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Cranford, NJ – UCNJ UCNJ of UCNJ County, NJ held its annual Convocation on September 5, 2023. Convocation, traditionally held the day before fall classes start, marks the beginning of the new academic year at UCNJ. This year’s Convocation theme was titled “Navigating the Future of Learning and Work” and featured keynote speaker Maria Flynn, President and CEO of Jobs for the Future (JFF). JFF is a national nonprofit that drives transformation in the American workforce and education systems.

Prior to Ms. Flynn’s keynote, UCNJ’s President Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin provided a “State of the College” with remarks from Dr. Sara N. Lacagnino, UCNJ’s Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Curriculum and Accreditation, who chairs the College’s Futures Task Force. Following Ms. Flynn’s keynote, she facilitated a panel featuring Dr. Aaron Fichtner, President of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges; Sarah S. Keh, Vice President of Inclusive Solutions at Prudential Financial; Susan Benavente, UCNJ ’20 alumna and a current security analyst at a large New Jersey corporation; and Colin Newman, Director of Workforce & Economic Development for Amazon. The College has been an Amazon Career Choice partner thanks to the leadership from New Jersey Senate President Nicholas P. Scutari and the UCNJ County Commissioners who were instrumental in forging this partnership. UCNJ’s 2023 Convocation focused on how to prepare UCNJ students for the workforce of tomorrow.

“We are thankful that Maria Flynn along the panelists shared their expertise and advice with our faculty and staff. Their outlook on the future of the workforce in America is illuminating and reiterates that we must remain agile and nimble to meet workforce needs in our region. We proudly continue to offer an excellent and affordable education to the UCNJ County community, whether someone is a first-time college student, or they are a returning adult trying to learn a new skill or earn a industry credential,” stated President McMenamin.

UCNJ UCNJ UCNJ of UCNJ County, NJ is a public, comprehensive community college that provides quality, affordable, accessible educational programs to the greater UCNJ 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 and extracurricular activities. UCNJ provides many experiential learning opportunities such as access to a Bloomberg Business Center, Innovation Center, and Student Research hub. Additionally, students at UCNJ attend one of the top 25 community colleges in the country for 2023 as designated by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. To learn more, visit www.ucc.edu.

Cranford, NJ – Join the UCNJ County College Foundation on October 20 for the 31st Annual Scholarship Gala. The event will be held at the Westwood in Garwood beginning at 6pm and the theme is “90 Years of Excellence: Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Present, Embracing the Future.” This year, the Foundation will be honoring Bristol Myers Squibb, Thomas Bracken, and J. Anthony Manger.

The Gala is the Foundation’s signature fundraising event of the year providing financial support for UCNJ students and helps to ensure that economic status is not a roadblock to academic success. The Foundation allocates resources for scholarships, housing, emergency funding, and more.

This year, Tom Bracken, President and CEO of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, who has consistently exemplified leadership and dedication to the growth of the greater New Jersey community, is being recognized as the 2023 Man of the year. Bristol Myers Squibb is being recognized as the 2023 Corporate Partner of the Year for their outstanding commitment to corporate social responsibility and their pivotal role in advancing education. J. Anthony Manger, Esq. will be the 2023 recipient of the prestigious Fiat Lux Award in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to illuminating paths for others.

“We look forward to honoring these deserving recipients who have been champions of our students through their generous support of the Foundation. Our honorees, and all who support the College’s Foundation, are critical in helping us fulfill our mission of transforming our community, one student at a time. Sometimes the difference to getting a student to graduation is a Foundation scholarship. Every little bit helps and is appreciated,” stated UCNJ President Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin.

The UCNJ County College Foundation Gala is selling tickets and has sponsorship opportunities available. For more information on the UCNJ County College Foundation Gala, please visit www.ucc.edu/gala2023, contact the Foundation office at (908) 709-7505 or email foundation@ucc.edu.

Cranford, NJ – UCNJ UCNJ of UCNJ County, NJ has partnered with Jobs for the Future (JFF), Achieving the Dream (ATD), and the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC) to enhance the economic mobility of adult students. Nine colleges across three states are involved, including New Jersey, Michigan, and Virginia. UCNJ will collaborate with other NJ colleges to enhance student success.

