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Scholarship Process Changes
We are making it easier for students to benefit from scholarships.
Gateway to Entrepreneurship GROW Conference
WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S GROW YOUR BUSINESS CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN NOVEMBER TO CELEBRATE GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK
November 1, 2019 (Valhalla, NY): Westchester Community College’s Gateway to Entrepreneurship (G2E) Center will host its annual GROW Conference in celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week on Friday, November 22 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the college’s Gateway Center located at 75 Grasslands Road in Valhalla, NY. This year’s Global Entrepreneurship Week will be held from November 18-24, 2019, and will celebrate innovators and job creators worldwide with activities and resources that will guide them to take the next steps on their entrepreneurial journey. The GROW Conference empowers small business owners throughout Westchester County and will feature a variety of workshops as well as a keynote address by Jason Robinson, Director of Marketing at UPS.
The GROW Conference, organized by G2E and the Westchester County Office of Economic Development, is the region’s largest gathering of business owners and professionals for the purpose of training for small businesses. Last year’s event attracted hundreds of participants and this year’s conference is expected to attract a similar number of attendees. GROW brings together local professionals through networking, mentoring, business development and marketing sessions for the purpose of building relationships to further their company’s growth. The full-day forum offers the details of growing your business and maximizing success, with a focus on networking, mentoring, business development and driving revenue. Attendees are able to tap into a network of like-minded business leaders, potential partners and resources, and hear from marquee-name professionals and innovators from Westchester and beyond.
Jason Robinson, Director of Marketing at UPS, will deliver the keynote at this year’s GROW Conference. In his position, he develops competitive strategies to support organizational business growth objectives in New York City and surrounding markets. Robinson advances the company’s awareness in competitive positioning for small to large businesses through market intelligence and portfolio assessments. During his keynote, Robinson will share how to foster strategic partnerships and networking across the business supply chain to maximize opportunity and disrupt the future.
“There are more than 35,000 small businesses in Westchester, and the college is committed to supporting these entrepreneurs,” says Westchester Community College President Belinda S. Miles. “Our economy needs these innovators and we are always interested in creating programs and events to help them thrive. The GROW Conference is an example of our dedication to helping to maintain healthy economic growth in the region,” she adds.
This year’s GROW Conference’s theme is One Day, New Ideas: Innovation & Disruption. Attendees at this year’s conference will learn new ideas for growing their businesses, disrupting the status quo, and be informed of innovative solutions to apply to their entrepreneurial efforts. Some of the workshop topics at this year’s GROW Conference includes: Business Disruption: How to Weather The Storm; Disrupt Your Money Habits To Reignite Your Business;, Selling on Amazon: Lessons Learned; The Value of Design Thinking; The Changing Retail Environment In Our Downtown; How Can Small Business Benefit From The Sharing Economy, and more.
The sponsors for the 2019 GROW Conference include: Business Council of Westchester, Candela Systems Corporation, New York Business Development Corporation, Tompkins Excavating, UPS, Westchester County Office of Economic Development, and Westchester-Putnam One-Stop Career Center. “We are grateful to have these wonderful organizations contribute to this special event,” says Eridania Camacho, G2E Director.
The GROW Conference is open to the public and tickets can be purchased online at growyourbusiness.eventcombo.com. for $110. The GROW Conference is free for all Westchester Community College students with a valid student ID. For more information about becoming an exhibitor or sponsor of the GROW Conference, please contact Eridania Camacho, G2E Director, at (914) 606-5616 or via email at eridania.camacho@sunywcc.edu. For general questions about the event, please contact Events To Remember at (914) 218-3968 or via email at EventsCJH@EventsRemember.com.
Outstanding Scholars
We welcomed new Honors students to the college. These sixteen students are in specialized, high level classes.
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Constitution Day
The Center for Applied Learning and Career Development held the 2019 program for Constitution Day. This year’s theme was focused on Immigration and the Constitution. Highlights of each session included a welcome from Dr. Miles, personal reflections by faculty, learning activities, musical selections and designed to stimulate deliberation in the classroom, social action and civic engagement.
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Pace University Transfer Agreement
Westchester Community College has signed a new transfer agreement with Pace University, allowing many students who complete their studies at Westchester Community College to matriculate into Pace with junior standing. The new agreement covers students in twelve Westchester Community College majors.
Westchester Community College students who graduate from those programs with an A.A. or A.S. degree and a minimum grade point average of 2.5 will be guaranteed acceptance to Pace. All students graduating from those Westchester Community College’s A.A. or A.S. degree programs will have their lower level general education/core requirements waived if they transfer to Pace.
For these students, all courses that receive a passing grade at Westchester Community College will count toward degree completion at Pace. For the transfer students, a maximum of 68 credits will be applied toward the completion of the relevant Pace Bachelor’s degree programs.
For Nursing students in particular, those graduating with an A.A. S. from Westchester Community College’s program are eligible to enroll in the Pace Registered Nurse Bachelor of Science Online Degree Program. Those with a grade point average of 2.75 or better will be guaranteed admission with junior standing. All Nursing students graduating from Westchester Community College will have their lower level general education/core requirements waived if they transfer to Pace. Nursing students transferring to Pace will receive a discounted tuition rate.
In addition, Pace will offer scholarships to select transfer students.
