President, AFT Local 1839
Professor of Criminal Justice, NJCU
2024 – We Are Here
The faculty and professional staff are dedicated to our students and excited to work with them.
We have over 1200 new students in Fall 2024, and more than half of them are from Hudson County. We also have students from 20 of the 21 counties in New Jersey. This is a combination of freshman, with an increase of 8%, and transfer students, with a growth of over 10%.
University Admissions participated in 321 recruitment events during the AY23/24 academic year, which included high school visits, community college transfer visits, and various community events. We welcome our new and returning students!
NJCU is one of the top #10 in the US and #1 in New Jersey for social mobility and is the most ethnically diverse college and one of the least expensive universities in the state.*
*CollegeNET, US News and World Report, NorthJersey.com
SUBMIT YOUR STORIES
If you have any questions, please send to Chris Shamburg cshamburg@njcu.edu
OUR STORIES
Innovative Teacher Internship Lowers Financial Barriers for Future Teachers
One of the most daunting problems for people who want to be teachers in the US is paying for college, especially during unpaid internships and student-teaching experiences that are specifically required in teacher preparation. These internship experiences provide valuable, mentored classroom experience but have historically come with a tuition bill. Over the last four years NJCU faculty member Dr. Michelle Rosen has developed an innovative program for local students and schools to address this that is being heralded as a national model—the New Jersey City University Teacher Intern Program (NJCU TIP).
NJCU TIP provides College of Education students the opportunity to work alongside experienced teachers in real classrooms while getting paid. Future teachers gain classroom experience working with K12 students in our 11 partner schools in Hudson and Essex Counties. These College of Education students work in real classrooms with individual and small groups of K12 students, eventually working their way up to whole classroom instruction. This is a great opportunity to learn from experienced teachers in grades K-12 while completing their teacher education programs. Data shows a 90% NJCU completion rate for students who participate in the program.
This program helps remove barriers for our preservice candidates as it provides both a working wage while they are in school and a working experience directly aligned with their future career goals. Since interns can begin working as early as their freshman year, they are developing skills and cultivating instructional strategies to position themselves as highly qualified future teachers. This innovative and one-of-a-kind program provides a pipeline for those entering the teaching field and, at the same time, provides instructional assistance to students in the K-12 classrooms
Collaboration with NASA for Artificial Intelligence in Jersey City
Dr. Moitrayee Chatterjee, an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science Department at NJCU, has been awarded a prestigious NASA grant to establish the Collaboration with NASA for Artificial Intelligence in Jersey City at NJCU. This grant will engage NJCU students in cutting-edge research and educational activities focused on developing Reinforcement Learning algorithms tailored for autonomous exploration of outer space. Reinforcement Learning, a specialized area within Artificial Intelligence (AI), enables AI systems to learn and adapt based on environmental feedback.
The grant facilitates a close collaboration with Dr. Russell Carpenter, Deputy Project Manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, who will act as a subject matter expert and mentor to the students at NJCU. This partnership will enhance students' career readiness by providing opportunities to network with and be inspired by experts from NASA.
This grant is particularly impactful as it supports AI research in traditionally underserved areas, emphasizing the importance of ethical and effective AI systems as they become increasingly integral to our society. Kudos to Dr. Chatterjee.
NJCU Women’s Soccer Team Gives Back to the Community
At the end of Summer the NJCU Women’s Soccer team partnered with Hope Social Services Agency to host a successful Annual Back to School event aimed at supporting local youth. The event was a key opportunity for the student-athletes to give back to their community while promoting the importance of education and sports as vital tools for personal growth.
The event was attended by several notable figures, including the Director of the Jersey City Department of Health, members of the Jersey City Soccer League, Hudson County Commissioners Yraida Aponte-Lipski and O'Dea, and Assemblywoman Jessica Ramirez.
Hope Social Services Agency is committed to meeting the needs of children, families, and seniors by offering a wide range of support services that focus on both education and mentorship. “Our experience with Hope Social Services Agency has been deeply rewarding,” said Nyrohah Alvarenga, one of the student-athletes from the NJCU Women’s Soccer team. “We have seen firsthand how they empower youth through comprehensive educational programs and mentorship that inspire growth and achievement. Their efforts to meet the social needs of seniors, such as through community-building activities and support services, are truly impactful. Additionally, their commitment to providing aid to children and families both locally and internationally reflects their dedication to making a positive difference in countless lives.”
During the event, the NJCU Women’s Soccer team worked closely with Hope Social Services to provide school supplies and soccer equipment to children in need. The student-athletes were able to engage directly with families and children, offering encouragement and fostering a sense of community. “As NJCU Women’s Soccer interacted and provided aid to children and families, we saw firsthand how Hope Social Services ensures that children, especially in difficult times, have the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential,” said Samantha Szymanski, a student athlete on the NJCU Soccer Team. “This organization focuses on guaranteeing children in vulnerable situations can grow up healthy, receive an education, and be protected from violence and depression.”
