Cranford, NJ – The Union County College Foundation hosted the 10th Annual Close the Gap event on Tuesday, July 15 at Galloping Hill Catering in Union, New Jersey. This event supports the College’s strategic initiative to increase the graduation rates of students in Operation Graduation, a program for first-time, full-time students, to effectively “close the achievement gap.”
This year’s event honored Deborah Enix-Ross, Esq. and Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin. Mrs. Enix-Ross received the Foundation’s 2025 Distinguished Volunteer of the Year award. She currently serves as Chair of the College’s Foundation and is a passionate advocate for access to education. Mrs. Enix-Ross also has the distinction of being the Past President of the American Bar Association, 2023-24. As one of the original champions of the Foundation’s Close the Gap initiative, Mrs. Enix-Ross played a critical role in its success, helping to raise essential funds to shrink graduation disparities and ensure that every student has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of background or circumstance.
Dr. McMenamin accepted the Foundation’s 2025 Beacon of Light Award in recognition her commitment to advancing student success as the President of UCNJ. She launched the College’s Operation Graduation to improve graduation rates for all students, especially for subgroups that struggled to graduate. During her tenure, the College has more than quintupled its graduation rates. President McMenamin revitalized student services, strengthened advisement, and fostered a culture of academic excellence. UCNJ’s accomplishments under her leadership resulted in the College becoming recognized as a 2025 finalist for the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program.
The highlight of the evening was UCNJ student, Shemar Guthrie, who was this year’s Close the Gap keynote speaker. He shared his personal story regarding how UCNJ’s Project Achievement, an Operation Graduation program, impacted his accomplishments. An engineering major and member of the Union Honors program, Shemar said “you’ve given me more than just a scholarship. You’ve given me the confidence to dream bigger, the tools to succeed, and the belief that I belong in every room I walk into, as a student, as a future engineer, and as a leader.”
“On behalf of the Union County College Foundation, we want to congratulate two transformative leaders who have made a lasting impact on our students, like Shemar, and community. As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Close The Gap, I want to thank Mrs. Enix-Ross and President McMenamin for their support and generosity. Because of their unwavering dedication, thousands of students earned their diplomas from UCNJ,” stated Vice President for Institutional Advancement Douglas Rouse.
UCNJ is a public, comprehensive community college that provides quality, affordable, accessible educational programs to the greater Union County region. It is the first of New Jersey’s 18 two-year colleges, serving both career-minded and transfer-oriented students since 1933. The College offers a wide variety of academic programs and extracurricular activities. UCNJ provides many experiential learning opportunities such as access to the Bloomberg Business Center, Innovation Center, and Student Research Lab. Additionally, students at UCNJ attend one of the top 10 community colleges in the country as designated by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. To learn more about UCNJ, visit www.ucc.edu. For more information on how you can support UCNJ students contact our Foundation at 908.709.7505 or email foundation@ucc.edu.
