NEWS & EVENTS

• Strategic Initiatives

The first year of Strategies for Success, the implementation plan for the Charting our New Course transformation initiative, recently concluded.  The Annual Year-End Report (Attachment 1) was submitted on behalf of the Guiding Coalition to provide an update to the Board of Trustees.  It focuses on the progress of each of the strategies and their recommendations as well as summarizes the activities and challenges experienced during this review period.

Ms. Sabrina Mathues, Outgoing Chair of the Guiding Coalition, will attend Thursday’s meeting to provide a brief report.  Also attending will be Dr. Henry Jackson and Ms. Erica Carboy, incoming Co-Chairs of the Guiding Coalition, to say a few words about continuing the work of the Coalition into next year.

I commend Ms. Mathues, Dr. Jackson, and Ms. Carboy for accepting the responsibility of leading this initiative.  I would also like to recognize the significant efforts of Ms. Alexa Beshara-Blauth, who has coordinated the activities of the Guiding Coalition, and Ms. Anna Regan, who served as Editor of Strategies for Success.

• Athletics

Mr. Scott Royer, Athletics Trainer/Coordinator, will attend Thursday’s meeting to provide an update on the following teams:

• Women’s Volleyball won the Garden State Athletic Conference for the third straight season and participated in the Region XIX Tournament held on October 22 and 23, 2016.
• Women’s Soccer competed in the Region XIX Soccer Tournament, with finals on October 30, 2016.
• Men’s Soccer competed in the Region XIX Soccer Tournament, with finals on October 29, 2016.
• Women’s Tennis finished second in the Conference and second in the Region, qualifying for the National Championship held in Peach Tree, Georgia, from October 19-23, 2016.
• On October 6, 2016, former Men’s Soccer Player Jack Flynn received the Region XIX Robert Zifchak Male Student Athlete of the Year Award for 2015-16.  Jack is now studying accounting at Stockton University.
• On November 9, 2016, two former student athletes will be recognized at the annual luncheon of the College Athletic Administrators of New Jersey as the Two-Year College Male and Female Athletes of the Year.  For the 2015-16 academic year, the honorees are Jack Flynn (Soccer) and Adelle Hickman (volleyball/softball).
• Ocean County College will again be hosting the Women’s National Soccer Championship from November 10 to 13, 2016.  The top eight teams will compete for the championship.

Veterans Day

OCC will commemorate Veterans Day on Friday, November 11, 2016, at 12:00 noon, at the Veterans Memorial, on the campus mall.  Participating in the event will be the U.S. Marine Corps League, the OCC Concert Band, and the Toms River American Legion, Post 129.  The guest speaker will be LTC Marsha Grace, Army Support Activity Deputy, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.  A reception will follow in the Library Tower Room.  Please join us as we pay tribute to our veterans.

Student Affairs

• Financial Aid
  • The 2015-16 FAFSA filing cycle ended on June 30, 2016.  Federal records indicate that New Jersey ranked 11^th in the number of FAFSAs submitted in the nation.  In total, Ocean County College received 9,425 FASFA records in 2015-16.
  • The OCC Financial Aid Office is in its eighth year of offering the Opening Pathways to Education Now (OPEN) FAFSA Workshop Series.  This initiative, which began in 2009, seeks to increase awareness of the affordability and access to postsecondary education.  The sessions are designed to assist with the completion of FAFSA paperwork and to discuss the basic concepts of financial aid, including cost of attendance, estimated family contribution, and the differences between grants and loans.

OCC has opened its doors to almost 2,000 students, parents, and guardians since the workshop series began.  High school students attending are mainly from within Ocean County, but students have attended from Lawrenceville, Howell, Bridgewater-Raritan, Hillsborough, Marlboro, Old Bridge, Morganville, Middletown, and Wall.

• The implementation of Prior-Prior Year/Early FAFSA Filing began on October 1, 2016.  In just two weeks, OCC received 202 FAFSA records.

