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Rockland IDA Partners with RCC to Provide Internship Stipends; STAC Receives $100,000 Award from Hearst Foundations; Briefs

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Rockland IDA Partners with RCC to Provide Internship Stipends for Local Students

Rockland County’s Industrial Development Agency (IDA) is partnering with Rockland Community College (RCC) in a program to promote internships for college students. Skill Up Rockland, funded by the IDA, will provide internship stipends totaling $7,500 to support three RCC students pursuing internships in fields aligned with industry, economics, and business. The stipends, each valued at $2,500, will be awarded to one student per semester beginning this fall.

These internship stipends will directly benefit RCC students interning at businesses in Rockland County, contributing to both the students’ educational experience and the economic growth of the region.

To be selected for the internship stipends, students will undergo an assessment process, which considers factors such as financial need and the submission of an essay outlining how their targeted internship aligns with their career goals. Selected students will not intern directly for the IDA; they will be interning through RCC Career Services.

“The collaboration between Rockland IDA and RCC represents a crucial step towards fostering economic development and supporting our local talent,” said Steven Porath, Executive Director of the Rockland County Industrial Development Agency. “We are excited to partner with the RCC Foundation to invest in the future workforce of Rockland County.”

Kevin Stump, VP of Economic Mobility + Workforce Innovation, added, “This partnership exemplifies RCC’s commitment to providing students with exceptional opportunities for growth and real-world experience.”

Through financing assistance and benefits, the IDA actively promotes the development of commerce and industry within the region.

For more about this partnership and the internship stipends, please contact Joan F.X. Halligan, RCC’s Executive Director of Development, at 845-587-6482 or joan.halliganwang@sunyrockland.edu


St. Thomas Aquinas College Receives $100,000 Award from Hearst Foundations

The School of STEM at St. Thomas Aquinas College has received a $100,000 grant from The Hearst Foundations to support scholarships for underrepresented and first-generation students pursuing a STEM degree.

“We are honored to be given this mission-critical grant from The Hearst Foundations,” said St. Thomas Aquinas College President Ken Daly. “We are passionately committed to providing access to a quality education as part of a diverse learning community. We are so grateful for the support from Hearst, which enables our students to ignite their passion within and make a profound difference in the world.”

The funding will establish Hearst Scholarships for ten STEM students, helping alleviate financial barriers to their success and continuing the growth of a diverse and inclusive student body.

“One of the key objectives in our School of STEM is to remove barriers for students who are underrepresented in STEM fields,” said Dr. Bianca Wentzell, founding Dean of the School of STEM at St. Thomas Aquinas College. “We are grateful for the generous support from The Hearst Foundations to support the next generation of STEM students and leaders.”

Since its inception on Earth Day 2021, the College’s School of STEM has grown the hiring of new faculty, new academic programs, the launch of the STEM Exploration Summer Program for high school students, a recently formed STEM@STAC Advisory Board, and experiential learning opportunities. In 2023/24, the new SKAE Astronomy Center will open to provide research and experiential learning opportunities – housing a powerful telescope which will allow for the observation and measurement of planets, stars, asteroids, comets, and galaxies.


J&D Farm Stand Takes A Page At Finkelstein Memorial Library

Finkelstein Memorial Library Director Laura Wolven is hoping residents will check out more than a book when they come to the library this summer and fall. Visitors to the library can feed both their minds and bodies, now that the J&D Farm Stand will be at the library on Tuesdays from 10 am. to 4 pm through October 31st.

This farm stand, from the “Black Dirt” region of Orange County, grows a variety of fruits and vegetables, packed with nutrients, and picked at the peak of flavor. Other local items including eggs, honey and herbs will be on hand.

The library will also host table programs filled with giveaways, free recipe books, and reusable grocery bags while supplies last.

“Once you check out these nutritious items, we encourage a weekly return,” said Michelle Kleinman, Public Health Education Specialist at the Rockland County Department of Health.

Library patrons and farm stand clients share information and fellowship and find a place to truly feel connected to their local communities and all that these places have to offer, said the library.

FCC (FreshConnect Checks) and FMNP (New York State Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program) are accepted. For information on WIC (Women, Infants and Children) and Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program checks, call: (845) 364-2577. For information about Senior Coupons, call: (845) 364-2110. FMNP checks expire November 30, 2023.

For more information about Rockland County Farmers’ Markets visit http://bit.ly/2deBU3l.

For more information about the farm stand, please call: (845) 352-5700 x244 or for updates to the schedule, please visit: https://finkelsteinlibrary.org/farm-stand/