EDBLog – Westchester Community College Foundation

From the Desk of the Executive Director, Dolores Swirin-Yao

Academic Convocation

Academic Convocation is the official start of the academic year presented by the Faculty Senate. Highlights included the presentation by Dr. Miles of Chancellor’s Excellence Awards (including one to our own Senior Director of Development Ilene Lieberman); awarding by WCC Foundation Chair Cornelia Spring of Foundation-sponsored Faculty Excellence Awards; presentations of years of service awards by Faculty Senate Presiding Officer Kamil Hamaoui; introductions of new hires; and comments by the leadership of the Faculty Senate, Student Government Association, Staff Council and WCC’s administrative leadership.

Students kick off the school year showing off the school colors on Blue and Gold Day.

Our Student Involvement Fair demonstrated the wide variety of activities available to students on campus, and the Campus Service Fair informs students of the many resources offered.

I love starting each semester with a volunteer shift, joining my colleagues at one of the Welcome Tables, helping new students to find their way around campus and providing information on students activities. The snacks and beverages are also appreciated!

Members of the WCC Foundation Board of Directors and staff get a tour of SUNY WCC’s engineering labs from Professor Tom Curavonic.

The Workforce Development and Community Education division put on a Build Your Business Pitch Competition, where small businesses got to sell their business ideas to a panel of business leaders for cash prizes and even more valuable feedback and advice.

The ninth cohort of SUNY WCC’s Honors College.

Rosedale Nursery hosted our Native Plant Center again this year for free workshops provided by our volunteers and staff and a sale to benefit the Native Plant Center.

Zella Poccio taught a session on hands-on design drawing for SUNY WCC’s Native Plant Center’s community “Back-to-School” program.

Some fun events put on by the WCC Alumni Association included a Classic Car with over 130 vehicles to support scholarships for Division I & II Vikings student-athletes and a sold-out, hands-on lesson in drone flying.