• Admissions

Admissions Office representatives were busy with 2017 fall semester recruitment, visiting all Ocean County high schools and vocational schools.  They met with many engaged students who were eager to learn about and attend Ocean County College.  Additionally, Admissions representatives attended the OCPGA College Fairat the Pine Belt Arena, which is Ocean County’s largest college fair.

The Admissions Office held its annual Fall Open House on Thursday, October 20, 2016, and more than 150 students attended the event.  Community members are invited to talk with faculty and staff, meet with Financial Aid representatives, learn more about the admissions process and degree programs, and take a campus tour.

• Advising

• The Advising Office reached out to 129 first-time, full-time students who registered late for the fall semester.  These students are often academically at risk, and they miss the benefits of freshman orientation.  Advisors asked about their progress, discussed spring registration, and explained how they will be assigned to an advisor.
• In partnership with Student Life and the NJ STARS Club, the Advising Office hosted a successful Transfer Fair on October 6, 2016.  Ninety institutions were represented at the event, and over 450 students signed in with at least one institution.  Coordinator of Transfer Services Laura Wills did an excellent job organizing and executing the fair.

In addition to the Transfer Fair, the following four-year institutions have visited OCC this fall semester to speak with students about transfer: Georgian Court University, Wilmington University, Villanova University-School of Nursing, Centenary College, and LaSalle University.  The Advising Office has also scheduled two “Instant Decision Days” this fall; NJIT will be on campus December 8 and Monmouth University on December 1, 2016.

The Advising Office partnered with Phi Beta Lambda, OCC’s organization for future business leaders, to bring OCC students information on popular business transfer colleges.  Kean Ocean ran a very successful information session, with 30 OCC business students attending, helping students understand requirements for admission, transferable coursework, and the degree at Kean Ocean.  Additional colleges scheduled throughout the semester are Pace University, Rider University, Rutgers-New Brunswick School of Business, and Stockton University.

Finally, Ms. Wills hosted an information session on October 17, 2016, for students intending to transfer.  Eleven students attended and received a tutorialon how to navigate NJ Transfer, information on the New Jersey Statewide Transfer Agreement, and answers to their specific transfer questions.  Ms. Wills is also scheduled to visit the Southern Education Center during the fall semester to provide students at that location with transfer advising.

• In partnership with the Records and Registration Office, the School of Nursing, and Kean Ocean, the Advising Office hosted an information session for pre-nursing students on October 19, 2016.  Students received information on nursing admissions, the Nursing Program, and the Kean Ocean RN to BSN degree.  Fifty-two students attended, with an additional 64 students registered to attend a second session on October 27, 2016.  Under the leadership of Academic Advising Assistant Director Pamela Donohue, this event was well organized and successful.
• The Advising Office hosted its biannual in-service professional development on October 12, 2016.  The theme was Advising across Campus.  Representatives from the following areas attended to discuss advising at OCC:  Advising, SEC, Enrollment Management, e-Learning, Student Support Services, the Center for Student Success, EOF, and Veterans Affairs.  The session was a great opportunity for information sharing, with the goal of making advising at OCC cohesive, consistent, and collaborative.
• The Advising Office continues its tradition of a biannual e-newsletter to parents.  This fall, over 350 parents of OCC students received the e-newsletter, which contains information on many topics, such as registration for the quick and accelerated terms, student clubs, tutoring, campus events, graduation, academic deadlines, financial aid, scholarships, study abroad, and spring 2017 advising and registration.

