Message from Dr. Belinda S. Miles – June 10, 2016
Yesterday was a day for celebrations! At a luncheon, we honored our volunteers for the 25th anniversary of Volunteer Services, which has made tremendous contributions to the college and its students. Our more than 500 volunteers assist in a range of ways from serving as conversation partners or tutors to helping at special events. Dozens of volunteers were honored for their years of service in 5-year increments, including those who have been with us since the beginning. We are extremely grateful for their service.
We celebrated student success at two graduation events. The Westchester Educational Opportunity Center recognized nearly 300 completers who are prepared with new academic and vocational skills for furthering their education or seeking new career opportunities. About 100 were present at the ceremony to receive this recognition in person. And 16 students successfully completed a 100-hour course in preparation for the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant national exam at the new White Plains Education and Training Center. These students are beaming with pride in their accomplishments and are on their way to new employment opportunities. Two students have already secured new jobs and five received scholarships to Westchester Community College offered for the first time by the College’s Foundation.
Just Add One held a special event recognizing the 34 small businesses that completed the program with us through the Business Council of Westchester and the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Development Board. Participants received tools and resources to grow their businesses by hiring at least one additional employee. So far, 12 of the companies have hired a total of 28 new employees, and we anticipate more hiring soon.
I had a great conversation with Professor Scott Zaluda about the John N. Gardner Institute’s Foundations of Excellence, a process that Westchester Community College completed a few years ago with robust participation of almost 100 students, faculty, staff, and administrators. The recommendations from that study combined with the progress we’ve made in the past year on the student academic journey will inform our objectives and strategies for the new schools, our developmental education work, and the first-year experience in the coming year.
Thanks for making it a great week.
Dr. Belinda S. Miles
President