Message from Dr. Belinda S. Miles – July 22, 2016
A lot has been said about changes at the college. At a time of rapid change around the world—social, cultural, political, economic, and technological—we’re coming together to assure that Westchester Community College extends its legacy among the nation’s best community colleges and succeeds for generations to come. Our work is hard, not because our college is broken and we need to fix it; our work is hard because we have prospered from decades of outstanding work, but the world is changing fast and we have little choice but to adapt to a future that is unknowable. Our work is hard because as we come together to take on this challenging task, we find many new community members, myself included, and all of us are in the early stages of getting to know each other and building trust.
We have spent a lot of time together focusing on student success, workforce development, community engagement, and stewardship, and we have considered our college culture consistently in our work together. Going forward, let us elevate and expand our focus on culture.
A TED lecture might spark some lively exchange. Margaret Heffernan, a seasoned leader, shares research on how high-achieving teams work best. It is not through concentrating power at the top, also known as “the superchicken model.” I look forward to dialogue on what we might take away from this message:
Thanks for fostering an environment where everybody counts—and for making it a great week.