Dr. Monaco’s January 29, 2025 Report to the Board of Trustees

Spring 2026 Colloquium

The Spring 2026 Colloquium, Building Opportunity, Strengthening Community, took place on Thursday, January 15, 2026.  The day began with breakfast at 8 a.m. in the Student Center, and everyone moved to the Gym at 9:15 a.m. for an in-person Capacity Café, a structured table top discussion format facilitated by Achieving the Dream coaches and key administrative staff.  Using the results of OCC’s 2025 Institutional Capacity Assessment Tool (ICAT), an anonymous survey distributed to employees in November, discussions focused on identifying strengths and opportunities for growth across seven key capacity areas essential to students achieving success. At least 240 faculty and staff were able to participate in at least some of the discussions.

Following lunch, at 2:15 p.m. I shared my state-of-the-college address with the members of the college community. The full report, along with presentation slides, is available on our Spring 2026 Colloquium page.

Presentations

• Ms. Kaitlyn Light will share her experience as a Communications Intern in College Relations, where she focuses on interviewing OCC students and telling their stories. Kaitlyn joined the department in August 2025 as a part-time communications intern with an emphasis on student-centered storytelling.  By participating in OCC programs, attending student events, and conducting interviews with people across the campus, Kaitlyn has demonstrated a strong ability to connect with students and highlight their unique experiences.  Her work will appear in the upcoming issue of Ocean Views, and she will also be developing a new edition of our student-centered publication, The Breeze, this Spring.  With an academic background in Creative Writing from Bucknell University and a talent for narrative storytelling, Kaitlyn’s contributions extend well beyond the typical scope of an intern role, directly supporting outreach efforts and promotion of student success.
• Dr. Neil Lavender, Professor of Social Sciences, will attend the Board meeting to report on his Fall 2025 semester sabbatical leave project, “Traditional Marriage and Its Impact on Society,” based on the declining rates of traditional marriages, thereby negatively affecting our society.  He developed a customizable module of his project that can be adapted for use in classes by OCC faculty.

Dr. Lavender began at OCC in 1980 as a full-time faculty member and taught General, Personality, Child, Social, and Abnormal Psychology.  He founded and led the establishment of the Psi Beta Honor Society.

After forty-five years, Dr. Lavender retired on January 1 of this year.  The Board of Trustees will honor him at Thursday’s meeting.

Information Technology

As part of the College’s annual audit, CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA) conducted an evaluation of OCC’s Information Technology (IT) environment.  The objective of this IT Review was to assess the computer processing environments and general controls that support the reliability of OCC’s business and financial systems in connection with the financial statement audit for the year ending June 30, 2025.

This review was performed using a high‑level, risk‑based approach and was not intended to serve as a full‑scope network security assessment of the organization’s IT infrastructure.  The scope focused specifically on identifying the internal controls and security measures implemented by management to safeguard the integrity of transactions and data that directly impact financial reporting.

During the course of the audit procedures, CLA noted that the College has effectively established security controls addressing operational, technical, and managerial aspects of its IT environment. CLA also provided recommendations to further strengthen OCC’s control posture, and these recommendations will be implemented.

Faculty and Staff Publications, Presentations, and Accomplishments

• Ms. Kate Sanchez, College Lecturer II in Spanish, was nominated for the Donald Award for her paper, “Post-Borderlands: Anzaldua’s Spiritual Legacy,” that she presented at last year’s annual Mid-Atlantic Popular and American Culture Association (MAPACA) Conference in Philadelphia.  The Donald Award is the “best in show” award given to the overall best paper or presentation at the conference.  Award winners will be announced in the Spring and honored at next year’s conference in Baltimore, Maryland. 
• Ocean County College was notified on January 8, 2026, that the Associate in Applied Science Dental Hygiene Program was approved by the New Jersey Academic Issues Committee and the New Jersey Presidents Council. 

