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WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE HOLDS YONKERS COMPUTER SITE RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY ON NOVEMBER 28, 2001

Westchester Community College will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for members of the community, business leaders, and the media at its latest off-campus location in the Cross County Shopping Center in Yonkers on Wednesday, November 28 at 10:00 a.m. The main focus of this new site is computer technology, but it also offers English as a Second Language courses, in addition to courses for mature citizens. Day, evening, and weekend classes have already begun at this newly renovated 10,000-square-foot site at 6 Xavier Drive, which boasts six computer labs and two classrooms,.

"This site heralds a radical departure for the college," says Dr. Joseph N. Hankin, President of Westchester Community College. "For the first time, we are offering courses leading toward short-term certificates that can be earned in seven months. Students can get an accredited degree and start a career faster than ever before," he says. The site also offers extensive job placement assistance.

There are 125 computers in the new state-of-the-art labs and classrooms at the site, and the college offers a host of seven-week credit and non-credit courses. Classes at the new facility will help students earn short-term accelerated certificates (Computer Applications Specialist, Financial Office Specialist, and Help Desk Support) in three of the fastest growing fields in the burgeoning computer field.

Westchester County Executive Andy Spano notes that the Yonkers extension is the latest example of a large-scale effort to bring educational opportunities into local communities. "A community college should be just that - for the community. These sites allow us to reach out to those who have difficulty getting to the main campus, and ensure they are given an equal opportunity to learn," he says. "This site, focusing on computer technology, is particularly timely as more workers seek these skills," he adds.

The County Executive's support, along with the entire Board of Legislators (notably Bernice Spreckman), resulted in this new state-of-the-art facility in Yonkers.

In addition to the courses leading to various computer technology certificates, the college also offers a variety of credit and non-credit computer programming courses including Visual Basic, Object Oriented Design, and Java for Technology. Also, the new site is a Cisco Networking Academy training facility offering classes to prepare for the Certified Cisco Networking Associate exam and entry level positions in computer network administration. Cisco Systems, the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, allows for access to and transfer of information through computers. The college's Professional Development Center, which offers targeted quality training programs at affordable prices for Westchester businesses, also offers workshops, seminars, and education leading to degrees at the site.

Mainstream, The Institute for Mature Adults at WCC, offers educational programs for those 50 years and older. Mainstream courses at the Yonkers site are aimed at increasing the workplace skills of mature learners. The college, which already offers one of the Northeast region's largest English as a Second Language programs, is also offering a number of such courses in Yonkers.

Westchester Community College is the largest college in the county, with more than 28,000 students enrolled annually, and includes the largest Continuing Education Division in the State University of New York system. With this new combination of credit and non-credit courses in Yonkers, the college will further expand its impact on the community. WCC will provide significant economic stimulus to the city and the county by offering educational and training opportunities in the field of computer technology and other areas.

The college currently offers courses at its main campus in Valhalla and at various extension sites throughout Westchester and Putnam Counties including White Plains, Peekskill, Mount Vernon, Tuckahoe, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Shrub Oak, and Mahopac. Earlier this year, the college also opened a Health Sciences site in Ossining.

The Yonkers site will host an Open House for the public on January 14 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. For information, phone (914) 966-4010.