For student-athlete Lorraine Valenzuela, the event was an eye-opening experience, “The event for Hope Social Services truly showed me the joy of kids with simple things that were given to them. A book bag and a soccer ball brought smiles to their faces, showing their gratitude. Adding both scholarly supplies and athletic equipment resembles the NJCU Women’s Soccer team, focusing on being both a student and an athlete.”
The Annual Back to School event highlighted the meaningful impact that partnerships like the one between NJCU and Hope Social Services can have on a community. Through the combined efforts of the NJCU Women’s Soccer team and Hope Social Services, local youth were given not just tangible supplies for the school year, but also the support and encouragement they need to thrive academically and athletically. NJCU Women’s Soccer team looks forward to continuing its partnership with Hope Social Services in the future, as both organizations share a commitment to improving the lives of youth in Jersey City and beyond.
Engaging with Jersey City’s Senior Community—Giving and Learning
Community Engaged Learning (CEL) courses emphasize addressing special interests and applying course learning in collaboration with community partners. In two sociology courses on aging students learn about mental health, cognitive challenges, healthcare, social programs, and housing of the senior population.
NJCU Sociology students have worked closely in Jersey City senior facilities with the Jersey City Division of Aging. Students have learned from senior interviews, provided educational programming, coordinated cognitive and psychologically stimulating activities, and more.
NJCU Students shared their experiences in their own words:
- “I loved working with the aging population because they are so friendly toward people.”
- “I believe that talking with Mrs. B helped me improve my communication abilities. It was helpful to have knowledge on topics for a more intimate interactions with the aging population.”
- “I never thought that I would be open to working with the aging population, but my experiences changed bias and stereotypes that I held against the aging.”
- “The aging population have so many interesting stories and experienced so much history. I learned from the seniors about Jersey City across the decades.”
This work is led by Dr. Jennifer A. Pax, a faculty member in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, “One of my greatest pleasures is teaching Community Engaged Learning courses where students and I collaborate on projects with the City of Jersey City Senior Centers.”
Urban School Leaders Preparing Students for the Future
Three of our Educational Technology Leadership doctoral alumni have been leading as innovative school principals in our urban schools.
Dr. Atiba Buckman, Principal of Malcolm X Shabazz High School in Newark, opened the first Newark Board of Education Makerspace, and the second largest in Newark. The space is for all of the school's students and will support their STEM programs, Robotics Club, and non-traditional leaners. We know great things are going to happen there!
Dr. Martha Osei-Yaw is the Principal of PS #30 in Jersey City, and her school earned the eMerge STEM Imitative Award for making a positive impact on the environment. Congrats Dr. Osei-Yaw!
Dr. Peter Mattaliano (Ed.D., Cohort 5), Principal of Mahatma K. Gandhi School PS# 23 in Jersey City, earned a Verizon Innovative Schools Grant for his school. The grant equipped the school with two lab of 3D printers, Virtual Reality technology, and a host of other high-tech equipment. Peter is MA and Ed.D. alum in Educational Technology at NJCU. He also got his principal’s certificate and his BA in Special Education from NJCU.
Serving Hudson County Youth and Serving the Community
NJCU is one of the state's thirteen New Jersey Youth Corps program centers and the and the only one in Hudson County. Youth Corps has provided personal and professional development to thousands of young adults across Hudson County ages 16-25.
Youth Corps is a second-chance program for the out-of-school population in Hudson County. Students take academic and certification classes three days a week during sixteen-week cohorts to prepare for their high school equivalency exam.
Corpsmembers also participate in service learning in their communities. For over a decade they have been working at Let's Celebrate Food Pantry at 46 Fairview Avenue in the Bergen-Lafayette Neighborhood of Jersey City, getting on-the-job training as they address food insecurity in the community. Youth Corps students have volunteered in other spaces such as MedShare in Secaucus and the Jersey City Department of Public Works. In addition, on campus Youth Corps students assist at the Gothic Knight Food Pantry.
Corpsmembers get a new pathway to set and achieve attainable goals through community service, social-emotional learning, and academic efforts. There are Youth Corps graduates that are now NJCU students. The staff at Youth Corps that make this all possible include the director, Nikketta Pressley-Walsh, program coordinator Melinda Estrada-Anderson, counselors/academic instructors Asad Faison and Jashae Stewart as well as career transition coach/job developer CJ Diggs.
"NJ Youth Corps has played a significant part in my growth and development personally and professionally. It was an honor to build relationships with our community partners and the corpsmembers I witnessed changing their lives under our guidance." - Douglass Bailey former Crew Leader/Academic Instructor now STEM Academic Advisor at the University Advisement Center at NJCU.
Creativity and Inclusion for Hudson County Teachers and Students
For the last 10 years NJCU’s Educational Technology Department has been hosting a Maker Day professional development event for Hudson County Teachers. This year it was the STEM Carnival of Inclusion where carnival games were adapted for students of all abilities. Over 40 teachers from the area participated in the PD session, using everyday items to create engaging and educational projects. For the last 10 years NJCU’s Educational Technology Department has been hosting a Maker Day professional development event for Hudson County Teachers. This year it was the STEM Carnival of Inclusion where carnival games were adapted for students of all abilities. Over 40 teachers from the area participated in the PD session, using everyday items to create engaging and educational projects.
