Valhalla, NY – February 23, 2023. SUNY Westchester Community College (SUNY WCC) and Manhattan College have signed a transfer articulation agreement to promote degree completion and facilitate the transfer process, enabling participating SUNY WCC students to matriculate into Manhattan College with junior standing.

SUNY WCC students who graduate with a minimum GPA of 2.5 will be guaranteed admission into Manhattan College and will transfer in with junior standing. A maximum of 60 credits will be applied toward completion of the articulated bachelor’s degree program. SUNY WCC students who earn their Associate’s Degree in any of 21 selected Liberal Arts and Sciences programs in business, communications, environmental studies, humanities or social sciences will have program to program articulation pathways available into related Bachelor’s Degree programs at Manhattan College. A complete list of transfer pathways is available at www.sunywcc.edu/manhattan-transfer.

Manhattan College offers robust institutional merit-based scholarships to provide affordable pathways for eligible SUNY WCC graduates to complete their bachelor’s studies. Scholarships are renewable, as long as students maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0, maintain full-time matriculated status and satisfactory academic progress towards a degree.

“SUNY WCC is dedicated to the continued success of our students,” said Dr. Belinda S. Miles, President of SUNY Westchester Community College. “This agreement with Manhattan College provides our graduates with the opportunity to seamlessly transfer to an excellent institution where they can continue their studies in a number of social science, humanities or business fields. Agreements such as this allow students to maximize their investment in themselves, develop the skills and knowledge that will help them enter the local job market well-prepared, and to become well-informed members of our community.”

“We are proud to partner with SUNY Westchester Community College and look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship,” said Brother Daniel Gardner, FSC, president of Manhattan College. ‘We are happy to welcome these capable and academically prepared students into the learning community of Manhattan College. I’m certain that they will make distinctive and meaningful contributions to our campus.”

Students interested in learning more about this transfer opportunity should visit www.sunywcc.edu/manhattan-transfer.

Valhalla, NY – April 12, 2023. SUNY Westchester Community College (SUNY WCC) student Joseph Goldstein has been awarded the prestigious Vanguard Award recognizing outstanding students pursuing career and technical educational (CTE) programs that are nontraditional for their gender. Joseph is one of eight SUNY community college students to receive this year’s honor.

Mr. Goldstein received this award based on his excellent 4.0 GPA, his work ethic, his passion for working with children, and his exemplary performance working as a teacher aide in a program with 3-year-olds who have special needs. He was nominated for this award by his mentor at SUNY WCC, Professor Mary Lou Sgro. He graduated SUNY WCC in December 2022 and is now a full-time teacher’s aide working with pre-schoolers who have special needs.

“I feel honored to receive the Vanguard Award and I thank Professor Sgro for nominating me,” said Mr. Goldstein, who lives in Dobbs Ferry, NY. “Society often views a field like Early Childhood Education as one that is traditionally for women, but I disagree. I want to be a role model for young children. Men bring a different perspective and a different energy to a learning environment. Men play an important role in early childhood education as a foundation to a child’s development. I encourage more men to pursue this field.”

“Joseph is an inspiration to me as well as to his peers,” said Professor Sgro. “I was impressed immediately when he was in my Early Childhood Development class. He transitioned easily to remote teaching in March 2020 and remained with me for three additional courses. Joseph is a model of excellence in scholarship and a steadfast commitment to teaching young children. He joins our profession where men are a minority and much needed. Joseph exemplifies the success of a Westchester Community College student. He truly deserves the Vanguard Award.”

The Vanguard Award is administered by the New York State Nontraditional Employment & Training (NET) Program, Center for Women in Government & Civil Society, and is sponsored by the NYS Education Department through a Carl D. Perkins grant.

SUNY Westchester Community College celebrated commencement on campus May 11, further affirming its re-emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic that had closed campuses across the country.

This year’s commencement was divided by school into three different ceremonies: the School of Math, Science and Engineering & the School of Health Careers, Technology and Applied Learning shared the 10AM ceremony, followed at 2PM by the School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and at 6PM by the School of Business and Professional Careers. Family and friends of the graduates filled the venue for each of the three ceremonies in the Physical Education Building.

