Hudson County Community College (HCCC) invites students, faculty, staff, and community members to join together on Wednesday, September 11, 2024 for an inspiring commemoration of that fateful day. The ceremony will begin at 10:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Benjamin J. Dineen III and Dennis C. Hull Gallery and Atrium of the HCCC Gabert Library at 71 Sip Avenue in Jersey City. Those planning to attend are asked to register at https://form.jotform.com/242206252607146.
The event will begin with the raising of the flag at 9:30 a.m. in front of the Gabert Library. The ceremony will feature special remarks from Dr. Christopher Reber, HCCC President; John Farmer, who served as New Jersey Attorney General during 9/11; Dr. Christopher Cody, HCCC History Instructor, who will provide a historical timeline of events that led to the 9/11 attacks; and, Chris Hoff, a Wounded Warrior speaker who will deliver the keynote address. Dr. Yeurys Pujols, HCCC Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, will provide closing remarks.
“The 9/11 remembrance we host each year reflects our dedication to honoring the legacies of those who lost their lives,” said HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber. “In many ways, the terrorist attacks changed the way we live and still impact those who carry the emotional and physical scars. Through all of our pain, we have also been reminded that Americans can come together, heal, and emerge stronger by lifting and caring for each other.”
Keynote speaker Chris Hoff is a Wounded Warrior Project Peer Leader and retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant who will share his experience of living with post-traumatic stress disorder. Mr. Hoff enlisted in the military straight out of high school in 1986 and was honorably discharged after serving for eight years. Inspired to reenlist in the Army Reserves after 9/11, Mr. Hoff suffered a traumatic brain injury during Humvee rollover training in Afghanistan. Undiagnosed and sent back to work, he attended fallen comrade ceremonies and volunteered to deliver the bodies of service members who had been killed to their families. As his personal life unraveled under the stress, Mr. Hoff contemplated suicide. The Wounded Warrior Project empowered him to live.
The rooftop terrace that adjoins the HCCC Atrium provides a befitting background for the event as it is home to a steel fragment believed to be from the World Trade Center North Tower East Façade. The artifact was part of the Remember 9/11 exhibit at the New Jersey State Museum before it was donated to the College.
About Hudson County Community College
Hudson County Community College serves more than 20,000 credit and non-credit students annually. The College offers over 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’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has been recognized with the 2021 Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Northeast Region Equity Award; the “INSIGHT Into Diversity” 2021, 2022 and 2023 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, this year honoring HCCC as one of six community colleges nationally to be named “Top Colleges for Diversity;” the “INSIGHT Into Diversity” 2022 and 2023 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award, and 2024 Inspiring Programs in Business Award. The College received the 2023 Outstanding Member Institution Award from the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). HCCC was a finalist in seven categories of this 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) in collaboration with “Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.” 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 2022 and 2023 “Great College to Work For®.” 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 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 with the Campus Prevention Network Seal of Prevention in 2023 and 2024 for demonstrating leadership in digital prevention programming focused on student safety, well-being, and inclusion.