The Delta Dental Foundation has approved a grant of $285,462 to support the development and implementation of Ocean County College’s Dental Hygiene Program.  The award includes $90,000 for year one, starting in January 2026, with additional funding of $144,239 in 2027 and $51,223 in 2028 for years two and three, contingent upon satisfactory outcomes reports. The multi-year grant will support program accreditation, workforce development, and long-term program sustainability.

• On Wednesday, January 7, 2026, Ms. Pam Bogdan, College Lecturer II in Engineering, was a speaker at a Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) event in Hillsborough, New Jersey. During this event, women in science and engineering fields share their career experiences and insights, helping to encourage high school girls to pursue education and careers in STEM. 
• On Thursday, January 8, 2026, Dr. Mark William Westmoreland, College Lecturer II in Philosophy, gave a lecture, “Professional Ethics, Institutional Integrity, and the Necessity of Philosophical Thought” at the annual conference for the eastern division of the American Philosophical Association in Baltimore, Maryland, the preeminent philosophical learned society in North America.  Dr. Westmoreland also facilitated a roundtable for undergraduate philosophy and pre-law students who were interested in careers in law or criminal justice.
• On December 12, 2025, Ocean County College was recognized by the DART Prevention Coalition of Ocean County for the “2025 Excellence in Community Impact Award” as a result of collaboration with the Institute for Prevention and Recovery on initiatives for community engagement and providing necessary resources and education across campus.  The Counseling Center was recognized for providing students with free and confidential access to life-saving medication to reverse an overdose, as well as other items to increase safety in potentially high-risk situations and resources to support recovery.  Through this partnership, Counseling Center staff were also trained in recognizing signs of an overdose and effective intervention, as well as how to provide this education and helpful community resources to students.

Professional Development

• Ms. Heidi Sheridan, Executive and Artistic Director, Grunin Center for the Arts, and Ms. Laura Westmoreland, Assistant Director of Operations and Production, attended the global Association of Performing Arts and Arts Professionals conference in New York City, where they met with agents, saw showcases, and enjoyed professional development activities. 
• On January 8, 2026, Ms. Melissa Gutzmore, Counseling Support Coordinator, attended the New Jersey Mental Health in Higher Education Summit at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. This activity provided the opportunity to connect with higher education professionals across the state and learn best practices to support student mental health.
• Three new Clinical Instructors joined the School of Nursing and Health Sciences this Spring. Orientation for new Clinical Instructors was held on January 12, 2026.  
• Two trainings were held in December 2025 for 24 high school partners and 8 OCC employees to become certified or recertified as proctors for the College Board’s Accuplacer Test.  This certification allows for high school personnel to administer the Accuplacer on-site, as well as for OCC staff to proctor at the high school in collaboration with the College Readiness Now XII Grant and the Early College Team.

Student Accolades

• OCC’s Athletic Department was extremely successful both on the field and in the classroom during the Fall semester.  Men’s and women’s soccer, cross country, and women’s volleyball teams all competed in their respective Region 19 championship finals.  Our Fall semester student athletes were similarly outstanding in the classroom, with 52 of them earning Academic All-Garden State Athletic Conference honors with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher this past semester, and 47 earning Academic All-Region accolades with 3.25 or higher grade point averages.  Additionally, 12 Fall student athletes completed the semester with 4.0 grade point averages while participating in their respective sports.  We could not be prouder of all of our student athletes for their outstanding achievements.
• Of the 133 graduates who sat for the 2025 National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®), OCC’s passing rate was 95.49%.  Scores remain above the national passing rate for Associate Degree Nursing programs (86.1%) and for all types of nursing programs, including Associate, Baccalaureate, and Diploma (86.7%).  An additional 55 students completed the Nursing Program in December 2025 and are now eligible to take the national licensure examination.  
• Students completed 42 Bloomberg certifications in the last year.  A Bloomberg Certification exhibits entry-level skills on the Bloomberg terminal, which is a financial data and software platform.  The students gain the fundamental and valuable skills they can use to take part in a junior- or senior-level Finance course.  The certification is an asset for students looking to transfer to four-year business programs, as most New Jersey business schools have Bloomberg terminals.

