Dr. Monaco’s February 26, 2026 Report to the Board of Trustees

National Legislative Summit

Trustees Hunter Mantz and DiAnne Gove, and Student Government President Ellie Dowek, joined me for the National Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C. We arrived on Sunday, February 8, 2026, and returned late on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.

The Association of Community College Trustees sponsors the National Legislative Summit. The New Jersey contingent was smaller than in previous years, with only eight students in attendance. Our primary purpose in attending was to meet Ocean County legislators.

Through Trustee Gove’s interactions and experience in the Capitol, we were able to meet with Senator Andy Kim and his Constituent Services Director Amanda Carte, an OCC graduate. Additionally, Trustee Gove and Ellie met with Senator Cory Booker, and Hunter and I visited with Congressman Chris Smith.

Our trip was brief, but the opportunity to meet with members of Congress is an invaluable experience for students and alumni trustees. I could not have been prouder of Hunter and Ellie as they represented Ocean County College and the community college student sector.

Student Recognition/National Girls and Women in Sports Day

February 4, 2026, marked the 40^th anniversary of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. What began in 1987 as a special celebration in our nation’s Capital has grown into a nationwide movement recognizing the achievements, leadership, and impact of girls and women in sports. This day was created to unite premier organizations and elite female athletes in bringing national attention to the promise and power of girls and women participating in athletics.

On February 1, 2026, the first-ever New Jersey Collegiate Athletic Association Region 19 National Girls and Women in Sports Day Reception was held at Middlesex College in Edison, New Jersey. At the reception, Ms. Batool Abdelmalak was recognized as Ocean County College’s Woman Athlete of the Year. In addition to Batool receiving this prestigious award, she was selected to speak on behalf of all the award recipients. She did a tremendous job representing not only herself, but Ocean County College, at the reception.

Batool is an exceptionally accomplished student-athlete. Academically, she is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and has earned a 4.0 grade point average throughout her two years at OCC. Athletically, she has been a leader on OCC’s cross-country team, earning Most Valuable Player honors and NJCAA All–Region 19 Team recognition in both seasons she competed, 2024 and 2025.

Beyond the classroom and competition, Batool has made a meaningful impact through service and leadership. She volunteers at her church, New Hope Fellowship, helped with the relaunch of Ocean’s annual 5K, where she also earned a medal in her age bracket as a participant; and serves as Treasurer for both the Fashion Club and CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ). In addition, she assists fellow students as a member of the HUB student worker staff.

Ms. Ilene Cohen, Executive Director of Athletics, will introduce Batool at Thursday’s meeting. It will provide the opportunity for us to congratulate her for her exceptional achievements and her well-deserved honor.

Career and Technical Education Month

February is Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month. This national public awareness campaign, hosted by the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) and sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders, is celebrated annually in February to recognize the impact of CTE. CTE Month highlights the accomplishments of CTE programs and underscores the vital role CTE plays in preparing students of all ages for in-demand careers and lifelong success.

2026 marks the centennial celebration of CTE in the United States. This year, ACTE honors 100 years of progress in CTE, highlighting the tremendous impact these programs have had in preparing learners for successful careers and strengthening the nation’s workforce. From its roots nearly a century ago to the present day, CTE has continually evolved to meet the needs of students and industries alike. CTE@Ocean is proud to join educators, students, and partners across the country in recognizing this milestone. Throughout the month, OCC is celebrating the past, present, and future of CTE.

In recognition of Career and Technical Education Month, it is respectfully requested that the attached resolution be adopted.

Snow Cleanup

In late January 2026, a significant snow and ice event required extensive clearing and treatment across College facilities. Historically, this work was performed by an outside contractor at substantial cost. Beginning last season, these operations were brought inhouse. The chart below summarizes the cost savings:

	Description	Amount
InHouse Labor	Labor hours for storm response	$39,266
InHouse Materials	Salt and other supplies	$35,394
Annualized Equipment Cost	Amortized cost of plows, spreaders, and related equipment	$51,000
Total InHouse Cost	Labor + materials + annualized equipment	$125,660
Contractor Cost (Previous)	Amount contractor would have charged for same storm	$250,000
Dollar Savings	Contractor cost − inhouse cost	$124,340
Percentage Savings	Dollar savings ÷ contractor cost	50%

Transitioning snow and ice removal services from an outside contractor to an inhouse model produced significant cost savings during the January 2026 storm, $124,340 saved on this one event alone, even after accounting for labor, materials, and annualized equipment expenses. Given that several storms may occur in a typical winter season, the cumulative annual savings are expected to continue to grow as equipment costs are spread over multiple years.