SUNY Westchester Community College President Belinda S. Miles and members of the Board of Trustees spoke at each of the three ceremonies. They were joined at each ceremony by a featured speaker:

• 10:00 – Mr. Brandon Fernandez Sedano, Clinical Research Coordinator, Columbia University Irving Medical Center & SUNY WCC alum
• 2:00 – Ms. Tiffany Hamilton, CEO, YWCA of White Plains and Central Westchester
• 6:00 – Ms. Maria Trusa, CEO, Formé Medical Center & SUNY WCC alum

Winners of the SUNY Chancellors Award for Excellence, 2023 winner of the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship, Zefferino Carriero, and other honorees were among the graduates at the ceremony. Of the more than 1,200 graduates, many will transfer to four-year institutions including Columbia, Temple University, and Morehouse College as well as SUNY campuses and local colleges, while many others will enter the workforce in such fields as cybersecurity, nursing, fashion design, and digital filmmaking.

“This year’s commencement celebrated the tremendous achievements of our graduates who began their college studies during the worst days of the pandemic, as well as the dedicated efforts of our faculty and other employees to provide the support our students needed to reach this milestone,” said Dr. Miles. “This dedication, combined with innovative programs, has been a critical factor in the doubling of our graduation rate over the course of the past seven years.”

Have you Completed your Course Evaluation(s)?

The Course Evaluation Period is April 4th through April 25, 2023

Please take a few minutes to complete your course survey(s). Your feedback is important to your professors!

TO LOG ON, CLICK HERE http://www.sunywcc.edu/courseval

Use your WCC User Name and password to access your survey(s).

For help: MyWCCHelpdesk@sunywcc.edu or call 914 606-5600

Thank you for participating!

Providing Seamless Pathway to Bachelor’s Degrees for Area Residents

Valhalla, NY – February 23, 2023. SUNY Westchester Community College (SUNY WCC) and Manhattan College have signed a transfer articulation agreement to promote degree completion and facilitate the transfer process, enabling participating SUNY WCC students to matriculate into Manhattan College with junior standing.

SUNY WCC students who graduate with a minimum GPA of 2.5 will be guaranteed admission into Manhattan College and will transfer in with junior standing. A maximum of 60 credits will be applied toward completion of the articulated bachelor’s degree program. SUNY WCC students who earn their Associate’s Degree in any of 21 selected Liberal Arts and Sciences programs in business, communications, environmental studies, humanities or social sciences will have program to program articulation pathways available into related Bachelor’s Degree programs at Manhattan College. A complete list of transfer pathways is available at www.sunywcc.edu/manhattan-transfer.

Manhattan College offers robust institutional merit-based scholarships to provide affordable pathways for eligible SUNY WCC graduates to complete their bachelor’s studies. Scholarships are renewable, as long as students maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0, maintain full-time matriculated status and satisfactory academic progress towards a degree.

“SUNY WCC is dedicated to the continued success of our students,” said Dr. Belinda S. Miles, President of SUNY Westchester Community College. “This agreement with Manhattan College provides our graduates with the opportunity to seamlessly transfer to an excellent institution where they can continue their studies in a number of social science, humanities or business fields. Agreements such as this allow students to maximize their investment in themselves, develop the skills and knowledge that will help them enter the local job market well-prepared, and to become well-informed members of our community.”

“We are proud to partner with SUNY Westchester Community College and look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship,” said Brother Daniel Gardner, FSC, president of Manhattan College. ‘We are happy to welcome these capable and academically prepared students into the learning community of Manhattan College. I’m certain that they will make distinctive and meaningful contributions to our campus.”

Students interested in learning more about this transfer opportunity should visit www.sunywcc.edu/manhattan-transfer..

WHAT:

SUNY Westchester Community College (SUNY WCC) and Manhattan College have signed a transfer articulation agreement to promote degree completion and facilitate the transfer process, enabling participating SUNY WCC students to matriculate into Manhattan College with junior standing.

