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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Heather.Shank@sunywcc.edu 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

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“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