Tag Archives: Jersey City

Hudson County Community CollegeNames Danielle Lopez Inaugural Director of Accessibility Services

 Pictured here, Danielle Lopez, who has been named Hudson County Community College’s first Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) for Accessibility Services.
 

–  Hudson County Community College (HCCC) has appointed Danielle Lopez as the College’s first Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) for Accessibility Services.
 
“The entire HCCC family is delighted to welcome Danielle Lopez to the College,” said HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber. “She will lead and support our accessibility and accommodation programs for students and employees. In addition to serving as our Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)/Section 504 Coordinator, Danielle will be our primary compliance and content expert for all accessibility matters. She will play a key role in advancing our culture of care and our overarching priorities of student success and diversity, equity and inclusion.”
 
Ms. Lopez will manage and supervise the HCCC Office of Accessibility Services (OAS). A key component of her work is to reduce systemic barriers and promote disability awareness and a culture of accessibility. In her new position, Ms. Lopez will collaborate with multiple campus constituents, including faculty; the Offices of Academic Affairs; Student Affairs and Enrollment; and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Human Resources; Counseling and Wellness; Registrar; Public Safety and Security; Facilities; Communications; Information Technology; Legal Counsel; and others.
 
A dedicated and enthusiastic higher education professional, Ms. Lopez is highly experienced in accessibility and disability services, advisement, and administration. For the past ten years, she served as Assistant Director and Academic Counselor at City University of New York (CUNY) Center for Student Accessibility. There, she developed and implemented best practices to help students with disabilities and diverse needs achieve academic success. In addition, Ms. Lopez served as an Adjunct Lecturer at CUNY, teaching psychology courses. As a Project REACH mentor, she assisted individuals with autism, coordinated curricula and service plans, and facilitated meetings related to academic, social, and professional development. Ms. Lopez also mentored students with disabilities to support their campus initiatives at the College of Staten Island.
 
Ms. Lopez received her Master of Science degree in Disability Services in Higher Education from the School of Professional Studies at CUNY, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the College of Staten Island, CUNY. Her professional affiliations include the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), New York State Disability Services Council (NYSDSC), and CUNY Coalition for Students with Disabilities (CCSD). She holds certification in Mental Health First Aid from the National Council for Behavioral Health.
 
“I am very happy to be a part of Hudson County Community College, where diversity, equity, and inclusion is valued and lived,” Ms. Lopez stated. “I look forward to working with our students and my new colleagues to further advance opportunities and accessibility for everyone at HCCC.”

Fulop Administration Earns Perfect Score for Leadership’s Efforts in Equality & LGBTQ+ Rights for 11th Consecutive Year

Jersey City Earns 100/100 in Nationwide Evaluation of LGBTQ+ Policies and Services by the Human Rights Campaign

JERSEY CITY, NJ – For the 11th consecutive year, Mayor Steven M. Fulop is proud to announce Jersey City has, once again, earned a perfect score from the nationwide 2023 Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index (MEI), citing the administrative efforts to create an inclusive and welcoming community where every LGBTQ+ residents, employee, and visitor can thrive.

Hudson County Community College Vice Chair Bakari G. Lee Named Recipient of ACCT 2023 Northeast Regional Trustee Leadership Award

 Bakari G. Lee, Esq., Vice Chair of Hudson County Community College’s Board of Trustees, is the recipient of the Association of Community College Trustees Northeast Regional Trustee Leadership Award.

Vice Chair Lee is the sole nominee from the Northeastern United States for
ACCT’s prestigious M. Dale Ensign National Trustee Leadership Award. 

August 23, 2023, Jersey City, NJ – For more than 120 years, America’s community colleges have played a vital role in transforming lives by creating pathways to economic opportunity and financial security. Today, community colleges face myriad challenges such as funding issues, keeping apace of rapidly changing technologies, and, most importantly, developing the means to assist students in continuing and completing their studies. Community college trustees work with college administrators and staff, local and national government entities, and area industries to meet these challenges, and to ensure opportunities abound for those who wish to successfully pursue a community college education.

