Message from Dr. Belinda S. Miles – May 6, 2016
Don’t be fooled by this week’s weather—spring has sprung in Westchester County! We can tell by the bustle of activity leading up to commencement, which always generates excitement. And two days prior, on May 17, the Admissions Office hosts another Open House for future students. We appreciate every volunteer who responds to the call for assistance. We understand that this is above and beyond your regular duties and realize that this is never an expectation but it is your gift of service to our college and community. Thank you!
Our Spring Open House follows a new program to invite admitted students to campus and provide them with deeper connections to the college. The two inaugural visit days attracted 300+ guests and made a very positive impression on them. Thanks again to the volunteers who helped with these events.
So far, our summer enrollment is outpacing last year’s. Thanks to the academic departments for expanding offerings for our new, continuing, and visiting students for summer 2016. Let’s keep spreading the word about Westchester Community College among family and friends and everyone in the community for the best summer (and fall) enrollments ever!
I was thrilled to learn about four of our 2015 graduates who have been selected to participate in the EY Emerging Leaders Program. This very selective program often leads to internships and jobs. Three of these individuals served as officers of the Accounting Club and two participated in the Workplace Culture Coaching Program — two of the many excellent co-curricular programs we offer to enhance student learning at WCC.
Kudos, also, to Prof. Sean Simpson for organizing and implementing an innovative professional development opportunity on the topic of Statistics Randomization featuring guest speaker and author, Nathan TintleI and including participants from our full and part-time faculty and colleagues from Dutchess Community College. This is only one of the many and diverse math learning opportunities we offer at WCC.
With great pride and gratitude, we celebrated the 42nd Academic Recognition Ceremony celebrating 56 academically high achieving recipients, graduating students from August and December of 2015, May 2016 graduates with cumulative grade point averages of 3.5, Workforce Development awardees, and others. Approximately 350 people attended. Many thanks to the Curriculum Chairs and colleagues for identifying the recipients and for the beautiful booklet celebrating our students’ successes!
Finally, we hosted the SUNY Board of Trustees for its regular meeting this week. This is a very high distinction because campus visits for SUNY Board meetings are rare. This unique opportunity brought visibility to the college and showcased the great work we are doing for our students. We received a lot of high praise for our college and our hospitality. Many thanks to Heather Shank, Phil McGrath and our culinary arts students, Food Services, our amazing security and facilities team, and everyone who made this visit a success!
Thanks for making it a great week.
Dr. Belinda S. Miles
President