[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15402]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING DR. JOSEPH N. HANKIN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NITA M. LOWEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 12, 2011

  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dr. Joseph N. 
Hankin, who will be honored October 12 for his 40 years as President of 
Westchester Community College, the State University of New York, in 
Valhalla, NY. His four decades of exceptional leadership and dedication 
at this outstanding institution make him the longest-serving community 
college president in the nation.
  That distinction is only the latest in Dr. Hankin's distinguished 
career in higher education. At age 26, he became the youngest community 
college president in the nation, when he assumed the presidency of 
Harford Community College, in Maryland. Four years later, he moved to 
Westchester Community College. Under his leadership, WCC's enrollment 
has grown from several thousand to more than 30,000 in both credit and 
non-credit programs. The college's Continuing Education division is now 
the largest in New York State, providing lifelong learning for students 
of all ages. Its faculty and professional staff have received more SUNY 
Chancellors Awards for Excellence than any other community college in 
the system and the Westchester Community College Foundation has grown 
into one of the most successful community college foundations in the 
nation.
  Mindful of the need to keep education relevant to the changing needs 
of its students and society, Dr. Hankin has overseen the addition of 
dozens of new curricula and the redesign of existing programs as well 
as the growth of comprehensive corporate training for businesses and 
entrepreneurs. Committed to the college's mission of quality, 
affordability and accessibility, he launched the highly-regarded Honors 
Program, and continues to support WCC's English Language Institute and 
its Virginia Marx Children's Center on campus. The latter gives 
students and staff the best child care possible at affordable rates. 
Dr. Hankin also has expanded the college's reach into every corner of 
the community, with five stand-alone extension centers and class 
offerings at hundreds of additional locations.
  For all of these accomplishments and many more, Dr. Joseph N. Hankin 
has been named one of the Top Fifty Community College Leaders in the 
Nation and one of the Most Effective College Presidents in the U.S. I 
urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing him for his exemplary 
educational leadership, vision, service and commitment during his 40 
years at Westchester Community College.

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