Message from Dr. Belinda S. Miles: Celebrations and Service – May 3, 2019
May 3, 2019
Colleagues,
Westchester Community College proudly hails many remarkable and high-achieving students, and today’s academic awards ceremony recognized those who have earned a GPA of 3.5 or higher. For students eligible to graduate in May, more than 850 students meet this requirement. About 170 students participated in today’s ceremony with 55 students also earning curriculum awards presented by their deans.
On Wednesday evening, student athletes received awards for excellence in their sports and their studies. Among many award recipients, sophomore Steve Messerschmitt (baseball) received the second annual V-CASE (Vikings Collaborative Academic Success Environment) Award; Guilherme Griza was named Male Student Athlete of the Year; Alysha Owens was named Female Student Athlete of the Year; Matthew Rice was named Male Scholar Athlete of the Year; and Taylor Mello was named Female Scholar Athlete of the Year. Here is the complete listing of honorees and awards. Congratulations to all!
Thanks to the faculty, staff, students, and administrators who participated in today’s Strategic Planning Summit. We had dynamic discussion around themes that emerged from this year’s process. The content is bold, with a focus on academic excellence and student success, the college’s role as a regional partner in economic and workforce development, and the integration of higher performing practices within our own operations. Working together, we are envisioning innovative solutions that will position the college to meet student and community needs well into the future. Many thanks to co-facilitators Prof. Phil McGrath and Controller Dawn Gillins for keeping us focused on present and future opportunities and remaining on schedule for announcing a new plan sometime this fall. We look forward to updated next steps and timeline from the Planning Team.
In case you missed it, we have updated our articulation agreement with Iona College, which guarantees transfer admission for students meeting GPA requirements and guarantees junior standing at Iona with a Westchester Community College degree. About half of our students are on transfer pathways, and most of those stay close to home in Westchester, making the agreement with Iona College an important community partnership in pursuit of fulfilling our mission. Thanks to those who joined the signing ceremony earlier this week.
Finally, thanks to our Student Government Association for partnering with the “SUNY’s Got Your Back Program.” Students volunteered to create 750 comfort kits for victims and survivors of violence across the State of New York.
Thanks for all you do every day to keep students on their pathways to success.
Dr. Belinda S. Miles
President