{"id":125444,"date":"2026-02-06T18:58:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T18:58:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/125444\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T18:58:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T18:58:32","slug":"claire-shulmans-legacy-honored-with-urban-studies-scholarship-at-queens-college-qns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/125444\/","title":{"rendered":"Claire Shulman\u2019s legacy honored with urban studies scholarship at Queens College \u2013 QNS"},"content":{"rendered":"

A scholarship honoring the late former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman was announced during a press conference at Queens College<\/a> to support undergraduate and graduate students in the college\u2019s Urban Studies Department.<\/p>\n

The conference, hosted Feb. 5 in the Patio Room of the Queens College Dining Hall, was attended by local officials, including current Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr., Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and Queens Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Grech, as well as Shulman\u2019s daughter, U.S. Astronaut Emeritus Ellen Baker.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood leadership is so essential to our success and to our well-being,\u201d Baker said. \u201cMy mother was just the ultimate example of somebody who was very tough, but kind, loving and supportive in pretty much every way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shulman, the first woman elected as borough president, served in office from 1986 to 2001 and died in 2020. Born in Brooklyn in 1926, she graduated from Adelphi University and became a registered nurse at Queens Hospital Center in Jamaica<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Baker recalled the many roles her mother held in the community, including president of P.S. 41 Mothers Club and director of community planning boards under former BP Donald Manes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was never about her,\u201d Baker said. \u201cIt was always about serving her community and making sure that family, friends, citizens, colleagues and everybody was taken care of and provided for in the best way that we could.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"U.S. Astronaut Emeritus Ellen Baker, Shulman\u2019s daughter, recalled the many roles her mother served in the community, from her time as a registered nurse to her service as borough president. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

Eileen Auld, a board member of the Queens Chamber of Commerce Foundation, said that many board members served under Shulman on the Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corporation, which the former borough president established in 2007.<\/p>\n

\u201cClaire\u2019s legacy is absolutely amazing,\u201d Auld said. \u201cClaire was a scholar, nurse, spouse, mother and highly skilled public servant who transformed the borough of Queens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Auld, who earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in Urban Studies at Queens College and later graduated from the Police Management Institute at Columbia University, said Shulman always encouraged her to make partnerships between municipal and private entities, which helped propel Auld\u2019s career in public service.<\/p>\n

Wu said Shulman\u2019s influence on the development of the borough helped lift diverse voices in the community and assured their needs were heard.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cClaire Shulman was truly remarkable as a public servant and one of the most influential leaders ever in the history of the world\u2019s borough and our great city of New York,\u201d Wu said. \u201cHer legacy is one of leadership, compassion, dedication to improving the lives of others.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Melissa Checker, chair of urban studies at Queens College, the scholarship will help support a better future for Queens residents by investing in future urban professionals. The program has already produced students who have served in public office and at the college.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur faculty in Urban Studies specialize in the very same issues that Claire Shulman cared about,\u201d Checker said, \u201csuch as affordable health care and housing, transportation equity, community-centered development, urban education and environmental justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katz recalled working with Shulman as her director of community boards for three years while the former borough president was in office, recalling her hardened demeanor and rugged determination.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all, she was tough,\u201d Katz said. \u201cI know we all think she was a very sweet and effective borough president, but she was a tough lady at times. I learned so much from her just watching and listening and trying to figure out how to make projects happen and how to make effective use of the title, as opposed to talking a lot. We can all talk a lot, but she actually made a lot of things happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Shulman had a great impact on her own career in public service, guiding her to be an effective leader. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

She recounted a formative moment in her relationship with Shulman while she was still working under her, remembering how the two passed Citicorp Building in Long Island City<\/a> on their way to Manhattan. Shulman had overseen its construction and subsequent opening in 1989, although the towering 673-foot building stood alone in the industrial district.<\/p>\n

Shulman, however, assured Katz the surrounding area would eventually develop and stand as a part of her legacy as Queens borough president.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI always saw this one building sitting in the middle of nowhere,\u201d Katz said. \u201cBut the borough president? She saw it. It happened.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Katz said her time working with Shulman eventually inspired her to serve as chair of the Standing Committee on Land Use after retiring from her role as community board director, and she often uses the lessons she learned from Schulman throughout her career.<\/p>\n

Richards, whom Shulman served as his mentor and campaign manager for, also commended her leadership in the community and for supporting his own political career.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI know I would not be standing here today as borough president if it weren\u2019t for her support and guidance,\u201d Richards said. \u201cShe was just a blessing to me and my family and my life. More importantly, the borough we call home would not be as prosperous, vibrant or strong as it is now if it weren\u2019t for her courage, leadership and vision.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Queens Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Grech, left, and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. reflect on Shulman\u2019s impact on politics and business in the borough. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

He said the legacy Shulman left behind can be found across Queens, built into the borough\u2019s brick and mortar. Schulman supported many essential institutions in the borough, he explained, such as the Queens Hospital Center and the Queens Theatre.<\/p>\n

Not only did she leave a physical legacy behind, Richards continued, but a legacy of public service from the moment she became a nurse. He said her selfless dedication to the community has continued to inspire his own career serving the 2.4 million Queens residents he represents.<\/p>\n

\u201cMay they always remember Claire Shulman and her amazing legacy,\u201d Richards said. \u201cIt will certainly live on to the students who will study right here at Queens College.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katz said it was appropriate that a scholarship was founded in Shulman\u2019s name because it is an investment in something Shulman cared deeply about \u2014 education. \u201cShe cared a lot about the kids and the future of this borough,\u201d she emphasized.<\/p>\n

Baker said she hopes the scholarship will provide inspiration and motivation for students to pursue a career in government or public service. \u201cShe was really the fabric of this community and this region,\u201d Baker said of her mother.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Shulman, who was born in 1926 and died in 2020, would have been 100 years old this month. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

Thomas Grech, president of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, said Shulman\u2019s support for the community\u2019s economy extended much further than her investment in business, however. He said her dedication to institutions like Queens College and other educational institutions have helped produce a new generation of doctors, lawyers, bankers and even astronauts.<\/p>\n

Grech turned to Baker and told her how proud Shulman would be of her, Katz and Richards for their continued growth and commitment to the community she helped build.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou stand on the shoulders of those before you,\u201d Grech said. \u201cNever have truer words been spoken or directed to a woman like Claire Shulman.\u201d
\n\"\"Attendees of Thursday\u2019s scholarship announcement applaud speeches made about Schulman\u2019s legacy in the Queens community. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud\n<\/p>\n

Additional reporting by Ramy Mahmoud.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A scholarship honoring the late former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman was announced during a press conference at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":125445,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[54474,310,9,24,63,752,122,124,123,54475],"class_list":{"0":"post-125444","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-claire-shulman","9":"tag-daily-newsletter","10":"tag-new-york","11":"tag-new-york-city","12":"tag-nyc","13":"tag-queens-college","14":"tag-queens","15":"tag-queens-headlines","16":"tag-queens-news","17":"tag-scholarship"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125444"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125444\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}