Hudson County Community College Holds Topping Out Ceremony, Hoists the Final Beam on The Center for Student Success
April 18, 2025
Hudson County Community College (HCCC) celebrated the Topping Out of the College’s Center for Student Success, now under construction in the Journal Square area of Jersey City, NJ. Pictured here (holding the banner from left) Hudson County Commissioner Chair Anthony Romano, Jr., New Jersey State Senator Raj Mukherji, HCCC Trustee Chair Jeanette Peña, Hudson County Executive Craig Guy, Hudson County Building and Construction Trades Council President Patrick Kelleher; (second from right) HCCC Trustee Vice Chair Pamela Gardner, and (far right) HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber.
The new tower will house NCAA gym, fitness center, science labs, theater, classrooms, and administrative offices.
April 17, 2025, Jersey City, NJ – College student centers are hubs for academic and social engagement, cultural events
and activities, and student resources, where students, faculty, staff and community
share fellowship and develop a sense of belonging.
Today, nearly one year after the groundbreaking, Hudson County Community College (HCCC) hoisted into position the last steel beam of its new Center for Student Success. HCCC held the Topping Out ceremony at 2 Enos Place on the College’s Journal Square Campus in Jersey City. The event began at 11 a.m. with students, faculty and staff signing the last beam. At 12:30 p.m., Dr. Nicholas Chiaravalloti, HCCC Vice President for External Affairs, Strategic Directions, and Senior Counsel to the President introduced HCCC President Dr. Chrisopher Reber, Hudson County Executive Craig Guy, New Jersey State Senator Raj Mukherji, Hudson County Commissioner Anthony Romano, Jr., HCCC Trustee Chair Jeanette Pena, HCCC Student Government Association President Nina Maria Resurreccion, and Hudson County Building and Construction Trades Council President Patrick Kelleher, all of whom delivered remarks. The beam was lifted at 1:00 p.m., with music and activities adding to the celebration.
The Topping Out Ceremony is an ancient Scandinavian tradition that celebrates the construction milestone and recognizes the architects, engineers, and laborers for every plan, beam, bolt, and weld. The project team and others sign the beam and raise it with an evergreen tree and American flag attached.
The 11-story, 153,186 square-foot HCCC Center for Student Success resides one block from the Journal Square PATH. The tower will replace several of the College’s small, segregated, and aging buildings. The blueprint includes 24 classrooms; full-size National College Athletics Association (NCAA) gymnasium to facilitate the debut of the College’s Athletics Program; fitness center; black-box theater; health sciences laboratories; 85 offices; eight conference rooms; a “University Center” for sister colleges and partners to offer baccalaureate instruction; expanded student services areas; and more.
“The Center for Student Success will centralize and consolidate student services and complement the architecture of the surrounding area while driving local economic development,” said HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber. “It is the final segment of the HCCC Facilities Master Plan. We are not just celebrating the last beam going up, but how it correlates to helping our students reach new heights in their higher education achievements.”
“As Hudson County Executive, I am proud of the vital role my Administration played in securing the funding to make this Center for Student Success possible, and I am grateful for our partnerships with state leaders and labor in this effort,” said Hudson County Executive, Craig Guy. “This Center will ensure our students have the modern resources they need to build their skills and confidence, allowing them to be successful in the workforce. The Center is symbolic of what we can accomplish when we work together for the betterment of all our students.”
HCCC pioneered the urban campus concept by integrating learning environments, cultural spaces, public areas, and workplaces within Jersey City’s Journal Square, the heart of Hudson County, New Jersey. As an essential part of the neighborhood that engages and serves Hudson County’s residents and businesses where they live, the HCCC Journal Square Campus is the catalyst for the area’s development. County Executive Craig Guy has referred to The Center for Student Success as “the epicenter of study, creativity, activity, and collaboration between students and the surrounding communities.”
The HCCC Center for Student Success construction utilizes the newest, environmentally sustainable materials and systems. Funding for the $96.3 million tower is supplied by proceeds from the sale of HCCC properties and the College’s reserve funds, the County of Hudson, and New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE), among others. The grand opening is scheduled for Fall 2026.