Rockland Community College Foundation Welcomes New Board Members

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: July 24, 2008

CONTACT: Lisa Saunders

(845) 574-4244

Rockland Community College Foundation Welcomes New Board Members

Suffern, NY - The Rockland Community College Foundation welcomes Robert Schelin and Michel Vilson to the board.

Dr. Robert Schelin of Tappan, a member of the College Board of Trustees from 2003-2008, will continue to serve RCC through a position on the board of the Rockland Community College Foundation. A lifelong Rockland resident, Schelin joined the faculty of St. Thomas Aquinas College in 1977 and currently is Professor of Social Sciences. Serving previously as Dean of Student Affairs, Schelin holds both Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from SUNY Oswego and a Ph.D. in American History from Binghamton University. His teaching and research focus on the American Presidency, and his expertise is widely known throughout the area where he is an invited lecturer for many civic organizations. Schelin was inducted into the St. Thomas Aquinas College’s Hall of Fame as winner of the Spartan Award for his support of college athletics.

Michel Vilson ‘71 of Spring Valley immigrated to the United States in 1968 upon graduating from high school in Haiti. Currently a Licensed Laboratory Specialist for four NYC high schools, Vilson presents a weekly educational segment on cable television. After a three-year tour as a medical corpsman in the United States Navy, Vilson joined Lederle Laboratories (now Wyeth) in Pearl River in 1976, retiring in 2004 as a Research Project Stability Manager. Fluent in French and Spanish, Vilson also worked as an adjunct at Rockland Community College, teaching English as a Second Language from 1981 to 1996. Vilson earned an Associate of Applied Science from SUNY Rockland, a Bachelor of Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Master of Science in Environmental Science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He also earned a certificate in Clinical Research Administration from New York Medical College.

For further information, contact Don Cairns, RCC Foundation Director at (845) 574-4576 or dcairns@sunyrockland.edu. For information about the College, visit www.sunyrockland.edu.

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Rockland Community College, a unit of the State University of New York, is located 25 miles northwest of NYC. The majority of its students transfer to four-year colleges, and many find immediate employment upon earning their associate's degree or certificate. The College also offers others, from preschoolers to senior citizens, the opportunity to simply learn something new. Quality education...at a price you can afford.