NEWS & EVENTS

Ocean County College Military History Institute

The OCC Military History Institute now has a formal presence on campus, having opened the last week in May in the Library.  Former History Associate Professor Richard Trimble developed the Institute and is now its Director.  He built a collection of books and artifacts during his tenure at the College; in 2015, he donated his book collection to the Library to establish the Military History Collection.

Mr. Trimble will attend Thursday’s Board meeting to share with the trustees the activities being planned and the ways in which the Military History Institute is coordinating with the OCC Veterans Club and History Club.

Strategic Initiatives

The second year of Strategies for Success, the implementation plan for the Charting our New Course transformation initiative, recently concluded.  The FY 2017 Annual Year-End Report was submitted on behalf of the Guiding Coalition to provide an update to the Board of Trustees.  It focuses on the substantial progress that has been made across all eight strategies and summarizes the notable accomplishments this past year, one of which was the development of an internal and external communications plan, Spotlight on Success.

Ms. Maureen Conlon and Dr. Henry Jackson, co-chairs of the Guiding Coalition, will attend Thursday’s meeting to provide you with a brief report on the year’s activities as well as to share the plans for next year as the work of the Coalition continues.

In addition to the work of Ms. Conlon and Dr. Jackson, I want to recognize the leadership provided by Ms. Alexa Beshara-Blauth, Executive Director of Institutional Planning, Effectiveness, and Compliance, to keep this very important project on course as well as Ms. Anna Regan, who is serving as Editor of Strategies for Success.

Academic Affairs

• School of Arts and Humanities
  • Program development has been a priority within the School of Arts and Humanities.  Several degree programs are in various stages of development:
  • Following adoption of a resolution by the Board of Trustees on Thursday to approve the Web Marketing A.A.S. degree program, it will be forwarded to the Academic Issues Committee of the New Jersey President’s Council for approval.
  • A Preliminary Program Announcement for the Graphic Arts, Design, and Media A.S. degree program has been distributed to all New Jersey college presidents for their review and comments.
  • An A.A. degree in English is currently in program announcement development, an A.A. degree in History is in the evaluation rubric stage, and the addition of an Arts Administration option to the existing Performing Arts degree is currently moving through the College governance process.
  • The School also continues to offer thoughtful and interesting events on campus:
  • Banned Books Week, under the organization of Dr. Madison Peschock, College Lecturer II of English and Literature, is underway from September 25 to 30, 2017, with readings by several faculty and administrators on September 27, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the second floor of the Student Center.
  • The Center for Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Film Series begins on Friday, October 6, 2017, at 11:00 a.m. in Conference Rooms A and B.  The event is being coordinated by Dr. Ali Botein-Furrevig, Associate Professor of English and Literature and Director of the Center.
  • Led by Dr. David Bordelon, Professor of English, the Ocean County College Community Book Club will meet on Monday, October 9, 2017, in the Library Tower Room at 3:30 p.m.
  • Finally, in October, two very special events will take place.  First, New York Times op-ed columnist, Charles Blow, will be speaking at OCC for the 11^th Annual Visiting Writers’ Reading Series, organized by Associate Professor of English Jayanti Tamm, on Monday, October 16, 2017, from 12:30-1:45 p.m. in the Grunin Center.  Second, Mr. Jon Meacham, Presidential Historian and Pulitzer Prize Winner, will visit our campus on October 23, 2017.  There will be an event during the day for the OCC community and another at night for County residents.   This presentation is part of the Blauvelt Lecture Series; History College Lecturer IIs Robert Marchie and Stephen Downey were members of the selection committee.

