Insight Into Diversity Magazine presented its 2025 Inspiring Programs in Business Award to Hudson County Community College (HCCC) for its School of Business, Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management’s Business Administration program. The award recognizes programs that provide comprehensive support for students from traditionally underrepresented groups. Winners were selected for their ability to inspire and engage students to pursue business careers through mentoring, teaching, research, programs, and initiatives.
“We are honored to receive this recognition from Insight Into Diversity,” said HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber. “Hudson County Community College provides inclusive, high-quality educational programs and services that increase student success and upward social and economic mobility. Through curricula, students’ industry-based activities, and professional development, our programs underscore HCCC’s dedication to academic excellence.”
The HCCC A.S. in Business Administration program was established in 2012 and has evolved to prepare students to meet the demands of a global economy. The College’s Business Education Supplemental Training (B.E.S.T.) program is a national model for business degree programs. HCCC Professors Dr. Peter Cronrath and Elana Winslow, who are Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) Faculty Innovation Fellows, engaged with BHEF’s national network to develop the badging/leadership program that connects the HCCC B.E.S.T. students with industry leaders. B.E.S.T. students meet in the College’s Bloomberg Finance Lab to prepare for the Bloomberg Financial Challenge and complete badge-earning tasks in student surveys, marketing, finance, career readiness, positive social change management, and more. Importantly, students meet with professional mentors from financial institutions, law, supply chain, and telecommunications.
The B.E.S.T. students competed against 2,400 college teams worldwide in the Bloomberg Investment Trading Challenge; attended a Career Readiness/HR Bank of America workshop; and met with a Federal Reserve Bank representative for activities, a presentation, Wall Street tour, and two case-study competitions.
“We know that business programs are not always recognized for their success, dedication, and mentorship for underrepresented students,” says Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of Insight Into Diversity Magazine. “We are thrilled to recognize those that prioritize excellence and create pathways for students who seek careers in a wide range of business sectors. We are proud to honor these programs as role models for other institutions of higher education and beyond.”
About Hudson County Community College
Hudson County Community College serves more than 20,000 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 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, including the 2023 Outstanding Member Institution Award from the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). HCCC was a finalist in seven categories of last year’s American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) national “Awards of Excellence” and earned CEO of the Year, Faculty of the Year, and Student Success Awards. For the third consecutive year, HCCC was selected as one of 18 community colleges in the United States to be named among the “2024 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 2024, 2023 and 2022 “Great College to Work For®” and named to the 2024 and 2023 “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 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. 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.