Collaborating with the faculty and students of A. Harry Moore School made it an extra special event. It was a day full of fun, learning, and community. A. Harry Moore is the NJCU College of Education laboratory school for students with severe and multiple disabilities serving the area since 1931. The Ed Tech Department has also partnered with A. Harry Moore in the department’s Assistive Technology Certificate, the Assistive Technology Working Group, and other initiatives over the last 20 years.
Getting People What They Need
At NJCU we attend to the whole student and are especially proud of our efforts to provide clothing, food, and other essential resources and services for our community.
Through the Gothic Knight Food Pantry we provide food and hygiene items to students and their families, averaging over 100 families served per semester and 60 during the summer.
The Gothic Rack provides professional attire for interviews, career fairs, networking events and the workplace to help students success in work and their careers. We have a unique privilege and responsibility to support our students in all areas of their development. NJCU student groups, Youth Corps, and A. Harry Moore students work at these centers on campus.
Students Protecting Hudson County’s Ecosystem
Starting in Spring 2024, students in Dr. Allison Fitzgerald’s Life and Nature course worked to explore and support the local watershed.
This course has a focus of Urban Ecology, explaining how the urban environment changes from the natural watershed with the advance of people, buildings, and roads.
Partnering with NJ Department of Environmental Protection Watershed Ambassadors, Hackensack Riverkeeper, and Liberty State Park (LSP), students were led by local Ambassador (and NJCU alum!) Katya Del Mundo. Students were able to get hands-on experience with 5 projects aimed at mitigating the effects of urbanization:
- Rain garden plantings: working with LSP educators, students helped to clear ground, plant native flora, and learned about how drainage is improved by using plants as a filter.
- Invasive species removal: With increases in travel and shipping in urban areas, invasive plants and animals enter our watershed often. Students to remove Porcelain Berry weed in Liberty State Park.
- Building bird boxes: the removal of salt marshes near urban estuaries results in the loss of migratory bird habitat. These salt marshes are biodiversity hotspots and important in worldwide ecosystems and migratory patterns. By building bird boxes with Jersey City Birds and LSP educators, students were able to provide habitat for swallows to nest in Caven Point (LSP) and Lincoln Park.
- Stream assessment: many urban streams are subject to multiple pollutants, including oils and nutrients from road run-off and can be overburdened during large rain events and cause flash floods. Students participated in state-wide stream assessment collected data for long-term analysis of how small urban streams are faring.
- Plastic litter: Many urban areas are overrun with trash--plastic waste from food sources, household litter, and other sources. These end up in the watershed when street garbage cans overflow or people dumb debris into the woods/marsh/streams. Students worked with Hackensack Riverkeeper to tally up litter collected (and clean up the area) in Mill Creek Park (Secaucus), discovering that plastic made up the largest type of litter.
Students in the course not only learned about the topic at hand and one way to mitigate it but did a thorough literature search for recent experiments and documents, put together a database of local organizations engaging in this type of research and mitigation. All materials were made available to the public and shared with our partners. All material: https://tinyurl.com/NJCUforEnvironment
Serving the Multilingual Learners in Hudson County and Beyond
Hudson County, widely known as one of the most diverse counties in New Jersey and in the United States, serves a wide range of ethnically, culturally, linguistically diverse students in its schools.
The Multicultural Leadership Department at NJCU has supported the efforts of various school districts to provide differentiated learning for the multilingual learners by providing ESL and Bilingual certification programs that cater to specific district needs.
Many Hudson County school districts, including Jersey City, Union City, and Guttenberg, are facing difficulties in staffing the ESL and Bilingual classrooms with qualified, certified teachers. In collaboration with the districts, the Multicultural Leadership Department has been providing ESL and Bilingual/Bicultural Endorsement programs through various grants to support the classroom teachers in working with the multilingual learners. Jersey City School District is preparing to launch its fifth cohort of Dual ESL/Bilingual Endorsement program, following the successful completion of the fourth cohort, all earning eligibility for ESL and Bilingual/Bicultural Teaching Certifications. The Multicultural Leadership department faculty work closely with school districts such as Union City School District to support the teachers in their efforts to become certified in ESL and Bilingual Education; hundreds of the district teachers have successfully completed the dual certification program and become fully certified.
Throughout New Jersey, the need for qualified and fully certified ESL and Bilingual teachers is rapidly growing while the shortage is widespread and becoming dire. NJCU’s Multicultural Leadership Department is successfully providing the valuable opportunity for professional development and educational support for teachers as well as multilingual learners.
Serving Hudson County Veterans Who Have Served Us
NJCU’s Office of Military & Veterans Services is instrumental in the support and guidance of our military community on campus. We serve as a centralized HUB that brings awareness to our student population, while helping them experience a seamless transition into the academic arena. We work with servicemembers, veterans and their dependents to assist with academics, supportive services and advocacy.
We also partner with various organizations in the community to bring the necessary services to our campus, while educating our faculty, staff, and students on what the needs of this population are. We guide them, encourage, and celebrate all that they bring to make NJCU the great community it is!