• Career, Employment, and Personal Counseling

• Dr. Kate Pandolpho, Director of Career, Employment, and Personal Counseling, was the keynote speaker at the annual Soroptimist International of Toms River Women’s Hall of Fame celebration.  Her speech reflected the newest initiative of the Soroptimist Club, Dream It – Be It.
• In recognition of Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month, six seminars were presented, as was In Their Shoes, a visual presentation of 234 pairs of shoes representing the number of New Jersey individuals, ages 10 to 24, who died by suicide in the years 2009-11.  These activities help meet the requirements of the Madison Holleran Suicide Prevention Act.
• In recognition of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, seminars were sponsored about domestic violence, featuring speakers from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Providence House, and St. Francis Community Counseling Services.  The sister of a domestic violence victim recounted the story of her sister’s life and death and displayed the chain of over 500 links that showed the number of people who attended her funeral services.  Another powerful graphic presentation, “The Silent Witness Project,” showed silhouettes of Ocean County victims of domestic violence.  Also sponsored was “Purses with a Purpose,” which collected nearly 60 purses filled with items for women and families in two domestic violence shelters. Once again, OCC staff, faculty, and students were extremely generous with their contributions. The Student Support Services Club sponsored a bake sale, with proceeds going to local domestic violence programs.

Finance and Administration

• Ms. Sara Winchester, Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration, attended the National Association of College and University Business Officers(NACUBO) Global Operations Forum in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 27 and 28, 2016.  The program examined international operations run by colleges and universities, with a focus on management and business support for programs operating overseas as well as compliance with both U.S. and foreign regulations. Topics included:
  • Identifying and tracking worldwide activities
  • Global support models and best practices
  • International human resources and benefits issues
  • Foreign banking and cash management practices
  • Distance learning challenges when operating overseas
  • Innovative business processes to support international activities

Because OCC is new to operating outside the U.S., this forum was a good opportunity to learn from campus experts, hear the latest developments from international operations professionals, and network with peers facing similar challenges.

• From October 24-26, 2016, Ms. Winchester attended the first annual Ellucian Executive Advisory Council meeting in Anaheim, California.  This invitation-only event was sponsored by Ellucian.  The council has been established to provide a venue for open and honest dialogue about how Ellucian can best serve the needs of its customer base and higher education.  The members, a select group of customers, will act as advisors to our executive team and have the opportunity to engage with industry thought leaders and analysts.

• Cloud Data Governance Committee

The first meeting of the Cloud Data Governance Committee took place on October 28, 2016.  The meeting brought together representatives from all New Jersey community colleges that use the same ERP system to discuss opportunities to bank together in a cloud system.  The committee also discussed other ways the colleges can work more closely together to achieve efficiency and cost savings.

• New Jersey Network for School Success

Work has continued to build a mutually beneficial partnership between OCC, PLS 3^rd Learning, and Strategic Initiatives, Inc.  PLS 3^rd Learning has built several variations of a digital platform that are used by hundreds of thousands of teachers in New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas.  The intention is to build a similar platform for New Jersey and provide rich academic content tied to required learning outcomes for all New Jersey teachers.  The idea has been enthusiastically embraced by the New Jersey Department of Education as well as by local superintendents.  OCC’s role in the project will be to train the teachers and encourage adoption of the system within Ocean County.

• Player Development Academy

The agreement between the Player Development Academy (PDA) and OCC was fully executed in early October.  PDA will fund lighting for the turf field.  PDA players have already begun using the OCC facility, and we are delighted to welcome these young athletes to our campus.

• Human Resources

Ms. Tracey Donaldson, Assistant Vice President of Human Resources, attended the annual ATIXA (Association of Title IX Administrators) Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from October 5 to 8, 2016.  As the reach of Title IX has widened and become more complex, intertwining with the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Cleary Act provisions, this annual conference proves to be a helpful update and source of best practices.

• Leadership Academy

The President’s Leadership Team honored the inaugural 2015-16 cohort of the Leadership Academy on September 26, 2016, with a luncheon celebrating their completion of the year-long leadership program.  The event was an opportunity to reinforce the importance of leadership development at OCC and to show appreciation to all the cohort members for a job well done.  Congratulations to Ms. Elise Barocas, Controller; Dr. Toni Clay, Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs; Mr. Jason Ghibesi, Lecturer II of Social Sciences; Ms. Jennifer Kelemen, Facilities Office Manager; Mr. Jack Kelnhofer, Dean of e-Learning; Ms. Jan Kirsten, Executive Director of College Relations; and Mr. A.J. Trump, Interim Director of Enrollment Management.