Hudson County Community College Receives  ‘2023 Most Promising Places to Work in  Community Colleges’ National Award   

Pictured from left, Dr. Christopher Conzen, Executive Director, Secaucus Center and Early College Programs; Elana Winslow, Associate Professor, Business; Raffi Manjikian, Instructor, Chemistry; and Anna Krupitskiy, Vice President for Human Resources.  

The College is one of only 20 U.S. community colleges to earn this recognition.    

For the second year in a row, Hudson County Community College  (HCCC) has received the national “2023 Most Promising Places to Work in Community Colleges”  

OPENING RECEPTION – CONTEMPORARY PEACEMAKERS: WAVES OF CHANGE

February 15th from 3:00-7:00 pm.

OPENING CELEBRATION FOR CONTEMPORARY PEACEMAKERS EXHIBIT: EVENT DESIGN BY TERESA-FEEL THE LOVE WITH KARMA- GOYA & HCCC SCULPTURE FOR CHANGE

HCCC celebrates Dr. King’s activism through historical documents, the arts, and community projects in the Benjamin J. Dineen III and Dennis C. Hull Gallery. The exhibit timeline begins with King’s legendary visit to Jersey City and archives other social changes throughout the decades, ending with the Black Lives Matter Movement. In the spirit of MLK’s National Day of Service, we partnered with Goya Foods and are accepting can donations to support the HCCC food pantry and Hudson Helps.

Join us for an opening reception on Wednesday, February 15th from 3:00-7:00 pm. Enjoy light refreshments and a live performance by singer-songwriter, Kärma. Be the change with our Waves of Change backdrop and take a selfie with friends!

Opening February 15th-Closing April 6th,2023

Tuesday to Friday 11am-4pm

Benjamin J. Dineen III & Dennis C. Hull Gallery

71 Sip Avenue, 6th floor, Jersey City, NJ 07306

Hudson County Community College Celebrates  497 Students Who Progressed from English as a Second Language Studies to College Graduation

Hudson County Community College honored graduating students from the Classes of 2020-22 who began their journeys in Hudson’s ESL Program during the “ESL to Graduation: A Celebration” event.


Hudson County Community College (HCCC) is one of the most ethnically diverse higher education institutions in the United States, with students who were born in 119 different countries and speak 29 different languages. Many are recent arrivals to the United States coping with unfamiliar surroundings, cultural differences, and a new language. The College’s commitment to students’ success often begins by helping them overcome language challenges through the Academic English as a Second Language (AESL) program. 

On Tuesday evening, May 24, 2022, the College honored graduates from the Classes of 2020-22 who began their academic journeys in the HCCC ESL Program. The “ESL to Graduation: A Celebration” event was held at the HCCC Culinary Conference Center, 161 Newkirk Street in Jersey City. The celebration featured welcoming remarks by Jed Palmer, Interim Director of ESL and Academic Foundations English (AFE); and “Tales of Immigration: Past and Present” presented by Linda Joy Miller, Associate Professor, ESL. 

HCCC 2005 graduate Bahmini Ketheesan, Manager, SERV Finances and Accounts Group, Stevens Institute of Technology, spoke about “Student Success Stories: Past”. 

Simone Ebeid, a member of the Class of 2021 who earned her Associate in Science, Medical Sciences degree, and Elie Natuwila, Class of 2022 who will receive his Associate in Science, Criminal Justice degree at commencement ceremonies on May 26th, spoke on “Student Success Stories: Present.”

HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber, and Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Yeurys Pujols offered congratulatory remarks to the graduates who are receiving degrees in Business, Computer Science, Criminal Justice, Culinary Arts, Digital Arts, Early Childhood Education, Engineering, English, Health Services, Hospitality Management, Human Services, Mathematics, Medical Assisting, Medical Coding, Nursing, Psychology, Radiography, Studio Arts, and several other disciplines.

