WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE BREAKS GROUND ON NEW GATEWAY CENTER ON OCTOBER 31, 2007

The Gateway Center, scheduled to open in 2010, will help address the educational needs of the county’s increasingly diverse population. The Gateway Center will house business, language, volunteer and international student programs, as well as the college’s English Language Institute and the Professional Development Center.

The concept for The Gateway Center is grounded in the findings of a three-year study funded by a grant from the Hitachi Foundation, and conducted in partnership with Westchester Community College and the Westchester business community.

The 70,000 square-foot Gateway Center is being designed by the internationally-renowned Polshek Partnership architectural firm. As the architects of notable buildings including the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, Polshek Partnership has designed plans for what will become one of Westchester county’s most dramatic structures. This environmentally-friendly “green” building will boast state-of-the-art classrooms, leading edge technology, innovative use of lighting, a spectacular tower, and the extensive use of native plantings on the grounds. 

The contractors, who were introduced at the groundbreaking ceremony, are: STV Construction, construction management; Worth Construction, general contractor; West-Fair Electric; Clean Air Quality Service, HVAC; and Frank and Lindy Plumbing and Heating.

Since opening in 1946, the college has been at the forefront of innovative education. It has grown from a small institution educating returning veterans to our current role as the county’s largest college with more than 24,000 students. For more than six decades, the institution has focused on education trends and has kept pace with the times.

With Gateway, the college is now poised for another important, historic evolution.

As the county has become more diverse, so has the college’s student body. But never more so than in the past decade, when we have seen a tremendous influx of international residents. To help address this change, we expanded our English as a Second Language programs tremendously: we now serve more than 4,000 ESL students. We have also introduced innovative new volunteer programs such as Conversation Partners, which couples those donating their time with new Americans seeking to learn the language.

The Gateway Center is our next step in dealing with the county’s demographic and workforce trends. The dramatic $40.5 million structure will house resources for both foreign-born and traditional students. With all these resources in one location, we are planning for an explosion of opportunities for synergy. We are planning contextualized ESL programs and learning communities, and we are about to launch our Gateway Center Institution for Entrepreneurial Studies as we educate tomorrow’s entrepreneurs. Our business programs leading to associate degrees and certificates will also be in the building, as we seek to structure an environment which will lead toward easy access to resources for our students, including new Americans. 

As the county’s demographics continue to change, the role of new Americans in the workplace will be more crucial than ever before. Those who seek success through education will thrive as they take advantage of Gateway’s many resources. These include intergenerational learning opportunities, international student services, citizenship workshops, mentoring programs, and career development options.

College VP of External Affairs, Foundation Executive Director Shirley A. Phillips, Tim Hartung and Susan T. Rodriguez of Polshek Partnership LLP, County Executive Andy Spano, College President Joseph Hankin, College Board of Trustees Chair Tim Carey, County Board of Legislators Chair Bill Ryan, College Foundation Board Chair Betsy Stern, College Foundation Board President David Swope (left to right).

College VP of External Affairs, Foundation Executive Director Shirley A. Phillips, College Foundation Board Chair Betsy Stern (left to right).

County Executive Andy Spano, College President Joseph Hankin (left to right).

Isabel Villar, Executive Director, El Centro Hispano.