“Governor Cuomo’s proposed increase creates a fantastic opportunity for even more community college students to graduate debt-free within two years, including those who get a strong start on their pathway to a NYS public four-year college for the next two years. It’s a real win-win!”
– Belinda S. Miles, President, Westchester Community College

Governor Cuomo’s State of the State address on January 8, 2020, mentioned the expansion of the New York State Excelsior Scholarship program. Middle class families now have greater access to a SUNY education at no-cost thanks to the qualifying annual income threshold expanding to $125,000. View the full transcript of Governor Cuomo’s State of the State address: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/video-audio-photos-rush-transcript-governor-cuomo-outlines-2019-justice-agenda-time-now

Learn more about the election process, why your vote matters, and our upcoming on-campus civic engagement events at the college.

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SUSAN GERRY NAMED TO WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Westchester Community College is pleased to announce the appointment of Susan Gerry to the institution’s Board of Trustees.

She serves as Senior Vice President for Strategic Alliances and Partnerships at Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), bringing extensive transactional, public policy, legislative and leadership experience to advance the network’s role in serving as a catalyst for health and well-being and bringing primary and advanced healthcare to families across the Hudson Valley, as close to their homes as possible.

As Senior Vice President for Strategic Alliances and Partnerships, she plays a pivotal role in the development and implementation of strategic relationships to advance the Network’s role as an anchor institution in the community by developing and implementing plans and programs that optimize the engagement of business and community stakeholders in alignment with the economic, workforce and healthcare access priorities in local communities.

She arrived at WMCHealth after successfully serving for six years as the City of Yonkers’ Deputy Mayor, where she managed the city’s major policy initiatives, economic development, the consolidated administrative functions of the city and Yonkers Public School system, fiscal planning and policy, capital programming, and labor relations. During her tenure at the city of Yonkers, she also served as Secretary to the Yonkers Industrial Development Agency, and as a member of the Yonkers Economic Development Corporation and the Executive Committee of the Westchester Municipal Officials Association.

She has also worked at the state and county levels, serving as a policy advisor for New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo’s first gubernatorial campaign, researching and writing policy positions in the areas of Affordable Housing and Community Development, Workforce Development, Small Business Investment, Education and Literacy, Healthcare Access, Obesity Prevention, Poverty, and the promotion of enhanced Public-Private Partnerships to support policy priorities. In addition, she served for 14 years in the Westchester County government, as both an attorney and as Senior Assistant to Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano, focusing on major transactional and regulatory matters for the government.

She is also a Member of the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council.

On December 12, 2019 we celebrated our students who completed their degrees. We applaud you all for your dedication and cheer on your success!

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Students of the Pleasantville Lab School hosted a Cafe Experience as part of their Culinary Life Skills class. The Cafe was an experiential learning opportunity that provided students with unique experiences including growing basil, designing and creating menu cards, providing menu input, and working in a variety of hospitality positions. This applied learning setting links culinary and sanitation safety skills in actual practice.

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WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE RECEIVES SILVER SEAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN STUDENT VOTER ENGAGEMENT

At the 2019 ALL IN Challenge Awards Ceremony held to recognize colleges and universities committed to increasing college student voting rates, Westchester Community College received a silver seal for achieving a student rate between 30% and 39%. A full list of seal awardees can be viewed here.

Student participation in elections has increased from the 2014 midterm election to the recent 2018 midterm election. According to the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement, an initiative of Tufts University’s Institute for Democracy & Higher Education, voter turnout at the more than 1,000 institutions participating in the study increased by 21 points from 19% to 40%.

“We are excited to honor Westchester Community College with an ALL IN Challenge silver seal in recognition of their intentional efforts to increase democratic engagement and voter participation,” said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “More institutions like Westchester Community College are changing culture on campus by institutionalizing nonpartisan democratic engagement efforts that are resulting in the incredible student voter turnout rates that we’ve seen across the country.”

