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1
2016 Study Abroad Program – Cambridge University Students and WCC Faculty
Dear Friends,
Happy New Year! I am delighted to share so much good news with you. In fact, this is our biggest newsletter to
date—the fall 2016 semester was truly bustling with activity! Along with dedicated faculty and staff, the stories
herein show how the Foundation’s many supporters play a key role in our students’ success. Indeed, last fall the
WCC Foundation received the 2016 Educational Fundraising Award for Overall Performance from the Council
for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). CASE Educational Fundraising Awards honor superior
fundraising programs at educational institutions across the country. The award letter said: “We congratulate
your staff, volunteer leaders and donors for notable achievement in advancing the mission of your institution.”
So, please know your wonderful support of Westchester Community College has been noticed and applauded
beyond the local neighborhood!
As winter turns to spring, we are energized by our students’ progress and activities, and honored by the
generosity you express in so many ways.
I hope to see you at a Foundation event this spring!
Westchester Community College FOUNDATIONEWS
11th Issue –January 2017
Dr. Belinda
Miles personally
welcomed
back students
on the first day
of classes for
the spring 2017
semester.
Sincerely,
Executive Director
2
WCC Is Recipient of $1 Million Grant
Westchester Community College has received a pioneering $1 million grant
from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. This grant will propel our student
success agenda by allowing us to replicate aspects of the City University of
New York’s celebrated Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP).
ASAP is the only recognized national model of community college reform that
is proven to dramatically increase the three-year graduation rate by removing
all impediments to degree completion. The selection puts the college at the
national forefront of community college reform and recognizes the institution’s
capacity for leading change. The grant requires the Foundation to raise
additional funds to provide student supports that alleviate financial barriers to
completion, and a most generous anonymous donor has committed $1.6
million for this purpose.
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Stepping up for Students
The Westchester Community Foundation (division of the NY
Community Trust) has awarded a $100,000 grant to support
the College’s StepUp on Campus program. The program
prepares high school students who are on track to
graduate but not college ready develop the skills they
need to be successful upon entering college. This grant is
helping to support the College’s major initiatives in college
readiness and persistence for Westchester County public
high school students. http://www.sunywcc.edu/stepup
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An Unexpected Emergency
The new Westchester Community College Foundation Emergency Aid
Program was established with a grant of $25,000 from the Gerstner
Family Foundation to assist students who have unforeseen financial
hardships that occur during the academic year and endanger their
continued enrollment. These hardships are generally financial
situations that are immediate and severe in nature and cannot be
remedied by Financial Aid, the Scholarship Office or the Benefits
Access Center. So far, the fund has enabled several students to stay
on track towards degree completion. http://www.sunywcc.edu/new-emergency-aid-program
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Excerpts from the Thank You Letters of Emergency Grant Recipients
”I wanted to express my immense gratitude with the WCC Foundation. It is not often that someone comes across an
institution willing to go above and beyond for their students. The WCC Foundation, along with this emergency aid award
have helped me come out of a very difficult situation and I am truly appreciative of this opportunity.” I was in danger of
dropping out of school because of a small financial hardship that became an unexpected obstacle. Thanks to this award, I
can now move forward and focus on my academics“ --- J.O. WCC Student
3
Helping Students Manage their Finances
The Westchester Community College Foundation has received a $75,000
grant from Autonomous Research U.S. to support the College’s Center for
Financial and Economic Education (CFEE). Autonomous Research joins
JPMorgan Chase & Co. in supporting CFEE’s Money Smart Forum, a
program that helps students build financial capability through financial
coaching and education. Last year over 500 students participated in
personal finance classes or workshops offered, including over 120 students
who took advantage of one-on-one financial coaching as part of the
Money Smart Forum. For more information, please click on the following
link: http://www.sunywcc.edu/continuing-ed/gateway-center/center-for-financial-and-economic-
education/
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Recognizing Student Scholars
On October 6, 2016, almost 1,000 students, scholarship donors, and
other supporters packed the
Physical Education Building to
celebrate student scholarship
awards. Students and their
benefactors were seated together
at tables where students shared
educational goals and their plans for the future.
During the course of the ceremony, a number of
students were invited to come up to the podium to speak about their love for WCC
and how scholarship support is making a big difference in their lives.
Surprise, surprise! After a 25-hour trip from Australia, Katrina Riley (pictured right)
surprised her daughter Ashleigh at our scholarship event. Wow!
For more information about establishing a scholarship, please call (914) 606-8571
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We’re Not Spoofing Around!
Professor John Watkins and his students on the WCC CYBER Team are an impressive group! On January
21, Westchester Community College’s Cyber Team qualified at the regional level in the National
Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition. We were the only
community college in the event competing against several four-
year institutions in the northeast including Harvard, University of
Massachusetts, Alfred State, and the United States Coast Guard
Academy. Congratulations to Professor Watkins and our fabulous
students!
