Skip to main content

MCC Daily Tribune Archive

President's Wednesday Message


Last week, I asked you to share stories of “the other 90 percent”: the work we do day-to-day that makes the difference. Below I pull entries from my calendar this past week that illustrate the impact of your efforts. Here is an excerpt from my “other 90% diary.”

Tuesday, 4/26, 7:00 pm, SEIU Poetry Night: Kathy O’Shea’s students in a literature course sponsored by their union (199SEIU) share their favorite poems and the stories behind their choices. They reveal their personal and academic struggles on the road to higher education and, more importantly, their triumphs along this path. The students honor Kathy; I take everyone’s picture; and it is a night I’ll not forget.

Wednesday, 4/27, 6:00 pm, Foundation Dinner: Ned and I host dinner for supporters of MCC and All USA Community College Academic Team member Carolyn Spencer. Carolyn shares details about her rigorous MCC Business curriculum and her plans for a future in International Marketing. The dinner is served by three students from our Hospitality Program, who represent the full diversity of pathways our students take to MCC. They are poised, gracious, knowledgeable, and so confident. Their faculty would beam with pride!

Thursday, 4/28, 7:30 am, Digital Rochester/Women in Technology Breakfast: I provide the keynote address at this year’s awards breakfast and honor the first MCC student to win a Women in Technology scholarship, Dorene Dwyer, a remarkable non-traditional student who plans to continue her studies in cybersecurity. Several speakers at the event reference the role MCC has played in their lives and the lives of their families, prompting one of the MCC folks in the audience to send me the following note: “I'm beginning to see what you mean when you say that you can't seem to go anywhere without having SOMEone tell you an MCC story of his/her own. It's kind of great.” It is definitely “kind of great”!

Friday, 4/29, 2:30 pm, Fridays for the Future: The invited students shared their thoughts about MCC—why they enrolled, what they see for the college’s future, what they’d change today. A few fragments: “I feel like I fit, there’s a place for everybody”; “academics are impeccable”; “MCC helped me prove I could do it and can do even more”; “I’ve become confident . . . a leader.” At one point, a student expressed concern that he could not find a scholarship to move on to RIT. His peers immediately jumped in to strategize and help him out—such leaders!

Saturday, 4/30, 10:30 am, CSEA Women’s Committee Leadership Conference: I spoke about my journey to the presidency, and during the question/answer period, several attendees shared how MCC made a difference in their lives and their families’ lives (a recurring theme). One woman who had homeschooled her two sons saw her efforts pay off when both attended MCC. It turned out both were on campus at that moment taking qualifying exams for RPD. She received a rousing round of applause.

Sunday, 5/1, 5:00 pm, Phi Theta Kappa Spring Induction Ceremony: 264 of MCC’s best and brightest were inducted into PTK, and many attended the ceremony with their families and friends. As the names were read by the PTK officers, a shout rang out from the audience: “That’s my mom!” Soon, we heard, “That’s my son! That’s my baby! That’s my best friend! That’s my brother! That’s my nana! That’s my grandpa!” That’s a portrait of MCC’s honors students, who represent the full and amazing diversity of our community.

Monday, 5/2, 3:00 pm, Meeting with Heather Williams: Heather stopped by to update me on her work with the Veteran-Faculty Mentor program, sharing the stories of faculty who have stepped up to mentor our veteran students, helping them achieve success at MCC. Her ability to recruit faculty to advocate for and advise our veterans is inspirational.

Tuesday, 5/3, 8:30 am, Association for Equity and Excellence in Education: I’m on a panel with John Halstead (SUNY Brockport) and Bill Destler (RIT) on the critical role Federal TRIO grant programs (e.g., Student Success Services, Upward Bound) play in assuring the success of our students. President Destler publicly praises MCC, explaining that such longstanding collaborations between community colleges and private universities are rare. He reports that the quality of MCC makes this partnership possible. Even on a rainy morning, the dedication of those in the room, including a great team from MCC (Carmelita Brown-Wallace, Pat ‘Queen Bee’ Kennedy, and Aman Malik), brought out the sun.

So, there’s a glimpse into my week of 90%. Care to share yours?

    Anne M. Kress, Ph.D.
    President's Office
    05/04/2011