On October 6 and 7, 2016, the new 2016-17 Leadership Academy cohort attended a formal kick-off event with General John DiNapoli of Spencer-Ryan LLC.  The two-day event focused on definitions of leadership as presented by James Kouzes and Barry Posner in The Leadership Challenge.  Participants evaluated their own leadership styles, as well as other examples in various venues.  The cohort now moves on to a year-long series of events and workshops designed to help them observe, learn about, and practice leadership.

• Title IX Internal Audit

Ms. Donaldson, who serves as OCC’s Title IX Coordinator, has begun a series of internal audit meetings to assess and address any gaps in Title IX compliance at the College.  Participating employees include Dr. Norma Betz, Vice President of Student Affairs; Ms. Ilene Cohen, Executive Director of Judicial Affairs and Athletics; and Dr. Kate Pandolpho.

• Training and Development

Employees have the opportunity to participate in a variety of learning topics.  The October curriculum included new classes in Behavioral Interviewing; ​Correcting Performance​ Problems; ​Data Security; Defensive Driving DDC-6; FERPA; Outlook and Email Etiquette; Preventing Discrimination and Sexual Violence: Title IX, VAWA, and Clery Act for Faculty and Staff​​​; Using Classroom Technologies; and Word, Intro and Advanced.

• People Admin – Performance Management

The Office of Human Resources will begin the implementation of Performance Management, a module within the People Admin suite, a comprehensive evaluation system designed to handle all employee evaluation needs.

Simplifying the process of appraising performance, including writing appraisals, delivering the appraisals to the employees, and retaining the appraisal records, will help in focusing more on the quality of the appraisals and a positive impact on the receiving employees.  It is also the intent to utilize the module to collect training and development needs, which can then be translated into training courses.  The goal is to have the new system in place to align with next year’s performance appraisal process.

• Continuing and Professional Education
  • Customized Training/Workforce Development

• A partnership has been established to allow Lakewood Township, Lakewood Chamber of Commerce and UEZ Zone, and the Downtown Toms River Business Improvement Committee to work together to provide training opportunities.  CPE intends to benefit from focused communication and business participation.
• The Executive Director of the Toms River Business Improvement District discussed partnerships at the Business Advisory Committee meeting on October 10, 2016.  The Business Improvement District is interested in adding a student component to its Business Incubator Program.  The goal is to focus this initiative on all municipalities in Ocean County.
• Customized Training completed a second special course, “Customer Service in the Salon Industry,” to Ocean Salon Systems, which promoted the course to its customers as a value-added service.  The course was funded by the NJBIA/NJWorkforce Coalition.
• Mr. Michael Forcella, Manager of Business Engagement, spoke on October 12, 2016, on WOBM about business/workforce development partnership initiatives.  In addition, Mr. Forcella has been invited to participate as an Honorary Commander for the third year at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and is active on the Ocean County Military Support Committee.
• Collaboration has begun with the Rutgers Youth Success Grant and the Ocean County Workforce Development Board.  Qualified Ocean County youth, ages 16 to 26, who have left school, are unemployed, or have other issues will be assisted.  Hopefully, these program participants will be integrated into OCC programs.

• OCC CPE Health Care students continue to excel on national healthcare certification, validating the outstanding education and training though the CPE health care certificate programs.  Since 2012, 490 OCC students have sat for at least one National Healthcareer Association (NHA) Exam.  Students sat for a total of 1,069 exams, resulting in 995 certifications earned.  The students have averaged pass rates of 93%; the NHA national average over this time period was 75%.
• Programs with New Jersey Civil Service for the testing of future police officers began in October for eight consecutive Saturdays.  Ocean was one of eight county colleges selected to provide the test; over 45,000 applicants will be tested statewide.

• Facilities

The Combined Heat and Power Plant (CHP) continues to provide the College with an effective energy cost-savings solution.  The CHP is designed to provide a self-sufficient, primary energy source for select buildings on campus.  Due to the environmentally-conscious efforts of vendors, Facilities staff, and the College community, the College will receive a $3,216.51 check from EnerNoc for exceeding the minimum Kilowatt capacity.