Students, Alum and Faculty Showcase Newark’s Rich Musical Legacy
During the summer 2024 NJCU students Leigh Issac and Kendry Hilario, both Media majors, worked with Professor of Media Arts Joel Katz under the Title V Grant program as research interns on the film Can't You Hear That Sound?, a documentary about Black music from Newark, NJ.
Newark’s music legacy includes superstars Whitney Houston, Sarah Vaughan, and Queen Latifah; Jazz greats Wayne Shorter, James Moody, and Woody Shaw; R&B stars Dionne Warwick, and Gloria Gaynor; Funk superstar George Clinton; Hip-Hop greats Lauryn Hill, Redman and Lords Of The Underground; choreographer Savion Glover; and composer, multi-instrumentalist and MacArthur Award recipient Tyshawn Sorey.
Can't You Hear That Sound? is the brainchild of Newark civil rights attorney and community activist Junius Williams. As Executive Producer, Junius asked Professor Katz in 2023 to co-produce and co-direct the project, and he jumped at the opportunity. Among those also hired as crew are Director of Photography Brian Timmons (NJCU Media Arts, 1999) and Ryan Morales (NJCU Media Arts, 2023).
Leigh and Kendry did exemplary work locating archival photos, maps, film, and other documents for the project. They made multiple visits to the Newark Public Library's Research Division, the Rutgers Jazz History Archive, and the Newark Historical Society. Both are planning to continue work on the project in Fall 2024 through the Office of Cooperative Education.
NJCU Students Working with Hudson County Judges and Courts
Understanding the American judicial system, basic constitutional protections, and associated governmental processes is an important educational objective for college students, regardless of major. Immersing students directly into courtroom spaces and connecting them with essential court actors (judges, attorneys, court personnel) brings these processes to life and promotes learning on a deeper level.
Dr. Esther Nir has developed an interactive Community Engaged Learning Court Program for Honors Program and Criminal Justice students. In collaboration with Hudson County Assignment Judge Jeffrey Jablonski and previous Hudson County Assignment Judge Peter Bariso, hundreds of our students have been provided with the opportunity to visit the Hudson County courts to observe and journal courtroom proceedings, interact with judges in their chambers, engage in question/answer sessions with various court actors, and participate in mock trials in Hudson County courtrooms with a superior court judge presiding. Mock trial students have been privileged to work directly with judges to improve their advocacy skills and receive guidance in workshop settings. These experiences have helped to demystify court systems and processes for students, promote student interest in civic engagement, and build public speaking skills.
NJCU’s Lee Hagan African American Center: A Beacon of Community and Culture in Jersey City and Beyond
As a cornerstone of New Jersey City University (NJCU), the Lee Hagan African American Center stands as a vital institution serving the needs of Black students and the greater Jersey City community. Under the leadership of Director Lewis Spears, the center has become a hub of programming that bridges NJCU with its surrounding neighborhoods, fostering a deep connection between the university and the region it serves. Through a variety of events and initiatives, the center is reinforcing NJCU’s commitment to being an indispensable resource for Jersey City, Hudson County, and beyond.
Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony: A New Beginning
In Feb, NJCU proudly hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Lee Hagan African American Center, marking its official opening as a cultural. educational, and political space for the Black diaspora. The ceremony was more than just an institutional event—it was a signal to community stakeholders within NJCU and the greater Jersey City area that the center was here to stay. Attendees included university leadership, local officials, and members of the Black community, all eager to witness the unveiling of a space designed to uplift and support Black students.
The event highlighted NJCU's role as not just an academic institution but as a community partner committed to addressing the needs of its diverse population. By fostering a collaborative relationship with stakeholders from all sectors—education, government, non-profit, and business—NJCU demonstrated that it remains a unique and indispensable institution for the city and region.
Exploring Legacy: Celebrating the Black Diaspora
After the ribbon-cutting, the center hosted its inaugural "Exploring Legacy" event during the week of April 22, providing a rare opportunity for students, faculty, and the broader community to connect with the Black diaspora through the Lee Hagan Center's resources. This week-long series of workshops, panels, and cultural celebrations delved into the rich history, struggles, and triumphs of Black communities across the globe. It was a powerful reminder that the legacy of the African diaspora is not just a historical one but continues to shape contemporary culture, art, and academia.
Juneteenth Flag Raising: Honoring Black Contributions
The momentum continued with the Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremony, which was a resounding success. This event focused on celebrating the invaluable contributions of Black Americans to the fabric of the United States. The ceremony brought the community together in a meaningful way, reminding everyone that the fight for justice, equality, and recognition of Black achievements continues. The flag-raising served as a visual and symbolic representation of NJCU’s commitment to recognizing and promoting Black excellence.
In conjunction with this event, NJCU partnered with the "All About Us" citywide Juneteenth celebration, where students from the Men of Color Initiative, led by Director Lenny Williams, joined in the festivities. For eight hours, the citywide celebration featured food trucks, vendors, guest artists, ritual celebrations, historical references, political announcements, and much more. This collaboration between NJCU and the wider Jersey City community demonstrated the university's active involvement in local cultural events and its role in promoting Black heritage and pride.
