Message from Dr. Belinda S. Miles: Transforming Lives – June 5, 2020
June 5, 2020
Colleagues,
During these unpredictable and challenging times, we lean in, we support one another, and we listen to one another. Our work challenges us to reflect on the value of education and its role in society. Our work is guided by the community college mission of access and opportunity, and we are often rewarded with evidence that education transforms lives. We witness success in so many ways.
While these are trying times, we stand strong in our belief that higher education is a pathway to a more equitable and just society. History provides evidence of such progress and reminds us that this is a worthy endeavor.
Thank you for supporting each other, the college, and especially our students as they work through myriad challenges and feelings. Our vision of empowering every student to create a personal success story that supports lifelong learning and opportunities to contribute to society in meaningful ways is more important than ever – and our students need our support. We are still in the midst of the pandemic and recent social unrest adds to the stress we are feeling.
I had the pleasure of meeting today with two of our incoming student leaders, Student Trustee Estefany Palencia and Student Government Association President Gianna Jimenez who shared understanding that support for students must be widely and immediately available and that it must be sustained. We agreed to work collaboratively to achieve this. Additionally, in the spirit of #WCCHereforYou, please remember that these resources are available to our college community.
- Students may reach out to our Personal Counseling Department which is available to any student who would like to process the impact of events on them and those around them. If you or someone you know may need support, please invite them to visit http://www.sunywcc.edu/personalcounseling for more information.
- Similar resources are also available for faculty and staff through the Employee Assistance Program. To learn more, please visit https://mentalhealth.westchestergov.com/ for more information.
For this week’s reading, here is an Inside Higher Ed Op Ed piece that offers resources that may be helpful both in and out of the classroom, should you be interested.
On Wednesday, the SUNY Board of Trustees announced the departure of SUNY Chancellor Dr. Kristina M. Johnson, who will become president of The Ohio State University on September 1. Many of you will recall Chancellor Johnson’s visit to our campus in March 2018. After meeting with faculty and students across a variety of disciplines, she jumped into a spontaneous mini-lecture on laser technology during Prof. Kary Ioannou’s engineering technology class.
We thank Chancellor Johnson for her support of Westchester Community College and our students and join SUNY Board Chair Dr. Merryl H. Tisch in wishing her the very best in her new endeavor. A letter from Chancellor Johnson to the SUNY community is attached.
Please continue to be safe and well.
Dr. Belinda S. Miles
President