“The Classes of 2020-22 include 497 students who came to the United States from all around the world and began their higher education journey in the HCCC ESL program,” Dr. Reber said. “Attendees hail from Algeria, Brazil, Colombia, The Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, and Senegal. We are enormously proud of them for the courage, determination, and persistence they demonstrated in navigating the challenges of learning to read, write, and speak a new language, and then continuing on to earn their associate degrees.”

The HCCC Academic ESL program provides students with the high-level English language skills needed to study at a United States college or university, and to succeed and advance in careers.
Classes focus on academic essay writing, grammar, reading, and speaking and listening skills. Overall, HCCC ESL students are from 45 different countries. Students enrolled in the Academic ESL program are eligible to apply for the Johanna Van Gandt (JVG) Scholarship for ESL Students that provides tuition support.

For more information on the Academic ESL program, please email [email protected]or call 201-360-4384.


About Hudson County Community College
Hudson County Community College serves more than 18,000 credit and non-credit students annually. The College offers nearly 80 degree and certificate programs, including award-winning English as a Second Language, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Culinary Arts/Hospitality Management, Nursing and Health Sciences, and Fine and Performing Arts. The HCCC Culinary/Hospitality Management program was ranked number six in the U.S. by Best Choice Schools. Over 94% of HCCC Nursing program graduates passed the NCLEX the first time out, placing the program’s graduates in the top tier of two- and four-year nursing programs nationwide. In 2017, the Equality of Opportunity Project ranked HCCC in the top 5% of 2,200 U.S. higher education institutions for social and economic mobility.

HCCC has partnerships with every major four-year college and university in the greater New Jersey-New York area and beyond, accommodating seamless transfer of credits for further undergraduate and graduate education.

The College’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has been recognized with the 2021 Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Northeast Region Equity Award; and the INSIGHT Into Diversity2021 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award honoring HCCC as one of nine community colleges nationally to be named “Top Colleges for Diversity.” The National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD), in collaboration with Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, named HCCC as a “2022 Most Promising Place to Work in Community Colleges.” HCCC was a finalist this year for the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) “Advancing Diversity Award of Excellence.”
Hudson County Community College Receives INSIGHT Into Diversity 2021 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award

HCCC one of just eight community colleges in the country 
to be awarded this national honor.

Mayor Fulop Solicits Community Partners for $500k Anti-Violence Program

27TH Annual JCAST

Mayor Fulop and Jersey City Together Target Underlying Contributors of Long-term Community Violence Exacerbated by the Pandemic

Mayor Steven M. Fulop joins Jersey City’s Division of Community Development (DCD) to announcethe launch of a new grant-funded Violence Prevention Program designed to acknowledge, target, and respond to the uptick in violence resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The RFP was designed in conjunction with Jersey City Together.

Jersey City has dedicated $500,000 in the first tranche towards the Violence Prevent Program Request for Proposal (RFP). Eligible organizations can apply for funding to launch this program focusing on helping the City’s youth, adults, and seniors within low- and moderate-income areas as defined by HUD. The RFP is open through February 18, 2022.

“We are committed to driving down crime and violence in our area, and this community-based Violence Prevention Program will leverage our local resources to address the underlying conditions that result in long-term violence,” said Mayor Fulop. “With this program, we want to ensure safer, healthier, and equitable communities by providing at-risk residents with the tools to heal from traumatic experiences, while also providing the support and skills to achieve their short- and long-term life goals.” 

The comprehensive Violence Prevention Program will address structural inequities and invest necessary resources. The new initiative will complement programs implemented in the last year, such as Mental Health First Aid efforts, as part of a comprehensive approach to address domestic violence issues, homeless outreach, violence prevention, and mental health support – all of which have seen stark increases since the onset of COVID-19.