Connecting Youth and Careers Through the “Getting to Know NJCU” Series
Over the summer, Lee Hagan’s "Getting to Know NJCU" series provided an invaluable opportunity for local youth to explore careers in higher education and beyond. Young men from the President of the NAACP’s Youth Program were invited to the university to learn about career pathways at NJCU, engaging with faculty and professionals who offered insights into their respective fields. The program didn’t stop there: a local non-profit organization called She Is Incorporated, an all-girls group, also visited the university. The girls had a chance to explore the Speicher-Rubin Women's Center for Equity and Diversity, the Counseling Center, and the Art Department, each led by dynamic women leaders—Venida, Danielle, and Courtney.
This initiative exemplifies NJCU’s commitment to supporting academic and social growth for young people in Jersey City. By connecting youth with influential mentors and academic professionals, the Lee Hagan African American Center aims to inspire the next generation of leaders from underserved communities, particularly young men and women of color.
A Unique and Indispensable Support for the Region
The Lee Hagan African American Center is more than just a cultural hub for Black students at NJCU—it is a bridge between the university and the surrounding community. By offering meaningful programs, educational opportunities, and spaces for dialogue, the center continues to solidify its role as an indispensable resource for Jersey City and Hudson County. From honoring Black history to engaging youth in career exploration, NJCU is demonstrating its unwavering commitment to the empowerment of Black communities, both on campus and beyond.
As the Lee Hagan African American Center grows, so does NJCU’s impact. The university’s community-based connections will continue to thrive under the leadership of Director Lewis Spears, ensuring that NJCU remains at the forefront of cultural, academic, and social progress in the region.
Student Success: Developing a Generation of Leaders
Kudos to Ashley Lemon, Victor Delvalle, Melvin Williams, and the Center for Leadership and Engagement. All year they organize, mentor, and support students in their quest to find their voices and callings as adults.
The annual Student Leadership Retreat in January is an event where students from across the campus come to learn, celebrate, and get ready for the new semester. The two days are filled with guest speakers, special events, and team-building activities to inform and motivate our students.
Each summer there is a workshop retreat for the students of the Student Government Association, the Student Activity Board, Fraternity and Sorority Life, Knights Student Media, and Class and Student Organization Officers. These students learn about their strengths, responsibilities, and opportunities at NJCU with workshops and mentoring from professional staff and faculty. This diverse group of students come from high schools across Hudson County.
Students Research Ecological Methods to Protect from Super Storms
From June 2023 through August 2024, students with Dr. Allison Fitzgerald were able to participate in an experiment with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) employees, researchers at NY/NJ Baykeeper, Urban Coast Institute, and NJ Sea Grant. Students were able to do research at the JJ Howard Marine Lab in Sandy Hook. The students gained useful insight into what a large-scale NOAA facility can do and how a government job could be in their future.
The experiment, looking at how local oyster restoration can be impacted by invertebrate diversity, has implications for protecting shorelines from flooding. The Oyster Castles that were studied are often used in Living Shorelines, designed to prevent catastrophic flooding like NJ experienced during Superstorm Sandy and subsequent hurricanes.
Students were embraced by the staff at NOAA, Baykeeper, and Urban Coast Institute. The students were able to participate in all aspects of the project, and even presented at local and national conferences about their data and experience.
This research was supported by a grant from NJ Sea Grant and NOAA geared towards increasing diversity and inclusion in internship programs.
NJCU Student Leaders Attended Democratic National Convention
Too student leaders--Iris Gonzales and Samantha Jaipersuad — experienced politics on the national stage this week with the unique opportunity to attend the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.
Gonzales and Jaipersuad were among 15 students nationwide who were selected to report live about the event through the Civic Influencers program.
Gonzales, a senior from Lyndhurst, N.J. and alumna of Lyndhurst High School majoring in Political Science, was recently elected as the Student Government Association (SGA) Vice President of Internal Affairs. Additionally, she serves as an intern for NJCU’s Speicher-Rubin Women's Center for Equity and Diversity and is an active member of F.E.L.A. (Federación de Estudiantes Latino Americanos).
Jaipersuad is a junior from South Plainfield, N.J. and a graduate of South Plainfield High School majoring in Philosophy with a double minor in Pre-Law and Political Science. She serves as the president of the NJCU Mock Trial Team. She transferred to NJCU from Seton Hall.
Graduate Students Thrive at NJCU
As the only public university in Hudson County, we have a sacred and urgent mission to help people in our community grow in their professional and adult lives, particularly after they graduate with a bachelor’s degree.
Our alum as well as people new to the NJCU area deserve the opportunity to change careers and to take leadership positions in education, business, health professions, and social services—quality, affordable, and accessible education that gives them new opportunities in life. Moreover, nationwide, the increases in the US graduate population are biggest among Black and LatinX students, and NJCU is indispensable to serving our community.
When working professionals take our classes, network with our faculty, and engage in their course work, they are contributing to their work at local schools, businesses, and social services.