Special thanks and sincere appreciation are extended to Mr. Jon Ross, Director of Custodial and Landscape Services, Facilities, and the entire Facilities team for their exceptional dedication throughout the January 2026 storm event. The team worked tirelessly for days on end, ensuring that the campus remained safe and operational under extremely challenging conditions. Their commitment went far beyond standard expectations, and several staff members even stayed overnight at the College to maintain continuous coverage and respond rapidly as conditions changed.

The Facilities crew was confronted with another major snow storm this past weekend. Mr. Jim Calamia, Assistant Vice President of Facilities, will provide an update at Thursday’s meeting on the campus snow removal. This storm presented a whole new set of challenges for the department; but, again, Facilities personnel continued their outstanding commitment to the College, this time without heat or electricity.

Faculty and Staff Presentations and Publications

On January 30, 2026, the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC) Conference, “Reducing Time in Remediation: Developmental Education Reform at New Jersey’s Community Colleges,” was held at Brookdale Community College. Attending the conference from OCC were Dr. Vandana Saini, Dean of STEM; Ms. Julia Kim, College Lecturer II in Mathematics and Program Chair of Mathematics; and Ms. Maryann Birdsall, Professor of Mathematics. Dr. Saini and Ms. Kim presented on STEM and Non-STEM Pathways during Breakout Session B: Accelerated and Corequisite Mathematics.

Professional Development

Nursing College Lecturer IIs, Clinical Instructors, and staff members of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences are attending an educational webinar titled “Empowering Adjunct Faculty: Leveraging the Clinical Judgment Slide for Effective Student Learning.” The program explores teaching strategies to enhance students’ clinical judgement skills. It is a requirement for maintaining accreditation and meeting the Nursing Program’s Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) standards.
In her capacity as an advisor to Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society for two-year college students, Dr. Jennifer Dellner, Professor of English and Literature, attended the Community College Transfer Pathways Institute at Princeton University on Friday, February 6, 2026. Also attending were Ms. Laura Rickards, Director of the Educational Opportunity Fund, and the Center for Access and Equity; Ms. Laura Wills, Director of Transfer Services and Articulation; and Ms. Amy Nadybal, Transfer Advising Coordinator. Along with attendees from other New Jersey community colleges, the group attended presentations and participated in discussions on the American Transfer Initiative, working with community college students and the Common Application, and understanding the admissions and financial aid award process. Attendees also met with representatives from several transfer institutions and toured the newly renovated Princeton Art Museum.
Dr. Ali Botein-Furrevig participated in a workshop sponsored by the Bildner Foundation at Rutgers University on February 9, 2026, on Jewish Women’s Travel to British Mandate Palestine in the Early 20^th Century.

Student Outreach

The Novins Planetarium and the Grunin Center for the Arts welcomed new student workers this semester to staff the box office at each venue.
On February 4 and 5, 2026, over 1,050 students from 18 groups attended four Schools ’n Stage performances of Red Firecrackers by the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, during which they learned about the origins of the Lunar New Year.
On February 11, 2026, the Grunin Center hosted the Region 3 New Jersey Poetry Out Loud competition. Thirteen students from Middlesex, Monmouth, and Ocean counties participated in this regional competition. The two finalists will go on to compete at the state finals at the Count Basie Theatre in March.
As part of a new initiative by Executive and Artistic Director Heidi Sheridan, and in collaboration with College Lecturer II in Fine Arts Brian Gilmore, OCC students and alumni will perform in the lobby before certain public shows. The first occasion was on February 14, 2026, before The Jane Austen Playlist, featuring current student, Seth Nikolay, and alumni, Luke Nokes. This initiative provides music students with valuable performance opportunities while showcasing student talent for audiences.
In collaboration with the School of Arts and Humanities, the Grunin Center presented the semester’s first classical Afternoon Recital on February 20, 2026, featuring pianist Alexander Timofeev with special guests Leslie Elkins and Paule Turner. The program highlighted multiple composers and incorporated dance and poetry.

