“There are so many people and milestones we want to remember and recognize. We needed more than just a few events and a few months to celebrate this landmark moment in the College’s history properly,” said HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber. “HCCC’s Golden Anniversary also provides opportunities to look ahead to our new, eleven-story Center for Student Success, and our programs, services, and resources that will continue to enrich the education, enjoyment, and quality of life of our neighbors and our community.”
The first of HCCC’s 50th Anniversary celebrations will be held on Monday, September 9, 2025, when there will literally be singing and dancing in the streets. Beginning at 2:00 p.m., HCCC students, faculty, and staff will come together in the Gabert Library (71 Sip Avenue, Jersey City, NJ) for music, giveaways, art tours, a history exhibit, “Time Capsule Launch,” and much more. At 5:00 p.m., the celebration moves down the street to the College’s Culinary Plaza Park (just across from the HCCC Culinary Conference Center at 161 Sip Avenue) for a Dance Party featuring a champagne toast, a singalong to Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration,” music by Kool’s son, DJ Prince Hakim, a raffle, and other festivities.
To round out the 2025 celebration calendar, the College has planned:
- 50th Anniversary Homecoming Block Party and Open House on October 18th;
- 50th Anniversary Alumni Networking Night on November 13th; and
- 50th Anniversary Foundation Gala at the Culinary Conference Center on December 4th.
Dr. Reber said details for the September 9th Kick-Off and the other 2025 and 2026 Anniversary events will be revealed soon. “We want everyone in our community to know that ‘Hudson is Home’ and we invite them to join us in these celebrations.”
About Hudson County Community College
Hudson County Community College serves 23,000 credit and non-credit students annually. The College offers more than 90 degree and certificate programs, including award-winning English as a Second Language; Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); Culinary Arts/Hospitality Management; Nursing and Health Professions; and Humanities and Social Sciences. The HCCC Culinary/Hospitality Management program was ranked number six in the U.S. by Best Choice Schools. The College’s School of Continuing Education and Workforce Development offers cutting-edge, industry-recognized, stackable credentials in alignment with high-priority workforce needs.
HCCC has partnerships with four major four-year colleges and universities in the greater New Jersey-New York area and beyond, accommodating seamless transfer of credits for further undergraduate and graduate education.
The College has received dozens of national awards throughout the years. HCCC was a finalist in seven categories of last year’s American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) national “Awards of Excellence” and earned 2024 CEO of the Year, Faculty of the Year, and Student Success Awards. In 2023, HCCC received the Outstanding Member Institution Award from the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).
For the fifth consecutive year, HCCC was selected as one of only a few community colleges in the United States to be named one of the “2025 Most Promising Places to Work in Community Colleges” by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD). HCCC was one of 22 community colleges in the nation, and the only college in New Jersey, to be recognized by ModernThink LLC and the “Chronicle of Higher Education” as a 2025, 2024, 2023, and 2022 “Great College to Work For®” and named to the 2024 and 2023 “Great Colleges Honor Roll of Distinction.”
HCCC is one of two colleges in the United States to be named a Top Ten Finalist in all three program categories for the nationally recognized 2023 Bellwether Awards, and received the 2023 Bellwether Award for the College’s cutting-edge “Hudson Scholars” program, which also won the 2024 Bellwether Legacy Award.
The College’s exemplary work in advancing student success has been recognized with the 2025, 2024, and 2023 “Leader College of Distinction” designation by Achieving the Dream, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing community colleges as catalysts for equity and mobility in their communities. The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) named the College the sole recipient of the 2025 ACCT Northeast Regional Impact and Success and Faculty Member Awards. HCCC was also presented the Campus Prevention Network Seal of Prevention in 2024 and 2023 for demonstrating leadership in digital prevention programming focused on student safety, well-being, and inclusion.
