Message from Dr. Belinda S. Miles: Building Momentum
October 20, 2017
Colleagues,
The campus is bustling with activity, and the lovely fall weather has been perfect for viewing the foliage as our campus trees change color.
Our Achieving the Dream coaches were on campus earlier this month and had an opportunity to meet with members of the campus community during their day-long visit coordinated by Academic VP Dr. Vanessa Morest. The visiting team cited positively our Data Team, forthcoming work from our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan, the work of our English and Math faculty to help students successfully progress through developmental education, and our continuing efforts to integrate all student success initiatives college-wide. Stay tuned for information about their next visit in spring 2018.
An extraordinary cross functional team led by Dr. Laurie Miller McNeill put together a very competitive proposal for Title V funding from the federal government based on our status as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). While our application score placed us in a 5-way tie, the college did not receive funding during this initial round. Reviewers commented on the strength of our application and we take great pride in our ability to score within the highest funding band. Congratulations to the team that worked on our grant proposal demonstrating our readiness to execute large scale student success projects. We await notification in spring 2018 regarding further funding consideration based on this effort.
We are in the exploratory stages of submitting proposals to SUNY for work at the college on Guided Pathways and microcredentialing. Academic Affairs is spearheading this collaborative work with an eye toward submitting a letter of intent for the Guided Pathways effort due to SUNY by November 15.
Congratulations to all who worked on the successful SUNY OER conference which was attended by members of both the SUNY and CUNY academic communities.
The Security Department issued the 2016 Annual Security Report, with data showing that Westchester Community College is a safe campus. Thank you to our security team for their diligence in keeping our students, employees, visitors and campus safe. The report, completed earlier this month, is posted on the college website.
As we build momentum through competitive applications and engagement in system-wide initiatives, we also continue to focus on how to strengthen connections within the college. Accordingly, Prof. Phil McGrath and a task force in the Faculty Senate are working to create an inclusive process for developing a values statement that encompasses our shared beliefs at the college.
Our community conversations which occurred in Peekskill in September and this week in Mount Vernon, convey appreciation, relevance, and opportunity as the college partners with community stakeholders to meet their needs, expand our access mission, and provide economic mobility opportunities for more students.
Finally, we are very excited to celebrate our basketball season opener on Thursday, November 2. Come out and join Chester and the rest of us as we show our Viking spirit and achieve yet another milestone at the college. Our momentum is building.
Together, we move forward!
Dr. Belinda S. Miles
President