Student Clubs

Dr. Angel Camilo, College Lecturer II in Biology, and Mr. Edmond Hong, College Lecturer II in Computer Science, have announced that The Makers Club is back to full operations in its new space in Library Room 101A for the Spring 2026 semester. The club has been created to stimulate creativity and cooperation in a productive environment with an emphasis on interdisciplinary exchange of skills. Dr. Camilo and Mr. Hong co-lead The Makers Club at OCC.

Student Support and Activities

The Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) Program is proud to share that 20 graduates have qualified for the statewide EOF Graduate Achievement Awards sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE). Scholars must earn grade point averages of 3.2 or above. There are three categories of awards:
Distinguished, for students earning a perfect 4.0 grade point average. OCC has four scholars: Batool Abdelmalak, Julia Sobol, Catherine Woods, and Maria Zulkarnain. Following OSHE guidelines, a fifth scholar, Kate Ibarra, qualifies next year as a summer 2026 graduate.
Outstanding Academic Achievement Award category, for students earning grade point averages between 3.5 and 3.99. Ten students achieve this category: Tara Covert, Mariah Macias, Marth Contreras Martinez, Connor Nolan, Bridgette Pezza, Danna Reyes, Brianna Reid, Matthew Rose, Grace Sotelo, David Tees, Shania Crump (summer 2026 graduate), and Kamari Jones (summer 2026 graduate).
Academic Achievement Award category, earning grade point averages between 3.2 and 3.49. Six students qualified: Xia Garcia, Adelaide Holden, Daniel Quijano, Jacqueline Miranda Sanchez, Raylyn Tupper, Daniel Valente, and John Attia (Summer 2026 graduate).

These students will be honored on April 17, 2026, at Rutgers Jersey Mike’s Arena. EOF will graduate 35 scholars this year.

EOF hosted another successful January leadership retreat. The goal was to share with participants the basic tenets of non-verbal communication, with emphasis on four skills, Proxemic, Haptics, Body Language, and the intersection of culture as it affects our communication with each other. Specific emphasis will also address conflict resolution with a how-to.

Two student leaders created content and facilitated this three-day event. Staff also developed content and presented at the retreat. Participant feedback reflected a high level of satisfaction, highlighting the event’s engaging activities, meaningful content, and appreciation for the supportive, responsive facilitators.

On Tuesday, February 17, 2026, the EOF@OCEAN Spring Open House will take place,
marking the celebration of the Lunar New Year (Spring Festival), recognized as the Year of the Fire Horse.
In collaboration with Rowan University’s Office of Accessibility Services, OCC Disability Services recently helped facilitate Part Three of the four-part series, College Prep Transition – Considerations for Students with Disabilities. This informational webinar, held on February 11, 2026, focused on parental and guardian supports. More than 30 attendees joined the discussion on transitioning from high school to college, including key similarities and differences between community colleges and four-year institutions. Participants were also introduced to important processes and considerations when connecting with Disability Services providers at the postsecondary level.
Under Student Support Services, the Early College team has started processing registration for the Spring Early College term, visiting the Academy of Law and Public Safety (February 12, 2026), Brick Township High School (February 11, 2026), and Brick Memorial High School (February 13, 2026) to help students complete the process.
Ms. Carolina Newman, Multilingual Language Navigator, had 47 in-person appointments between January 1 and February 11, 2026, helping ESL students navigate the various options at the College. Ms. Newman met with students and families, advised and scheduled testing appointments where applicable, and assisted in registration.
The Student Enrollment Building had over 2,700 visits in-person in the month of January. The average wait time was just over 5 minutes, a decrease from the same time frame last year, where the wait time was 14 minutes. Enrollment Services had almost 1,500 visits and Academic Advising completed nearly 700 unique visits.
Enrollment Services and the HUB, under the direction of Ms. Stacy Yurcho, Director of Enrollment Services, completed over 1,600 outgoing calls in the month of January 2026 and answered over 1,700 incoming calls throughout the same time period.
The Student Success Team completed almost 4,000 outgoing calls in the month of January, 2026. This represents over 71 hours on the phone making outgoing calls. These included campaign calls, outreach to students who hadn’t logged into their online courses or completed their Honorlock quiz, Faculty Alerts, and Low Course Alert calls.
The Student Success Team visited 14 Student Success sections to let students know about upcoming events on-campus and college resources helpful for new students. They also provided guidance on where to go if they need assistance throughout the semester. This collaboration between Student Success and the Success Team has continued to flourish.