• School of Business and Social Sciences
  • Mr. Jason Ghibesi, College Lecturer II of Political Science, coordinated a series of events to commemorate Constitution Week, September 18 to 21, 2017.  These included presentations by Mr. Ghibesi, Media and Politics in the Era of Fake News; Mr. Kyle Banner, Adjunct Assistant Professor of History, Philadelphia, 1787: Inside the Constitutional Convention; Assemblyman David Wolfe, Current Political and Constitutional Issues in New Jersey and the United States; and Ms. Jennifer Barnes, College Lecturer II of Political Science and Law, The Second Amendment and Its Role in Society Today.
  • The Governmental Affairs Institute, led by Ms. Barnes, invited New Jersey Congressman Albio Sires to speak to the campus community about the political and governmental challenges currently facing Congress.  In addition, Ms. Barnes was interviewed by a reporter from the Comcast Newsmakers Program about the Institute’s upcoming events and initiatives.  This interview will be aired periodically for a ninety-day cycle on Comcast’s local cable channel starting in October.
  • An OCC team participated in the September 9, 2017, 4^th Annual Hope Sheds Light Walk-a-Thon in Seaside Heights to raise awareness of the opioid epidemic in Ocean County.  Participating were Ms. Jennifer Barnes; Dr. Jane MacDonald, Education College Lecturer II; Dr. Rosann Bar, Dean of Business and Social Sciences; and Dr. Lisa DiBisceglie, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs.

• School of Nursing and Health Sciences
  • The School of Nursing admitted 104 students into the program for the Fall 2017 semester, bringing the total enrolled in the program this semester to 317 students. There are currently 31 Clinical Instructors providing education for 34 clinical groups within various health care facilities.
  • Ms. Tracey Donaldson, Assistant Vice President of Human Resources, was invited to the Clinical Instructor Orientation on September 5, 2017, to address campus conduct.  The 27 clinical instructors in attendance also heard from a representative from the Ocean County Medical Reserve Corps (OCMRC) about the mission of the organization to develop a workforce of volunteers that is prepared to assist Ocean County residents in the event of a public health emergency.  Students and faculty may volunteer to serve on the OCMRC to assist in managing residents’ health care during times of disaster.  Nursing personnel will be working with the Ocean County Health Department to provide education to students regarding disaster management, which is required for the successful completion of the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX- RN®).
  • Ms. Eileen Donnelly, FNP-C, MSN, RN, began her position as Director of Clinical Instruction on August 28, 2017.  Ms. Donnelly is a graduate of OCC’s School of Nursing.  She obtained a BSN degree from Bloomfield College, an MSN degree from Drexel University, and is a certified Family Nurse Practitioner.  She has experience in the emergency department, in private physician practices, and as an OCC clinical instructor.  The Director of Clinical Instruction is a new position created to assist with the acquisition of clinical sites, compliance with clinical facility regulatory requirements, evaluation of clinical experiences/facilities, and support to faculty, lecturers, and clinical instructors in the delivery of curriculum-based education.
  • Ms. Maryjean Natoli, MSN, RN, began her position as a Nursing College Lecturer II on September 5, 2017.  Ms. Natoli is a graduate of OCC’s School of Nursing.  She obtained both a BSN degree and MSN degree from Kean University.  Ms. Natoli has extensive knowledge in acute care nursing practice and has held a number of management positions within various facilities.  She served as an Adjunct Professor at Kean University and Clinical Instructor at OCC.
  • Seven members of the School of Nursing were recognized in the July New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education Blog for their enrollment in doctoral programs.  The article had been featured in the Winter-Spring 2017 edition of Ocean Views, titled, “RN’s Taking on the Challenge of Becoming Doctors.”
  • The Student Nursing Organization (SNO) will be hosting a Blood Drive in collaboration with the Central Jersey Blood Center on September 27 and 28, 2017, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Conference Rooms A and B.
  • A Flu Clinic will be held on October 3, 2017, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Health Sciences Building.  The SNO is collaborating with the Ocean County Health Department to administer flu vaccines.  The charge is $20 per vaccine, and Medicare is accepted.
  • SNO representatives will be providing information during the above-mentioned Blood Drive and Flu Clinic regarding the danger of contracting syphilis.  The dissemination of this information to the campus community is in support of the request by New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education Rochelle Hendricks in response to the New Jersey Department of Health.  Due to the increase in syphilis, especially in women of reproductive age, the Department of Health is launching a Sexually Transmitted Disease campaign during Fall 2017.  The purpose of this campaign is to make the public aware of the harmful effects of syphilis and how to protect against the disease.

