Hudson County Community College

Hudson County Community College
Type Public community college
Established 1974
President Dr. Glen Gabert
Undergraduates 9,414
Location Hudson County, NJ, USA
Campus Urban
Website www.hccc.edu

Hudson County Community College (HCCC) is a public, community college in Hudson County, New Jersey.

Locations

25 Journal Square

The school's main campus is located in Jersey City, with several institutions tapered throughout Journal Square and nearby Bergen Square.[1] It is accessible via the PATH rapid-transit railroad system[2] and bus service at the Journal Square Transportation Center. Located in the northern part of the county, The North Hudson Higher Education Center[3] is seven-story facility next to the Bergenline Avenue (HBLR station) at Kennedy Boulevard and 48th Street in Union City. HCCC also offers off-campus classes in Bayonne, Hoboken, Kearny,[4] with some held in public buildings such as high schools.

History

Under grants from the Exxon Educational Foundation and Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, feasibility studies were conducted by each group in 1972 and 1973, respectively. The results from a comprehensive feasibility study by the New Jersey Department of Higher Education coordinated by Gregory M.Scott, then asst. director of community colleges showed that there was a need for a community college in Hudson County.[5] Around the same time, the Community Action Program, headed by Nicholas Mastorelli and Ramon Bonachea, in a study funded by the department of higher education echoed the need for a higher education center in the North Hudson area. This led to the establishment of the Hudson Higher Education Consortium, headed by Joseph O'Neill,included three Hudson County based post-secondary institutions: Saint Peter's College in Jersey City, Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken and New Jersey City University in Jersey City.[5]
Resulting from an act in New Jersey legislation[5] that allowed a county lacking a community college to establish a commission on community college, the school opened its doors in September 1974[5] three months after the department of higher education completed its feasibility study, as the first "contract"[1] college in New Jersey, and the second in the United States. As the third higher-education institution in Jersey City, the College began by offering educational programs that were reflective of the current job market, and the curriculum provided students with career and occupational oriented certifications and Associate degrees in Applied Science.[1] In the spring of 1981, the college was accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools,[6] and its official name became the Hudson County Community College.[5]

The North Hudson Center in December 2011

In 1992, the county of Hudson committed to reorganize Hudson County Community College, with plans to improve services, expand enrollment and provide an urban style campus; this included a renovation to the former Public Service Building at 25 Journal Square, which was converted into classrooms and a library.[1] A conference room was named for Mary Teresa Norton, a longtime congresswoman for Hudson County, in 1996.[1] It was last reaccredited in 2009.[7] Amidst changes in the economy regarding the job market in 2009-10, many New Jersey schools saw an increase in enrollment, Hudson County Community College had one of the largest in the state,[8] at 11%. In 2011, HCCC graduated more than 1,000 students, its largest class since its founding.

Library

In 2008, it was announced that part of HCCC's $200 million capital expansion program would be spent for the construction of The North Hudson Higher Education Center.[3] The seven-story 92,330 square-foot facility which includes classrooms, offices, common areas, a Learning Resource Center and an outdoor plaza[3][9] opened for the 2011 fall semester and is the first expansion of HCCC since the 2007 opening of the Culinary Arts Institute.[10] In 2012, a new 112,000-square-foot multi-functional library building across from Journal Square was opened to the public.[11] A new STEM building near Bergen Square is expected to open in fall 2017.[12]

Most HCCC students who pursue bachelor's degrees do so at regional state universities such as New Jersey City University, Rutgers–Newark and Montclair State University. In an agreement reached in March 2012, HCCC students who attain an associate degree can continue their education at nearby private Saint Peter's College while paying tuition and fees equivalent to a state college, at considerable savings.[13]

Academics

Hudson County Community College's Culinary Institute on Newkirk Street and Sip Avenue in Jersey City

The college offers degrees or certifications in Art, Business, Computer Science and Technology, Criminal Justice, Culinary Arts, Education, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Science, Human Services, Nursing, Psychology and Sociology.[14] The Culinary Arts Institute has received national recognition, and is one of only two programs in the New York-New Jersey area that is fully accredited by the American Culinary Federation Accrediting Commission.[3] The five-story[1] $75 million institute[3] also houses the Culinary Conference Center.[15] Many local businesses, organizations and governments have received specialized training in Hudson County Community College for their employees in the Center for Business and Industry. The Center for Business and Industry also has ESL classes for Spanish speakers, as well as ones for Urdu speakers, to satisfy the surrounding and attending Hispanic and Pakistani population.[16]