• The Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts

Upcoming December shows:

• The King’s Singers – Thursday, December 1, 2016, at 7:30 p.m.
• Westminster Concert Bell Choir – Friday, December 2, 2016, at 8:00 p.m.
• Molly Ryan’s Swingin’ Christmas Ball – Wednesday, December 7, 2016, at 8:00 p.m.
• Culinary Adventures featuring Mary Ann Esposito and Joe Leone – Saturday, December 10, 2016, at 2 p.m.
• The Nutcracker – Sunday, December 11, 2016, at 1 p.m.
• “It’s a Wonderful Life:  Live from WVL Radio Theatre” – Wednesday, December 14, 2016, at 7:30 p.m.
• The Celtic Tenors – Thursday, December 15, 2016, at 8:00 p.m.
• Tom Wopat and Linda Purl – Friday, December 16, at 8:00 p.m.

• Information Technology

The OIT team collaborated to ensure a successful start of the 2016 fall semester, which included updating all computer images and technology in classrooms; providing CANVAS workshops; converting student systems to Canvas and Barnes & Noble interfaces, and publishing a newsletter informing faculty of major changes with the Learning Management System and explaining all of the available resources.

Infrastructure improvements include the completion of an upgrade of the telephone system to version 10.5, the latest stable version of the CISCO Unified communications software.  The Library system was successfully moved to a cloud-based “software as a service” solution from SIRSI.  This new service will minimize the impact on OCC’s data center and eliminate the need for future hardware upgrades to support the Library.

• Ocean County College Foundation

The Ocean County College Foundation held its 15^th Annual Golf Outing on Tuesday, September 20, 2016, at Pine Barrens Golf Club in Jackson.  The event attracted nearly 80 golfers and raised over $50,000 to assist the Foundation in its mission to make higher education accessible to Ocean County residents through scholarships, awards, and special projects.  Appreciation is expressed to the Event Chair, Michael B. York, Esq., of Novins, York & Jacobus; the event’s Major Sponsor, Perlmutter Family ShopRites; and all the sponsors, golfers, committee members, vendors, staff, and volunteers.

e-Learning and Learning Enterprises

• Domestic e-Learning Program

Onlinecolleges.com recently ranked OCC’s e-Learning program #1 of all New Jersey colleges and universities (46) offering online education.  Onlinecolleges.com uses a methodology that compares degree program offerings, IPEDs data, including retention and graduation rates, and tuition and fees to compare educational institutions offering distance education.  OCC Online was selected by a significant margin over other schools engaging in distance education in New Jersey, such as Rutgers, Kean, NJIT, Rowan, Montclair, Monmouth, Drew, Fairleigh Dickinson, and several community colleges.  This recognition symbolizes the collective effort of an entire campus to make OCC’s e-Learning program a strong and serious competitor,not just in New Jersey, but nationwide.

In looking toward the future, OCC’s e-Learning program hopes to capitalize on the 7.5-week accelerated terms by launching an ongoing (rolling) online 16-month associate degree completion program.  Efforts are underway to launch a new marketing campaign to promote this 16-month associate degree

• Domestic Partnerships

Within the past 45 days, e-Learning and Learning Enterprises has seen a few partnership opportunities come to fruition.

• First, as a result of an RFP process bid on by the e-Learning team, Kaiser Permanente, a major health insurance provider in the U.S., through its Ben Hudnal Memorial Trust, has selected OCC to serve as its first community college preferred provider of online science education to Kaiser Permanente employees.  This opportunity came to OCC through the e-Learning team’s work in online science education and through OCC’s nationwide reputation as a leader in online science education delivery.  The e-Learning team is now implementing a concierge-style pathway for all Kaiser Permanente students as well as a public relations campaign celebrating this accomplishment.  OCC’s RFP response, which was subsequently accepted and awarded, is Attachment 2.
• Second, OCC has been accepted by Edcor, a third-party organization that facilitates employer-sponsored tuition reimbursement education programs in the U.S.  This opportunity was managed by Mr. John Goodwin, EduStrategy, one of Learning Enterprises’ business-to-business consultants.  Through this program, employees at companies, such as Nestle, UPS, Carmax, and Best Buy, are given access and a tuition discount (if out of county) to select OCC as their educational provider.

