August 17, 2017

JAMES R. JOHNSTON SCHOLARSHIP FUND PROVIDES SCHOLARSHIPS TO WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS; MAJOR PARTNERSHIP ESTABLISHES NEW PATHWAYS

The Westchester Community College Foundation has received a $100,000 grant from the Westchester Community Foundation to establish the James R. Johnston Scholarship Fund. The donor, the late James R. Johnston, wished to ensure that youth had no barriers to graduating from a community college. Significant scholarships will be offered to financially needy full-time students at Westchester Community College. These awards will provide one-half the cost of tuition and an additional stipend to cover half the cost of textbooks.

Johnston understood that education is the doorway to economic stability in our communities, and he was especially interested in the success of students from Irvington, Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, and Ossining (applicants from all parts of Westchester County municipalities will be considered for these scholarships). The awards will be automatically renewed for a second year, enabling students to graduate in a timely manner.

“We provide access to opportunity and are determined to help our students cross ‘the finish line’ and go on to jobs or transfer to four-year institutions,” says Belinda S. Miles, President, Westchester Community College. “This partnership with the Westchester Community Foundation through the Johnston Scholarships will help many in our community to achieve their dreams.”

Since 1969, the Westchester Community College Foundation has awarded more than $20 million to more than 16,000 students. But it strives to do even more. The college’s tuition remains among SUNY’s most affordable at $4,280 per academic year. Yet textbooks, transportation, and living expenses add to that total. For families with few or no resources these costs are almost impossible to cover, and can directly undermine student success.

“Since 2009, the Westchester Community Foundation has invested in innovative programs throughout Westchester to help young people achieve their goal of attending college. We are pleased to extend that support through Mr. Johnston’s generous legacy,” says Laura Rossi, Executive Director of the Westchester Community Foundation.

Through the generosity of its donors, the Westchester Community Foundation works to make Westchester a community that is just, compassionate, vibrant, and resilient.

Westchester Community College provides accessible, high quality and affordable education to meet the needs of our diverse community. We are committed to student success, academic excellence, workforce development, economic development and lifelong learning.

Recognizing that public education is a public responsibility, the Foundation raises private support to strengthen and enrich the educational life and environment of the college.

No tuition increase under Westchester Community College budget for 5^th Straight Year

County Contribution and Capital Spending to Increase for 2017-2018 School Year

For the fifth consecutive year, tuition for nearly 13,000 students at Westchester Community College will not increase under a proposed budget that was submitted by County Executive Robert P. Astorino to the Board of Legislators on Friday, July 17.

“Working closely with the college’s leadership, we are able to propose a budget that keeps tuition flat for the fifth year in a row,” Astorino said. “The college is where so many students go for a quality and affordable education so that they can make a better life for themselves and their families. We must find ways to keep public education affordable and a tuition increase would hurt far too many of Westchester Community College’s students.”

The $122 million operating budget for the 2017-2018 school year includes a $29.9 million sponsor contribution from the county, an increase of $67,000 over last year and $500,000 from the year before.

“We propose a budget that prioritizes an affordable and high quality education for Westchester Community College’s students and families,” said Dr. Belinda S. Miles, president of Westchester Community College. “No tuition increases for five years is notable within New York State and a testament to our collaborative partnership with Westchester County leadership.”

Westchester Community College’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved the college’s budget amid its deliberations about national trends in college affordability and financial challenges facing students.

Additionally, Westchester Community College’s capital budget includes $2.16 million for four projects, which include technology upgrades at several locations on-and-off-campus along with site improvements throughout campus and a proposal to assess planning and infrastructure needs going forward.

The Board of Legislators is scheduled to vote on the budget on August 7. The college’s fiscal year begins on September 1.

At the recent Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society national convention in Nashville, we came away with significant recognition. Student Ashleigh Riley won the Distinguished Officer award, Advisor Robin Graff won Distinguished Advisor, and the entire student team won the Distinguished Honors in Action Award.

Pictured here accepting the team award are Robin Graff, Michaela Rodican, Jessica Powell, Emily Ianuzzi, Jonathan Kimiadi, Iskra Hernandez, Steven Hyland (in back), Kevin Garcia, Ashleigh Riley, Rachele Hall (left to right).

Professor Hildy Oberstein shares news of her students receiving recognition at the New York State Society of Radiologic Sciences Annual State Meeting. The college team won first place in the academic bowl and third in the poster contest. The academic team was comprised of students Thomas Galeotti, Drew March, and Stephanie Santana. The poster contest participants were Teresa Migliore and Stephanie Santana. The Student Development Leadership Program winner was Yvonne Fontana, who was selected to attend the American Society of Radiologic Technologists Student Leadership Academy this month. Others attending the state meeting were students Nimatoulaye Barry, Raul Salazaar, Kadijatu Hassan, Ivelisse Giraldo and Clayon Morgan. Also, grads Nicole Robertson and Sara Fozard were honored and recognized for handling social media for the state organization. Professor Oberstein presenting the group’s President’s Lecture on the topic of mentoring.

WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE SIGNS TRANSFER ARTICULATION AGREEMENT WITH THE NURSING PROGRAM OF TOURO SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES AT NEW YORK MEDICAL COLLEGE  – NEW LOCATION BEGINNING FALL 2017 IN VALHALLA, NEW YORK

Westchester Community College, State University of New York, and Touro School of Health Sciences/New York Medical College (NYMC) have combined efforts and collaborated on a new pipeline from the associate’s degree to bachelor’s degree studies in nursing. An agreement between the two colleges was publicly signed on the Valhalla campus of Westchester Community College on Thursday, May 18.

Due to the new partnership, all of Westchester Community College’s graduates of the Associate’s of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in Nursing with a grade point average of 2.5 or better will be given full consideration to the Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) program offered by Touro/NYMC.. New this coming fall 2017, Touro School of Health Sciences will deliver the RN to BSN program on the NYMC campus in Valhalla, New York.  NYMC is a member of the Touro College and University System.

This agreement ensures a smooth transfer experience for students and guarantees junior status for graduates of the A.A.S. degree in Nursing from Westchester Community College. In addition, students can transfer in up to 90 credits to Touro/NYMC, allowing them to take additional requirements at Westchester Community College while enrolled with Touro/NYMC. This generous transfer policy will keep the cost affordable for students.

“This partnership will help our graduates achieve a seamless transfer to Touro College” says Dr. Belinda S. Miles, President, Westchester Community College.  “Last week, we celebrated the college’s largest commencement ceremony with a record number of graduates, many of whom are going on to four-year colleges and universities. With this new agreement with Touro, we have created an exciting new pathway for our graduates. At next year’s commencement, we expect to be congratulating students who will be continuing their studies at Touro College.”

“From 1937 to 1962 NYMC graduated nurses from our Flower Fifth Avenue School of Nursing,” said Edward C. Halperin MD MA, Chancellor/CEO of NYMC and Provost for Biomedical Affairs of Touro. “We are proud to return to the education of nurses at NYMC as a member of the Touro family and in partnership with WCC.”

“The NYMC RN to BSN Program will prepare Registered Nurses for enhanced roles in nursing. By bridging academia and practice, the curriculum is focused on inter-professional education. The collaboration between the new program and NYMC will foster professional education with other students in healthcare professions,” said Sandra Russo, Chair and Director of Nursing at Touro School of Health Sciences.

“The articulation agreement between Westchester Community College and Touro College will increase access and opportunity for our community college students and clearly define pathways to success. This agreement will facilitate the completion of a bachelor’s degree in nursing for many of our students,” says Lynette DeBellis, R.N., M.A., Assistant Professor of Nursing, Chairperson Department of Nursing, Westchester Community College.

For more information on the program, please visit http://shs.touro.edu/nursing/.

The Touro College and University System

Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 18,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has 29 branch campuses, locations and instructional sites in the New York area, as well as branch campuses and programs in Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College; Touro University California and its Nevada branch campus; Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division; as well as Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Ill. are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please visit www.touro.edu/news.

New York Medical College

Founded in 1860, NYMC is one of the oldest and largest health sciences colleges in the country with more than 1,400 students, 1,300 residents and clinical fellows, nearly 3,000 faculty members, and 19,000 living alumni. The college, which joined the Touro College and University System in 2011, is located in Westchester County, New York, and offers degrees from the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences, the School of Health Sciences and Practice, a School of dental medicine and a School of nursing. NYMC provides a wide variety of clinical training opportunities for students, residents, and practitioners. For more information, visit www.nymc.edu.

Westchester Community College

Westchester Community College is the largest college in Westchester County, New York enrolling approximately 13,000 credit and an additional 13,000 non-credit students annually. The institution boasts more than sixty academic programs. The college has implemented a new academic organization to help guide students toward their degrees more quickly and more affordably. With student success in mind, Academic Affairs changed from Divisions to Schools with Guided Pathways to help students more easily navigate college systems, processes and degree requirements. The four Schools are Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Business and Professional Careers; Health Careers, Technology and Applied Learning; and Mathematics, Science, and Engineering. Each School offers “signature experiences” for students including special clinicals, mentorships, and internships. For details on the college, visit www.sunywcc.edu.

The League for Innovation in the Community College has named Westchester Community College’s Coaching Connection Program as a 2017 Innovation of the Year winner. Established more than thirty years ago, the League’s Innovation of the Year competition was devised as a way to recognize significant innovations at member colleges.  These innovations reflect capstone achievements and the continuing renewal of the spirit of innovation and experimentation at some of the nation’s top community colleges. The award is designed to recognize faculty, staff, and administrators who have created and implemented innovative programs, practices, partnerships, policies, and activities that improve the institution’s ability to serve students and the community.

Westchester Community College is among 53 colleges named for this national competition in 2017.

The Coaching Connection Program provides a personal connection with students to support them through graduation and beyond. Through collaboration with curriculum chairs, faculty and staff, coaches provide targeted outreach to students in need of support services and make referrals to resources across campus while also following up with students to ensure they received individualized support.