Student Clubs and Activities

• On December 8, 2025, the Honors by Contract Fall 2025 Student Project Showcase took place in the Instructional Building Atrium.  Twenty students showcased the Honors by Contract projects they were working on with their instructors.  Students, faculty, administration, and family members attended the event to see firsthand the amazing projects and the hard work of OCC’s Honors students.
• The Engineering Club had multiple fundraisers for their scholarship fund throughout the Fall 2025 semester.  The Engineering Club kicked off its fundraising with a co-event with the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Hospitality Club, and Fashion Club.  This fundraiser allows students and local small businesses a marketplace to sell goods.  Later in the semester, the Engineering Club held additional sales events for items that the club manufactured using the micro-manufacturing lab.  Club members look forward to continued fundraising during the Spring semester.
• Three Ocean County College teams participated in the 2025 Bloomberg Global Trading Challenge, making mock investments and tracking investment performance. The teams were captained by Business students Trevor Cicco, Kaydin Easton, and Nick Salzano and advised by Ms. Katherine Toy, College Lecturer II in Economics.  Each team is provided one million dollars of hypothetical funds to invest in stocks, making the mock trades using the Bloomberg terminals in the business lab.  Throughout the competition, which began in October and ended on November 14, 2025, OCC students competed against students from around the world.
• On December 13, 2025, the Math Club held its annual scholarship fundraiser during The Nutcracker performance at the Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts and raised just over $900. The Math Club faculty advisors, Ms. Julia Kim, College Lecturer II in Mathematics, and Mr. Frankie Mennicucci, Adjunct Assistant Professor, four Math Club officers, and members of the club participated in this event. 
• The annual Spring Club Fair was scheduled for on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, in the Student Center. Because of the snow storm, it has been rescheduled to February 4, 2026. Leaders from the various clubs on campus will promote their clubs to prospective new members and share information on the events and activities they are planning this semester.
• The Engineering and Industrial/Technical Studies program held its end-of-semester celebration in December.  Students, faculty, alumni, OCC administration, and academic and industry partners gathered to acknowledge the hard work being done by OCC students.  Outstanding students and design competition winners were announced.  New, transfer, and graduating students were acknowledged, and outstanding faculty and industry partners were announced as well.  Additionally, the Engineering Club COG awards for Networking, Community Service, and Projects were given to students.

Student Support Services and Activities

• During the Fall term, the Student Success team made over 12,000 outgoing calls to students, including calls for a faculty-generated alert on a low course average.  More than 3,000 students, or more than 50% of the enrolled Fall students, had an alert raised during the Fall term.

The Student Enrollment Building had 2,083 visits in the month of December.  The average wait time was just over 7.5 minutes.  The majority of the students were visiting for Enrollment Services (1,360), followed by Academic Advising (555) and Financial Aid (45).

The HUB completed 2,430 outgoing calls in the month of December.  They spent over 119 hours on the phone, in total, reaching out to students to encourage Spring registration, inform them about Winter payments, and remind new applicants to complete their on-boarding steps.

In addition to the HUB’s outgoing calls, noted above, the Enrollment Services team facilitated calling 395 students for course cancellations, 73 students for a change of course schedule, 85 students for a pre-requisite issue, and another 3 students for lab/lecture mismatch for Spring 2026 science courses.

Three Express Enrollment Days were held on December 11 and 16, 2025, and January 7, 2026, supporting 16 new students in completing onboarding steps for the Spring term.