The New Jersey STARS [17] program allows the top 20% of high school graduates free two-year tuition for matriculated students while attending a community college in New Jersey. The program has extended into NJ STARS II, which provides a partial scholarship towards New Jersey four-year universities.[18] The institution also offers a program that allows individuals that hold a bachelor's degree to fast-track becoming fully licensed teachers, without having to undergo the traditional training program for teachers.[2]

Hudson County Community College (HCCC) is collaborating with participating New Jersey community colleges and New Jersey City University (NJCU) to offer New Pathways to Teaching in New Jersey (NPTNJ). The program provides an opportunity for people who have a BS, BA, or higher degree and who did not complete a traditional teacher preparation program, to become teachers.[19] Phi Theta Kappa, a society for two-year colleges and academic programs, is Hudson County Community College's international honor society.[5]

Notable administrators and trustees

Notable alumni

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jersey City: Past and Present (Hudson County Community College)
  2. 1 2 River View Observer: Hudson County Community College to Hold Information Session for College Grads Interested in Becoming Teachers
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 NJ.com Hudson County Community College's building spree continues with North Campus in Union City February 18, 2009
  4. ↑ College Profile: Hudson County Community College
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 HCCC: Archived November 2, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. History
  6. ↑ Middle States Commission on Higher Education: Institution Directory: H
  7. ↑ Middle States Commission on Higher Education: Hudson County Community College
  8. ↑ The Star Ledger: Hudson County Community College's summer enrollment is up by 11 percent, reflecting a statewide trend during difficult economy June 29, 2010 By MEREDITH GALANTE
  9. ↑ "North Hudson campus helps school expand". NJ.com. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  10. ↑ Heinis, John (September 26, 2011), "HCCC to officially open Higher Learning Center in Union City Wednesday", The Jersey Journal, retrieved 2011-09-26
  11. ↑ "Hudson County Community College". www.HCCC.edu. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Hudson County Community College breaks ground on STEM building". NJ.com. May 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  13. ↑ Hack, Charles (March 23, 2012), "St. Peter's College cuts tuition deal for Hudson County Community College students", The Jersey Journal, retrieved March 30, 2012
  14. ↑ HCCC Archived May 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. What Academic Programs Does HCCC Offer?
  15. ↑ "Culinary Conference Center". CulinaryConferenceCenter.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2010. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  16. ↑ HUDSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE TEAMS WITH JERSEY CITY EMPLOYMENT & TRAINING TO OFFER FREE ESL CLASSES US Fed News Service, Including US State News
  17. ↑ "NJSTARS.NET". www.NJStars.net. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  18. ↑ NJStars: NJSTARS/NJSTARS II
  19. ↑ "New Pathways to Teaching in NJ (NPTNJ) - New Jersey City University". www.NPTNJ.org. Archived from the original on September 24, 2004. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Charles T. Epps Jr., longtime Jersey City schools chief, dies at 70". The Jersey Journal. March 20, 2015.
  21. ↑ HCCC: Archived May 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Hudson County Community College Foundation to Honor Dr. Charles T. Epps, Jr. at December 3 Fundraiser
  22. ↑ Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey. J.A. Fitzgerald. 1979. p. 250.
  23. ↑ "Walter Sheil, 73; powerful Dem leader and HCCC chief". The Jersey Journal. June 25, 2002.
  24. ↑ Political Graveyard: Hudson County, NJ
  25. ↑ Goodnough, Abby (June 5, 1996). "Thomas Smith, 68, Ex-Jersey City Mayor, Dies". The New York Times. Accessed April 1, 2008.
  26. ↑ HUDSON COUNTY BOARD OF CHOSEN FREEHOLDERS Archived May 23, 2007, at Archive.is: Silverio A. Vega - District 7 Chairman of the Board
  27. ↑ Hyman, Vicki (October 20, 2009). "'Iron Chef' win for Jersey City native". The Star-Ledger.
  28. ↑ Assemblywoman Quigley's legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed April 13, 2008.

Coordinates: 40°43′50″N 74°03′46″W / 40.73069°N 74.06289°W / 40.73069; -74.06289

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