“Jersey City Together fully supports allocating and investing in proven violence prevention strategies for our City. Community-based violence reduction models like these use outreach, connecting individuals to social services and other supports to respond to the problems we face, as a proactive approach to prevent violence from occurring,” said Bill Lillis, a member of Jersey City Together’s strategy team.

The program is shaped by community-based prevention frameworks utilizing intervention methods that are proven effective, including:

·         Community mobilization efforts

·         Youth outreach

·         Public education

·         Leadership involvement

·         Mentorships

·         Trained credible messengers

·         Social services navigation/support

·         Life management action plans

“The program will serve at-risk individuals who experience violence within their community while centering the needs of constituents. This directly aligns with our mission ‘to strengthen Jersey City through fostering strong partnerships and responsibly investing our funding resources in the community,’” said Community Development Division Director Deja Anderson.

The deadline for submitting proposals is Friday, February 18, 2022, at 11:59 pm.  Applicants should be proficient in languages found within Jersey City. The Request for Proposal application can be accessed through the Jersey City website here.

JERSEY CITY RANKED ONE OF THE 2021 TOP 100 BEST PLACES TO LIVE BY LIVABILITY.COM

Jersey City ranked 48th out of the top 100 listings

Jersey City  has been named one of the 2021 Top 100 Best Places to Live by Livability.com, outpacing more than 1,000 cities with populations between 20,000 and 1 million in this data-driven ranking.The 2021 rankings were guided by an exclusive study conducted by Livability.com in partnership with Ipsos. More than 1,000 adults aged 18 and up from across the country were surveyed to determine which livability characteristics they value in their future communities. Respondents were asked if they could work from anywhere, which factors would be most heavily considered when choosing to relocate and how housing needs and priorities have changed since the beginning of the pandemic. Since March 2020, more than 42% of the U.S. population has either moved or considered moving.This year, Livability partnered with Movoto by OJO to offer readers guidance for the next step in their journey – to determine the type of housing available in the ranked cities and at what price.“This year’s list is a testament to loving where you live, in a time where more of us than ever can live anywhere we want,” says Cara Sanders, Livability.com managing editor. “These past two years have shown us how important it is that the places we live meet our needs and offer up affordability, opportunity and plenty of amenities. If we can work from anywhere, then these 100 cities are places you would want to live and make remote workers’ needs a top priority.”More than 1,000 cities with populations between 20,000 and 1,000,000 were ranked on 50 data points measuring economics, housing, amenities, infrastructure, demographics, social and civic capital, education and health care. The nine scores were weighted based on an exclusive survey conducted for Livability.com by Ipsos Public Affairs, a leading global market research firm. Sources included the best public and private data available from organizations like the U.S. Census Bureau, Emsi and Esri.The full list of the 2021 Top 100 Best Places to Live is featured on Livability.com, along with each city’s LivScore and some of the specific attractions, activities and amenities that make it a great place to live.

About Livability.com:Livability.com highlights the best small to mid-sized cities and what makes them great places to live, work and visit. Through research and original content, we examine issues such as affordability, cultural amenities and talent attraction, and celebrate the accomplishments of these cities through top 10 lists, our annual ranking of the Top 100 Best Places to Live, and articles exploring the who, what, why and how behind the “where.” Livability.com is a division of Journal Communications, Inc., based in Franklin, Tenn.

About Movoto by OJO:Movoto by OJO is the residential search site from the Austin, Texas-based proptech company OJO Labs. We help homebuyers, sellers, and owners jump-start their real estate journey, by meeting them where they are with the tools and assistance they need to move forward with knowledge and confidence. With personalized tools, expert guidance, tailored resources, and market insights, we support each person’s journey — from taking the first steps in home search to building long-term wealth as a homeowner. By paving the way to homeownership — and the pride, financial security, and generational wealth-building that comes with it — OJO helps unlock life’s possibilities.