The Poetry of Our City
Ann Wallace, Jersey City resident and Professor of English, was named the Poet Laureate of Jersey City for 2023-2024. Dr. Wallace is a poet, essayist, and public speaker.
The Poet Laureate serves as an ambassador for poetry, representing the artistic spirit of Jersey City while fostering public appreciation for the literary arts. This role involves a variety of responsibilities including poetry readings, workshops, special events, and collaborations with local organizations to inspire and engage residents through the power of poetry. The Jersey City Arts Council evaluates nominations for Poet Laureate, including creative excellence and community impact. The Jersey City Arts Council sends finalists’ names and supporting recommendations to the Mayor of Jersey City, who appoints the Poet Laureate with the advice and consent of City Council.
For Dr. Wallace pain, disability, and disease have inspired and informed her work over the past three decades as a poet, essayist, memoir writer, and literary scholar of illness narratives and trauma studies. Her work has appeared in a wide range of venues, including dozens of literary journals, popular media including Huffington Post and USA Today, and academic journals and collections.
A. Harry Moore School is Thriving with NJCU
It was a bleak September 2019 when the previous NJCU administration announced that they would be closing A. Harry Moore, the NJCU laboratory school for students aged 3-24 with severe and multiple disabilities that had been serving Jersey City and the area for a century. Sadly, the NJCU administration did not believe that supporting the school was worth it, and the Board of Trustees concurred. AFT 1839 strongly disagreed.
Compounding the school’s problem, the building was deemed unsafe for occupancy days after this announcement, and the students, teachers, supplies, and equipment were partially moved to temporary classrooms at Regional Day School across town. A few months later this vulnerable population of students, along with the rest of the world, was hit with the Covid Pandemic. Teachers, parents, and children had to stretch their imaginations and resources to provide education and therapeutic services remotely, as teaching materials and equipment were scattered between homes, their temporary classrooms, storage spaces, and their condemned school building.
Yet they persisted. In this chaos, the teachers and staff provided a quality education for their students. Moreover, the advocacy of parents, staff, teachers, students, AFT 1839, Vice President for A. Harry Moore Patricia Holzman. and AFT 1839 President Barbara Hildner was tireless. President Hildner fiercely lobbied the NJCU Trustees, the Jersey City Board of Education, the Jersey City Council and the Mayor’s Office along with other politicians and community members. She was a constant presence and voice at meetings and town halls across the city—always fighting for the students, teachers, and families of A. Harry Moore-- in compelling and dignified prose.
Thanks to this advocacy, A. Harry Moore was given a second chance and has been thriving. The original building has been refurbished and enrollment has grown. Jason Jusino, the principal since 2020 and NJCU alum and current doctoral candidate, has reinvigorated the spirit and operations of the school and community. The teachers are doing the work that has made them local heroes and national models. The students are flourishing.
Starting in Fall 2024, A Harry Moore will use a state-of-the-art facility on the first floor of NJCU’s Grossnickle Hall. This space designed to educate the older students in the school for occupational and life skills and provide more room in their original building for their growing pre-k program. This new facility will have a store, simulated living spaces, and other rooms to build their work and life skills. Our partnership with A Harry Moore is one of our points of pride and a commitment worth fighting for!
NJCU and Civic Engagement: Voting
September was a busy month at NJCU! The University launched a Civic Engagement and Election Leadership Certificate through the Center for Leadership and Engagement at NJCU. Over Summer 2024, Dr. Louise Stanton, Jeff Dessources, and Dr. Jennifer Musial met with one community partner the Hudson County Election administrators and during the meetings Jeff had an idea—a certificate program. He developed a micro-credential that will result in students earning a digital badge and being inducted into the Leadership Honor Society. Students will earn the certificate if they participate in election-oriented civic engagement such as voter registration drives, poll work, and leadership workshops. Among the community partners are Jersey City Council Person Mira Prinz-Arey (take Dr. Musial’s course—Diversity & Difference) and the Hudson County Board of Elections County Clerk Junior Maldonado, Clerk of the Board of Elections Michael Harper, Superintendent of Elections Maryanne Kelleher (enroll in Dr. Stanton’s course Campaign 2024).
During 2024 Constitution Day Celebrations—Drs. Stanton and Musial delivered brief remarks on the Constitution and voting and proposed futures. Jeff announced the NEW Certificate. We also invited guests—the highlight was NJCU’s own senior Samantha Jaipersaud, who is a philosophy major/prelaw minor and President of the NJCU Mock Trial Team. She shared her experiences as a Civic Influencer at the DNC convention in Chicago this past summer. (you may be thinking—WOW WOW WOW where did this opportunity come from?). Dr. Antoinette Ellis-Williams, who serves on the Board of New Jersey Institute for Social Justice Civic Influencers and a member of the Blue Ribbon Committee on Civic Engagement, presented this opportunity and through a competition. Two NJCU students were selected to attend. A total of 15 Civic Influencers attended, NJCU had 2 spots! Dr. Ellis-Williams’ goal is to find ways to move from theory to practice and help facilitate collaborations with civic engagement)
Democracy organizations seeking volunteers also presented at Constitution Day and tabled too. They included: Assatta Mann, Senior Community Organizer, Institute for Social Justice-NJ, the VOTE16 campaign to enable 16 year olds to vote. Isaac Jimenez, VoteForALL-NJ, recruiting for the campaign to enable non-citizen voting, and Theo Dassin, Students for Strengthening American Democracy (an initiative of Lawyers Defending American Democracy).
