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Dr. Joseph Shenker - Remarks LaGuardia Community College has renamed its first campus building, the M-building, in honor of the institution’s founding president, Dr. Joseph Shenker. The August 14, 2008 dedication ceremony for Joseph Shenker Hall honored the man who from 1970 to 1989 led the youngest CUNY community college to national prominence for its innovative teaching approaches and cooperative education program. Following an 18-year career at LaGuardia, Dr. Shenker served as President of Bank Street College of Education in Manhattan, and later as Provost of the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in Brookville, N.Y. He retired after four decades in higher education on July 14, 2008.
Excuse my voice, I was recently ill and I am still taking lots of medication. I am sorry that I sound like a frog. I want to express my deepest gratitude to my fellow President, Gail Mellow, the driving force behind this event and officials of New York City and New York State for placing my name on this building. This is a wonderful physical structure but it is more. It represents a dream—the goal of my career and also that of LaGuardia Community College to provide expanded opportunities for students and their families. That dream was accomplished and is being continued today by the hard work, vision and dedication of many folks at LaGuardia Community College. My very special thanks to all those who served at my side during the formative years at LaGuardia—we built a solid foundation upon which others have expanded and improved. At the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, where I recently retired after 13 years, and at LaGuardia, there are hundreds of thousands of examples of our success. Let me tell you two quick stories. Four years ago at C.W. Post we admitted with full scholarship, a young lady who only recently had come to the United States from El Salvador not speaking any English. She was a Valedictorian at Westbury High School, the sixth poorest school district in New York State and became our Salutatorian. She is going on to a career in Media Arts. A few months ago I heard a speech by a LaGuardia student, who was experiencing economic and personal hardships in her life. After a year at LaGuardia, she suddenly found herself a single mother with trouble paying her bills, tuition and textbooks. She considered dropping out of school when a caring advisor sent her to see Jose Orengo, here at LaGuardia. Jose helped her to obtain scholarships, grants and loans from the LaGuardia Foundation and even covered her son’s tuition with a grant from the Early Childhood Learning Center. Today, she is well on her way to becoming a professor of English.* At LaGuardia, the concept of opening doors for lifetime change was not just focused on our students. We also provided opportunities for faculty, staff and administrators to fully use their talents. LaGuardia provided a nurturing and supportive environment for its employees and was the launching ground for many successful careers in higher education. In my experience, more college Presidents, Vice Presidents and Deans have come from LaGuardia Community than any other college in the country. These talented folks, mostly women and minority members are carrying the LaGuardia flag. They continue the LaGuardia promise throughout higher education and are creating fundamental change. During my career I had the privilege of meeting religious leaders of many faiths. Recently, I had a chance to hear the Dalai Lama. The one constant in all the comments of these leaders was the importance and honor of being an educator either within an educational setting like LaGuardia or in daily life. Their comments apply to all of us whether we are teaching physics or teaching a child to cross the street. It is vital to give part of yourself to support the growth of another human being. This vital mission is not restricted to professional educators. All of us -- professionals, college students, elementary and secondary students -- regardless of background or age, all have the chance to help educate others. As we go forward striving for those goals, it is essential that we bring respect and dignity to our relationships with all people regardless of background, title or salary — each person should be supported by our outstretched hands whenever possible. I want to thank my family who have walked this long road at my side—their support, understanding and acknowledgement of this dream was essential. Debbie and Karyn, my oldest daughters, were here when LaGuardia opened its doors many years ago. Perhaps some of their baby toys and books are still spread around the building. They also attended most of the eighteen graduations while I was President. Jordan and Sarah saw the transformation of Post. They heard about all the tough choices and were awakened by emergency phone calls early in the morning and in the middle of the night. Their advice was always on target. Susan has been my partner throughout this voyage—offering wise advice and insight during both exciting opportunities and difficult challenges. I would like to end by a quote from Emerson that was given to me, perhaps thirty-five years ago by Leo Newball, director of Student Activities at LaGuardia Community College, and then again recently a second copy was given to me by Susan. And the quote is as follows: “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” That is what all of us have done. Thank you for joining me today for this wonderful celebration. * Editor’s Note: Due to time constraints, this paragraph was omitted during the delivery of the actual speech. | |
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