217 Millennium - Seventeenth Edition EDUCATION by creating the mechanisms for progress, he aims to apply for the coveted Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, a $1 million prize that is awarded by the government to colleges that distinguish themselves among all others in the nation. Dr. Sandres Rápalo has held many other positions of high leadership in academia. Beginning his career as a basketball instructor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, his alma mater, in 2001, he subsequently became the school’s study abroad program director from 2004 to 2006. Later, he joined the faculty staff at Valencia College, first serving as a professor of foreign language and humanities and later operating as the chair of the foreign language department from 2007 to 2014. Following this period, Dr. Sandres Rápalo operated as the dean of social sciences, business and history at Union College and the provost and dean of the institution’s Elizabeth campus between 2015 and 2020. In addition to his current work at Rockland Community College, he is currently the provost and vice president for academic affairs at CUNY Bronx Community College. Dr. Sandres Rápalo originally studied at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, earning a BA, cum laude, in 2003 and an MA in Hispanic literature and linguistics, cum laude, in 2006. He then attended Nova Southeastern University, achieving an EdD in higher education administration, summa cum laude, in 2013. He ultimately received an MBA at the Syracuse University Martin J. Whitman School of Management in 2017. In the coming years, Dr. Sandres Rápalo hopes to earn the Seal of Excelencia, which recognizes institutions with success in serving Latino students. D r. Lester Sandres Rápalo has earned distinction as the president of Rockland Community College — part of the State University of New York system. In this role, he is responsible for all administrative functions, including oversight of curriculum, faculty and students. Long determined to move the institution forward DR. LESTER SANDRES RÁPALO PRESIDENT Rockland Community College Suffern, NY
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