At the start of the fall semester, students at New Jersey City University, including members of Greek organizations and the NJCU Men of Color Initiative, partnered with The Boys & Girls Clubs of Hudson County for a voter registration drive on campus.
Later in September Dr. Louise Stanton, an NJCU Political Science Professor and lawyer, will engage with Jersey City residents on voting rights at the Jersey City Public Library—Earl Morgan Branch.
An activity that takes place in NJCU classrooms is postcarding. Students for Voting Justice, a campaign of the Center for Common Ground (in VA) is undertaking a postcarding campaign to “get out the vote” (GOTV) (non-partisan GOTV in voter suppressed states). NJCU students will decorate the postcards that will be mailed to voters in PA. This is a non-partisan GOTV activity. If anyone would like to participate, let Dr. Stanton know.
Furthermore, Dr. Musial's student will be engaged in one of three projects: a) voter registration drives in Jersey City's West Side neighborhood, b) Ward Walks with Councilwoman Prinz-Arey's office to inform voters about the voting process to correct misinformation, or c) civic influencing via social media by creating Instagram posts and/ TikTok videos that provide information about upcoming voting deadlines.
NJCU Undergraduate Summer Internship Program
NJCU has offered summer internships to undergraduate students majoring in STEM programs since 2000 through support from federal agencies. In 2024, NJCU extended summer internships opportunities to undergraduate students majoring in arts and humanities programs. These internships provided on-campus employment to more than 500 students over 24 years and yielded many high-quality presentations at local, regional and national conferences.
Participation in a summer internship enables students to conduct original research or contribute to creative works under the supervision of faculty mentors. Participants engage in authentic scholarship, work with state-of-the-art technologies, and communicate their findings and works to their professional communities at local, regional and national conferences. The goal of the internship program is to prepare students for postgraduate study and careers in their respective fields.
This year’s program began with an orientation on May 28 and concluded on August 1 with a program of presentations. The students worked very hard on their research/project topic during the 10-week internship program alongside their mentors. In 2024, four federal grants supported 42 student interns and 19 faculty mentors.
Future Leaders Supported by Local Leader
The Center for Career and Professional Development at NJCU proudly hosted the FLY (Finding the Leader in You) Program for the second consecutive year. Facilitated by the Competitiveness Mindset Institute, the FLY Program equips students with essential soft skills for leadership development and career readiness in the workplace. Each year, students apply to participate in this week-long training. The top-performing students are awarded scholarships, while all participants receive a certificate of completion and attend a recognition ceremony.
The scholarships are generously funded by Mr. Ron Mehta, who specifically chose NJCU for this prestigious opportunity. Mr. Mehta’s family founded the Pain and Disability Institute (PDI) in Jersey City in 1982. PDI was established by Dr. Monica Mehta, a trailblazing Indian American immigrant who was encouraged by the local community to start a medical practice focused on treating non-surgical patients with neuromuscular and orthopedic disorders.
NJCU Supports the Mexican American Community in New Jersey
The Guarini Institute at NJCU has worked closely with the Mexican and Mexican American community in New Jersey since it facilitated the official agreement between NJCU and the Consulate General of Mexico in 2021.
Among the outcomes of the agreement, a mobile consulate has periodically offered services such as birth certificates, passports, and information on health services to Mexican and Mexican American families on main campus. Also, representatives of the community have participated in events during Hispanic Heritage Month, and a distinguished member of the Mexican American community, Lilia Rios, co-founder of “La Providencia” joined the advisory board of the School of Business.
In addition, initiatives to advance commercial relations between Mexico and New Jersey have been facilitated by the Institute resulting in high-level meetings and trips to Mexico by representatives of state agencies. In September 2024, the Guarini Institute at NJCU hosted and sponsored the conference "New Jersey-Mexico Business Conference. Organized jointly with the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce Northeast Chapter and the Consulate General of Mexico in New Brunswick, the conference brought together a dynamic group of business executives, representatives from New Jersey’s economic development agencies, community leaders and faculty. The discussions highlighted the potential for growth through strengthened supply chains and partnerships between Mexican companies and New Jersey businesses. But beyond business, the event also addressed the critical role of universities in fostering workforce development.
Summer Science Program for Local Kids
Since 1997, the award-winning Proyecto Science summer enrichment program at New Jersey City University has unlocked Jersey City students’ curiosity and strengthened their skills across science, technology, engineering and math. Directed by STEM educator Dr. Samantha Kozar, this intensive 6-week program welcomes 7th graders through 10th graders for an immersive on-campus experience. This summer NJCU welcomed over 250 students to the program.
