Higher Education In Queens:
Queens College Is 'Jewel Of CUNY System'
BY DIANA SANDERS Q
ueens College, the second school we consider in our survey of Queens' institutions Qof higher learning, is perhaps

Photo courtesy Queens College Klapper Hall located on the Queens College Campus.

the most popular in the borough. Established in 1937, Queens College is one of the largest senior colleges that make up the City University of New York (CUNY). Its mission is to offer students a first-class education and develop leadership skills for students who cannot afford a private college. Pursuit of that mission has made Queens College into a center of academic excellence that fits with most students' budgets.

Queens College has been rated eighth in the nation in the Princeton Review list of "America's Best Value Colleges" for its "outstanding academics, generous financial aid packages and relatively low costs" as of this year. It also is listed in the 2006 edition of the U.S. News and World Report "America's Best Colleges" in the "Best Universities-Master's-North" category.

The 77-acre Queens College campus includes its Arts Center, the Copland School of Music, Benjamin Rosenthal Library, the Colden Center and the GodwinTernbach Museum, the only museum in Queens with more than 3,500 works of historic and modern art. With its four divisions of academic programs, Arts and Humanities; Education; Mathematics and the Natural Sciences and the Social Sciences, this commuter college offers more than 115 majors.

This school of higher education also includes nontraditional programs such as Weekend College and Adult Collegiate Education. These programs are designed to offer courses to fit the schedules and achievement level of every category of student. An on-campus Child Development Center offers inexpensive child services and provides parents the freedom to attend classes without needing to find child care.

Close to 18,000 individuals, both undergraduate and graduate, are currently enrolled in Queens College under the direction of 581 full-time faculty and staff. Although a commuter school, Queens College also offers athletics and a variety of clubs and activities for its students, presenting a true campus atmosphere.

Of the more than 100,000 graduates of Queens College, quite a few have become household names. Alumni include comedians Jerry Seinfeld and Ray Romano, songwriter and musician Paul Simon, Emmy award-winning television anchor Mary Murphy and Pulitzer Prizewinning authors Lloyd Schwartz and Dorothy Rabinowitz.

Queens College's affordable tuition-close to $4,000 a year- along with its well established reputation, make for quite an attractive combination for those seeking higher education. Its high standards and demonstrated results constitute an excellent reason why this Flushing school is often considered the jewel of the CUNY system.