Dr. Monaco’s July 24, 2025 Report to the Board of Trustees

Presentation

Ms. Sara Nusbaum, Social Media Coordinator, will present an overview of the Viking Influencer Program, a successful initiative launched one year ago at Ocean County College.  Funded by a Lumina Foundation grant, this program empowers students to gain valuable marketing and networking experience by creating engaging content for the College’s social media.  Ms. Nusbaum will share key metrics, including the growth in Viking Influencers, the substantial reach of student-generated social media content, and significant increases in engagement and followers across platforms. The program aligns with Lumina’s goals of increasing employment-aligned credentials and helping students develop crucial creative, technical, team, and leadership skills vital for today’s job market.

Faculty and Staff Recognition

• Ms. Dina Sherman, Director of Procurement, successfully led the procurement and selection process for Ocean County College’s new five-year bookstore contract with Barnes & Noble College.  Acting on behalf of the College as the lead agency for the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC) Joint Purchasing Consortium (JPC), Ms. Sherman coordinated a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process that resulted in a multi-vendor award, allowing each consortium member to select the bookstore provider that best meets their needs. Through her leadership and collaboration with JPC institutions, Ocean County College secured a contract with Barnes & Noble College that includes a $100,000 partnership bonus, significant technology investment, annual scholarship support, and campus-wide discounts.
• On June 26, 2025, Ms. Pamela Bogdan, College Lecturer II in Engineering, and Mr. Mark Russo, Adjunct Professor in Engineering, sent their scientific payload, which they had created, to space on a NASA Sounder rocket as part of the NASA Wallops Flight Center RockOn/RockSat program.  The OCC faculty team was one of only ten faculty teams selected from throughout the United States to participate in the Summer 2025 Faculty RockOn Workshop.  The overall RockOn Rocket project will allow students to apply their PHYS 281, General Physics, skills and knowledge in the context of a live NASA Sounder rocket launch during this Summer session and beyond.  Students will conduct various levels of analysis of the rocket launch and the real-world data generated by the payload during the flight. 

Faculty and Staff Presentations and Publications

Dr. Jennifer Dellner, Professor of English and Literature in the School of Arts and Humanities, participated in the 47^th Annual Association for Interdisciplinary Studies (AIS) Conference in Oulu, Finland, from June 4 to 6, 2025.  The conference, whose theme was “Shaping the Future in the Era of Polycrisis,” was co-hosted by the University of Oulu and the Oulu University of Applied Sciences.  As president of AIS, Dr. Dellner delivered the opening and closing remarks to the conference participants. As a presenter, she gave a talk on “Interdisciplinary as Negative Space” as part of a panel entitled “Sharing our Dreams to Advance Inter- and Transdisciplinarity:  A Tribute to Julie Thompson Klein.”  Dr. Dellner also attended many sessions that examined the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of academic work in the face of the complex nature of problems facing the world today.  Dr. Dellner had worked with the conference planning committee to make the organization’s second European conference a reality.

Professional Development

Ms. Lisa Schlesinger, MSN, RN, Nursing Lab Coordinator, attended the Certificate Program in Simulationconducted by Drexel University from May 12 to 15, 2025.  This immersion program provides education to help participants successfully incorporate simulation experiences into their healthcare curriculum.

Student Support Services and Activities

• Enrollment Services had 1,538 in-person visits in the Student Enrollment Building in June.  This number includes almost 300 academic advising appointments.  The average student wait time was just over 10 minutes, which included those waiting for Tier 2 level services.
• The Student Success team spent over 157 hours making outgoing calls in June.  Campaigns included reaching out to those who were registered for Spring but hadn’t yet enrolled for Fall and encouraging stop-out students to return to the college.  The HUB team spent almost 350 hours making 4,205 outgoing phone calls.  These calls included contacting prospective students who inquired about Ocean County College, calling students who just applied to OCC to discuss their next steps, and reminding students of enrollment-related tasks.
• In collaboration with Academic Advising, the first of four summer Express Enrollment Days was held on July 15, 2025, at the Conference Center on campus.  New students could meet with an academic advisor, enjoy some refreshments, and receive their student IDs to prepare for the Fall term.  During this time, 14 new students completed registration.
• Under the leadership of Enrollment Services Advisor for Partnerships and Outreach Calleigh Kearns, registrations for Ocean County College through the Ben Hudnall Memorial Trust, a partnership with Kaiser Permanente, have increased 32% year over year.  For the current year, 89 students are registered for 136 classes and 474 credits, outpacing last year (81 students taking 103 classes and 363 credits).Ms. Lauren Simon, Enrollment Services Advisor for College Pathways, gave a presentation to students in the Work Readiness Assistance Program (WRAP) on campus on July 14, 2025.  There were 20 students in attendance.
• Over the past month, the Veterans and Military Resources Center (VMRC) conducted 88 outgoing calls as part of the Fall registration outreach campaign, resulting in the enrollment of nine students.  Staff provided one-on-one advising and registration assistance to two additional students and conducted 17 student success calls to support ongoing engagement and retention.  The Center recorded 37 student visits during this period and delivered 59 support services.
• The VMRC also hosted a well-attended Therapy Dog Thursday event, offering students an opportunity to connect and unwind after the conclusion of the traditional academic semester.
• The Nursing faculty selected the book, The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life’s Final Moments, by Hadley Vlahos, RN, as the summer read for Nursing students.  This book presents the author’s experiences working as a hospice nurse.  It illustrates how caring for others can transform a healthcare provider’s life while offering wisdom and comfort to those dealing with loss.  The contents of this book will be incorporated throughout the curriculum as students discuss nursing practice, professionalism, ethics, and communication skills when caring for patients and their families. 
• Nursing students will return to campus the week of August 25, 2025, for competency validation practice sessions.  All returning students must demonstrate competency in previously learned skills before entering clinical agencies the first week of the semester.

