Hudson County Community College to Welcome Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab as Keynote Speaker for College Service Day

The nationally acclaimed advocate for college students’ basic needs will address the College’s faculty and staff on August 25.

August 20, 2021, Jersey City, NJ – Hudson County Community College (HCCC) will shine a light on the financial plight facing college students by welcoming Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab as keynote speaker for the Fall 2021 College Service Day. The event will be held on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 at the College’s Culinary Conference Center, 119 Newkirk Street in Jersey City, NJ. Dr. Goldrick-Rab will speak at 10 a.m.

Sara Goldrick-Rab, Ph.D. is considered the leading national researcher on the problems of food insecurity, homelessness, and debt facing America’s college students. She is a Professor of Sociology and Medicine at Temple University, and Founder of the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice in Philadelphia. Dr. Goldrick-Rab is also Chief Strategy Officer for Emergency Aid at Edquity, a student financial success and emergency aid company, and the founder of Believe in Students, a nonprofit distributing emergency aid. Her research on college students’ basic needs sparked the national #RealCollege movement.

A Carnegie Fellow, Dr. Goldrick-Rab has been ranked in the “Top Ten of Education Scholars” by Education Week, and was named one of the “Top 50 People Shaping American Politics” by POLITICO in 2016.  Her book, Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream, was featured on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, and awarded the $100,000 Grawmeyer Prize, which she donated to student emergency aid.

“We are honored to have Dr. Goldrick-Rab join us as we begin our 2021-2022 School Year,” said HCCC President Dr. Chris Reber. “Her work has been an inspiration in developing our own culture of care at the College, and we have partnered with the Hope Center to research our students' needs, and to implement best practices that serve our most vulnerable students.”

In 2019, HCCC prioritized creating and maintaining a culture of care, and with seed money from the HCCC Foundation, instituted “Hudson Helps,” a compendium of wraparound services, programs, and resources that focus on basic needs beyond the classroom, and ultimately result in greater student success.

The #RealCollege 2021 electronic survey of nearly 200,000 students attending colleges and universities in 42 states (130 two-year colleges, and 72 four-year colleges and universities) showed nearly three in five students experienced basic needs insecurity; food insecurity affected 39% at two-year institutions and 29% at four-year institutions; housing insecurity affected 48%, and homelessness 14% of respondents.

“The challenges confronting college students beyond the classroom are incredibly detrimental to students, families, and our society on a long-term basis. Dr. Goldrick-Rab’s research and advocacy has provided an important voice in helping to resolve them,” Dr. Reber stated.