From the Desk of Executive Director Dolores Swirin-Yao
I am pleased to share some activities from a packed calendar of events on campus and in the community during the month of October.
On October 2, there was a tree dedication ceremony in memory of beloved longtime Modern Languages Professor Carlo Sclafani.
Our annual Lester M. Crystal President’s Forum was held on October 9. This year’s Forum, “The Future of Work — The Path Forward,” focused on the intersection of education, jobs and workforce readiness. Moderator Judy Woodruff, of the PBS News Hour, engaged an impressive panel of experts on this important topic. Speakers included John B. King, Jr., Chancellor of SUNY and former U.S. Secretary of Education; Angela Beatty, Chief Leadership & HR Officer at Accenture; and Cory Turner, Correspondent/Sr. Editor, NPR Ed. If you weren’t able to attend — or even if you were but would like to watch it again — you can access the recording via this link.
The PepsiCo Foundation is an important partner of SUNY WCC and the WCC Foundation, supporting Pepsi Uplift scholarships to break down barriers for WCC students from underserved communities and Pepsi S.M.I.L.E. transfer scholarships, renewable $25,000 scholarships for WCC students who are continuing their education by pursuing a bachelor degree. On October 16, we hosted an event celebrating 80 new Pepsi Uplift scholarships. In attendance were three alumni with important WCC/Pepsi connections: Jeff Clause, PepsiCo Foundation representative at the event, is a 1989 alumnus of SUNY WCC; Khayri West, Uplift/SMILE scholar, graduated in 2023 and will be working for PepsiCo in 2025; and Dave Berry, who is a WCC Foundation board member, co-chair of the Foundation’s Scholarship Committee, a WCC ’74 alum, our 2023 Viking Voyager Alumni Honoree, and a 5-year veteran of PepsiCo.
On October 22, our wonderful supporters at AWAH—American Women of African Heritage—made a check presentation of the group’s latest life-changing scholarship gift, this one for students returning to school to pursue a workforce certification in areas such as healthcare, IT, and advanced manufacturing. AWAH has been supporting students at SUNY WCC since 2007.
A group of volunteers from Regeneron spent the Day for Doing Good volunteer day on October 23 working in the Native Plant Center gardens.
SUNY WCC President Dr. Belinda Miles had a chance to chat with President Bill Clinton at a community event on October 27.
The Vikings Men’s Soccer Team made it to the Region 15 Semifinal match on Wednesday, October 30, making this the most successful WCC soccer team in a decade or more!
On October 29, Carol Capobianco and I presented to the Old Guard of Westchester, a social organization of retired business and professional men who meet for fellowship, recreation, mutual support and community service. I spoke about SUNY WCC, the WCC Foundation, and the economic impact of SUNY WCC on the Westchester Community, and Carol presented on the Native Plant Center.
The Native Plant Center Steering Committee conducted a strategic planning process to develop its plan for the next five years, with planning sessions on October 10 and October 31. Objectives were set in the areas of education, community outreach, land management, finance and operations and people—volunteers and staff. Thanks to Dr. Gene Buccini for facilitating the sessions on a pro bono basis.
On October 31, the Alumni Engagement Office welcomed our Golden Alumni—those who had graduated 50 or more years ago—to a luncheon cooked and served by our Culinary Arts students. The greatest turnout continues to be from the class of 1963! Because it was Halloween, we were encouraged to have fun and wear festive attire for the occasion.
