July 2, 2020
Dear BMCC Community,
It has been a great honor to serve as your Interim President for the past two years. We have made significant progress in our work to improve student success and advance equity, as recognized most recently by being named a top ten finalist in the nation for the prestigious Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.
We continue to realize our commitment to advancing socioeconomic mobility, as BMCC is again ranked third in the nation among two-year colleges for lifting low-income students into the middle class. Our Designing for Success strategic planning process involved over 1000 faculty, staff, and students, an usually high level of participation. Our 2020-2025 strategic plan, to be published in September, will focus resources going forward on evidence-based actions to continue to improve student learning and success, and to advance equity and our culture of care in a community in which all members can thrive.
We have much to be proud of as our vision of being a leading community college nationally is well underway. Even as we continue to face severe public health, economic and racial injustice crises, BMCC has remained strong through the collective compassion, kindness, and commitment of the entire community. For that and for your support, I am deeply grateful. Please know that I am here for you and will continue to give my all in our collective work to make BMCC the very best college it can be, united by our mission, vision and values as we transition to a new president. Please continue to take good care of yourselves, those you love, and those around you. I wish everyone a wonderful holiday weekend.
With gratitude,
Karrin E. Wilks
Interim President
Borough of Manhattan Community College