WHEN:

Thursday, February 23, 2023, 2:00pm

WHERE:

SUNY Westchester Community College Valhalla Campus, Davis Auditorium Gateway Center Building

WHO:

• Dr. Belinda Miles, President, SUNY Westchester Community College
• Brother Daniel Gardner, President, Manhattan College
• Dr. Vanessa Morest, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, SUNY WCC
• William Clyde, Executive Vice President and Provost, Manhattan College

BACKGROUND:

SUNY WCC students who graduate with a minimum GPA of 2.5 will be guaranteed admission into Manhattan College and will transfer in with junior standing. A maximum of 60 credits will be applied toward completion of the articulated bachelor’s degree program. SUNY WCC students who earn their Associate’s Degree in any of 21 selected Liberal Arts and Sciences programs in business, communications, environmental studies, humanities or social sciences will have program to program articulation pathways available into related Bachelor’s Degree programs at Manhattan College.

Contact:

Mark Stollar
Director, Strategic Marketing and Communications
SUNY Westchester Community College
914-606-6638
Mark.stollar@sunywcc.edu

SUNY WCC reaffirms commitment to student outcomes through hire of Dante Cantú, an equity-minded higher ed leader specializing in student success innovation.

Valhalla, NY – February 9, 2023. After an extensive search process, SUNY Westchester Community College has named Dante Cantú as its new Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs. In this role, Mr. Cantú will provide leadership and vision for a comprehensive student experience agenda designed to promote belonging, well-being, and achievement for the diverse student body at SUNY WCC, SUNY’s first Hispanic Serving Institution, the most diverse of SUNY’s 64 campuses, and an Achieving the Dream and Guided Pathways college.

Mr. Cantú has nearly 20 years in higher education, as well as years of organizational leadership in the private, not-for-profit and social sectors. Most recently, Mr. Cantú served as the executive director of academic advising and student success at SUNY New Paltz. In this role, Mr. Cantú provided administrative leadership for the University’s integrated advising and student support services while providing collaborative leadership for student success initiatives that are university-wide in scope.

At New Paltz, he worked closely with administrators, faculty, staff, and students to develop a coherent student advising system that is consistent with the institution’s educational mission, vision, and values, with the goal of enhancing the overall student experience for all students.

Mr. Cantú’s contributions in the areas of student learning, development and success have received national recognition. He has presented at regional and national conferences on a range of topics related to student success and retention, strategies for supporting non-traditional populations, and leadership development. He is actively involved with leading national and statewide organizations such as NACADA, the Gardner Institute, the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, NASPA’s Advising Success Network, and the NYS Student Success Center’s Coaching Academy.

“SUNY WCC is excited and fortunate to gain the services of such an accomplished college administrator,” said Dr. Belinda S. Miles, President of SUNY Westchester Community College. “Mr. Cantú’s extensive experience in enhancing a culture of success will be invaluable as SUNY WCC continues increasing student graduation rates and serving an increasingly diverse community.”

“I am truly honored and thrilled to join the SUNY Westchester Community College community as a member of Dr. Miles’s senior leadership team,” said Mr. Cantú. “SUNY WCC’s mission to provide a high quality education that is accessible and affordable resonates deeply with me, and I look forward to getting to know the many talented and dedicated members of the college community so that I can better understand the mission-driven work currently being done. I also look forward to cultivating partnerships across the institution that seek to build upon the institution’s traditions, its recent successes, and its unwavering commitment to an exceptional student experience to ensure the most prosperous future for WCC and the students we collectively serve.”

Mr. Cantú received his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and his M.A. from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study.

Arc of the Viral and Moral Universe Notebook Project, 2022 New York, November 29, 2022.

The Center for the Digital Arts Gallery of SUNY Westchester Peekskill is presenting Arc of the Moral and Viral Universe Notebooks on view from February 1 through April 26, 2023. The opening reception will be on Thursday, February 16, 2023 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, the public is welcome. 

I do not pretend to understand the moral universe, the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways.  I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience.  But from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice. –Theodore Parker, 1853

“Deeply concerned about the trajectory of justice in our country in 2018, I found Theodore Parker’s (1853) words recurring in my mind.  Does it indeed bend towards justice?” — Carla Rae Johnson (2022)

Johnson put out a call for participants in a notebook project to address the “Arc of the Moral Universe.”  That yielded more than 60 volumes filled with drawings, sketches, writing, lyrics, photos, montages, cut-outs, fold-outs, and abstractions documenting one year in each of their lives.