An overview of the Edcor program may be found at: https://www.ocean.edu/about-us/partnering-for-the-future/domestic-partnerships/edcor/

• International Partnerships

OCC’s footprint abroad continues to widen and deepen.  A team recently returned from Cairo, Egypt:  Mr. Hatem Akl, CIO; Mr. Jeff Harmon, Associate Vice President of e-Learning and Learning Enterprises; Dr. Maysa Hayward, Dean of Instructional Outreach; Ms. Tara Huff, e-Learning Instructional Designer; and Mr. Jack Kelnhofer, Dean of e-Learning.  The mission of their eight-day trip was to launch the first cohort of the OCC-Kean University-Ain Shams University program, which will begin October 31, 2016.  As of this report, the cohort has approximately 52 students.  The team conducted numerous faculty, administrative, and student training sessions.  Though numerous technological, currency exchange, and cultural obstacles presented themselves, the team prevailed and the cohort will begin engaging in its first two online courses on October 31.  Success in this pilot program could pave the way for the next cohort to reach many more students, perhaps 500 to 1,000.

This month, OCC will send additional operational plans, similar to the Ain Shams project, to two other colleges in Egypt: Ahram Canadian University and the Arab Academy for Sciences and Maritime Transport.  Plans to launch each of these are set for fall 2017 with pilot cohorts of approximately 50 students each.

Lastly, while in Cairo, Mr. Harmon and Dr. Hayward met with Mr. Alaa el Khishenfrom IMI and delivered a proposal (Attachment 3) for OCC-Cairo: Cairo’s First Community College.  This proposal, which outlines OCC’s plan for establishing an additional location in the heart of Cairo, has been delivered to Dr. Hossam Osman, Special Advisor to the Minister of Telecommunications.  During the week of November 1, Mr. el Khishen and Dr. Osman are scheduled to visit OCC and engage in several meetings, including at the U.S. State Department, with New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education Rochelle Hendricks in Trenton, and with the President and other representatives at NJIT.

Academic Affairs

Dr. Rosann Bar, Dean of Business and Social Sciences, Dr. Toni Clay, Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Ms. Susan O’Connor, Director of Curriculum Management, attended a conference sponsored by Academic Impressions in New Orleans, Louisiana, from October 17 – 19, 2016, entitled “Developing a Comprehensive Retention Plan.”  Their purpose in attending was to participate in a training program to develop an institutional retention plan and for OCC to concentrate on degrees leading to immediate employment that are funded by the Perkins Grant.  Some of OCC’s Perkins Grant programs have been identified by the State of New Jersey as having low retention rates and as lacking in ethnic diversity and/or gender equity, especially in STEM, Nursing, and Criminal Justice.

Data, programming, and goal setting were covered in the pre-conference.  Time was spent on how to gather and analyze data, interpret it, and align it with goal setting, program planning, and reporting results.  Case studies were included.

The conference also focused on identifying how to turn data into programs to include goals and objectives, delineation of responsibilities, resources, and timelines.  OCC participants had the opportunity to network with other colleges and universities and receive feedback on crafting the College’s plan.

The conference was attended by over 50 professionals, representing over 40 institutions nationwide.  Six New Jersey community colleges were represented.

