LaGuardia Community College and Queens College Formalize Partnership for Queens STEM Academy

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (April 2, 2025) — LaGuardia Community College/CUNY and Queens College/CUNY today celebrated an innovative partnership aimed at increasing the number of Hispanic and low-income students pursuing STEM majors.

This morning LaGuardia President Kenneth Adams and Queens College President Frank H. Wu signed an agreement formalizing the partnership for the Queens STEM Academy (Q-STEM), which enhances STEM education, creates a seamless transfer pathway between the two institutions, and provides students with holistic support both in and out of the classroom.

“The innovative Q-Stem partnership addresses several key University priorities by preparing CUNY students for careers in high-demand fields, promoting a seamless transfer experience between colleges and reducing longstanding equity gaps for Latinos and members of other groups that are underrepresented in STEM,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “Kudos to Presidents Adams and Wu, and to the faculty and staff members at LaGuardia Community College and Queens College, for their collaborative efforts to benefit CUNY, our students and New York.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Queens College on the Queens STEM Academy and are grateful for the U.S. Department of Education’s support that has made this possible. LaGuardia graduates more STEM majors than any other community college in the CUNY system, and many LaGuardia students aim to transfer to Queens College for its strong STEM programs,” said President Adams. “This program will help ease the transfer process and help make jobs in STEM, where there’s high demand and financial reward, more accessible for residents of Queens and beyond.”

“We are delighted to partner with LaGuardia Community College in preparing Hispanic and low-income students to enter STEM-related fields,” said President Wu. “As a federally-designated Hispanic-Serving Institution—with a full-time undergraduate student enrollment that is at least 25 percent Hispanic—we are deeply committed to this effort for the scope of opportunities that it offers students while strengthening their skills in preparation for postgraduate research and employment.”

Q-STEM launched as a pilot program in March 2022 with a $4.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education Hispanic-Serving Institutions STEM and Articulation Program (Title III).

Some data points from the program reveal:

• Both LaGuardia and Queens College are Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI). At LaGuardia, 46% of students identify as Hispanic or Latino. At Queens College, 28% of students identify as Hispanic or Latino.
• Seventy-two percent (257) of STEM majors who graduated from LaGuardia during the 2022-2023 academic year transferred to a four-year program, with nearly a quarter matriculating at Queens College.
• Additionally, the program helps students stay in the same STEM major, nearly doubling the graduation rate from 8% to 15% last year.

Q-STEM students participate in learning communities, taking classes together as a cohort structured around shared themes. They have opportunities to participate in experiential learning projects with faculty, earning stipends and acquiring valuable skills in research methodology and project management.

MD Siddique (’24, Computer Science) is one of 119 LaGuardia students who worked on experiential research projects with faculty through Q-STEM. MD collaborated with Computer Science Professor Alaa Darabseh, who became a mentor. MD credits Dr. Darabseh for the support that helped him apply to Columbia University, where MD is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in data science with a minor in computer science.

“Q-STEM has become a supportive community for students, helping them navigate college with the help of a network of peers and faculty,” said Dr. Billie Gastic Rosado, LaGuardia’s Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Q-STEM has also helped us reduce the textbook costs that students face. Notably, 38 STEM faculty at LaGuardia developed Open Educational Resources (OER) materials that were implemented in 424 class sections last year, resulting in estimated cost savings for students of $1,220,906.”

LaGuardia STEM majors that are a part of Q-STEM include Biology, Computer Science, Environmental Science, and Liberal Arts: Math and Science. Queens College STEM degrees range from environmental studies and climate dynamics to addressing equity in computer science. Learn more about the Q-STEM Academy at Queens College.

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LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to prepare New Yorkers for transfer to senior colleges and rewarding jobs and careers. An institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of the underserved. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students from Queens, NYC and beyond.

Queens College enjoys a national reputation for its liberal arts and sciences and pre-professional programs. With its graduate and undergraduate degrees, honors programs, and research and internship opportunities, the college helps students realize their potential in countless ways, assisted by an accessible, award-winning faculty. Located on a beautiful, 80-acre campus in Flushing, New York, the Princeton Review designated QC a Best College for 33 consecutive years. Forbes Magazine, Money Magazine, Princeton Review, and U.S. News and World Report recognize it as an overall top northeastern public college.

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