Message from Dr. Belinda S. Miles: High Impact Learning Opportunities
February 5, 2021
Colleagues,
Amid Monday’s snowstorm, the Black History Month Planning Committee kicked off our Black History Month celebration with programming designed to engage our college community, guide our learning experiences, provide space to share ideas, and explore the meanings of this year’s theme, The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity. The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) could not have selected a more relevant topic to examine, especially during these tumultuous times of civil unrest and racial inequity.
Engaging students with relevant co- and extracurricular activities aligned with their classroom work and promoting deeper learning experiences benefits all our students and is a high-impact practice that also reaffirms our mission to provide access to high-quality education.
As an institution, we recognize the value of post-secondary education. Data shows that over 20% of our students who graduate from WCC move up two income quintiles. It is important that we support our students through the admissions process and as they continue along their academic pathways at WCC. As we support all our students, I especially note the myriad opportunity programs designed to support our students of color. Please share with students and direct them to the Black History Month webpage for information on these programs.
- Black & Hispanic Male Initiative
- Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP)
- PepsiCo Foundation S.M.I.L.E.
- PepsiCo Foundation Uplift Scholarship
- TRIO
- Viking ROADS
- Westchester EOC
Black History Month gives us time to pause, reflect, and remember our past so we can hold ourselves, our institutions, and our practices accountable as our forward march continues. As an institution, our mission and our values guide us in this work.
Dr. Belinda S. Miles
President