In 2020, Johnson confronted the reality of a world-wide viral pandemic and the “Arc of the Viral Universe” was the result.  She invited participants from another notebook project, plus 100 more creative individuals from all walks of life.  This resulted in over 30 bound volumes documenting daily lives, unease about the future, concerns for the planet, outrage at the effects of systemic racism, apprehensions about threats to democracy, and glimmerings of hope in the midst of the most challenging of times.  They confirmed her belief that “creative people are among the ones to register these events and respond in hopeful, compassionate, and positive ways.”

Carla Rae Johnson’s art includes drawing, sculpture, conceptual, performance, and installation art. Her work is connected to ideas and often addresses issues of social, political, and cultural import.  She is a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Drawing, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow in Sculpture, and the recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant.  Her work has been exhibited nationally and in New York City.

Ms. Johnson has an MFA and has been an arts educator for over 38 years.  She recently retired from her position as a Professor of Art at SUNY Westchester Valhalla where she taught from 2003 to 2016.  She is now delighted to devote her energies to art, full-time.

For more information about Carla Rae Johnson, please visit www.carlaraejohnson.org.  For more information on the Arc of the Moral Universe: A Notebook Project @thefirstnotebookproject and Arc of the Viral Universe @anotebookproject. You may also contact peekskill@sunywcc.edu or 914-606-7300 for opening reception information and viewing hours. For more information about The Center for the Digital Arts Gallery, please visit www.sunywcc.edu/peekskill

State-of-the-art facilities provide students in southern Westchester and northern Bronx convenient access to degree programs and student services.

Yonkers – November 14, 2022. SUNY Westchester Community College (SUNY WCC), in a continuation of its commitment to deploying innovative ways to extend access to higher learning, launched a new state-of-the-art location in Yonkers to expand pathways to high-demand jobs and workforce development for the growing college population. SUNY Westchester Yonkers, located in the Cross County Center, is easily accessible for residents of southern Westchester and northern Bronx looking to pursue degree programs or workforce training. Today’s ceremonial ribbon cutting marks a new era for SUNY Westchester’s partnerships in Yonkers.

SUNY Westchester Yonkers offers a full array of student services, over 130 classes, and courses for selected associate degree programs. Its high-tech facilities include HyFlex Classrooms configured to support a flexible teaching environment utilizing advanced equipment that enables face-to-face and synchronous online learning simultaneously. The new location includes a fashion design lab for students who want to earn a degree in Fashion Design & Technology, as well as computer and science labs.

Other programs offered at SUNY Westchester Yonkers include Criminal Justice, Business Management and Liberal Arts. Workforce development and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs are also offered. Additionally, students have access to clubs, student support services, and academic support.

“Supporting students where they live and work is essential to the SUNY WCC experience,” said Westchester County Executive George Latimer. “I am proud of our efforts to freeze tuition and expand services so the residents of southern Westchester can have even more opportunities to better themselves and their families both now and for generations to come.”

“This partnership with SUNY Westchester allows students to continue achieving academic excellence while training to develop important skills required for the workforce,” said Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano. “This location opens the door to students in Yonkers and the surrounding areas to experience education in a setting unlike any other. I am confident the City of Yonkers can offer internship and job opportunities for students to continue to grow.”

“SUNY Westchester Community College has a mission of providing high quality education that is accessible and affordable,” said Dr. Belinda S. Miles, President of Westchester Community College. “Our new Yonkers location makes the most affordable college in the region geographically convenient for the thousands of residents in southern Westchester and the northern Bronx who seek a high-quality post-secondary education and gain high-demand middle skills jobs.”

“We are thrilled to welcome SUNY Westchester community to Cross County Center,” said Craig Deitelzweig, president and CEO of Marx Realty. “Cross County Center operates as a ‘town square’ for the community and we believe SUNY Westchester’s expansion and commitment to the Center will further its success and add to its dynamism and vibrancy.”

“SUNY Westchester Community College has been a long-time tenant at Cross County Center, and we are delighted by their continued expansion and success” added Jim Stifel, Executive Vice President, Benenson Capital Management.

SUNY Westchester Yonkers, located in Cross County Center at the intersection of Route I-87 and the Cross County Parkway, is easily accessible via public transportation or by car with ample free parking. Registration is open for spring classes that begin January 17.

