Queens College faces new leadership with the appointment of Dr. Betsy E. Hendrey as Interim President.
On June 29, 2026, the City University of New York (CUNY) Board of Trustees held a meeting recognizing the retirement of Frank H. Wu – former president of QC – and the instatement of Betsy E. Hendrey.
According to the meeting, “The Board of Trustees of the City University of New York expresses its sincere thanks and deepest appreciation to President Frank H. Wu for his leadership, dedication to academic excellence and commitment to public service.”
Dr. Hendrey’s affiliations with QC have been long-standing. As per her welcome email to the student body, faculty and staff of QC, “This is a return home for me—as many of you know, I have spent over 30 years of my career at QC. I look forward to meeting those new to our campus, and greeting familiar faces.”
Dr. Hendrey has been a QC faculty member since 1989, becoming a full professor in 2001. Hendrey has also served as the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at QC from 2003 to 2022 and has held the office in QC’s successful Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
A letter announcing the appointment of Dr. Hendrey, from the Office of the CUNY Chancellor, Félix V. Matos Rodríguez states, “Her return to Queens College, an institution for which she cares deeply, reflects her abiding commitment to the college’s students, its mission and its community.”
Hendrey has held multiple senior leadership roles, including Dean of Social Sciences and Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Strategic Planning and Enrollment Management as well as extensive experience in academic administration and institutional leadership within the City University. Now, she holds the position as interim president of QC.
As it pertains to former QC President Frank H. Wu, his announcement to the general college body stated that his retirement was to be made effective July 30, 2026.
In his retirement announcement, he shared that the results of the Middle States readout satisfied the strategic plan taken between 2021 – 2026, when he was first appointed as QC President.
With respect to Wu’s step down as president, there has been growing speculation that his sudden retirement was affiliated with the rollout of events and anonymous threats made during the Middle States Readout this past March.
Under his leadership, students, faculty and staff alike expressed their feelings of unsafety as it related to the threats and suspicious activities concerning Kiely Hall and Aaron Copland School of Music, which occurred on March 25, 2026.
A statement from the CUNY Chancellor regarding President Wu’s retirement from QC reads, “Since 2020, President Frank H. Wu has provided steady leadership at Queens College through a period of significant challenge and change…during his six-year tenure, which began amid the COVID-19 pandemic, President Wu strengthened Queens College through several achievements.”
Regarding Dr. Hendrey’s goals for the college as she satisfies her role as interim president, she discussed some items that she hopes to accomplish during the Academic Senate held on September 17, 2026.
“She [Dr. Betsy Hendrey] discussed key senior administrative appointments to replace vacant positions due to retirements, promotions and transfers, academic and student-oriented initiatives, recent significant gains in external rankings of QC, and new funding made available to the college by the Queens College Foundation as well as ongoing efforts to improve enrollment.”
QC is under new leadership with clear goals set in place: Students, faculty and staff can look forward to bigger things ahead. Students are encouraged to attend Academic Senate meetings and visit The Knight News website for updates surrounding QC’s new presidency.
