Business and Economics Alumni of CCNY Remembers Lecturer Len Trugman

Len Trugman was a family first guy; you knew about that from the moment you walked into his classroom. He loved to show photos of his grandchildren discuss the accomplishments of his children. To some he was Professor, to others Sir, to me he was Truggy.  

When I signed up for Principles of Management with Truggy, it was just another class. Over the semester back in 2010, he was kind enough to let me get to know him.  He was full of truths about life. I remember one day while eating lunch with him in the CCNY cafeteria, I asked him about team leadership, his answer went back to his first love, his family.  He told me “When you lead a team, any team, anywhere, treat your team like your family”.  That is something that stuck with me.  As President of Business and Economics Alumni, I do not treat the board like family, they are my family.  

A year later in Operations and Production Management, he taught me everything I needed to know about cost, efficiency, quality, and inventory.  He said, “they’re all important, but the only one worth increasing costs for is improving quality”. Over another lunchtime conversation about the quality, he stopped for a second and told me “People can increase quality in a major way for free, but it means increasing the quality of who they are as people, leaders, and managers.  To do so means relying on family and those you care about, to be honest with you”.  What Truggy said that day is something I always carry with me and will never forget.  

It is those two lessons and many others that I pass on to students, employees, and most of all family.  I pass them on because they came from a source full of experience. Truggy received his BME from CCNY in 1960, later earned a Ph.D. in engineering, then went back to school and earned an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson in 1975.  He was also CEO of Del Global Technologies.  He was a lecturer from 2001 – 2017.  He also had 2 patents.  

I would always joke with him that when it came to Operations Management, as long as he was around, I would always be second best. Truggy may no longer be with us but I still have a long way to go to get to that level. I am certain though that I will pass on lessons I have learned from him for decades to come.
    
 F.  Charles Ranieri – Class of 2013
 President of Business and Economics Alumni
 

Mr. Trugman was a dedicated professor who the best interests of his students in mind.  He was always available to give advice and to promote real world applications of that advice. He filled us with joy with his stories about his work experience and constantly brought up his utmost joy, his family. One of the best memories I have of him was when he started the class by going over a business article written by his son from the morning paper that day. This brought him so much joy. My heart goes out to his whole family.  We will miss you, Mr. Trugman. Thank you. Rest in peace.

Rosanlis Bido – Class of 2017
Vice President of Business and Economics Aluimni

It is with a heavy heart that I have learned about the passing of Professor Trugman. He was truly a great educator and a man of unique wisdom; he will be greatly missed.

Berrin Altan – Class of 2007
Board Member, Business and Economics Alumni

Trugman, AKA the Brooklyn boy. He made everyone feel very comfortable with his calm voice, hilarious jokes, and family stories. He used all of that to merge management and life lessons in an unforgettable way. Thank you Professor Trugman for your many years of service and experience that you were always happy to pass on to others. You will be greatly missed and will be forever in our hearts. May you Rest in Peace.

Shamima Akhter – Class of 2015
Board Member Elect – Business and Economics Alumni

 

Congratulations to our Class of 2020 Valedictorian and Salutatorians

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The Colin Powell School for Civic and Global leadership is pleased to announce the 2020 Valedictorian and Salutatorians for the Class of 2020.

 

Valedictorian: Randall Conway

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Randall Conway is a Political Science major whose research interests focus on realism in international politics. After growing up in Connecticut, Randall enlisted in the Air Force at age 17. He spent six years (2007-2013) in Bioenvironmental Engineering stationed at Kirtland AFB. During that time, he also deployed to Iraq as a Third Country National (TCN) escort where he was able to speak to workers from throughout the Middle East. This sparked his interest in international politics because he wanted a deeper understanding of why the US invaded Iraq and Afghanistan. After his time in the military, Randall worked in retail and as a civilian in the Department of Defense before beginning college at Central Connecticut State University. In Autumn 2018, he transferred to City College. Spurred on by the works of John Mearsheimer, Kenneth Waltz, as well as many others, Randall developed a keen interest in why states go to war, form alliances, and behave as they do in the international environment. In addition to his interest in international politics, Randall enjoys arguing domestic policy with his fellow “political nerd” friends, reading philosophy, cycling, and music. Before deciding to study political science, he entertained the idea of being a composer and music theorist and he still frequently visits Lincoln Center to see performances by the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera. He is headed to the University of Chicago to pursue a PhD in the fall.

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Salutatorian: Saudia Baksh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saudia Baksh is a Macaulay Honors College student, and she will be graduating with a BS in Psychology. Saudia’s path to City College was inspired by her longing to experience all that a vibrantly diverse and innovative urban campus has to offer. A native of Long Island, her daily commute helped her embrace a metropolitan perspective and adopt a greater sense of community. She has served as a board member for the City Honors Illustrious Mentor Program, where she aids underclassmen in maximizing personal and professional goals through a course of study. Saudia has volunteered and interned with various organizations that support the needs of youth with developmental disabilities. Her work with this population has inspired her to research the phenotype of adult-onset ADHD for her honors thesis within the Colin Powell School. She is driven to advocate for change within the education system by widening the availability of psychological testing in underserved areas. In the fall, Saudia will be entering a School Psychology graduate program at Teachers College, Columbia University.

 

Salutatorian: Amanda Khellawon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amanda Khellawon is a Bronx resident and a Business and Economics major. Amanda was born in Guyana and migrated to the United States with her mother in 2014. “Adapting to a new environment was never an easy task,” Amanda writes, “but it was indeed an experience that taught me so many intangibles.” Amanda credits her mother with supporting her so that she can pursue her education. With her mother focusing on work, Amanda became the primary decision maker in family affairs, a development that she has found at times overwhelming, but also one that has taught her many invaluable lessons at a young age. Before college, Amanda dreamed of becoming a lawyer, and entered CCNY expecting to study political science. But through her course work in the Colin Powell School, she discovered a passion for the finance field, with a particular interest in investment. Amanda has been selected to be a summer intern at Deerfield Management, a biotechnology private equity firm, after which she hopes to work full-time at a corporate or an investment firm while she hones in on a specialized field to pursue in graduate school.

 

Salutatorian: Amelia Smyth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amelia Smyth is a Long Island native who was originally drawn to the Colin Powell School because of its location in New York City and its diverse student body. At City College, Amelia is an International Studies, Economics, and Jewish Studies triple major. She is a recipient of the United Nations Association Emerging Leaders Fellowship and is currently a Jeannette K. Watson Fellow. Over the course of her Watson Fellowship, Amelia has had the opportunity to learn about socioeconomic inequalities in New York City during an internship at TransitCenter and later, peacebuilding and international development while interning at The Fund for Peace in Washington DC. In addition, her passion for empowering vulnerable groups and strengthening fragile nations led her to study indigenous rights and the Spanish language in Guatemala and learn about international development and the politics of the European Union during a semester abroad in Spain. After graduation, Amelia will be completing her Jeannette K. Watson fellowship with one final internship. She is beyond grateful for the support she has received at CCNY, both in the Colin Powell School and in the Jewish Studies Department and looks forward to putting what she has learned at City College into practice within the international development sphere.