Plaza College turns 90

Ninetieth anniversaries are always a reason to celebrate. This year, Plaza College run by the Callahan family, has the privilege of celebrating its 90-year history as well as looking to future for continued success and greater advancements.
Charles E. Callahan and Anna S. Callahan founded Plaza in 1916 as an independent business institution designed to train women in administrative tasks in order to allow them to apply for jobs as secretaries, bookkeepers, and receptionists.
When Charles E. Callahan passed away, his son, Charles Callahan II, current President of the school, was a lieutenant serving in the Korean War, and he returned to the United States to run the college with his mother in 1954.
Plaza continued to advance and progress, and in 1970, the college moved to its current site in Jackson Heights. Five years later, two significant events occurred helping to shape the college for the next 30 years - Charles Callahan III, current Vice President and Provost for Plaza, began working at the college, and it started the development of two-year degree programs.
As many changes and advancements the college went through in the first 60 years, the list for the last 30 years has been even more impressive.
The college received the ability to confer Associate degrees in Occupational Studies in 1982, Associate degrees in Applied Science in 1988, Middle States Accreditation in 2002 and most recently ability to confer a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in 2005.
“In 1982, if you were ever to tell me that I was going to sit here and that I was going to be having a bachelor’s degree program, I would have told you that you were crazy,” Callahan III said.
Plaza has sent invites to nearly 1,000 of its graduates inviting them back to participate in the bachelor’s program, which will begin in September. During the first semester, Plaza is expected to admit 50 students into the program, and then increase enrollment and make adjustment as it progresses.
“We are going to take care of our own students first before we invite others to join the college,” Callahan said.
Generally, students enroll at Plaza after taking classes at a previous school and are determined to further their education and learn skills that will help them advance in the business world. Currently, 38 percent of students are over the age of 30 representing 59 different nationalities. Many of the students have families and 72 percent of the students are females, compared to 90 percent female less than five years ago.
“We have to be very vigilant in watching where students are working and watching what the requirements for work are,” Callahan said.
With the constant advancements in technology, he said students need to have more customer service skills, good writing ability, critical thinking skills and everything that ties into a liberal arts education and the ability to apply them to the business world.
“In 1982, Plaza College was an institution that taught technology,” Callahan said. “In 2006, we are an institution that uses technology to educate people. That’s kind of how it has really changed.”
Plaza has continued to grow and improve while keeping the family business in the family. In addition to Charles Callahan II and III, Elizabeth Callahan, Charles II’s wife serves as a Vice President for Financial Services and Marrianne Zipf, Charles III’s sister, serves as the Dean of Curriculum.
“It’s an honor to work in the family business because it was a great place before I got here, and now I have been charged to take it to the next level,” Callahan III said. He also credited the staff at Plaza College for playing a vital role in the college’s success.
Callahan III believes that it is essential for Plaza to continue succeed as an institution to be involved in the community. He serves on many committees and boards in the education and business communities, including the Queens Chamber of Commerce.
Callahan said that he has countless memories of the College throughout the years, but one consistently comes to mind.
“I can see myself teaching in a classroom and having my grandmother smiling at me through the door watching what I was doing - that’s my favorite memory.”
As technology continues to progress in the 21st century, Plaza remains committed to keeping up with the changes, and implementing programs and strategies that will continue to benefit its students.