WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From Westchester Community College (EDITED) November 20, 2004: The Westchester Community College Foundation today launched a $14 million capital campaign that will ensure the creation of the WCC's planned Gateway Center which is envisioned as an institution to aid immigrants into weaving seamlessly into the fabric of America.

 Dr. Joseph N. Hankin, President, Westchester Community College, told the audience. “No place like this exists that will provide the opportunity for foreign-born men and women to learn about America—its language, its history, its economy, citizenship and social makeup. Gateway Center, I expect, will become a model for other colleges across the country.”

The fund-raising campaign was announced at a media luncheon attend by a crowd of 200 that included state, county and local municipal officials, educators and leaders of the business community.

The College also revealed the exciting news that $6.2 million has been raised toward a goal of $14 million.

David Swope, Westchester Community College Foundation co-chair of the Campaign Steering Committee with Elinor Urstadt, cautioned that there was still a long way to go and that participation from all sectors—corporations, foundations and private individuals—was paramount to the project’s success. “The goals for the Gateway Center are clear and straightforward—providing the education, training and support that foreign-born men and women need to move forward. The Campaign is our opportunity to enable them to gain greater economic self-sufficiency and to enjoy productive participation in our democratic society.”

The College has thus far secured $12 million from New York State and $14 million from  Westchester County for the project. To complete it, the Westchester Community College Foundation will need to raise $14 million, $9 million for construction and $5 million toward programming and scholarships. The Gateway Center is expected to cost a total of $40 million and open in 2008.

Polshek Partnership, a world-renowned firm based in New York City, was named architect for the project with partners Susan Rodriguez (FAIA) and Tim Hartung (FAIA) leading the effort.

“We are proud to have Polshek Partnership on board to design what will be the gateway to our campus and a signature building for the college,” said Tim Carey, Chairman of the Westchester Community College Board of Trustees. “This will be the first sustainable building developed with the help of the Westchester County Government, following Governor Pataki’s vision of creating a harmony between the built and natural environments.” The Gateway Center will face the East Gate entrance, and it is hoped that its design will reflect the project’s mission by being a welcoming, embracing beacon for all who experience it.

The Gateway Center is intended to build upon the lessons learned by Westchester Community College during its long history of educating foreign-born students which today number 4,000 between those studying English and those pursuing degrees. The concept is grounded in the recent findings of a three-year study, conducted in partnership with the college and the Westchester business community, funded by a grant from the Hitachi Foundation.  The study identified priorities of foreign-born students seeking advancement, including English Language Learning (ELL), cultural training, technology education, a need for education, training and assistance acquiring “second jobs” or careers, and access to higher education.

The Gateway Center aims to respond to these finding by providing both core and advanced curricula, utilizing an interdisciplinary education approach. The Gateway Center will provide an expansion of existing resources and space. Included is a broader array of ELL courses and specialized training programs and support resources designed to afford men and women the opportunity to gain vitally needed knowledge and skills to develop a better understanding of the culture and systems of this country. The Center will promote interaction among foreign and native-born students, volunteers, and the general college population, to engage these new members of the community in the American college experience while bringing their cultural and linguistic richness to the campus.

The Center will also lead in new directions, moving forward with fresh opportunities for these new residents to benefit from: specialized higher education, workforce development, citizenship, entrepreneurship, and more. At the same time, the program will promote interaction between foreign and native-born students as well as intergenerational learning between foreign-born students, senior learners and community volunteers. This synergy will bring cultural and linguistic richness to the campus, engaging these new members of the community more fully into the American college experience.

Finally, The Gateway Center will serve as a hub, sharing information and functioning as an educational resource center among other educational institutions, businesses and community based organizations serving immigrant populations. This capacity will enable the community to take a proactive approach to new challenges and to discuss educational issues, programs and policies of importance to the foreign-born men and women and all other members of this community.

“The Gateway Center will serve as a forum for new residents to share their culture, language and traditions with each of us—this is what has made America strong,” Dr. Hankin said.

Westchester Community College is widely recognized as one of the most comprehensive colleges educating foreign-born men and women. The college has been educating non-English speaking students since the mid-1980s, and today has the largest ELL program in the Hudson Valley Region.

With approximately 24,000 credit and non-credit students, Westchester Community College is the largest college in Westchester County and is consistently the number one college choice of high school graduates in the County.