• Student leaders joined members of the Student Life team on January 7 and 8, 2026, at the annual Trailblazers Leadership Retreat. The retreat workshops provide students the opportunity to develop their leadership skills by exploring their values, practicing empathy, developing their strengths, and encouraging connection with others.
• The Counseling Center has been working diligently to provide services to students and the campus community, serving 111 students since the last report.  The staff continue to offer services through multiple access points in the Counseling Center, virtually, and within the Veterans and Military Resources Center.  Student utilization rates increased in Fall 2025 by 41.4% compared to Fall 2024.  Student engagement and retention with the Counseling Center has also increased, as the number of individual students attending three or more counseling sessions nearly doubled from 27.6% in Fall 2024 to 51.2% in Fall 2025.
• On December 3, 2025, the Counseling Center hosted “Pawse and Play,” encouraging the campus community to take time out of their day to find joy and stress-reduction through playful interaction with puppies from a local animal rescue.  Over 40 students, faculty, and staff were in attendance.

Student Outreach

• Enrollment Services Advisor for College Pathways, Ms. Lauren Simon, facilitated a Career Workshop at Lacey Township High School for 50 freshmen and sophomores.  The event took place on December 3 and 4, 2025.
• On December 4, 2025, student worker Kate Ibarra and Multilingual Language Navigator Carolina Newman presented College 101 in Spanish to 30 ELL students at Southern Regional High School.  Ms. Newman also presented College 101 and led a campus tour for 30 Manchester High School students at OCC on December 5, 2025.
• Helping Hands had scheduled an awareness event on January 28, 2026, but it will be rescheduled because of the snow and ice on campus.  The event will promote the campus Food Pantry and help students learn about the resources that are available to them on and off campus. The Ocean County Board of Social Services Mobile Outreach team is scheduled to be at this event to answer questions and to help students sign up for county and state resources.  A similar event will be held on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, to help decrease the stigma associated with food insecurity and to help promote a hunger-free campus community.
• The Robert J. Novins planetarium launched “Calm in the Cosmos” during the last week of the Fall semester to give students and staff a quiet place “in space” to relax around finals.
• From December 15 to 18, 2025, the Grunin Center hosted the Grunin Performing Arts Academy’s Winter Vocal and Dance Showcases.
• Over 600 students from nine Ocean County schools and three community groups attended two Schools ‘n Stage performances of Layer the Walls Midcentury, which tells the story of three immigrant families whose lives shaped New York City.
• Orientation for new nursing students was held on campus January 8, 2026.  During the program, students were introduced to the faculty, policies, and procedures of the program, electronic textbooks, as well as strategies to enhance learning.
• On January 8, 2026, Ms. Anais Mompoint, College Lecturer II in Social Work and Social Work Program Chair, along with Field Outreach Coordinator Heather Lignelli, facilitated the Spring 2026 Match Day for the Social Work program.  Match Day is a time set aside for the OCC Social Work students to participate in a two-way interview with community organizations.  This process allows them to explore their interests and find the best fit for them to complete their 60 practicum hours as required for the A.S. degree in Social Work.  

From the upcoming graduating cohort, 19 of 24 students who registered for the Social Work Seminar and Practicum class were in attendance. Representatives from 10 community organizations were also in attendance.  Mr. James Hadley, Dean of the School of Business and Social Sciences, welcomed all students and partners. OCC Social Work Alumna, Raven Moore, who also serves on the Social Work Advisory Committee, shared tips and best practices with the new cohort as well.  

Community Outreach

• The Grunin Center welcomed back the Ballet for Young Audiences production of The Nutcracker on December 13, 2025, for two well-attended family shows.
• A production of Baile: a Celtic Christmas Celebration brought in the award-winning dance company DarrahCarr Dance to the Grunin Center on December 20, 2025.
• Despite the snow, the Novins Planetarium had a very successful holiday show season, with nearly 2,000 visitors in December alone.  Staff once again hosted POAC Autism Warriors for A Cocoa and a Show and had a full house for the revamped Noon Year’s Eve show for families.
• In January, the audio system upgrade was completed for the Grunin Center theater’s main stage.
• The OCC Repertory Theater held its smash, Broadway for the Holidays 5, for the fifth year to sold out audiences from December 15 through 21, 2025. 