The Success Team hosted Coffee on the Coaches on February 11, 2026, persuading students to just drop by and talk to them about their classes while grabbing a cookie and coffee.

Through collaboration with Academic Affairs, the Success Team hosted the Game of Life for Professors Lynn Kenneally and Jeff McWeeney on February 18 and 19, 2026. Students learn about budgeting, finances, and the real-life decisions that business owners have to make through group work and having oversight of a pretend pizza shop.

Ms. Lauren Simon, Enrollment Services Advisor, hosted a virtual NJ Stars information session collaboratively with NJ Stars Advisor Jennifer Kipp, Financial Aid, and Kean-Ocean on January 28, 2026. There were 20 potential students who attended to learn more about the program.
The Veterans and Military Resources Center (VMRC) conducted outreach to new applicants and provided targeted registration and advising support for Spring 2026. Additionally, the office proactively engaged currently enrolled students through 70 Success Calls to offer support and connect them with campus resources.
The VMRC hosted a “Welcome Back” breakfast on January 21and 22, 2026, as a kickoff for the Spring 2026 semester.
Ms. Christina Hernandez, VMRC Assistant Director, and Ms. Jessica Richardson, Coordinator of the VMRC, led Operation: THRIVE, a training for faculty at the Teaching and Learning Institute. Both sessions were well attended and received positive feedback. The department looks forward to continuing to provide this military culture training for staff and faculty throughout the year.
The Advising Office was busy assisting students with registration for the Spring Semester. Between January 2 and February 3, 2026, Advising assisted 794 students via walk-in advising and completed 175 virtual advising appointments. Advising also assisted almost 100 students via the triage callback list. This system allows advisors to assist students on demand for registration, without the student needing to come to the office or schedule an appointment, during high volume periods.
Director of Transfer and Articulation Laura Wills and Transfer Coordinator Amy Nadybal are providing OCC students with a robust transfer event schedule this Spring, including hosting weekly Transfer Workshops.

These sessions provide students with the information needed to start the transfer planning process, such as NJ Transfer, major selection, and utilization of transfer institution websites. Students needing further or more individual assistance are able to attend Small Group Transfer Advising. These events make transfer advising more readily accessible to more students in a timely manner.

Advising is pleased to announce representatives from universities will be on campus this semester to speak with students about degrees, programs, and campus life. Participating universities include Berkley College, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Georgian Court University, Kean Ocean, Rowan University, Rutgers Newark, Southern New Hampshire University, Stockton University, Thomas Edison State University, and William Paterson University.
Additionally, on March 11, 2026, Transfer Services will host College Connections, where students will be able to meet with representatives from top universities and colleges to learn about topics such as the admission process, application fee waivers, and scholarships. Participating institutions include Drew University, Kean Ocean, Montclair State University, NJIT, Rowan University, Rutgers School of Business – New Brunswick, Rutgers University – New Brunswick, Stockton University, and TCNJ.
Students interested in transferring to a college or university in Florida will be able to attend the Virtual Florida College Fair, hosted by Transfer Services. Students will have an opportunity to explore colleges and universities across Florida and chat live with admissions representatives.
Students can also take advantage of Kean-Ocean Dual Advising Days. Students can meet with OCC Advising and Kean Admissions representatives for a dual appointment and learn how their credits will transfer seamlessly.
Transfer Services is also coordinating the Princeton Transfer Scholars Initiative (TSI) and ASAP (Aspiring Scholars and Professionals) programs. TSI is a summer program for community college students housed in the Emma Bloomberg Center for Access and Opportunity at Princeton University. Princeton will host a small and talented cohort of students considering transfer to selective four-year colleges and universities. Through this fully-funded initiative, students enroll in one Princeton-accredited course and receive advising for transfer applications targeting Fall 2027 enrollment. Students were able to attend a virtual information session on February 12, 2026, to learn more about the program.