The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge is a nonpartisan, national initiative recognizing and supporting campuses as they work to increase nonpartisan democratic engagement and full student voter participation. The Challenge 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.

More than 560 campuses, enrolling more than 6.2 million students, have joined the Challenge since its launch in summer 2016.

FORMER HOMELESS STUDENT NOW AT YALE LAW SCHOOL GIVES KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION’S 50^TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT ON NOVEMBER 13

The Westchester Community College Foundation celebrated its 50^th anniversary at a gala dinner on Wednesday, November 13 at Tappan Hill in Tarrytown. The keynote address was presented by Wellington Mackey, a former homeless student who has gone on to Yale Law School. On the same evening,  the Foundation announced the launching of the largest fundraising campaign in its history. This historic, star-studded event included a guest list of local dignitaries who celebrate the contributions of the Foundation, which began in 1969.

“On this momentous occasion, I stand in proxy for all those students you have impacted in such a positive way over five decades. What you provide is absolutely integral to the continued success of this community and to the success of those who pass through its halls,” Mackey told the audience of donors and other friends of the college and the Foundation.

Now in his first year at Yale Law School, Mackey’s compelling story personifies the drive behind the mission of the college’s Foundation. The first in his family to attend college, he thrived here, becoming a 2014-15 Kathryn W. Davis Global Scholar, participating in the Cambridge Study Abroad program, and ultimately accepting the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Transfer Scholarship which enabled him to attend Yale University where he earned his B.A. last year. He also recently received the Osher Foundation Award for excellence in scholarship and was awarded a Yale Law School summer fellowship.

His story is an example of the way that the Foundation has supported students, and the entire institution, over five decades. In addition to providing millions of dollars in scholarships (nearly 20,000 students have received more than $24 million in scholarships), the Foundation has been responsible for raising funds for faculty support and infrastructure. Thanks in large part to donations from private citizens and corporate entities which came through the Foundation, the college was able to double the size of its library, open the $40 million Gateway Center, and construct the Virginia Marx Children’s Center.

Also, the Foundation manages the 600-member Volunteer Corps, the Native Plant Center, and the Alumni Association.

The Pathways Campaign, the largest fundraising campaign in the college’s history ($50 million), will raise funds for additional resources geared toward student success.

Click here for details on our weather delay and closing communications. We expect our students to be aware of how we get the word out during major storms.

LOWER HUDSON VALLEY ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND ENERGY CAREERS BUS TOUR PAVES THE WAY FOR BRIGHT FUTURES FOR REGION’S HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES

More than fifty Westchester educators are literally “getting on the bus” to learn about career pathways in Advanced Manufacturing and Energy and Utility Employment in New York’s Lower Hudson Valley on Tuesday, October 29. They will hear first-hand from industry partners including Safe Flight Instrument Corporation (White Plains), Magnetic Analysis Corporation (Elmsford), and Con Edison (Rye) about the many opportunities in these fields. The educators will then share what they have learned with the region’s high school students and parents.

The project represents a partnership between the Workforce Development Institute (WDI), Westchester Community College, Council of Industry (CI), Southern Westchester BOCES, and Westchester County Youth Bureau. There are over 29,000 employees in the energy sector and 14,000 in manufacturing in Westchester and Putnam, but unless students have someone who actively connects them to these industries – they may never learn about these careers.

The Educators Bus Tour is aimed at changing that by ensuring high school educators gain first-hand knowledge – and education, apprenticeship, and industry contacts — that they can in turn share with students, parents, and educators back in their districts.

“The region’s manufacturers are looking for innovative, hard-working employees at all levels – Production Workers, Machinist/Mechanical Technicians, and Mechanical Engineers to fill anticipated vacancies as 25% of the region’s manufacturing employees are 55 and older,” notes Harold King, President of The Council of Industry, the region’s manufacturer’s association. Similarly, the energy and utility sector is projected to have 9% employment growth between 2019 and 2029, and looking for talented, technical, service-oriented workers for positions as General Utility Worker, Electrical Technician, and Management Associate.