The 2017 Northeast Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition will be held at
Rochester Institute of Technology during March 17-19, 2017
4
The Trip of a Lifetime
One of the most remarkable opportunities about the WCC Honors Program is its study abroad program at
Cambridge University in England. Westchester Community
College is one of only three community colleges in the United
States to participate in this summer program. 2016 Cambridge
Scholar, Chante Thomas perfectly expressed this life-changing
experience in her letter of thanks to the donors of the program:
The two-week study program has exceeded my expectations.
From each class, to meeting new people during meal times,
along with the extracurricular activities with newfound friends
from all over the world, I must say that my life has transformed.
If I may say one more thing from intimacy of heart: There was a time long ago, where I used to dream of
going to Oxford, but now I can say, my dream came true at Cambridge.
Chante Thomas (featured front row left)
WCC student/2016 Cambridge Scholar
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Geodes: The Beauty of A Million Years
WCC President’s Council member and long-time scholarship
donor Robert (Bob) Wiener has “loaned” WCC a beautiful
display of geodes from his private collection. Bob has been
collecting these rocks for more than 40 years and his
collection exceeds more than 2,000 geodes.
Bob didn’t just choose random samples from his collection—
he looked for a cross-section of specimens from some of his
favorite mines around the world.
“I hope it will give [WCC students] a better visual and
academic understanding of one of the world’s greatest
riches,” said Weiner. “These treasures have come to us from
all over the world, just as many of the students at WCC have.”
L-R, Dr. Belinda Miles with Bob Wiener's son, Andrew Wiener
5
WCC Foundation Re-Launches GREAT CHEFS
The WCC Foundation re-introduced “Great
Chefs of Westchester Cook for WCC,” a series of
culinary events in the fall that features and
supports our students. This series of tantalizing
cooking demonstrations and three course dinners showcases some of
Westchester’s most celebrated chefs including: Chef Giuseppe Fanelli,
Chef Michael Schmutzer and
Chef Stacey Cohen, a graduate
of WCC’s Culinary program,
Brothers Louie and Anthony Lanza,
and Chef David DiBari. Proceeds
of the events helped to support
student scholarships and
Foundation programs. By popular
demand, the series will be repeated again in the fall. Please
contact Heather Shank by phone at (914) 606-6558 or via e-mail at
[email protected] if you would like to be on the
invitation list!
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Around Campus
Wave power, wind power, solar power or geothermal energy are
renewable energy sources.
Outside of the Technology Building, a Remote Power Unit (RPU) has been
donated to the college by Aris Renewable Energy, LLC, a New York City
based renewable energy firm. The Remote Power Unit (RPU) is a new
teaching tool that will help demonstrate the uses of renewable energy to
WCC students. This new technology will help supplement course lessons
on energy efficiency, energy conservation, wind power, solar power,
energy storage, and Internet/computer control of the RPU device.
Thank you to Aris Renewable Energy, LLC for this new teaching aid!
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Go Vikings
You may not know that WCC has a full schedule of varsity athletics teams that
continue to win awards and accolades. The new home of WCC Athletics is
now live at www.gowccvikings.com and has student-athlete bios, scores,
statistics, schedules, game stories and more! Can’t make it to a game?
Follow your favorite sport team and players all season long, as they
compete for conference, regional and national championships. Be on the
watch for outstanding individual achievements through our Viking of the
Week feature and through press releases celebrating seasonal honors.
Chefs Louie and Anthony Lanza with
WCC Foundation Board members Matt
McCrosson & Chef Phil McGrath
6
“ApPAWS” to the Vet Tech Program!
Established in the fall of 2011, WCC’s Veterinary Technician Program is
accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Committee of
Veterinary Technician Education and Activities. The A.A.S in Veterinary
Technology focuses on applying basic animal science, biological testing and
the study of animal behavior to assist the veterinarian in the care and health of
animals. This program exposes students to a variety of animal species and
prepares them for employment in a variety of animal-related settings including
veterinary hospitals, clinics and small offices, animal shelters and humane
societies.
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Dates to Remember
State of the College
WCC Valhalla Campus Hankin
Academic Arts Theater
February 9, 2017, 4:00 P.M.
The Native Plant Center’s Spring
Landscape Conference, “Going
Public: Native Plants Take Root from
Parks to Parkways
WCC Valhalla Campus
March 13 Classroom bldg. Room
200 from 8:30 A.M.–4 P.M.
Financial Education Day Gateway Center Saturday, March 18, 2017
Coming this Spring the 2017 Celebrity
Salon series.
Check your
mailboxes for
invitations in late
February
Events run April – June.
The Native Plant Center’s 18th annual
Native Plant Sale
WCC Valhalla Campus
April 29, 2017 10 A.M. to 1 P.M.
Please call the Foundation office for more information at 914-606-6670
Thank you for choosing to make a difference . . . .
“Getting this scholarship is a great honor for me and my family. It's much more than some money to
alleviate my financial difficulty; it encourages me to continue to pursue my career goal as a software
engineer. It also tells me that my hard work has really paid off and that I am seen as having potential for
the future of our community”.
Lijing Xu,
2016-2017 Carvel Scholarship Recipient