Message from Dr. Belinda S. Miles: Honoring Service & Engaging Civically
November 11, 2022
Colleagues,
Today – the eleventh day of the eleventh month – we commemorate Veterans Day and pay tribute to the men and women who have served our nation, including our student-veterans and colleagues. Our student-veterans enjoyed lunch yesterday in the Culinary Dining Room and participated in Westchester County’s celebration. A link to that event is here. We are ever grateful for the courage and dedication of veterans in our Viking community and everywhere. It is a privilege and an honor for us to honor you for your dedication to all of us. Thank You!
Midterm elections earlier this week provided the opportunity for individuals to support candidates and issues that aligned with their values and objectives. Our curriculum and programming provide students with opportunities to learn about the world we live in and skills to participate civically and civilly in our democracy. As an institution of higher learning, we seek to instill in students the ability to think critically, to develop and analyze perspectives, to synthesize ideas, and to take action to bring about meaningful change.
SUNY Westchester Community College also participates in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. This nonpartisan, national initiative encourages higher education institutions to help students form the habits of active and informed citizenship and make democratic participation a core value on their campus. I’m pleased to share that our Student Involvement office was notified that, as part of our participation in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge’s Community of Practice program, the college was awarded a grant to support nonpartisan student voting and democratic engagement activities. Congratulations to Tiago Machado and other participating team members!
Among our stated SUNY Westchester values is our commitment to bettering our community and collective efforts through civic engagement by advancing active involvement in the life of the community. We are well on our way to achieving this objective through service, reflection, advocacy, and ongoing participation.
Dr. Belinda S. Miles
President