“Employees in these industries share similar technical skill sets. These skills are critical to the economic vitality of the region and represent rewarding career paths that the rest of society depends on,” says Westchester Community College President Belinda S. Miles.

“The Lower Hudson Valley is particularly fortunate to have a range of ways that interested parties can “get on the bus” to great career in manufacturing or the energy/utility industries, “says Ed Murphy, Executive Director of the Workforce Development Institute, which was instrumental in bringing the group together.

Programs of note include:

• Westchester Community College offers workforce training, certificates and associate degrees in mechanical, electrical and civil technologies as well as related degrees with multiple entry/exit points to start a career, upskill, or work towards a bachelors degree in engineering
• The Council of Industry is the starting place for apprenticeships in manufacturing that pairs hands-on apprenticeship learning with earning a certificate, degree or other workforce credential, as well as a wide range of continuing education and leadership programs for the industry
• Southern Westchester BOCES offers education training programs geared toward workforce preparation, industry recognized certification and pathways to post-secondary education and training through the Center for Career Services and the Center for Adult and Community Services
• Workforce Development Institute is a key workforce partner for both manufacturing and energy sectors in the region and in New York State

Interesting Facts

• Putnam and Westchester are home to an estimated 680 manufacturing firms and serves the aerospace, biotech, electronics, and chemical/pharmaceutical sectors along with dozens of other specialties.
• Putnam and Westchester manufacturers generate over $50 billion in annual earnings.
• Energy careers have multiple entry points at all levels of education.
• Our region has a wide range of energy systems in place – electrical, gas, steam and solar – to generate and distribute energy.

Members of the media are invited to attend this event.

See photos from the event

The ceremony celebrated two new agreements with SUNY Delhi:

Westchester Community College/SUNY Delhi Transfer Agreement
Westchester Community College/SUNY Delhi Online Nursing (RN to BSN) Program Transfer Agreement

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Westchester Community College has signed a new comprehensive transfer agreement with SUNY Delhi, guaranteeing students who complete one of 19 associate degrees at Westchester a seamless transfer into one of 13 corresponding bachelor programs at SUNY Delhi.

With this agreement, Westchester Community College students graduating from an associate program with a minimum of 2.0 grade point average will be directly admitted into a bachelor program at SUNY Delhi. SUNY Delhi’s nursing program requires a 2.8 GPA or higher and the Veterinary Technology program requires a 3.0 GPA or higher. A maximum of 64 credits will be applied toward the completion of the bachelor program at SUNY Delhi.

“This extensive agreement encompasses a very diverse set of academic programs, thereby allowing students from Westchester Community College the opportunity to transfer seamlessly into any one of our five academic schools at SUNY Delhi,” said SUNY Delhi Provost Kelli Ligeikis. “The combined efforts of Westchester Community College and SUNY Delhi will open doors and ensure long-term pathways for educational success for our students.”

“SUNY Delhi is pleased to offer Westchester Community College students an excellent, affordable transfer option to continue their education in one of our outstanding bachelor programs,” said Misty Fields, Associate Director of Admissions at SUNY Delhi. “The agreement is unique due to the multitude of programs it covers, especially in the areas of applied sciences and applied technologies. We are confident that Westchester Community College students will thrive in the student-centered learning environment at SUNY Delhi,” she says.

“Our main goal is to help students succeed. Expanding our transfer pathways with new agreements with four-year institutions helps our students move on toward promising opportunities in the classroom and the workplace,” says Westchester Community College Vice President of Academic Affairs Vanessa Morest. “This is another step toward our mission to simplify and redesign the student experience. The agreement will make it easier for our students to achieve their dreams,” she adds.

To encourage students to take advantage of the new partnership, SUNY Delhi will award two one-time $1,000 SUNY Delhi/Westchester Community College Pathways Transfer Scholarships to a student who resides on campus and a student enrolled in an online program. The scholarships require each student to maintain full-time student status with a cumulative GPA of 3.0.