Photos: Queens College
Yesterday, October 12, Queens College President Frank H. Wu presided over a celebration marking the 85th anniversary of the first day of classes at the college on October 11, 1937.
Among the offerings in a daylong series of events for an invited audience were the presentation of President’s Medals—the college’s highest administrative honor—to notable alumni Peter Archer ’85 and ‘87, and Robert Jacobs ’70. Archer, a music teacher for more than 30 years at Nathaniel Hawthorne Middle School 74 in Queens, served as a cultural consultant and role model on the 2020 Disney Pixar Academy Award-winning movie Soul. Jacobs, president of Health/ROI, a company he founded, established an endowment fund that has so far provided 13 scholarships to deserving students.
Guests viewed a historical exhibition and video on the college, followed by a reception with live music.
“Our school’s first president, Paul Klapper, had a vision to make this a place where talented people of all backgrounds and financial means could receive a first-rate education,” said Queens College President Frank H. Wu. “President Klapper coined our school’s civic-oriented motto, ‘Discimus Ut Serviamus—we learn so that we may serve’ to inspire students to learn to provide for the common good. For 85 years, Queens College has stayed true to those ideals by offering a rigorous education in the liberal arts and sciences under the guidance of faculty dedicated to teaching, research and service. Our 85th anniversary is a time where we can look back in celebration of all that we have achieved and look ahead with confidence that our students will continue to become leading and valued members of our societies.”
Invited speakers were City University of New York (CUNY) Chancellor Félix V Matos Rodríguez, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr., CUNY Board of Trustees Vice Chairperson Sandra Wilkin, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (via video message), President of the NYS Higher Education Services Corporation Guillermo Linares, NYS Assembly Member Nily Rozic, NYC Council Member James Gennaro, Senior Advisor to the Mayor and Director of Public Service Engagement Andrea Shapiro Davis ’81, Olympic Silver Medalist and Queens College Foundation Board Member Gail Marquis ‘80, and Queens College Student Association President Jamal Mark ‘23.