Outreach to Students

This month, Mr. Eric Antonelli, Assistant Professor of Science, and Dr. Angel Camilo, College Lecturer II in Science, completed a crystal display in a cabinet in the hall of the Hiering Science Building.  The display features gemstones, including a large emerald, a ruby, amethyst crystals, and a tanzanite crystal, for student and community viewing.

Community Outreach

• Grunin Center tickets for Fall performances went on sale for the general public on July 10, 2025, with Grunin River, Bay, and Ocean members receiving early access to ticket purchases beginning July 3, 2025.
• The OCC Repertory Theatre’s production of “A Broadway Tour of America” ran from July 10 to July 20, 2025.  The cast sang Broadway’s finest hits from both current and past Broadway shows in this music revue.  It was a wonderful performance.
• The Novins Planetarium premiered Laser Prince and the Laser American Summer Remix shows in July.  Twice a week, afternoon Planetarium shows were hosted for the public, in addition to their regular weekend public programming.
• The Novins Planetarium educated local area summer camps in group shows during June and July.
• Ms. Carolina Newman, Multi-Lingual Language Navigator, provided a program and tour for ten Lakewood School-based Youth Services students on July 9, 2025.  A second tour and presentation were added on July 16, 2025, for another 10 students from the same group.
• The Enrollment Services team tabled at the Downtown Toms River Farmer’s Market on July 9 and July 23, 2025, where they met community members, shared updates about the college, and expanded the college’s reach.
• Enrollment Services Advisor for College Pathways Lauren Simon tabled at the Ocean County Mall Expo on July 19, 2025, showcasing the many options for potential and current students within the community.
• Enrollment Services started “Enrollment on Wheels,” a new initiative to gain exposure and engagement within the community.  The branded Ocean County College van was spotted in Brick Plaza on July 21, 2025, and at the Ocean County Library on July 23, 2025.  If you see “Enrollment on Wheels” in the community, stop by to visit.
• On July 12, 2025, Veterans and Military Resources Center staff and members of the Veterans Club participated in the Bayville Elks’ Annual Veterans Resource Fair, hosting an outreach table to engage with the local veteran community and share available college resources.
• The Medical Residency Program at Community Medical Center, an RWJ Barnabas Health facility, will continue to utilize the Simulation Center in the H. Hovnanian Health Sciences Building for a fifth consecutive year, beginning July 8, 2025.  Medical Residents who have graduated from various medical programs complete skills and simulation experiences monthly under the direction of Attending Physicians.
• Community Service outreach events during the month of June included:
  • June 10, 2025 – Marquis Health 
  • June 12, 2025 – Meeting with Chick-fil-A representatives to finalize internship program opportunities for students (culinary, business, finance, and leadership) 
  • June 17, 2025 – RWJ Barnabas 
  • June 18, 2025 – Deans meeting to discuss the creation of a team of faculty volunteers from each school to discuss internship requirements, needs, and resources for students  

Grants

• The first training for the Poverty Simulation will take place on the main campus on July 23, 2025.  The four-hour training will bring together four students and over 40 faculty and staff members who volunteered to be trained to support the delivery of the poverty simulation for the campus and greater community.  During the training, participants will be immersed in two live simulations, giving each person the opportunity to train and also experience the simulation by assuming the life of a real person experiencing basic need insecurity. The first poverty simulation is planned for the Faculty Learning Institute in August.
• The Grunin Center received two “Mid Atlantic Tours” grants from Mid Atlantic Arts. This support offsets the costs of bringing Bindlestiff Family Cirkus and the Paza Experience to the Grunin Center.

Workforce Education

• In June, Workforce Education partnered with Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, a part of RWJ Barnabas Health, to deliver team-building training for emerging healthcare leaders.  The program focused on strengthening collaboration and advancing organizational effectiveness.
• Thirteen students graduated last month from the Community Health Worker Program, a workforce initiative funded by the New Jersey Department of Health.  The program prepares participants to support health equity and connect underserved communities with essential care and services. The Community Health Worker initiative reflects OCC’s continued commitment to meeting community health needs through targeted, high-impact training.

Ocean County Achievement Center

• The Ocean County Achievement Center (OCAC) held its 2025 graduation on June 18, 2025, in the Gateway Building.  Of the 53 participants who earned New Jersey High School Diplomas between June 2024 and June 2025, 21 attended the ceremony and walked for their diplomas.  
• A Community Outreach Event was held on camps on June 18, 2025, in partnership with Ocean, Inc.

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

• Fifteen ESL students successfully passed the EKG National Test and participated in the Achievement Center’s graduation ceremony on June 18, 2025.
• Special highlights from the ESL Program include:
  • One student recently earned a promotion at work, crediting the skills gained through OCC’s ESL courses.
  • Two students will begin their studies towards associate degrees in Fall 2025.
  • To celebrate progress and encourage continued learning, I hosted an end-of-semester dinner for the Advanced ESL class, which is transitioning to Adult Basic Education to further strengthen reading and writing skills.

Work Readiness Assistance Program (WRAP)

Four participants attended the Workforce Development Board meeting on June 10, 2025, to share their experiences from the April 2025 trip to New York City and their involvement in the WRAP program.

Career Services

• For the month of June, 45 employers were added to the Handshake database.  
• Five new local employment/internship opportunities, flyers, and announcements were posted within the OCC Career Services App.   
• Eleven students used bookings to schedule 1:1 coaching sessions.  Each session included a resume review, general discussion, and information to assist in understanding the results generated by Focus 2.  Three students scheduled and attended a second session.   

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 June 24, 2025, to July 18, 2025.