Hudson County Community College and New Jersey City University Complete Year-Long Transfer Project to Design HCCC|NJCU CONNECT Program
June 2, 2023
The new HCCC|NJCU Connect Program will make the transition from HCCC to NJCU more seamless than ever before. Pictured here is HCCC Class of 2023 graduate Jarrett Isaiah Pinckney, who is transferring to NJCU to continue his studies.
Aspen-AASCU Student Success and Equity sessions provided best-practice support for the partnership and program’s development.
June 2, 2023, Jersey City, NJ – Hudson County Community College (HCCC) and New Jersey City University (NJCU) have collaborated to design HCCC|NJCU CONNECT, a transformational program that will provide highly visible, inclusive, and barrier-free transfer pathways to guide students and their families from high school, through studies at HCCC, and on to graduation from NJCU.
HCCC|NJCU CONNECT was developed during participation in the Aspen Institute–American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Transfer Student Success and Equity Intensive. HCCC and NJCU were selected as a team to participate in the externally funded national project, a one-year initiative comprised of monthly sessions to support community college and university members in advancing best practices for improved and more equitable student success. The strategy- and practice-focused workshops provided practical support in advancing transfer reform.
HCCC and NJCU teams of faculty, along with representatives from their respective Admissions, Academic Affairs, Transfer, Institutional Research, and Advisement offices, engaged in the monthly Aspen Institute–AASCU meetings. Participants reviewed data, shared ideas, and planned HCCC|NJCU CONNECT with four primary components – Communication, Community, Connection, and Completion. A team of HCCC and NJCU staff continue to meet monthly to develop program implementation, and NJCU will dedicate a staff member to coordinate the program launch.
HCCC|NJCU CONNECT is modeled after the highly successful Northern Virginia Community College – George Mason University ADVANCE program. HCCC|NJCU CONNECT will create a singular student experience focused on addressing students’ holistic needs, diminishing equity gaps, and promoting students’ goal and credential attainment.
“HCCC|NJCU CONNECT provides students with a seamless experience from the time they apply at HCCC until they graduate from NJCU,” said HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber. “Together with NJCU, we are implementing a best-practice model and goals that expand and improve opportunities for our students; provide ESL instruction to NJCU students; offer NJCU housing to HCCC international students and others outside of commuting distance of HCCC enrolled in distinctive programs such as Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management; establish collaborative initiatives in Continuing Education and Workforce Development; and coordinate HCCC’s potential engagement in the Small Business Development Center at NJCU.”
NJCU Interim President Andrés Acebo said, “NJCU recently announced the most significant overhaul of its general education program in decades. The historic announcement alongside our partners at Hudson County Community College will only further the distinction that NJCU is now the most transfer-friendly university in the State of New Jersey. The partnership between NJCU and HCCC provides tools to change the trajectory for students who enroll in the community college, make the transition to the four-year institution, and engage fully in the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree. Data suggest that only 32 percent of community college students transfer to a four-year institution within six years. We will change that narrative. NJCU is in the business of transforming lives for the better, and we are proud to partner with HCCC on a research-based solution to the needs of our community.”
Each year, about one-quarter of HCCC graduates – more than any other community college – transfer to NJCU. HCCC|NJCU CONNECT will provide support for students who may be the first in their families to attend college, work at least one job, and commute to and from classes by cultivating an essential sense of belonging at both institutions. HCCC and NJCU have committed the time, personnel, and financial resources to construct the program’s infrastructure, enhance and leverage student services, build awareness of the CONNECT program, and engage with prospective students and their families.
“Once fully implemented, the HCCC|NJCU CONNECT program will be the pride of Hudson County, providing graduates who will contribute to the local workforce and benefit from upward social and economic mobility. We look forward to replicating this framework with our other four-year college and university partners,” Dr. Reber stated.