Raymond Schoenberg

Description

At the time of the interview, Raymond Schoenberg was Director of the Registrar Office. He talks in depth about the college’s early years and how the campus developed over the years.

Timestamp summary of interview (follows John Hyland’s interview on tape):
(45:23) Raymond Schoenberg started at LaGCC in its first semester in Fall 1971. Talks about his career at Hunter College and seeing the sign for Community College Number 9 and his first meeting with Mary Ryan, Assistant to the Dean of Faculty, Freeman Sleeper, Dean of Faculty, Raymond Bowen, Associate Dean of Faculty, and Janet Lieberman, Assistant Dean of Faculty.
(47:54) Sees starting at a new college as an opportunity.
(48:40) Talks about the Great Hall which had an area to the side for the Registrar Office, it was also used for classes, for tennis and registration, anything that required a large area and it was were all the action was at the college.
(50:35) Mentions how faculty would drive their motorcycles into the back of the building and park their bikes in the Great Hall until they left.
(51:11) Talks about working during the summer of 1971 and how the Registrar had needed paper. They received paper from the College of Staten Island with the Staten Island logo and had to remind students for several years that LaGCC was not in Staten Island and it was in Queens.
(52:38) Says what was unique about LaGCC all the offices would put their feelings and input into the college. Talks about luncheons at a restaurant on Queens Blvd to discuss the policy of the college.
(56:00) Mentions that the College Senate was called the Academic Programming Committee.
(56:29) Speaks about technology in the workplace and in the Registrar Office at the time and compares his experience to that at Hunter College.
(01:00:39) Schoenberg discussed the changes over the years at the Registrar Office. He had left the Registrar in 1983 – he spoke about the functions of the Registrar office.
(01:05:06) He also spoke about the college and service with students and the procedures with computers and technology.
(01:11:55) Discusses grades and students and the mail and calling systems.
(01:12:29) Talks about the college’s need to grow and the different buildings such as the Satellite Building (Sony Building), Center 3 Building, and the L and P Building
(01:12:58) He discussed wider CUNY growth in headcount which continuously grows and says there is a tremendous demand on space.
(01:20:43) He discusses the importance of Cooperative Education and students. And the word on the street was LaGuardia cared.
(01:24:20) Ends on graduation and changes in credits needed to graduate. Schoenberg mentioned technology and student mobility. He also discusses change in later years.