“We are very grateful to Dr. Reber for this endowment. He believes in leading by example. Students awarded scholarships from the fund will be able to focus more on their studies as it will reduce the worry of balancing their coursework with jobs, caring for families, and taking on student loans,†Mr. Napolitano said.
Since becoming HCCC President in 2018, Dr. Reber has led a range of initiatives to support a student-centered learning environment, one that addresses economic and social challenges that are roadblocks to retention and completion. Each month Dr. Reber hosts “Pizza with the President†and Town Hall gatherings that allow him to meet one-on-one with students, faculty, and staff in order to learn about their needs and concerns, and support and celebrate their accomplishments. He has worked closely with the HCCC community and Foundation in establishing and developing HCCC food pantries and the one-stop “Hudson Helps†services and support centers on the Journal Square and North Hudson campuses that address food insecurity and financial needs and concerns of students and their families.
Dr. Reber led the College’s decision to join the Achieving the Dream network, a nonprofit national organization of high-achieving community colleges that utilizes evidence-based institution programming to improve student success. He championed the construction of HCCC’s first state-of-the-art Student Center on HCCC’s Journal Square Campus in 2019. He is leading and supporting the College’s engagement in local, regional and national partnerships that support an upward trajectory of life-changing opportunities for students and the community. The award-winning HCCC “Out of the Box†video podcasts that he initiated and hosts spotlight the accomplishments of students, faculty, staff and community members, and build awareness of the College’s achievements and innovative programs.
Outstanding student loans in the United States totaled $1.41 trillion in 2019, a 33 percent increase from 2014. The Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Columbia University Teachers College reports that about 80 percent of U.S. community college students work, with 39 percent working full time. CCRC indicates that even though community colleges have a much higher proportion of low-income students than other higher-education sectors, their students’ rate of receiving a $2,000 per year Pell Grant is lower than at public and private four-year colleges.
“Dr. Reber’s endowment sets an example that will help the Foundation raise funding to reduce and eliminate the disparities that have affected our community – especially our Latino and African American citizens,†Mr. Napolitano stated.
About Hudson County Community College
Hudson County Community College serves more than 18,000 credit and non-credit students annually. The College offers more than 60 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 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 mobility. HCCC has partnerships with every major four-year college and university in the greater New Je
Information on the Christopher M. Reber Endowed Scholarship may be obtained by emailing [email protected].
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