ASAP is an eight-week summer internship on the Princeton University campus for students interested in humanities and qualitative social sciences careers. Students complete professional development and research methods workshops and are paired with a Princeton faculty or staff member to conduct research or participate in an internship. ASAP interns must be available to continue their work at Princeton into the Fall semester.

Director of Transfer and Articulation Laura Wills collaborated with Academic Affairs/Honors by Contract, Student Life, EOF, the VMRC, the Success Team, and the Barnegat Bay Partnership, to plan and execute a Research Networking Event for OCC students on February 4, 2026. Participating faculty were available to speak with students interested in learning more about research. The goal of the event was to expose students to different majors and courses as well as to work with them to think about research.
The Counseling Center has been working diligently to provide services to students and the campus community, serving 75 students since its last report. The staff continues to offer services through multiple access points in the Counseling Center, virtually and within the Veteran and Military Resource Center.
Additionally, the Counseling Center hosted a variety of events and participated in several campus collaborations to offer support and resources and to promote mental health awareness throughout the College community.
On February 6, 2026, the Counseling Center hosted the Steve Fund for a virtual presentation: “Promoting the Mental Health of Students: Considerations and Strategies for the Classroom and Beyond”. The Steve Fund is a national organization dedicated to supporting student mental health and wellness with a focus on underserved and under-resourced student populations. In this presentation, faculty and staff gained practical tools and knowledge to create supportive learning environments from a trauma-informed and culturally responsive framework, promoting the mental health, resilience and academic success of students.
The Counseling Center also welcomed two new graduate student interns this semester from the Kean-Ocean Graduate School of Counselor Education. Katie Mehler will be providing clinical supervision for both students as they complete their Practicum and Internship with OCC’s Counseling Center.

Outreach to Students

On February 4, 2026, in collaboration with Student Life and the Honors by Contract Program, OCC hosted its annual Research Networking event in the Instructional Building. This event helped students understand the available opportunities for research at OCC , which will assist them in their educational and career goals.

This initiative is a part of the college-wide goal to increase the number of students participating in the Honors by Contract program that allows students to graduate with honors and achieve scholarship monies for funding future academic endeavors. The Honors by Contract program helps students achieve new and innovative transfer opportunities, including the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship, Voyager Scholarship, and the Princeton Transfer Scholars Initiative.

The event also provides a way for instructors to connect with students who may be interested in exploring courses or programs such as Graphic Design, Social Work, Psychology, Engineering, Computer Science, Chemistry, Fine Art, Music, and more.  The success of this event is a direct result of the great work and contribution from OCC’s faculty, staff, and administrators.

In collaboration with College Library staff and Dr. Caterina Gibson, College Lecturer II in Science, the School of STEM helped to set up a practice open lab for Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) students in the Library. Located on the second floor, the open lab is a dedicated space where many of the models and slides found in the A&P lab are available for students to practice and study. During the Fall 2025 semester, 152 students signed up to use the practice lab.
During the 2025 fall semester the Tutoring Center served 676 unique students across 2,066 sessions. Additionally, 27 unique students utilized Brainfuse, OCC’s 24-hour online tutoring service for a total of 33 sessions. As of February 10, 2026, the Tutoring Center has served 98 unique students across 223 sessions in addition to performing 72 class visits during the Spring semester.
The Writing Center has announced extended hours until 7 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Additionally, the center is offering remote tutoring on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Writing Center is especially excited to share its new initiative, Word of the Week, an initiative that provides students the opportunity to expand their academic vocabulary through a low-stake activity. Each week, Writing Tutors post a new vocabulary term in the Writing Center’s Canvas course, including the word’s definition, part of speech, synonyms and antonyms, and an example sentence. Students then have the opportunity to engage with the word of the week by responding to a prompt designed to strengthen vocabulary and deepen comprehension. For each week that students respond to the Word of the Week prompt, they receive an entry in a raffle to win a gift card that is awarded at the end of each month. Students can participate by visiting the Discussions tab within the Writing Center Canvas course, Tutoring at the Writing Center. The Writing Center has already seen strong engagement from students.