Each state will receive $200,000 for this 18 month initiative. Funding is supported by Ascendium, the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation, and ECMC Foundation. The grant will support UCNJ’s efforts to improve academic advising with an emphasis on utilization of career tools and help increase the retention rate for part-time underrepresented minority adult students. This initiative aligns with UCNJ’s institutional priority of social justice and equity. This population is critical to achieving our state’s attainment goal of 65 percent of working age New Jerseyans having a degree or credential of value by 2025.

According to JFF, the Improving Economic Mobility for Adult Learners Initiative aims to improve postsecondary success for adult learners. This initiative was developed to further expand what states and individual institutions have already done to improve the outcomes for adult learners at two-year colleges. JFF defines adult learners as individuals who are 21+ years old and have not yet completed a postsecondary certification or degree.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for us to re-focus on our non-traditional students. Our non-traditional students face added challenges including additional work and family obligations, so we are committed to providing the added support these students need. We believe that working together with JFF and ATD through the Improving Economic Mobility for Adult Learners Initiative, we can refine our approaches and demonstrate progress on some key leading indicators, with a goal of closing those achievement gaps. We are grateful to JFF and ATD for their partnership in this critical endeavor not just for those individual students but for our UCNJ County community as a whole,” stated UCNJ’s President Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin.

UCNJ UCNJ UCNJ of UCNJ County, NJ is a public, comprehensive community college that provides quality, affordable, accessible educational programs to the greater UCNJ 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 and extracurricular activities. UCNJ provides many experiential learning opportunities such as access to a Bloomberg Business Center, Innovation Center, and Student Research hub. Additionally, students at UCNJ attend one of the top 25 community colleges in the country for 2023 as designated by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program.

Cranford, NJ – UCNJ UCNJ UCNJ of UCNJ County, NJ is proud to announce that Chemistry Professor Shahrzad “Sherry” Heidary, will receive the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) 2023 Northeast Region Faculty Award. Professor Heidary will formally accept the award in October at the Awards Presentation during the 54th Annual ACCT Leadership Congress in Las Vegas. By receiving the Northeast Region award, Professor Heidary is eligible to receive the national William H. Meardy Faculty Member Award. The winner will also be named at the Leadership Congress in Las Vegas.

Professor Sherry Heidary joined the College in 2006 as an adjunct instructor. During her time at the College, she has served as an advisor to the Student Government Association, American Honors Council, and Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. Additionally, she serves as a Trustee on the UCNJ County College Foundation Board and as a board member of the YWCA of UCNJ County. Professor Heidary is highly present and visible on campus, goes above and beyond for students, and extremely active in scholarship and fundraising endeavors. In fact, both of the College’s 2023 Jack Kent Cooke Foundation transfer scholarship recipients received the Professor Heidary scholarship to help fund the cost of attendance. She has a B.S. in Polymer Engineering and a M.S. in Polymer Science.

“We are very proud of Professor Heidary. There is no one more deserving of this recognition. She is a master teacher, and she loves her students. She goes above and beyond to help them excel in their classes. For a chemistry professor to be truly beloved, it is quite the feat. We count Professor Heidary among our most outstanding faculty at UCNJ,” stated UCNJ’s President Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin.

The ACCT is a non-profit educational organization that represents more than 6500 elected and appointed trustees who govern more than 1200 community colleges, and over 11 million students, throughout the United States. The ACCT annually recognizes trustees and other community college leaders in each of its five regions for their contributions.

UCNJ UCNJ UCNJ of UCNJ County, NJ is a public, comprehensive community college that provides quality, affordable, accessible educational programs to the greater UCNJ 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 and extracurricular activities. UCNJ provides many experiential learning opportunities such as access to a Bloomberg Business Center, Innovation Center, and Student Research hub. Additionally, students at UCNJ attend one of the top 25 community colleges in the country for 2023 as designated by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. To learn more, visit www.ucc.edu.

Cranford, NJ – UCNJ UCNJ UCNJ of UCNJ County, NJ golfer Patrick Murray finished eighteenth in the nation, earning All-American honors, at the National Junior Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III National Golf Championship. The golf tournament was held in June in Chautauqua, New York.

As Murray swung through the competition, he earned an impressive score of 309 over the combined four-day tournament. Murray’s finish was the second best ever for UCNJ at a National Tournament. Murray’s academic performance was on par with his scoring; he earned a 4.0 GPA in the spring 2023 semester and was recognized as an All-American Honor student at the conclusion of nationals. Murray is a well-rounded student, serving as a peer tutor in UCNJ’s Academic Learning Center and is co-president of the Student Athlete Advisory Council.

