Message from Dr. Belinda S. Miles: Supporting Students
August 6, 2021
Colleagues,
In our ongoing and focused work to maintain a safe and welcoming environment for our students and employees, we hosted Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler and Dr. Dial Hewlett, both from the Westchester County Health Department, to lead a discussion on COVID vaccines, the Delta variant, workplace protocols, and more. The information we are learning daily guides our plans to emerge from the pandemic with emphasis on our mission to provide access, opportunity, and the chance for economic mobility.
Students come to Westchester Community College with very diverse lived experiences. Being present for students where and when they need us helps fulfill our mission and values of working toward equitable outcomes and support for our students. For many of them, we are a primary (and possibly sole) pipeline to new futures. Whatever our role, in whatever ways we interact with them, we serve as role models, encouragers, and facilitators of our students’ potential successes.
Recent higher education media outlets like the Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and more are reporting on what college campuses will look like this fall. Many of these articles describe the importance of creating community and belongingness for students. Programs like next week’s New and Transfer Student Orientation and other efforts to welcome our continuing students are the foundation to building a connection to the college, to faculty and classmates, and to the opportunities they will have here and in their futures.
Although many students have registered and are prepared to begin the fall semester, many others may need firmer and more focused guidance or assistance to complete their enrollment. We have countless services in place to assist students, but the most valuable tool we have is our ability to connect with students to let them know we are here for them. Dr. Ruben Barato and our Strategic Enrollment Management team is working to attract new students to the college as well as enroll continuing students for fall. Kudos to our entire SEM team, including Admissions Director Gloria De La Paz, Dr. Sandra Ramsay, and others for the work they are doing on behalf of students. This is a responsibility we each share, and this is the time of year when we need all hands on deck to support students and the college.
Please join me and others by emailing Dr. Barato to volunteer to call continuing students who have not yet enrolled for the fall 2021 semester. This nudge and helping to direct students in completing their registration is an effective way to grow our enrollment and help students to finish what they started and achieve their goals.
Focused on our North Star and our vision of student success, we are very intentional in our work and in the myriad ways we promote Westchester Community College. This month, WCC is featured in WAG magazine here and here. Coverage like this is an opportunity to tell the story of how WCC is such an integral force in our region and beyond!
Dr. Belinda S. Miles
President