Community Outreach

On February 21, 2026, the Grunin Center hosted Entertainment Events for a rental: ‘Til Death Do Us Part: Late Nite Catechism 3.
The Novins Planetarium celebrated February with two sold-out sky talks for Valentine’s Day: Love Stories of the Stars for Adults and Valentine’s Skies for families with young children. They also held several well attended family shows for President’s Day.
The Grunin Center audio upgrade was completed in February. This upgrade replaced its outdated QSC center line array PA System with an updated system, providing better sound quality throughout the venue.
On February 7, 2026, Ms. Lauren Simon represented Enrollment Services and attended the Girl Scouts event at the Toms River campus. Scouts were able to hear speakers, participate in leadership workshops, and even earn a badge for their efforts.
Ms. Calleigh Kearns, Enrollment Services Advisor for Partnerships and Outreach, attended the Ocean Medical Center to meet with potential non-traditional students. One student applied on the spot to attend OCC.
The Student Success Team is continuing their Coffee with the Coaches Podcast. The first Spring episode went live on Spotify on February 18, 2026. The podcast features special guests, tips and tricks for students, and testimonials from students, alumni and staff.
Ms. Christina Hernandez, Assistant Director of the Veterans and Military Resources Center (VMRC), was honored to receive an invitation from Columbia University to participate in a LinkedIn Live discussion on leading a veteran’s center in higher education.
The VMRC department is currently in discussions with the Lakewood Vet Center, Guitars for Vets, and JBJ Soul Kitchen, to partner on bringing additional services to the VMRC. More information will be shared next month after all events and services have been confirmed. These partnerships will allow OCC military-affiliated students to receive more support services in a space where they are already comfortable. 
Ms. Richelle Corbo, Director of the Counseling Center, proudly serves on the Ocean County Homelessness Prevention and Assistance Coalition. Through this community partnership, Richelle was able to assist the Coalition with this year’s annual survey of individuals who are facing homelessness on January 28 and January 29, 2026. Information gained during this survey will help determine the needs of our college student population.
During the month of February, the Student Nurse Organization (SNO) is providing information at an educational table in the H. Hovnanian Health Sciences Building. The information, titled “Go Red,” focuses on heart health. This activity is being directed by advisors: Linda Simmons, MSN, RN, Director of Nursing Skills and Simulation Labs; Mary Susan Gill, MSN, RN, College Lecturer II in Nursing; and Tamila Purpuro, PhD, MSN, RN, College Lecturer II in Nursing.
On February 2, 2026, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Center re-opened for its second year at Ocean County College’s Toms River campus. The college is once again offering a program to assist qualified individuals in the community with preparing and filing their tax returns. OCC alumnae, Trish Archimbaud, will serve again as the program’s Site Coordinator. The Accounting students from both Ocean County College and Kean University have been trained and certified by the IRS and will prepare income tax returns for free through the VITA program. This service is available to individuals of underserved populations, including the elderly or those with incomes that qualify. The VITA Center not only helps our community, but it also offers students hands-on experience in the accounting profession.

The VITA Center will be open February 2, through April 15, 2026, in Room 1, in the Library Tower. As of the first week of opening, the center was booked into March with many returning clients from last year. Appointments are available Monday through Thursday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Walk-in and drop-off services are not available.

Dr. Ali Botein-Furrevig, Part-Time Director of the Center, has been invited by the Lakewood Library to present Saving Jewish Children from the Nazis: Ordinary Women Who Did Extraordinary Things. She is also developing A Vanished World, which will feature lectures and rare video footage on the vibrant Jewish society and culture destroyed during the Holocaust.
Preparations were underway for a Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT) convening, which was scheduled for February 23, 2026, to bring together healthcare employers, workforce and education partners, community-based organizations, nonprofits, consortium partners, and SCC5 participants. The convening will feature an employer panel on building the healthcare workforce pipeline and a student panel highlighting SCC5 healthcare training-to-career pathways. Because of the weather, the event is being rescheduled for early March.
On January 20, 2026, the Strengthening Community Colleges Training (SCC5) grant team presented at an ESL information session hosted by Enrollment Services, resulting in 20 individuals expressing interest in workforce education programs supported by SCC5 tuition assistance. Enrollment has begun for Summer 2026 workforce education programs, with 16 individuals submitting interest forms and nine completing eligibility questionnaires.