Grants

• This Spring 2026 is the final semester for the FIPSE Basic Needs grant project.  The program is currently surpassing the retention goal of 70% with an overall program retention of 71%. The program has served 266 students who are either active or have graduated.
• The Helping Hands Food Pantry recently received a grant to help stock the pantry and support other food security initiatives.  Much gratitude is extended to Stop & Shop for the monetary and gift card donation of $12,500 to help support the students at Ocean County College.

Center for Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education

Dr. Ali Botein-Furrevig, Part-Time Director of the Center, will participate on January 27, 2026, in a webinar and interactive panel discussion hosted by the National Association of Scholars focused on higher education reform and institutional policy review.

Workforce Development and Strategic Partnerships

Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grant (SCC5)

• The SCC5 team has implemented a structured student enrollment and onboarding process for grant-funded workforce training programs.  To date, 73 individuals have expressed interest, 55 have completed eligibility screenings, and 41 are currently registered in programs using SCC5 grant funds, including EKG Technician (6), Phlebotomy Technician (12), Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (10), Patient Care Technician (2), Medical Billing and Coding Specialist (10), and Google Data Analytics (1).
• The SCC5 consortium has also fully implemented AGS Prime, a centralized data and case-management system, to securely track participant records and support consistent reporting across Ocean County College, Middlesex College, and Atlantic Cape Community College.

Workforce Education (WFED)

• In December, Workforce Education hosted two Civil Service Commission training courses on the OCC campus for Ocean County public employees, supporting regional workforce development and community partnerships.

Ocean County Achievement Center (OCAC)

• On December 18, 2025, an End-of-Year Holiday Gathering was held for OCAC students, with approximately 100 Title II and Work Readiness Assistance Program (WRAP) participants in attendance.  Participants played games geared towards teambuilding and language skills.

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

• On December 4, 2025, Title II hosted a Family Literacy Book Event with 37 attendees, including students and family members.  On the same date, staff attended the Meeting the Moment convening at Rutgers University, focused on collaboration and strategy sharing for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs.
• In December, six students in the High School Equivalency (HSE) math course made measurable skill gains, one high school diploma was earned, and new student registration included 43 HSE students and 72 ESL students, all of whom completed the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) assessments for class placement.

Connect & Learn:  Work First New Jersey (WFNJ) Digital Literacy

The Work First New Jersey Connect & Learn is a collaborative initiative between Ocean County College, Mercer County Community College (grant lead), Middlesex College, and Monmouth.  On January 26, 2026, four participants will begin digital literacy training in the Middlesex location, while Mercer County Community College has 17 participants enrolled, and three participants have passed their Internet and Computing Core Certification credential (IC3).

Connect & Learn is becoming mandatory for all WFNJ recipients in Middlesex County.

Work Readiness Assistance Program (WRAP)

• One Work Readiness Assistance Program participant attended a career exploration event at the Ocean County Mall, where a mock interview led to a part-time job offer while the participant continues working toward their high school diploma.
• On December 10, 2025, WRAP students participated in a career exploration field trip to the Liberty Science Center, engaging with staff from various departments to learn about careers and ask questions about employment pathways.

Career Services

• During November and December, Career Services remained actively engaged in employer outreach, student support, and career readiness programming. The department hosted five employer tables, promoted six events through Handshake, shared seven local job and internship announcements via the OCC Career Services App and Canvas, and conducted 15 individual student appointments focused on career exploration and planning.
• Key partnerships and programming included a Career Services collaboration meeting with Kean University (November 10, 2025), a Manahawkin Campus visit (November 11, 2025), and internship engagement with the Barnegat Bay Partnership (November 18, 2025).  Additional initiatives included coordination and student vetting for the Netflix Production Accounting Clerk (PAC) Program (November 24, 2025), followed by interviews on December 12, 2025, with eight students advancing.  Career Services also hosted a FOCUS2 workshop on December 2, 2025, and a Criminal Justice Job Fair on December 9, 2025.

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 December 6, 2025, through January 23, 2026.