Former WCC President, Education ‘Giant’ Hankin Dies at 78
Longtime Westchester Community College (WCC) president Dr. Joseph Hankin, who was the longest serving community college president in the nation, died on Wednesday at 78, it was announced on Thursday.
“Assuming the mantle of one of the most admired community college presidents presented a unique opportunity to extend his legacy of service to students and community,” said current WCC President Belinda S. Miles. “He made monumental contributions to the community college field as our institutions became increasingly important pathways to high quality and affordable higher education, and he did it with an exceptional team of faculty and staff who cared deeply about the college and surrounding community.”
Hankin led WCC for 42 years when he retired in 2013.
Upon his arrival in 1971, Hankin is credited with the near immediate transformation of the college. Following through on proposals shared during his interview process, such as opening the campus to the community, expanding academic programs and repairing infrastructure, he began a bold growth plan. Although relatively new as president, Hankin began his four-decade mission toward a commitment to quality, accessibility, affordability and expansion.
During Hankin’s final decade as president, several new extension centers were opened and he oversaw the expansion of the Harold L. Drimmer Library and Learning Resource Center, which doubled in size. The Gateway Center, a 70,000-square-foot structure designed by the renowned Ennead architectural firm to provide educational resources for thousands of students, also opened.
During the same period, WCC expanded its online learning options, added a dozen new academic programs and instituted the Collegium, a resource for older learners interested in serious study and social exchange. Meanwhile, the college reached record enrollment figures for credit and non-credit study, more than doubling the numbers from 5,800 students early in his tenure.
Corresponding expansions to the college’s 218-acre campus in Valhalla and numerous offsite locations and extension centers throughout Westchester further increased access. Other new construction projects included the science building, Knollwood Center, administration building, children’s center, bookstore and an academic arts building that now bears his name.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer on Thursday called Hankin “a giant” who took over a small college and grew its operations with numerous satellite locations and thousands more students.
“Joe was one of the nation’s longest tenured college presidents – longest at a community college – and what made this possible was his heart,” Latimer said. “Joe cared for his students, and their success, with every fiber in his being. It is a legacy that will last for generations to come.”
Hankin was a first-generation college student whose interest in education led him to teaching and scholarship. In addition to being a prolific writer and speaker with numerous published works, he served for 30 years as an adjunct professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. He inspired generations of students from across the country through teaching and serving on doctoral committees.
In 1986, a project sponsored by the Exxon Educational Foundation named Hankin one of the hundred most effective college presidents of two- and four-year colleges and universities. In 1988, the University of Texas included Hankin among the 50 best community college presidents, for which he earned the Thomas J. Peters Award for Leadership Excellence.
Westchester Community College was Dr. Hankin’s second college presidency. Before serving at WCC, he was the nation’s youngest college president when he assumed the role at Harford Community College in Maryland in 1967 at 26 years old. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in social science from City College and his master’s in history and doctorate in education from Columbia University.
Hankin is survived by his wife, Dr. Carole Hankin, three children and his grandchildren.
A spring memorial in his honor is being planned. Meanwhile, gifts in Hankin’s memory may be made to the Joseph N. Hankin Endowed Scholarship Fund at the Westchester Community College Foundation, Westchester Community College, 75 Grasslands Rd., Valhalla, N.Y. 10595.
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