For more information about programs and services at the SUNY Westchester Yonkers call 914-606-7100 or visit www.sunywcc.edu/yonkers.

Interim results of rigorous randomized control trial show impressive performance of a new program based on City University of New York’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs

MDRC and SUNY Westchester Community College (WCC) announced new study results evaluating a comprehensive student support program that substantially increased student success.

SUNY WCC’s Viking ROADS (Resources for Obtaining Associate Degrees and Success) increased full-time enrollment levels for participating students by up to 20 percentage points over students in a control group, and increased credit attainment by roughly 3 credits over the first two semesters. Taken together, these findings suggest that the program enabled more students to persist and take more credits than they would have otherwise. In addition, students were able to manage this increased course load and make faster progress toward graduation.

Viking ROADS is an opportunity program that helps motivated students graduate with an Associate Degree in three years or less. In exchange for full-time study and fulfilling program requirements, students receive personalized advising and financial and academic support. Among the eligibility requirements for participating in the program, students must be a New York State resident, be a first-time student in a college or a continuing/transfer student with no more than 18 credits and at least a 2.0 GPA, and enroll in an eligible major. Over 70% of the students involved in the study identified as Black or Latinx, and more than 30% were the first in their family to attend a college or university.

“At a time when an increasing number of community college students were diverted from their studies due to the hardships imposed by the pandemic, SUNY WCC’s Viking ROADS program demonstrated significant success in guiding and encouraging students to achieve their academic goals,” said Dr. Belinda S. Miles, President of SUNY Westchester Community College. “SUNY WCC’s commitment to academic success is evidenced by our increasing graduation rate overall. The results of this Viking ROADS study, along with our other opportunity programs, confirm that SUNY WCC has the tools in place to continue this positive trend that has such critical importance in the lives of our students, their families, and our region’s economic growth.”

Viking ROADS, launched in 2018 with major support from Arnold Ventures and an anonymous WCC Foundation donor, is based closely on the successful City University of New York’s (CUNY) Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP), a comprehensive community college program that doubled three-year graduation rates in prior evaluations in New York City and Ohio. SUNY WCC received technical assistance from CUNY during the study replication.

Like CUNY ASAP, Viking ROADS offers students a comprehensive, integrated, three-year package of support including:

1. Academic and career support: a dedicated academic counselor, tutoring services, career services, and summer college orientation
2. Financial supports: a scholarship that covers the gap between grant aid and tuition and fees, a monthly transportation voucher, and an annual textbook stipend of $500
3. Specialized course enrollment options, including reserved seats in select first-year courses

To receive these benefits, Viking ROADS students are required to enroll full time at WCC, complete required developmental courses within the first year, and use support services monthly.

“What is striking about the Viking ROADS’ early findings is how remarkably similar they are to the impacts we saw here at CUNY with ASAP and within the ASAP replication in Ohio,” said Donna Linderman, CUNY Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. “This serves as another demonstration of how powerful the ASAP model can be across varying implementation settings.”

Anyone interested in applying to SUNY Westchester Community College should visit www.sunywcc.edu/admissions

About The City University of New York

The City University of New York is the nation’s largest urban public university, a transformative engine of social mobility that is a critical component of the lifeblood of New York City. Founded in 1847 as the nation’s first free public institution of higher education, CUNY today has seven community colleges, 11 senior colleges and seven graduate or professional institutions spread across New York City’s five boroughs, serving over 243,000 undergraduate and graduate students and awarding 55,000 degrees each year. CUNY’s mix of quality and affordability propels almost six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all the Ivy League colleges combined. More than 80 percent of the University’s graduates stay in New York, contributing to all aspects of the city’s economic, civic and cultural life and diversifying the city’s workforce in every sector. CUNY’s graduates and faculty have received many prestigious honors, including 13 Nobel Prizes and 26 MacArthur “Genius” Grants. The University’s historic mission continues to this day: provide a first-rate public education to all students, regardless of means or background.

About MDRC

MDRC, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, is committed to finding solutions to some of the most difficult problems facing the nation — from reducing poverty and bolstering economic mobility to improving public education and college graduation rates. MDRC designs promising new interventions, evaluates existing programs using the highest research standards, and provides technical assistance to build better programs and deliver effective interventions at scale.