Through hands-on lab work, innovative projects, and college-level coursework, students grow their capabilities in biology, chemistry, physics, algebra, calculus, computer science and more while forming friendships that can last a lifetime. Generous support from partners like Jersey City Board of Education, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Novartis Pharmaceuticals helps make this enrichment opportunity possible.
Passionate NJCU students and alumni work closely with participants as teachers and mentors. The program culminates in a Capstone presentation where students showcase their academic growth and newly expanded visions for college and future careers.
Working With Local Refugee Communities
NJCU students have worked with local refugees and recent asylees through the class, Refugees and Forced Migration, offered at the university by Dr. Bill Westerman since 2016. As a community-engaged learning (CEL) class, students have had the opportunity to work with two community organizations supporting recent arrivals, First Friends of New Jersey and New York, which provides support for detained and formerly detained immigrants and refugees, and Church World Service, a refugee resettlement agency. First Friends was co-founded by Prof. Westerman in 1999. Through this class, one student, Rania Jaludi, herself an immigrant from Jordan, interned at Church World Service, eventually being hired there full-time as a refugee caseworker while pursuing her MSW at Rutgers. Another student, Theresa Ibrahim, created access to a phone-based translation service for recently arrived women from Egypt as her class project. Biology major Omar Kanaan, a refugee from Syria, took the class and traveled to Greece with other sociology students for a study trip, funded by a federal State Dept. grant, on social work with refugees – his first trip outside the U.S. since getting his U.S. citizenship - where he and other immigrant and first generation students researched and interacted with medical and mental health professionals serving refugee communities. Social work lecturer Emerson Silva was a social work intern for First Friends as an undergraduate, long before joining the NJCU faculty in 2022.
Community Research Through Urban Anthropology
Urban Anthropology had not been taught at NJCU for many years until it was revived in 2022 as part of the Provost’s initiative to infuse diversity, equity, and inclusion into selected redesigned course offerings. Now a course with a community-engaged learning focus, students carry out research projects in coordination with local non-profits. In 2022, students worked with Sustainable Jersey City conducting interviews on community gardens in Jersey City. The following year, the students conducted oral history interviews for a Museum of Jersey City History project on Jersey City neighborhoods. The course professor, Dr. Bill Westerman, conducted interviews for his part with, among others, retired NJCU art faculty Ben Jones, NJCU adjunct professor and Jersey City Diversity Officer Dr. Floyd Jeter, and former Jersey City mayor Marilyn Roman.
Becoming the Most Transfer Friendly University in New Jersey
In the 2024-2028 Strategic Enrollment Plan, New Jersey City University made a bold commitment to become the most transfer friendly university in the state of New Jersey. By Fall 2024, we have made significant progress marked by a nearly 30% increase in transfer enrollment for both the Spring and Fall 2024 semesters. This success is driven by four key areas of development and initiatives, achieved through the collaborative efforts of NJCU’s dedicated staff and faculty.
General Education Reform:
In 2023, New Jersey City University passed a comprehensive reform of its General Education requirements with over 95% approval to more closely mirror those of New Jersey community colleges. This ensures that nearly every Gen Ed course completed at a community college will not only transfer into NJCU but will also satisfy the same or a substantially similar specific requirement. This allows students to easily transfer out of their community colleges at any point to continue their academic journey with NJCU without the concern of having to take additional coursework. Although designed with transfer students in mind, this reform also benefits current and prospective No other university in the state of New Jersey has made this level of commitment to its students’ academic progress.
Transfer Partnerships:
In December 2023, New Jersey City University and Hudson County Community College (HCCC) embarked on a comprehensive institution to institution transfer partnership. The HCCC/NJCU CONNECT Program consists of roughly 50 unique pathways articulating HCCC degrees to NJCU bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Through dual admission, students are simultaneously enrolled at both institutions, allowing them to live in NJCU residence halls, participate in NJCU campus programs, and access essential services like the Gothic Knight Food Pantry and the Children’s Learning Center (CLC), which offers drop-in childcare services for students with children.
In July 2024, New Jersey City University and Essex County College signed a similar institution to institution partnership providing the same accessibility and transferability for even more students looking to further their academic careers. Around 40 unique pathways were developed during the initial signing and we are looking to expand this in the coming months.
These partnerships will not only provide seamless transferability for students, but will also help eliminate systemic barriers and provide access to an excellent and affordable university education that will open doors to a better future.
Credit for Working Knowledge
For Fall 2024, New Jersey City University made a bold commitment to support adult learners, continuing education students, and the existing student population by implementing a comprehensive Prior Learning Credit policy for both undergraduate and graduate coursework. The newly hired Prior Learning Credit specialist will ensure our students have the help they need to convert prior knowledge, skills, and professional experience into college credits. Additionally, students now have the option to take ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) proficiency exams in over 100 languages, earning credits that apply toward General Education requirements or count toward graduation. We have also developed a comprehensive portfolio submission process to evaluate professional experiences and certifications for potential academic credit. These prior learning credit opportunities push forward our mission to increase transferability by reducing the number of remaining credits needed for graduation, removing barriers and supporting diverse learning pathways.