• School of Arts and Humanities
  • Dog Sees God, a theatre production produced by Mr. Paul Chalakani, Lecturer II of Theatre, had a successful run in the Black Box Theatre, concluding on October 30, 2016.
  • The first two meetings of the Ocean County College Book Club were held in the Library Tower Room hosted by Associate Professor of English David Bordelon.
  • Associate Professor of Humanities Beth Brierley, Assistant Professor of English Jayanti Tamm, and Lecturer  II of Humanities/Fine Arts Stephanie Shestakowhosted a panel discussion on and off campus in which they shared the history of the role of women in the fine arts for the Global Education for Girls series of events.
  • Humanities Instructor Karin Gargone sponsored a Native American Indian Flute-Making workshop on October 19, 2016, in the Grunin Center.  The Music Club,which she advises, meets every Wednesday during fall semester and is planning a host of activities.
  • On Tuesday, October 25, 2016, Professor Jayanti Tamm hosted “A Halloween Inspired Open Mic” for Seascape, the Literary Magazine Club.
  • The OCC History Club, led by Mr. Rob Marchie and Mr. Stephen Downey, both Lecturer IIs of History, has placed food collection boxes across campus until November 16, 2016, for Ocean County Hunger Relief.
  • On Thursday, October 27, 2016, Dr. Ali Botein-Furrevig, through the Center for Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education, hosted “Christian Genocide in the Middle East,” a presentation by StandWithUs, an international, non-profit Israel education organization.

Members of the School of Arts and Humanities are working diligently on updating curriculum for the course proposal project.  Assistant Professor of Humanities Rich Fallon, Lecturer II of Humanities Lee Kobus, and Lecturer II of Fine Arts Renate Pustiak are developing their program evaluations and revisions.

• School of Business and Social Sciences
  • Mr. Jeffrey Lang, Lecturer II of Addictions, represented Ocean County College at the NAADAC Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on October 11, 2016.  NAADAC is the premier Association for Addictions Professionals.  Mr. Langpresented a lecture on “Treating the Compulsive Over-Eating Client in Addictions Treatment Services.”
  • Ms. Jennifer Barnes, Lecturer II of Political Science and Director of the Governmental Affairs Institute, attended the American Association for Paralegal Educators’ Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas.  Topics included age discrimination, paralegal career options, awareness of cultural competence, transferable paralegal skills, and teaching with humor.

• Ms. Jennifer Evans, Lecturer II of Hospitality, Recreation, and Tourism, piloted an official Facebook Live Video event to be run in December.  Students in her Special Events class created a Facebook fan page and put together a twenty-minute informational video, which garnered 724 views in four days.  To view, link to the Facebook fan page and scroll down to the live video  at: www.facebook.com/HRTMOCC/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

• The first-ever Mayors’ Panel, sponsored by the Governmental Affairs Institute, was held on October 27, 2016.  Students had the opportunity to meet their local officials and learn more about the issues that matter most in their hometowns.  The mayors in attendance included:
  • Honorable Albert Ackerman, Lakewood (Deputy Mayor)
  • Honorable Ann Marie Conte, Wall Twp.
  • Honorable Oscar Cradle, South Toms River
  • Honorable William W. Curtis, Bay Head
  • Honorable Nancy Taggart Davis, Beach Haven
  • Honorable John G. Ducey, Brick Twp.
  • Honorable William Gotto, Howell Twp.
  • Honorable Thomas Kelaher, Toms River
  • Honorable Paul Kennedy, Ocean Gate
  • Honorable Steven Kennis, Lacey Twp.
  • Honorable Joseph Mancini, Long Beach Twp.
  • Hon. Susan Marshall, Tuckerton
  • Honorable Robert Matthies, Seaside Park
  • Honorable John J. Novak, Barnegat
  • Honorable Ken Palmer, Manchester Twp.
  • Honorable Stephen Reid, Point Pleasant Beach
  • Honorable Ronald Roma, Beachwood
  • Honorable Anthony Vaz, Seaside Heights

