June 27th
Spook Rock Golf Course
Suffern, NY
Sign up includes full round of Golf (Continental Breakfast & BBQ Lunch) followed by Cocktail hour and full dinner.
Learn more here.
Suffern
Suffern is a village that was incorporated in 1796 in the town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States. Suffern is located 30 miles northwest of Manhattan.[4] As of the 2010 census, Suffern's population was 10,723.
Fifth graders learn about plants and seeds in Suffern
Stuart Leventhal, owner of Down to Earth Living in Pomona, showed Mrs. Henry and Mrs. Hooper’s 5th grade classes at Lime Kiln Elementary School how to plant seeds and care for them as they grow into plants.
Each student planted their own to take home and also received a blooming plant as well.
Photos by Risa Hoag
RCC’s Esports Arena Celebrates Grand Opening
On May 10th, RCC students and staff celebrated the grand opening of the new Esports Arena. A gaming tournament followed the ribbon cutting with staff, faculty, and students facing off against esports players in their own game: Rocket League. In addition to teamwork and comradery, the arena offers the opportunity for high-end gaming.
Esports was launched at RCC in the spring of 2021 and in their second season competing in the NJCAAE, the SUNY Rockland Hawks Rainbow Six team went undefeated with a record 8-0, which earned them the #1 seed going into the playoffs. Competing against schools from all over the country, the Hawks never dropped a game making them the undisputed team to beat.
“The team had been playing remotely, but now we have the ability for everyone to be in the same room using the same technology.” says Dylan Griffith, Esports Coach. “It is a great step forward in making this team the top team at RCC, but it is more than just a place to play games. Before students enter the real world, they will need to know how to work with others in stressful and sometimes very fast-paced environments. Being part of an esports team helps you learn how other people work and how to work with them in these similar environments. More importantly for our students, esports is a place for like-minded individuals to come together and do what they love, which is game.”
For more information on Esports at RCC please visit https://rcchawks.com/sports/esports/index.
RCC to Receive Additional Funds through SUNY’s Educational Opportunity Program
(ROCKLAND/May 12, 2022) — Governor Kathy Hochul has announced the expansion of SUNY’s life-changing Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) to include four additional SUNY campuses: Cayuga County Community College, Corning Community College, Tompkins Cortland Community College, and Rockland Community College. This increases the total number of campuses to 54, with work continuing to ensure every campus provides access to EOP’s academic resources, mentorship, and financial aid.
“Access to affordable higher education makes a fundamental difference in the lives of our future leaders,” Governor Hochul said. “By expanding the Educational Opportunity Program, we are helping dismantle inequalities in our education system and giving every New Yorker a chance to pursue a quality education.”
SUNY expects to grow the program further with an additional increase of $5.2 million in the recently passed FY 2023 State Budget by expanding to additional campuses, opening 1,000 more spots for eligible students, and increasing the financial aid award for every EOP student.
“Rockland Community College’s Educational Opportunity Program will provide access, academic support, and supplemental financial assistance to make higher education possible for 100 first-time RCC students with tremendous talent but insufficient resources to break the cycle of generational poverty that has traditionally made higher education out of reach for some New Yorkers. All services to be provided by the program are designed to enhance student retention and success,” stated Dr. Bart Grachan, Vice President for Enrollment Management & Student Affairs
Based on extensive assessment of the needs and diversity in the Rockland County community and RCC’s success with similar projects like TRIO Student Support Services, RCC’s EOP includes a combination of counseling, tutoring, workshops, and pre-freshman services to enhance student retention and success among students who demonstrate academic promise, but whose life circumstances have not permitted them to reach their full potential.
Since SUNY announced its plan to grow EOP in October 2021, the system has:
- Established a $2 million Student Persistence Fund to help EOP students who are at the greatest risk of dropping out due to unforeseen financial circumstances during the academic year. Funding ranges from $50 up to a maximum of $2,000 per student. To date, nearly 1,000 students have received assistance.
- Increased funding for EOP students, which goes toward academic counseling, direct financial aid, and additional academic support—at most state-operated campuses, increasing to $2,800 per student, and the overall funding formula at most community colleges, increasing to $1,300 per student.
- Doubled SUNY’s Pre-Medical Opportunity Program to include 23 new students for the upcoming 2022 summer program. The investment covers student costs including instruction, transportation, and room and board.
- Launched the EOP Student Ambassadors Program with 21 student ambassadors to better support EOP students and help strengthen recruitment efforts by engaging EOP students in meeting prospective students.
Purchased 890 laptops to mitigate technology gaps for incoming students and hired 15 more EOP counselors across SUNY to assist EOP students as they work toward their college degrees
Students Begin Sixteen-Week Program to Become Ford Certified
Twelve RCC Automotive Students Were Inducted into Ford ASSET Program
ROCKLAND COUNTY, N.Y. (May 10, 2022) – RCC is pleased to announce that twelve of the students in its Automotive Technology Program signed their Ford ASSET Program Letter of Intent and began the training program on April 28th. The induction event took place at the Herbert Kurz Automotive Technology Center at 37 Ramland Road in Orangeburg.
ASSET stands for the Automotive Student Service Educational Training Program and is a partnership between the Ford Motor Company, Ford and Lincoln dealers and local participating community colleges. This unique program allows highly motivated students to get started on a career as a Quality Care Technician and is the only one with a paid internship allowing students to earn while they learn. Students alternate for six to eight weeks in the classroom and six to eight weeks with their sponsoring Ford or Lincoln dealer over a two-year period. At the end of the two years, they earn an associate degree and valuable dealer experience.
“I’m really excited to start the Ford Asset Program at RCC. Cars have been a big passion of mine since I was very little, and I know I can only go up from here,” said Brandon Ali, Senior at Pine Bush High School. “Setting my intent last night at the signing was a very good experience because it solidified my career path and future.”
Traci Brega, Dealer for Schultz Ford Nanuet, says they have gained many Ford-certified technicians who are trained and ready to work from day one. “We are involved with the students throughout the course of the program—we pair them up with a mentor so they are sure to understand their curriculum, and they graduate eager, bright-eyed and ready to work as certified technicians,” she says. “They may also migrate into parts, the service department, the showroom or become parts managers. They are gaining a valuable foundation that can be adapted to any position at the dealership.”
“The RCC automotive facility is state-of-the-art and the instructors are top notch,” Brega continues. “We have complete confidence in the graduates after going through the program. And it’s a cost-effective way to train technicians compared to other programs that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.”
RCC President Dr. Michael Anthony Baston notes that RCC uses cutting edge academic technology in its program and offers an AAS in Automotive Technology and Snap-on Industrial Certifications. “Our automotive technology program offers life-long learning opportunities to continually increase skills in the automotive industry and use the latest tools and equipment,” he says. “This learning experience provides the highest level of marketable skills in the automotive industry.”
The Herbert Kurz Automotive Technology Center is an NC3 National Leadership Member and considered to be a model facility. The 27,304 square-foot building includes five classrooms, a certification room and a Snap-on Certified Lab with 10 lifts and customized Snap-on equipment. For more information about RCC’s Automotive Program, visit: https://sunyrockland.edu/academics/school-of-stem/automotive-technology/