Message from Dr. Belinda S. Miles: Season of Celebrations
April 8, 2022
Colleagues,
Greetings from the Mile High City!
I am delighted to be in Denver to attend this year’s Phi Theta Kappa Annual Convention and celebrate the achievements of our PTK students and award-winning Alpha Iota Omicron Honor Society Chapter (highlights below). I had the privilege of accepting PTK’s Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction for community college presidents. While the college president is often the individual called upon to accept an honor or recognition of achievement, it is on behalf of the work and contributions of our entire college community leading to significant student achievement and success.
The start of spring signals our end of semester celebrations of student and colleague achievements. Here are a few items to celebrate this week.
- PTK Alpha Iota Omicron Chapter
Kudos to PTK Advisors Associate Dean Adam Frank, Professor Robin Graff, and Director Tiago Machado for being named Advisor Team of Distinction during the PTK convention. Congratulations to students Anthony Rispo, Chloe Stalker, Paulina Jaskiewicz, and Guadalupe Conde on being named Chapter Officer Team of Distinction. Kudos to PTK advisors and students Anthony Rispo, Chloe Stalker, Paulina Jaskiewicz, Guadalupe Conde, and Razan Mustafa for representing our PTK chapter and the college at the convention.
- VMCC Artists in Residence
Susan Zucker, director of the Virginia Marx Children’s Center, shares news that the artistic talents of our youngest college community members are on display in the SUNY Central Administrative office in Albany!
- Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)
Congratulations to student Cornella Walker on being named recipient of a Norman R. McConney, Jr. Award for EOP Student Excellence. This award recognizes EOP students who have demonstrated their ability to overcome obstacles that may have hindered their academic success. #VikingStrong!
Huge thanks to EOP students who recently donated over 25 bags of goods to our WCC food pantry as part of their community service project. Our students certainly uphold EOP’s motto of Engaged, Optimistic, and Proud!
- Staff Excellence
Congratulations to Linda Portsmouth (Office Assistant, School of Business and Professional Careers) and Anthony Reda (Library Technician, Library Department) as recipients of 2022 Staff Excellence Awards. Staff Council will present the awards to these two outstanding colleagues later this month.
As we look toward our academic recognition program, commencement, and other rituals and ceremonies that signal the end of an academic year, spring is also the time we welcome prospective students and their families to Open House (April 30) and highlight all that Westchester Community College has to offer to our newest students.
I hope you will share other accolades and achievements with me and with Creative Communications so that we can celebrate the rewards of the work we do to advance our mission and values.
Dr. Belinda S. Miles
President