Westchester Community College President Belinda Miles stated that, “The Coaching Connection initiative contributed to a 42% increase in our IPEDs graduation year in just two years. This award honors the dedication, commitment, and excellent work of our faculty and staff on behalf of student success at the college.”

In the last two years, Westchester Community College has graduated two of its largest classes since 1946. The college is growing its curriculum, reaching further into the communities to provide access to learning and opportunity, and is laser focused on providing excellent student-centered services.

“Our Coaching Connection Program is one of several initiatives that connect students with necessary services to help students make progress through the curriculum and graduate on time. We are committed to meeting students where there are and our goal is to be a true partner with our students as they fulfil their academic journeys here at the college” stated President Miles.

Support for the development/production of this material was provided by a grant under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 administered by the New York State Education Department.

For more information on the award read here: http://special.league.org/league/competitions/innovations/display/mdisplay/detail.cfm?ioy=2017&ioyid=215

Library Jeopardy is an informative and interactive game presented by Westchester Community College librarians to all new and transfer students during New Student Orientation, August 8-10! Modeled after the original television show, it provides a fun and innovative way to introduce students to all of the resources and services available at the Harold L. Drimmer Library.

Student team members collaborate to provide correct answers to questions in five different categories, all related to areas within the library, including How to Get Help, Locations in The Library, and How Do I?

Giveaways and prizes are included.

To sign up to attend New Student Orientation, please visit www.sunywcc.edu/orientation.  All first-time, full-time students at WCC are required to attend. All other are strongly encouraged.  Questions about New Studetn Orientation should be directed to getinvolved@sunywcc.edu or 914-606-6731.

The Cambridge Summer Study Abroad Program, an educational opportunity for Honors students enrolled at Westchester Community College, is now in its 15th year.

170 students have been selected since 2003 to study for two weeks in July at the prestigious Cambridge University in England. This year’s group of 13 students includes those studying Liberal Arts, Business, and Nursing.

Meeting with the faculty member teaching either Cambridge Studies in History (Honors), Cambridge Studies in Literature (Honors) or Cambridge Studies in Science in January, the students develop an individual learning plan of activities before, during and after Cambridge.

During the Spring semester, the students also participate in seminars to orient them to living and studying at Cambridge University.

Competitive scholarships to help defray the cost of the program are available through the Westchester Community College Foundation.

After flying from JFK airport in New York to Heathrow Airport in London, the students live in single rooms in one of the Colleges at Cambridge taking their breakfast and dinner each day in the College Hall. In the living and dining facilities, as well as in their classes, the students will meet other students from all over the world who have come to study at Cambridge. The distinguished faculty for these courses and plenary lectures are from Cambridge University, from other Universities in Britain, the Commonwealth, and the European continent.

During the two week program, the students will function on a daily basis learning about the customs, currency and culture of this foreign country.

Two Westchester Community College faculty members (usually two of the three teachers of the college’s Honors courses) accompany the students. One brings the group over and remains with them for the first week. The second arrives later, assumes the responsibility of mentoring the students, and returns with the students on the group flight on the day after classes end. While at Cambridge the faculty members visits the classes of the students and confers with other accompanying and teaching faculty from the across the world. More than a dozen Westchester Community College faculty members have served as mentors at Cambridge over the years.

Dr. John F.M. Flynn, Director of the Cambridge program, notes that “the most frequently used term by the returning students about the program is that this experience was ‘life changing’. It combines rigorous academic study with independent travel abroad and the opportunity to meet other students from all over the world.”

M&T Bank recently granted $10,000 to Westchester Community College Foundation to renew their scholarship support. The M&T Bank Scholarships are awarded to students enrolled in business curricula who demonstrate community involvement, academic achievement, and financial need. Since 2013, nine students have benefited from their generosity and another four students will be selected for the upcoming fall 2017 semester.

Frank Micalizzi, Regional President and Steve Cavazuti, VP for Government Banking presented the donation on behalf of M & T Bank. The WCC Foundation is grateful for M&T Bank’s loyal support and looks forward to welcoming them back to campus on October 5th for the Annual Scholarship Recognition Ceremony.

Westchester Community College provides accessible, high quality and affordable education to meet the needs of our diverse community. We are committed to student success, academic excellence, workforce development, economic development and lifelong learning.

Pictured (from left to right): Eve Larner, WCC’s VP of External Affairs and Foundation Executive Director; Frank Micalizzi, Regional President, M&T Bank; Dr. Belinda Miles, President, WCC; Lisa Mitzner, Chief Financial Officer, WCC Foundation; Steve Cavazuti, VP Government Banking, M&T Bank

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Kristina M. Johnson as the incoming Chancellor for the SUNY System. President Miles on the new SUNY leader:

“Dr. Johnson reflects a real understanding of the role community colleges play in providing broad access and opportunity for individuals entering the higher education pipeline. Her vision for expanded innovation in teaching and learning will engage and inspire learners as they seek opportunities to transfer or earn credentials for entry to the workforce.”

Background on Dr. Johnson:

http://www.suny.edu/suny-news/press-releases/04-2017/4-24-17-chancellor-kristina-johnson/