Message from Dr. Belinda Miles: Pathways and Pipelines
Colleagues,
I hope that summer has been a time for recreation, relaxation, and rejuvenation. It sometimes feels like summer passes so rapidly, and this year is no different. Several SUNY WCC departments are working tirelessly to provide access to affordable and high-quality higher education, improve student services and programs, and implement our enrollment management initiatives. This work takes many forms.
For example, following rigorous advocacy and outreach, the college was granted a HEERF (Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds) no-cost extension which enables us to continue programs supported by the federal COVID relief funds that help our students persist in the pursuit of their educational goals, and provides the college and its employees the tools to do the work necessary to guide our students to success.
Our High School Partnerships team has been forging new relationships to expand our P-TECH partnerships. And last month, SUNY issued a press release announcing Governor Hochul’s $31.5 million funding commitment for NYS Pathways in Technology programs. In our region, new P-TECH/SUNY Westchester Community College partnerships include Yonkers CSD, Peekskill CSD, and Brewster CSD, which bring our total number of P-TECH pipelines to six.
Among our pipelines to economic mobility are programs like Metallica Scholars, which was just extended for another year by Metallica’s foundation, All Within My Hands. This partnership supports students who are seeking training in Advanced Manufacturing. This week representatives from AWMH and Wolverine visited our campus to meet several of our Metallica Scholars, providing them with Wolverine boots and other work-related supplies. Metallica and Wolverine have joined forces to offer limited-edition gear “to sound the call and fund programs across the country for more people to build their own careers…” with proceeds from the sales going directly to Metallica Scholars “to help students forge their own path in the trades.”
Finally, the college’s Board of Trustees has approved the budget for FY 2023-24, which now goes to the county’s Board of Legislators for approval. This budget calls for a tuition increase in order to meet rising costs and to enable SUNY WCC to continue serving our students with the same level of high-quality programming and education that the college is known for. More details will be provided after county review and approval.
In the meantime, our focus continues to be on registering new and returning students for the upcoming Fall semester. Amidst this work, let’s enjoy August and return for the fall semester recharged and ready to welcome students and colleagues to campus.
Metallica Scholars meeting with representatives of AWMH and Wolverine.
Dr. Belinda S. Miles
President