The SCC5 team is coordinating SCC5 outreach efforts to high schools in collaboration with Enrollment Services, including tabling and promotional opportunities.

Workforce Education and Strategic Planning

Ocean County College received approval for six Year Four NJ Pathways to Career Opportunities projects through the New Jersey Council of County Colleges, totaling $172,600 in funding. These employer-aligned initiatives create career pathways in healthcare, advanced manufacturing, environmental science, and emerging technologies, including Electronic Health Records, Community Health Worker, Drone Technology, Air Quality, Additive Manufacturing, and Dementia Practitioner. OCC will serve as the lead institution for the Community Health Worker project, one of the largest Year Four Pathways initiatives, in partnership with eight community colleges, a nonprofit organization, and the New Jersey Department of Health.
Pending regulatory approval through the New Jersey Department of Health, Workforce Education anticipates launching a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program in Fall 2026, expanding access to entry-level healthcare careers.
Workforce Education launched two new Integrated Education and Training (IET) programs, the Administrative Office Support Specialist program, and the Medical Management Specialist program, in collaboration with OCC’s Ocean County Achievement Center (Title II) program. The Administrative Office Support Specialist program and the Medical Management Specialist program will create pathways to Microsoft Office Specialist and QuickBooks certifications. In contrast, the Medical Administrative Assistant program prepares students for Certified Medical Administrative Assistant and Electronic Health Records credentials.
Workforce Education launched a new partnership with the Displaced Homemakers Program to provide foundational computer skills training for individuals reentering the workforce. Participants are eligible to complete two computer literacy courses totaling 28 instructional hours. Courses are currently running, and an additional cohort is scheduled to begin in April.

Ocean County Achievement Center

The Achievement Center presented on January 9, 2026, at the Ocean County Prosecutors Office for Juvenile Justice Day.

Adult Education, Civics, and Workforce Preparation Program (Title II)

Since July 1, 2025, the Adult Education, Civics, and Workforce Preparation Program has served 109 GED students and 174 ESL students, and 36 new GED students are enrolled for the winter term. Integrated Education and Training courses began in January 2026, with eight students enrolled in Administrative Office Support Specialist and 13 in Medical Management Specialist, delivered alongside ESL instruction four evenings per week.
For FY 2025, OCC’s Adult Education, Civics, and Workforce Preparation program earned an A+ on the Provider Report Card, met all five state performance outcome targets, exceeded all NRS Table 5 employment measures, and achieved the highest credential attainment rate statewide at 37 percent.

Adult Transition Center

Two students began Work Readiness and Adulting 101 training, with classes held three days per week. Transportation support was provided through Uber gift cards, along with weekly instruction on safe and appropriate usage.

Connect & Learn: WFNJ Digital Literacy

Enrollment increased to six participants, with classes currently held at the New Brunswick Public Library.

Work Readiness Assistance Program (WRAP)

Five students participated in a career exploration and employment trip to the Liberty Science Center, where they enjoyed touring the facility, participating in different science experiments, interacting with animals, and learning about different career paths.
Twelve participants enrolled in the Leadership Academy, a one-week program focused on goal setting and personal development that includes a Teen Mental Health First Aid certification.

Career Services

Posted 10 local jobs and internships on Canvas, OCC App, and Job Board; promoted 3 events (Handshake and Canvas).
Completed 5 one-on-one appointments and 3 virtual sessions focused on internships, résumés, and career exploration tools.
Shared internship and experiential learning opportunities with Girl Scouts; Digital Mass Media Next Level Group; nonprofits including Choose Love, Celebrate Life, and United Way of Monmouth and Ocean Counties; College Relations; OCC Library; and United Way research projects.
Continued collaboration with Kean and Ocean Career Services Connect to align internship messaging, career preparation, résumé support, and event planning.

Security

In accordance with New Jersey Public Law 2015, Chapter 220, and College Policy #2332, Reporting of On-Campus and Fire Events, attached is the monthly statistics report of crimes, fires, and other emergencies on campus for the reporting period of January 24, 2026, through February 20, 2026.