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CUNY Offers Rockaway Residents Chance To Get Degrees




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Prior to the meeting, board members had a chance to tour the CUNY on Wheels bus. Sandra Watson, the chair of the steering committee for the project, demonstrates use of one of the 15 workstations on the bus, as CB 14 board members look on.

Prior to the meeting, board members had a chance to tour the CUNY on Wheels bus. Sandra Watson, the chair of the steering committee for the project, demonstrates use of one of the 15 workstations on the bus, as CB 14 board members look on.


By Miriam Rosenberg
Contributing Editor

The process to bring the City University of New York to Rockaway is moving ahead as Jonathan Gaska, district manager of Community Board 14, announced a timetable to begin renovation to turn the old courthouse on Beach 90 Street and Beach Channel Drive into a CUNY facility.

“We expect the bids to go out this winter, and expect to select a developer in April 2008,” said Gaska, at this month’s community board meeting. “The work should be done in a year, year and a half.It’s real, and it is something to be proud of.”

The announcement came as a result of a recent meeting at Borough President Helen Marshall’s office, and during a community board meeting at which CUNY made a formal presentation about the CUNY on Wheels project.

As reported recently in The Wave, the CUNY on Wheels mobile classroom and informational center is the first phase in bringing CUNY to the peninsula.

“Basically it is to bring services and programs to the residents,” Sandra Watson, the chair of the CUNY on Wheels steering committee told CB 14 board members. “There are 15 state of the art computers with Internet and a smart board.”

Because of their satellite connection, classes originating at LaGuardia College Community College can be beamed to the bus.

Informational sessions, such as the presentation given to the board, will be offered to community organizations from March to June of this year. After attending one of these sessions, an organization can request a session for the people they serve.

From April to August, CUNY will begin the delivery of services – such as admissions, intake and counseling to residents of Rockaway. Starting in September, the university will introduce credit and non-credit courses and workshops on the bus. High school seniors, as well as adults interested in getting a college degree are eligible to use the services offered by CUNY on Wheels.

For more information about what CUNY on Wheels offers to the community, organizations and residents can go to the CUNY On Wheels website at http://www.cunyonwheels.laguar

dia.edu. Organizations who want to set up informational sessions for their staff can call Edna Best at 718-482-5300 or email her at EdnaB@lagcc.

cuny.edu.



Naikyemi Odedefaa explains CUNY on Wheels to the community board.

Naikyemi Odedefaa explains CUNY on Wheels to the community board.

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