“We are proud of Patrick’s performance at this year’s national championship. We look forward to seeing him compete for UCNJ again as he received a return bid to nationals next year. This is a fantastic achievement for Patrick under the leadership of our golf coach Professor Marc Postiglione,” stated UCNJ’s President Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin.

UCNJ UCNJ UCNJ of UCNJ County, NJ is a public, comprehensive community college that provides quality, affordable, accessible educational programs to the greater UCNJ 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 and extracurricular activities. UCNJ provides many experiential learning opportunities such as access to a Bloomberg Business Center, Innovation Center, and Student Research hub. Additionally, students at UCNJ attend one of the top 25 community colleges in the country for 2023 as designated by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. UCNJ offers 16 athletic programs for student-athletes. For more information on UCNJ’s athletic offerings, visit https://www.unionowls.com/landing/index.

Cranford, NJ – UCNJ of Union County, NJ is proud to announce that longtime Golf Coach and Dean of STEM William Dunscombe was inducted into the National Junior Athletic Association (NJCAA) Golf Hall of Fame at this year’s NJCAA Division III National Golf Championship held in June in Chautauqua, New York.

The induction took place at the National Golf Coaches Annual meeting, held in conjunction with the NJCAA Division Golf Championships. Dean Dunscombe started his golf career at UCNJ in 1975, serving as Head Golf Coach until 2019. Over the course of his coaching career, Dean Dunscombe had 18 NJCAA National Tournament appearances (both individual and teams), more than 500 career wins, one Region XIX Championship, seven Garden State Athletic Conference Champions, and coached one All-American player. Four of his athletes went on to play professionally. Dean Duncombe was inducted into UCNJ’s own Hall of Fame in 1981.

“The UCNJ community is incredibly proud of Dean Dunscombe and thanks the NJCAA for their recognition of his vast contributions over the past 40 plus years,” stated UCNJ’s President Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin. “It is the support of coaches, like Dean Dunscombe, that help our athletes to grow and develop their skills. Dean Dunscombe has inspired many student-athletes during his time coaching, and he should be proud of the mark he has made on them. This is a tremendous recognition.”

UCNJ of Union County, NJ is a public, comprehensive community college that provides quality, affordable, accessible educational programs to the greater UCNJ 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 and extracurricular activities. UCNJ provides many experiential learning opportunities such as access to a Bloomberg Business Center, Innovation Center, and Student Research hub. Additionally, students at UCNJ attend one of the top 25 community colleges in the country for 2023 as designated by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. UCNJ offers 16 athletic programs for student-athletes. For more information on UCNJ’s athletic offerings, visit https://www.unionowls.com/landing/index.

Cranford, NJ – UCNJ UCNJ UCNJ of UCNJ County, NJ continues to expand its training programs for students interested in future-focused industries. Today, the College announced the addition of three non-credit cannabis certificate programs designed to provide job skills training for those interested in a cannabis career.

To address the critical need for workers in the industry, UCNJ has partnered with Green Flower, a leader in cannabis education, to offer these in-demand training programs, focusing on retail specialist training, cannabis extraction and product development, and cultivation.

“The cannabis field is a rapidly growing industry. With the legalization of recreational marijuana use in New Jersey, it is important to educate our community on the process of producing and selling cannabis products in a legal and ethical way,” stated UCNJ’s President Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin. “The partnership with Green Flower will provide our students the tools to learn about the cannabis industry and the many ways to pursue a career, with the use of Green Flower’s network.”

“Green Flower is thrilled to be partnering with UCNJ of UCNJ County New Jersey to offer our three cannabis industry training certificate programs. As the cannabis industry continues to grow and evolve, leaders from the college looked to find ways for students to become qualified to work in cannabis retail, extraction and product development, and agriculture environments. The growth of New Jersey’s cannabis industry will be due, in large part, to a well-trained workforce,” said Daniel Kalef, Executive Vice President of Higher Education for Green Flower.

With cannabis industry businesses regularly looking to fill a wide variety of positions—from entry-level to executive roles— these training programs give people the chance to stand out to potential employers as well.

