Message from Dr. Belinda S. Miles: A Welcoming Place for those Eager to Move Ahead
June 24, 2022
Colleagues,
SUNY Westchester celebrates Pride Month and our collective commitment to creating a safe and inclusive environment where all members of our college community are respected and valued. Community colleges are places where people go to be authentically themselves as they pursue their unique career, academic, and personal development journeys. Our college values of diversity, empathy, respect, and civic engagement reflect our focus on facilitating learning and shared experiences that help students better themselves, their communities, and our society. Among the ways we mark Pride Month:
- The Harold L. Drimmer Library has curated collections of relevant electronic and print resources, films, and magazines. Members of the SUNY WCC community can find them here: https://bit.ly/3tyFzyS and access with their MyWCC ID/student or campus ID card.
- The Department of Student Involvement sponsored three events with the college community invited to stop by information tables in the Classroom, Science, and Academic Arts Buildings. We thank DSI for sharing LGBTQIA+ and GLOW freebies so we could show our pride this June and beyond.
Whether you identify as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, an ally, or are new to learning about this community, here are college and local resources you may find useful.
Our summer sessions are well underway. Students are hard at work at this mid-point in the 10-week session; our first 5-week session concluded yesterday; and on Monday, we welcome students for the second 5-week session. Please remind students there is still an opportunity to register for the 3-week session starting August 1. Fall registration is also underway, with classes starting September 1.
Next Wednesday, June 29, our Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) hosts VIP Day starting at 5:30 p.m. in the Gateway Center. Our incoming EOP students will have an opportunity to tour the Valhalla campus and learn more about the program and the college.
The regular Friday message will go on hiatus during July while we focus on strategic initiatives that close out the academic year and prepare for a new one. It will be exciting to welcome everyone back to campus on Monday, August 1. It is imperative that we be present for students and for each other as we continue to provide the dedicated support and solid foundation that our students need during the peak enrollment period and start of fall semester.
With the end of the remote-work pilot upon us, it is time to assess its structure, feasibility, and efficacy relative to meeting our mission and achieving our strategic goals. Please be on the lookout for ways to provide your input.
In closing, today we welcome Yonkers Public Schools to Westchester Community College as commencement ceremonies for six of the city’s high schools take place today and tomorrow in our Physical Education Building. This is an amazing opportunity to highlight our extraordinary Valhalla campus with the graduates and families of a large and important partner school district, especially as teams are hard at work this summer preparing for the opening of the expanded campus in Yonkers this fall. As we prepare to welcome incoming freshmen for the fall semester, it is important for each of us to recognize the unique challenges these students faced due to the pandemic and other events. This article, while focusing on California students, could be about students anywhere in the country, including Westchester County: High school graduates eager to move ahead to college and jobs, leaving Covid behind | EdSource
Dr. Belinda S. Miles
President