• School of Nursing and Health Sciences
  • The Student Nursing Organization (SNO), in collaboration with the Ocean County Health Department, held a Flu Fair on September 27, 2016.  Twenty-eight vaccines were administered by OCC Nursing students.
  • On September 29, 2016, the SNO sponsored a Blood Drive in collaboration with the New York Blood Center.  There were 60 donors; fifty-two pints of blood were collected.
  • The SNO, in collaboration with Hackensack Meridian Health, will sponsor a Health Fair on November 8, 2016, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Student Center.  Blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar screenings will be provided. Information related to health care, including diet and nutrition, will also be available.  The campus community and the general public are invited to attend.
  • Nursing faculty are working with the Ocean County Health Department to provide education to students regarding disaster management, which is required for successful completion of the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX- RN®).  On December 16, 2016, representatives from the Health Department will provide students with an introduction to emergency preparedness.  The Ocean County Medical Reserve Corps (OCMRC) will be discussed with students and faculty during this introductory program.  The mission of the OCMRC is to develop a workforce of volunteers that are prepared to assist residents in the event of a public health emergency.
  • The School of Nursing is creating an Alumni Facebook page for graduates to access information regarding SNO events, job opportunities, and surveys required for accreditation.  The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing standards require the submission of data obtained from graduates regarding their satisfaction with the nursing program and job placement rates.
  • Two students graduated from the Rutgers-Ocean County College Psychosocial Rehabilitation Program.  These students are the first OCC graduates from this program.

• School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
  • Dr. Caterina Gibson, Lecturer II of Biology, led students from her General Biology classes on a fall semester ecology/beautification project.  Her students decorated the outside of the Hiering Science Building and Technology Building with seasonal plants.
  • Students from the OCC Makers Club attended the Toms River Schools’ Jersey Shore Makers Festival with Dr. Angel Camilo, Lecturer II of Biology; Mr. Edmond Hong, Lecturer II of Computer Science; and Dean Paul Silberquit, School of STEM. The students made Native American-style musical flutes(similar to a recorder) from PVC pipes and plastic tubing for attendees, who were K-12 ages.
  • Dr. Camilo attended the annual Garden State Latino Cultural Festival in Lakewood.  He hosted an OCC table with representatives from OCC’s Admissions and Financial Aid Offices.
  • Mr. Scott Farrell, Lecturer II of Chemistry, is working with students participating in the Honors by Contract program to perform water testing on Long Swamp Creek for the Barnegat Bay Partnership.  The students will use Vernier water testing equipment to test pH, temperature, alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, and selected ion concentration.  Some samples will be brought back to OCC for in-laboratory testing, and other samples will be dropped off to the Partnership for analysis.

• OCC was selected to host this year’s Junior Science and Humanities Symposia(www.jshs.org). For more than fifty years, Monmouth University was one of two universities in New Jersey to participate in one of two regional annual Symposia high school student competitions.   Rutgers University will continue to host as the second college/university.

OCC, in partnership with the New Jersey Institute of Technology, is pleased to have been selected to ensure that rising-star New Jersey high school students have the chance to participate.  SJSS partners include faculty from OCC, NJIT, and Monmouth University, as well as representatives from New Jersey military facilities, Joint Base Lakehurst-Dix-McGuire, Naval Weapons Station Earle, and Picatinny Arsenal.

Students will work with high school teachers to submit an abstract outlining their projects by December 5, 2016, and reports on their projects by January 4, 2017.  The final projects will be rated against others in the regional competition.  The top ten students from the regional competition will present their projects at OCC on March 23 and 24, 2017, to determine the regional winner.  The winning student will then participate in the national competition.  Research projects may be conducted on one of the following topics:

• Life sciences (natural sciences, microbiology, molecular/cellular, biochemistry)
• Medicine and health (behavioral sciences, neurobiology, biomedical, physiology)
• Environmental sciences
• Chemistry (geochemistry, energy-alternative fuels, materials science)
• Physics and astronomy
• Mathematics and computer sciences
• Engineering

• Associate Professor of Engineering Neil Schiller and Dean Silberquit held a kick-off meeting for the fall 2016 Ocean County TechPrep Robotics Competition. Representatives from Lacey Township High School, Ocean County Vocational-Technical School, Manchester Middle School, and Manchester’s McAuliffe Middle School attended the meeting.  The teams participating in the Robotics Competition will design and program their robots to perform unique activities.
• Mr. Vijay Ramdeen, Lecturer II of Chemistry, and Dean Silberquit are again working with Toms River High School North for the 2016-17 STEM Academy.  In-class STEM activities will be held at the high school.