Mission and Goals

Westchester Community College is more than just the county’s largest educational institution. It is a living, breathing part of Westchester that goes beyond the influence of a typical college and affects the lives of all who enter its doors.

College Mission Statement

The mission of Westchester Community College is to provide high quality, affordable education to meet the career, transfer, basic preparatory, vocational, and recreational needs of the Westchester community. We are accessible, adaptable, dedicated to lifelong learning, and sensitive to the individual needs of our diverse population.

Goals of the College

Accessibility

To be accessible to any resident of the County desiring an education, full-time or part-time, credit or non-credit, and in doing so, to reflect the multi-ethnic and multi-generational character of Westchester residents in our student body by:

Identifying and providing support for the academic, social, emotional, financial, and physical needs of students in order to encourage attendance and success at the college.

Establishing programs at times and places appropriate to the needs of county residents.

Informing the community of our mission and programs and establishing a reputation for excellence.

Program Offerings

To offer both short- and long-term programs to meet the varying and changing needs and interests of our constituents by:

Creating and maintaining programs which maximize transferability to both SUNY and private colleges.

Establishing occupational programs which not only provide immediate jobs, but also enable individuals to maintain or enhance their professional qualifications through licensing and certification courses.

Providing training/professional development in conjunction with local industries and governmental and educational agencies.

Offering educational, cultural, and athletic programs to acquaint individuals with an understanding of their own potentials, both as spectators and participants.

Lifelong Learning Environment

To maintain an environment that fosters broad-based intellectual and social honesty, to help develop a responsible citizenry with capabilities for critical thinking and informed decision-making by:

Mandating common curriculum experiences stressing those areas of knowledge and skill which form a base for establishing lifelong learning patterns.

Providing programs and modeling behaviors that stress openness, fairness and acceptance of human differences.

Teaching students methods of dealing with the socio-economic pressures of an increasingly complex society.

Offering excellence in teaching and ancillary services

Evaluation

To establish systems to regularly evaluate and improve these efforts.

History

Westchester Community College was founded in 1946 as the New York State Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences in White Plains. In 1957, the County of Westchester bought the 360-acre John Hartford estate in Valhalla and designated 218 acres for the community college.