Gertz Hall, known as the Speech-Language-Hearing Center, at Queens College was recently renovated to reflect advancements in the field of speech-language pathology, better serving students in the college’s graduate program and their patients.
School staff, public officials and current and former students celebrated the upgraded facility during a ribbon-cutting ceremony inside the center on Oct. 30. This project marks the first renovation to the center, which was established in 1942 and officially opened in 1961, in nearly 40 years.
The $9.5 million project upgraded the existing 8,200-square-foot facility and added an additional 500-square-foot welcome area, new treatment and observation rooms, improvements to heating and cooling, a new roof and windows, technological upgrades to the electrical and lighting system, and new tools to assist with diagnostics and treatment. The building is now also fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The center treats patients of all ages with a range of speech-language disorders, including aphasia, apraxia, dysphagia, stuttering, articulation and phonological disorders, literacy problems and autism spectrum disorders, and it has recently expanded to include those with voice issues associated with Parkinson’s disease. While the center currently hosts 80 treatment sessions per week, the renovated facility nearly doubles its capacity to accommodate approximately 150 sessions per week.
“This is a celebration of growth, collaboration and our shared commitment to the mission of an institution of higher education that lifts people up,” Queens College President Frank Wu said during a speech to attendees. “This is the result of years of dedication with our many partners and their unwavering dedication.”
Speakers at the event included Sima Gerber, professor and associate chair for the speech-language pathology department; Robert Rodriguez, president of Dormitory Authority of the State of New York; Borough President Donovan Richards; City Councilman Jim Gennaro; Mohamed Attalla, vice chancellor for facilities planning, construction and management at City University of New York; Sean Uendra Moonsammy, a doctor of speech-language pathology and former Queens College student; and Olivia Jablonski, a current research associate in the CUNY system.
According to Gerber, who has worked at the college for 50 years and admitted it was an emotional day for her, the college’s speech-language pathology program is based on a mentorship model and among one of the first groups of graduate programs to gain accreditation from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
“Our graduates are highly sought after for employment in hospitals, clinics and school settings not only in New York but across the country,” Gerber said. “The newest renovation will allow the center and the graduate program to embrace the advances in technology, allowing for enhanced teaching, clinical education and research opportunities.”
Council Member Jim Gennaro delivered a speech at the ceremony reflecting on his own experience growing up with a stutter during the 1960s, when speech therapy was nearly nonexistent. While he jokingly admitted his height helped ward off other kids from making fun of his condition, he felt alone as the only family member in his home to have a stutter.
He even recalled his family instructing him not to stutter because it made him sound “stupid.” As Gennaro put it, “That didn’t help.”
He soon began figuring out ways to adapt and navigate his chronic stuttering, learning to translate sentences into word combinations he thought he could say out loud. He adapted to the point that many others don’t realize he has a stutter at all.
But, he said, it was a lonely experience that he had to figure out for himself. That is why, he continued, he’s grateful for the Gertz Hall renovation.
“This is one of the great things about Queens College,” Gennaro said. “Just to bring these kinds of services and support and love and affirmation to help people work through their challenges — you know, it’s a great day to be here.”
According to Sean Uendra Moonsammy, who earned a master’s degree in Opera Performance at Queens College in 2016 and later returned for a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from 2018-20, the center was integral to his training and prepared him for his current career specializing in singing voice rehabilitation, gender-affirming voice care and upper airway disorders.
Moonsammy eventually earned a doctorate in speech-language pathology from Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions in 2024 and now practices at Stony Brook Medicine.
“Queens College was never just a graduate program — it was a calling,” Moonsammy said. “It has shaped every facet of who I am, making me a better clinician, a better artist, a better advocate and a more authentic version of myself.”
Olivia Jablonski, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Queens College in 2024 and now serves as an undergraduate research assistant for CUNY, said she feels a deep sense of gratitude for the mentorship and clinical education she receives in the program.
Jablonski is first-generation Polish-American and bilingual, counseling family members and caregivers in English and Polish. She said her goal is to deliver positive healthcare experiences to all her patients, which she believes is possible as a result of the renovations to Gertz Hall.
“This is the role of a speech-language pathologist,” she said. “We help people find their voices and tell their stories at every stage of their life. We walk alongside our clients, supporting their goals and their growth, celebrating their achievements and carrying the lessons they teach us into our own long-term practice… To the future students who walk through these doors, you are in excellent hands. You will learn so much and serve so many.”