“Like other highly regulated industries, the need to have expertise in material handling, quality control, patient care, security, transportation, horticulture and more, is vital to the success of all aspects of the industry and all things people will learn in these programs,” Kalef said.

Each certificate program is offered fully online and can be completed in approximately two months. Students can register and begin courses at any time. Upon certificate completion, graduates will have access to Green Flower’s employer network. Courses cost $850 each and are now open for enrollment.

For more information on UCNJ’s certificate programs please visit ucc.edu/cannabistraining.

The UCNJ County College Foundation will be hosting the 8th Annual Close the Gap Cocktail Reception on Thursday, July 13 at Galloping Hill Golf Course located in Kenilworth, NJ, with the event kicking off at 6:00 PM. This event supports the College’s strategic initiative to increase the graduation rates of African-American students, to effectively “close the achievement gap.”

This year’s event honors Fountain Baptist Church in Summit, NJ along with its Pastor J. Michael Sanders, and UCNJ 2016 alumnus McDaniel Jeantus. Fountain Baptist Church is celebrating their 125th anniversary this year. Pastor Sanders is retiring after dedicating 40 years to the Fountain Baptist Church. The College’s Foundation will present the inaugural Frank Bolden Honorary Award to Pastor Sanders for his unwavering commitment to our mission of accelerating the pace of African-American student success. Jeantus was a recipient of the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation transfer scholarship and will receive the Young Alumni Award at this event.

“While we have been laser focused over the past decade on helping our students reach graduation, despite our efforts, there was a still a gap with our African-American graduation rate. The funds raised at Close the Gap support our students by providing critical financial support so they can cross that finish line and receive their college degree,” stated UCNJ’s President Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin

This is sure to be a wonderful night filled with great food, dancing, and cocktails all in support of helping to accelerate the pace of African-American student success at UCNJ. Since the start of the Close the Gap Campaign in 2015, the Foundation has raised approximately $400,000 to support student scholarships, emergency funding, and other support services. More importantly, during the same period, the graduation rates for African-American students have more than quintupled.

For more information and how to be a part of this year’s event to make a positive difference, please visit www.ucc.edu/ctg2023 or call the Foundation Office at 908-709-7505.

 

CRANFORD, NJ – UCNJ UCNJ UCNJ of UCNJ County, NJ is proud to announce that president of the College Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin has been named 2023 Woman of the Year by the Irish Business Association (IBA) of New Jersey, part of the Greater Westfield Area Chamber Commerce. The award was presented to Dr. McMenamin on June 29 at the IBA 13^th Annual Awards Dinner.

Dr. McMenamin was appointed as president of the College in July 2010 and is its first female president. Under her leadership, the College has seen drastic improvements to student success outcomes, particularly the graduation rates. In 2020, Dr. McMenamin was named the National Marie Y. Martin CEO of the Year by the Association of Community College Trustees. In 2022, the Aspen Institute for College Excellence named UCNJ as one of only 25 semifinalists nationwide for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. As it relates to her Irish heritage, Dr. McMenamin served as Grand Marshal of the UCNJ County St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 2015.

“We are delighted about this well-deserved recognition of President McMenamin. She is very proud of her Irish heritage, so I know this award is special to her. We are thankful to the IBA for honoring this great leader and proud Irish-American as their Woman of the Year,” stated UCNJ Board of Trustees Chair Victor M. Richel.

UCNJ UCNJ UCNJ of UCNJ County, NJ is a public, comprehensive community college that provides quality, affordable, accessible educational programs to the greater UCNJ 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 and extracurricular activities. UCNJ provides many experiential learning opportunities such as access to a Bloomberg Business Center, Innovation Center, and Student Research hub. Additionally, students at UCNJ attend one of the top 25 community colleges in the country for 2023 as designated by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program.

CRANFORD, NJ -UCNJ UCNJ UCNJ of UCNJ County, NJ is proud to announce that Board of Governors member and UCNJ alumnus from the class of 1995, Brian Campbell, of Berkeley Heights, has been named a 2023 New Jersey Irish American Leader by Insider NJ.

Campbell grew up in Cranford and along with all six of his siblings and his father, he attended UCNJ and graduated with his associate degree. He went on to earn his bachelor’s and master’s in business administration both from Rutgers University. Campbell currently serves as Vice President of Investor Relations at Wiley based in Hoboken.