“The college is deeply committed to helping our students succeed. This includes strengthening our transfer pathways and forging new agreements with four year institutions. Such agreements truly help our students move on toward real opportunities in the classroom and the workplace as they transition from graduation here to bachelor’s degrees at Pace and subsequent careers in their chosen fields,” says Dr. Belinda S. Miles, President, Westchester Community College. “As we seek to simplify and redesign the student experience, this agreement makes it easier for our students to move on in their journeys toward success,” she adds.
“I’m thrilled to deepen Pace University’s partnership with Westchester Community College through this innovative agreement. Westchester Community College is our County neighbor and our partner in the mission to open doors and provide opportunities for our students,” said Pace President Marvin Krislov. “This partnership helps our future graduates strengthen their skills to complete in an ever-changing global economy.”
“Providing students with opportunities to fulfill their potential is not only a core philosophy at Pace, it’s also part of our academic DNA,” said Pace Provost Vanya Quiñones. “This agreement with Westchester Community College will be a transformative experience for students and creates a clear pathway for success.”
Great Chefs Culinary and Wine Series
The Westchester Community College Foundation is presenting its annual Great Chefs Series of wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, and three-course dinners. These tantalizing events co-sponsored by DeCicco & Sons and Wine Enthusiast will be held in the college’s state-of-the-art instructional kitchens and Culinary Dining Room on the Valhalla campus. 100% of funds raised from the series will benefit the Foundation’s scholarship fund and the college’s on-campus food pantry.
Host Chef Philip McGrath, Curriculum Chair of the college’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Program and former chef and owner of Iron Horse Grill, has assembled a stellar cast of local culinary celebrities who will create epicurean delights and teach you how to dazzle future dinner guests. The chefs will be assisted by the college’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management students.
The evenings begin with an exclusive wine tasting reception with specialists from Wine Enthusiast. Chefs will then demonstrate the how-to’s of each meal. Guests will enjoy the chefs’ creations paired with an accompanying wine, beer, or cocktail. Each guest will leave with a goody bag, recipes for dinner, and beverage pairing information.
Attendance at the Great Chefs Series will help support student scholarships and special programs that provide students with critical services. The Foundation raises resources to meet student and college needs not met by public funds and has awarded more than $25 million in scholarships to over 18,500 students since 1969. Support for tuition alone is not enough to help our students; for some, their everyday needs are not being met as they deal with food insecurity issues. The college’s food pantry was established in 2014 and provides meals and non-perishable food items for more than 1,000 students and their families. In 2018, the Great Chefs Series raised funds to distribute 250 Thanksgiving dinners to students in need.
Additional funds from this series created the “Great Chefs Scholarship,” an annual award for culinary students of excellence. The Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management curriculum leads students to careers, not only in restaurants, but also in commercial, on-site, and institutional establishments. Course work includes culinary arts, business management, work experience, and a basic liberal arts core. Culinary Arts and Management graduates move into positions in the field or transfer to four-year colleges to continue their studies.
Monday, October 7 at 6:00 p.m.
Sonora (of Port Chester). Restaurateur and author Chef Rafael Palomino is keenly aware of flavors people love and crave. Drawing from his childhood in Bogotá and many years in New York City and France, Chef Palomino will share techniques and recipes for cooking mouth-watering Latin inspired dishes. Beverage pairing provided by StilltheOne Distillery Two and Wine Enthusiast.
Monday, October 21 at 6:00 p.m.
Farmer and the Fish (of Purdys, Sleepy Hollow, NYC). Chef/Owner/Farmer Michael Kaphan raised the bar on “farm-to-table” dining by sourcing their restaurants with produce from their own five-acre farm in North Salem. Chef Kaphan will show why using fresh and local has been one of the main ingredients for their success. Beverage pairing provided by the Croton Tapsmith and Wine Enthusiast.
Monday October 28 at 6:00 p.m.
The Cookery (of Dobbs Ferry) and Eugene’s Diner and Bar (of Port Chester). Known for his boundary-pushing style and thoughtfully creative dishes, Chef David DiBari will showcase courses from his various restaurants. Joining Chef DiBari will be Sajin Renae of The Cookery and Chef Iulia Mahu of Eugene’s Diner and Bar who are the core strength behind the creativity, passion and kitchen operations at each restaurant. Beverage pairing provided by DeCicco & Sons and Wine Enthusiast.
Monday, November 4 at 6:00 p.m.
X20 Xaviar’s On the Hudson (of Yonkers). Join Chef Peter Kelly of the Xaviars Restaurant Group as he prepares a menu and cooking demonstration you can prepare at home for your next extravagant dinner party for family and friends. Beverage pairing provided by Midway Wine & Liquors and Wine Enthusiast.
Tickets for each event are $150. For details, please visit www.sunywcc.edu/greatchefs or contact Sue Mackey at sue.mackey@sunywcc.edu or 914-606-6558.
Blue and Gold Day
Students had a blast showing their Viking pride, playing games, getting caricatures, playing and listening to music on Blue and Gold Day.
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A Day of Remembrance
September 11, 2019 commemorates the 18th anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. We thank Phi Theta Kappa for once again providing an opportunity to gather together at the Memorial Garden for peaceful reflection and to honor all who have been affected by the events of that day. We acknowledge our veterans and those who have participated in community service projects during 9/11 National Days of Service. Our thoughts continue to be with colleagues, students, and all those impacted.
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