With challenges ahead due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the board of trustees of the City University of New York selected new leaders as presidents at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, York College in Jamaica, and Queensborough Community College in Bayside.
To lead York College, the trustees appointed Dr. Berenecea Johnson Eanes, who has served as York’s interim president for the 2019-2020 academic year.
This spring, Dr. Eanes guided York College through the COVID-19 crisis, implementing a system of distance learning and remote working for the school’s 40,000 students and more than 400 employees, while also launching a number of support services to help the most vulnerable students. She earned a Ph.D. in social work from Clark Atlanta University, a master of social work from Boston University, and a bachelor of science in public health from Dillard University.
“It is a great privilege to be selected by Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez to be the president at York College. York is a campus rich with a history and a diversity that is a reflection of the Jamaica, Queens, community it was built within,” Dr. Eanes said. “It has been a pleasure to serve as the interim president this past academic year and establish the new strategic plan and priorities that will drive the future of the college. Following our ‘One York’ theme, we will push ahead and work collaboratively to embrace the amazing opportunities and tackle the current challenges, together. I am humbled to be chosen to lead this amazing campus community that paves the way for local students to rise in social mobility and become global citizens.”
To lead LaGuardia Community College, known for its strong success as a driver of economic mobility and a leading voice on behalf of community colleges nationwide, the board appointed Kenneth Adams, who currently serves as dean of workforce and economic development at Bronx Community College and brings a highly accomplished résumé as chief executive of numerous New York State governmental agencies. Adams succeeds Interim President Paul Arcario.
Fundamental to Adams’ mission is the cultivation of robust partnerships with employers, including unions and industry associations to advance students’ outcomes and CUNY priorities.
“LaGuardia is uniquely positioned to support the city’s recovery by training and upskilling workers who have lost their jobs and preparing students for new fields and emerging occupations in a post-COVID economy,” Adams said. “I look forward to working with the incredible LaGuardia faculty, students, staff and alumni, and of course the Queens community, in a collective effort to deliver on the rich promise of LaGuardia to a growing number of students in these challenging times.”
To lead Queensborough Community College, which prizes the diversity of its students and the engagement of its faculty in pedagogical research for the improvement of teaching methodologies, the board appointed Dr. Christine Mangino, a proud champion of community colleges who has worked at CUNY’s Hostos Community College for 16 years, the last five as provost. Dr. Mangino succeeds Interim President Timothy G. Lynch.
“I am honored and excited for the opportunity to serve the QCC community,” Dr. Mangino said. “I look forward to working together not only to recover from the current crisis but also to continue the important work of student success and providing an affordable, high-quality education marked by academic excellence and rigor. I am deeply committed to the QCC and CUNY missions and eager to partner with faculty, staff and the community to support students as they achieve academic, social and economic progress.”
Dr. Mangino is a first-generation college student and developed her interest in championing the mission and success of community colleges from her experience as a student at Nassau Community College. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Hofstra University, and later, a doctoral degree in instructional leadership at St. John’s University.
