Hudson County Community College and Rutgers University - Newark to Sign Dual Admission Program Agreement on Wednesday
April 7, 2015
New program will increase opportunities for seamless transition for qualifying HCCC graduates to Rutgers University - Newark; HCCC Board of Trustees and Foundation will also offer matching scholarships.
April 7, 2015, Jersey City, NJ – Hudson County Community College (HCCC) graduates will have yet another option available to them for attaining a bachelor’s degree, as the College is entering into a dual-admissions program with Rutgers University - Newark (RU-N).
HCCC and RU-N will sign the letter of intent for the program at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 8, 2015 in the Hudson County Community College Board Room at 70 Sip Avenue in Jersey City, NJ. Hudson County Community College President Glen Gabert, Ph.D. will be joined by Rutgers University - Newark Chancellor Nancy Cantor, Ph.D.
Other members of the HCCC administration who will be in attendance at the signing are: Vice President for Academic Affairs Eric Friedman, Ph.D.; Vice President for North Hudson Center and Student Affairs Paula P. Pando, Ed.D.; Vice President for Administrative Services Thomas A. Brodowski; Vice President for Development Joseph Sansone; and Dean of Arts and Sciences Christopher Wahl. Members of the RU-N administration present will include: Senior Vice Chancellor, Public Affairs and Chief of Staff Peter Englot; Vice Chancellor, Academic Programs and Services John Gunkel; Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Jan Lewis; Dean, Rutgers Business School Lei Lei; Dean, School of Criminal Justice Shadd Maruna; Chair, Department of Marketing Ashwani Monga; Vice Chair, Department of Supply Chain Management Wayne Eastman; Associate Dean, Rutgers Business School Robert Kurland; and Associate Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Gretchen Van de Walle.
The agreement will facilitate the seamless transfer of HCCC students who graduate with an associate’s degree to RU-N with full junior status. The agreement will also provide for a “reverse transfer” agreement, whereas RU-N students who wish to, may transfer to HCCC to attain their associate degree, even after they have graduated from RU-N.
Other provisions of the agreement call for providing prospective academic advisement and financial aid counseling for students considering transfer from HCCC to RU-N, continued support for HCCC students after transferring to RU-N, and exploring the possibility of joint fundraising for scholarship support of students transferring to RU-N.
Dr. Gabert noted that the letter of intent builds upon an established relationship with Rutgers University - Newark that has included other collaborative and articulation agreements.
“Over the years, we have worked together with Rutgers University - Newark to provide HCCC students with ways of attaining a baccalaureate degree that will lead to a more secure future,” Dr. Gabert stated. “This dual admission agreement will make it easier for our students to attain their bachelor’s degrees in Art, Biology, Business, Computer Arts, Marketing and Supply Chain Management, Criminal Justice, English, Environmental Science, Public and Nonprofit Administration, and Theatre.”
RU-N Chancellor Nancy Cantor sees multiple and mutual goals to be achieved in this more expansive relationship with HCCC: “This exciting partnership will significantly broaden and strengthen educational pathways between our two institutions. Smoothing transitions through articulation agreements and employing innovative financial aid and mutual degree-completion mechanisms reflects a key element of our strategic plan priority to invest in anchor institution collaborations by increasing access to and affordability of earning an RU-N degree for students in our region. It also speaks directly to our national priority to increase opportunities for earning a college degree.”
Dr. Gabert said that last month, the Hudson County Community College Board of Trustees passed a recommendation to provide matching scholarships to Rutgers University- Newark with the institution of the Debra and Marvin Greenberg Rutgers Scholarship. This measure calls for the HCCC administration to match the grant to the HCCC Foundation for the Greenberg scholarships that award HCCC graduates who will attend Rutgers University - Newark $2,500 per year for two years.
Marvin Greenberg retired as Executive Vice President of Rutgers University in 1992. At that time, the New Jersey Chancellor for Higher Education Dr. Edward Goldberg and Hudson County retained him to work with the new President of Hudson County Community College, Dr. Gabert, in developing a strategic plan. Titled “Blueprint for the Future,” Greenberg’s report set out the basic directions for what turned out to be the renaissance of HCCC. At the completion of his project, Marvin Greenberg and his wife Debra established an endowment at Rutgers to provide support for graduates from HCCC to attend Rutgers University at the Newark campus.