2019 State of the College

17 Westchester Community College The college’s Office of Institutional Advancement secured several major grants: VIKING ROADS (Resources for Obtaining Associate Degrees). $1 million from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation was awarded to replicate the City University of New York’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (CUNY ASAP), and an additional $1.6 million has been made available from a generous anonymous donor for students’ financial needs. The grant is intended to double the completion rate of ROADS students by providing comprehensive financial, academic and personal support including personalized advisement, career counseling, tutoring, tuition waivers, financial assis- tance for textbooks, and monthly stipends. We are one of only five colleges outside of CUNY replicating ASAP. One hundred students will benefit from the grant this fall, followed by two additional groups of 150 students each in the next two years. “CAMINOS AL EXITO” (PATHWAYS TO COMPLETION). $2.7 million from the U.S. Department of Education’s Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (Title V) program will transformwhat it feels like to be a full-time student. We are making plans for a new First-year Experience Office and a new First-year Experience course; targeted academic resources to help students succeed in the college’s most challenging courses; full implementation of an early alert system for at-risk students; enhanced advising and transfer counseling; new enrollment management systems and interventions; and extensive professional development to onboard staff in new practices. The grant runs from fall 2018 through summer 2023 and will significantly increase the completion, retention, academic success, transfer and satisfaction of full-time students, and will simultaneously benefit part-time students. CCAMPIS (CHILD CARE ACCESS MEANS PARENTS IN SCHOOL). The college will receive more than $200,000 per year for four years (over $800,000) from the US Department of Education’s TRIO program (an educational opportunity outreach program designed to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds) to expand college access for eligible, qualified student-parents. The grant provides subsidies to help cover the cost of child care while students complete their degrees. Congresswoman Nita Lowey announced the grant in June, which enables children to attend the Virginia Marx Children’s Center’s award winning program and provides student-parents with the assistance they need to succeed as college students and grow as parents. Thirty-five families per year will receive annual stipends through the grant. A sliding scale based on student need and the number of credits taken has been developed, and student-parents may receive as much as $5,754 annually. MULTI-YEAR FOUNDATION GRANT SUPPORTS EDUCATION INSTEAD OF INCARCERATION A significant gift from an anonymous Foundation donor is enabling the college to pilot a new initiative that will reduce recidivism through degree attainment. Working in partnership with the Town of Greenburgh Justice Court, the programwill offer higher education instead of incarceration as an option to individuals convicted of misdemeanors. The three-year gift of $353,000 supports the pilot phase of the initiative.