May 2022 • Volume 18 • Issue 5 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11
year when it came to venture capital funding in the tech sector. According to figures provided by the New York City Economic Development Center, in the first quarter of 2021, NYC-based companies pulled in $7.6 billion in seed money through venture funding. Clark said that the silver lining that came out of the pandemic was that it led many people to see that tech could be an economic driver for New York. “I want to make sure, especially for someone like myself, coming from Southeast Queens, to figure out ways folks in my community can have access to jobs that can sustain a family,” Clark said. “A lot of the jobs that were historically and traditionally done in the past are not always as prevalent as they were before. I feel in my bones that tech can really be that thing for it, but we have to do a better job of teaching students and re-
skilling adults for some of these opportunities that are available now in cybersecurity and data analytics.” One program that Clark said he is really excited about is the launch of Tech:NYC’s summer youth employment program, “Tech Year NYC,” which aims to provide more tech-based internship opportunities both during the summer and throughout the school year. “Our goal is to make sure at least a hundred of our member companies commit to having internship opportunities,” Clark said. “So that again, you play a more proactive role in building that pipeline of next tech leaders that come homegrown from places like Queens.” Tech:NYC is also working on an assessment of the tech ecosystem here in New York and what opportunities are available within the vastly growing field. Clark suggested that some sec-
Clark hopes to create a vibrant tech ecosystem here in Queens. tors prime for development and growth in NYC include, FinTech —short for “financial technology”—cryptocurrency, gaming, and wellness. “There’s a lot of excitement about what can be done in those spaces,” Clark said, “If we can be able to make sure that we are incubating them so that they can be able to grow,
it helps not only with the business side of things, being able to create a stronger more secure workforce in New York, but it also means that we’re gonna have more technology out there that’s going to improve our lives.” To find out more about the tech ecosystem in New York City or to find out ways how to
St. John’s University to Add Nursing Program State Education Department approves Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree to begin this Fall
St. John’s University has received approval from the New York State Education Department to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN) program. Applications for admission are now being accepted and preparations are underway for the first cohort of students to begin classes in August. “After much planning—and with great excitement—we launch the new nursing program at St. John’s,” President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., said in a statement. “Service is a core value of our University, and the nursing program aims to provide a stellar education within the context of our Catholic and Vincentian mission. The foremost goal of our program is to train skilled professionals and compassionate nurse
leaders ready to serve others in societies in need of healing.” Establishing a nursing program is one step in a major and long-term investment in the health sciences at St. John’s. Next month, on International Nurses Day, St. John’s will break ground at the Queens Campus for a new 70,000-square-foot building-scheduled to open in Fall, 2024 that will be the permanent home of the nursing program. The new medical and educational Health Sciences Center at the Queens, NY, campus will support and house existing and forthcoming health sciences programs in one facility. The new building will provide state-of-the-art technology, simulation labs, and f lexible room layouts to allow for a multitude of teaching and learning styles. The innovative and f lexi-
ble learning environment will ensure that future health-care workers can keep pace with the dramatic advancements in the health-care industry. St. John’s will provide students with hands-on clinical rotations within a network of partner health-care systems, which include New York City Health + Hospitals, NewYorkPresbyterian Queens, and Catholic Health. With an innovative curriculum, support for brand-new facilities, and established community partnerships the new nursing program at St. John’s aims to strengthen the local academic health system. Nursing education is not new to St. John’s. In 1937, a Department of Nursing formed at the University and the department became a separate School of Nursing
Education in 1942, helping to train nurses during World War II before being discontinued. According to a Febr uary 2022 survey on LinkedIn, registered nursing is the fourth most in-demand profession in the American workforce today. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of registered nurses is projected to grow nine percent from 2020 to 2030. Approximately 194,500 openings for registered nurses are projected each year, on average, over the decade. T he A mer ican Nu rses Association reports that the increased need for nurses spans beyond the current pandemic. In late 2021, they urged the federal government to declare the current and unsustainable nurse staffing shortage to be a national crisis.
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