953,264 as of December 31, 2008. Gifts and pledges to Queensborough support scholarships, faculty development, research, the Harriet and Kenneth Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center & Archives, and the Queensborough Art Gallery.

Gift Highlights

Look Who's Investing in Queensborough Community College

Harriet Kupferberg

“There are 63 languages represented at Queensborough Community College, and I want to add one more: the language of understanding”

— Harriet Kupferberg

Mrs. Harriet Kupferberg’s gift of $1 million in 2007 to name the Harriet and Kenneth Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center & Archives was an historic moment for Queensborough Community College; her gift was the first million dollar gift in the college’s history. Mrs. Kupferberg’s gift was also the lead gift to establish a $5 million endowment that will insure that the Center’s programming continues in perpetuity. An addition to the Campus Administration Building is currently under construction to house the Center. $5.5 million in capital monies had been secured from public funds to build the new 7,000 square foot Center. The grand opening of the new Kupferberg Center will be fall, 2009.

The mission of the Kupferberg Holocaust Center is to educate current and future generations about the consequences of prejudice, racism and stereotyping. The unique, customized exhibits are tailored by scholars to use lessons from the Holocaust to connect to people of all races, ethnicities and creeds, encourage awareness and appreciation for the value of diversity in a pluralistic society. The Kupferberg Center recently collaborated with the New York State Commission on Human Rights and the New York City Department of Education to include a Hate Crimes curriculum in its program.

Leonard Riggio, Barnes & Noble College Booksellers

“We value Queensborough’s students — to us, they are more than customers; they are the future of our city.”

— Barnes & Noble College Booksellers

Leonard Riggio, Chairman and founder, opened the first college-based bookstore under the Barnes & Noble name at Queensborough in 1968. Today, the company operates more than 600 bookstores at colleges and universities throughout the country. Over the past several decades, both Len Riggio and Barnes & Noble College Booksellers have remained steadfast supporters of the College, its students, and its programs. Their various contributions have supported the Queensborough Art Gallery, the Kupferberg Holocaust Center and student scholarships. In 2006, Barnes & Noble College Booksellers made an unprecedented donation of $450,000. The unrestricted gift created enormous possibilities for expanding scholarship funds and student programs, developing new curricula and renovating campus facilities at Queensborough Community College.