• School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
  • Presentations were made at the beginning-of-the-semester Lecturer Institute and the Adjunct Faculty Institute:
  • Lecturer Institute – Dr. Mary Ellen Rada and Dr. Caterina Gibson, both Anatomy College Lecturer IIs, co-presented “Technology and Academic Integrity.”
  • Adjunct Faculty Institute – Conducting presentations on various STEM-related subjects were Mr. Keith Bosler, College Lecturer II in Mathematics; Dr. Angel Camilo, College Lecturer II in Biology; Ms. Krista Camilo, Mathematics Instructor; Mr. Edmond Hong, College Lecturer II in Computer Studies; Dr. John McElroy, College Lecturer II in Biology; Dr. Mary Ellen Rada; Ms. Carolyn Showalter, Assistant Professor of Mathematics; and Mr. Paul Silberquit, Dean of STEM.
  • Dr. Camilo, Mr. Vijay Ramdeen, College Lecturer II in Chemistry, and Mr. Eric Antonelli, Assistant Professor of Science, are taking an online training program to operate drones that will prepare them for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification.  Being certified to operate drones will provide opportunities to offer new credit and non-credit courses and embed operating drones into existing courses.

Center for Student Success

The Center for Student Success is providing targeted academic coaching for the OCC athletes as required.

• Disability Services
  • Ms. Gina Zippo-Mazur, Coordinator of Disability Services, attended STEM and Arts and Humanities School meetings to provide information on services.  She assisted in scheduling a speaker for the all-school meeting on October 3, 2017, regarding serving students with autism and is collaborating with the Grunin Center and Toms River Schools to prepare grant applications for potential Fall 2018 autism education programs.
  • A pilot program was initiated to provide free notetaking software (Sonocent AudioNotetaker) to eligible students enrolled at OCC for the Fall 2017 semester. To date, 32 students are enrolled in the pilot program, which provides them with adapted software used for recording lectures and simultaneous notetaking on the computer. The pilot program ends December 30, 2017.
  • Ms. Jamie Prioli, Adaptive Services Specialist, presented a workshop session at the New Jersey Assistive Technology Summit titled “Emergency Preparedness for Assistive Technology Users – What Users and Professionals Need to Know.”  The conference, hosted by the Assistive Technology Advocacy Center of Disability Rights New Jersey, was held at Mercer County Community College, and the session was attended by 20 professionals.
  • Ms. Prioli also submitted a proposal to the New Jersey Association for New Students Advocates.  The proposal, titled “Smart Technology in the Classroom,” was accepted by the conference and will be presented in October 2017.
  • Consultation and accommodation test proctoring was recently initiated at the Southern Education Center for students with disabilities.

• Testing
  • Ms. Lorie Trachtenberg, Director of Testing, attended the National College Testing Association annual conference from September 13 to 15, 2017, in Cincinnati, Ohio, at which she enrolled to be an Ambassador/Mentor to new testing professionals.
  • Accuplacer Placement Exam administration was recently launched in e-Learning, and Testing Services continues to refine the registration process for the students.
  • Testing Services is coordinating with the New Jersey Department of Education and is seeking certification and clearance to administer the PRAXIS Core at OCC.

• Tutoring
  • Tutoring services are being provided at the Southern Education Center via WebEx, virtually, for students enrolled in ACCT 161, Principles of Accounting I.
  • Ms. Veronica Guevara-Lovgren, Director of Academic Support Services, will be presenting on the topic of Undocumented Students at the New Jersey Association of New Student Advocates 6^th Biennial State Conference in October in Atlantic City.

• First-Year Experience Seminar
  • An Early Warning System utilizing Dropout Detective is being piloted with all students enrolled in FYES 155, First-Year Experience Seminar.  At the second week of the semester, the best practices critical point, 2% of students are at a moderate risk level and 11% are at high risk.  Eight active interventions (alerts) have been initiated; tracking and follow-up with the students will continue throughout the semester.
  • A program is being piloted utilizing the ability to text students through Canvas as part of the Early Warning System intervention protocol.  Additionally, the Roll Call attendance tool in Canvas is being piloted in the First-Year Experience Seminar.

• College Readiness and College Academy
  • Dr. Henry Jackson, Executive Director of Academic Success, and Ms. Elaine Schardien, Assistant Director of Academic Success, will be working with 19 Ocean County high schools this year to test junior and senior students to provide developmental programs to improve college readiness.  Already, 250 students have been tested from four schools, Lacey Township High School, Toms River High School East, Toms River High School North, and Toms River High School South.
  • The Lacey Township High School Academy began with 32 students enrolled full-time and 70 students enrolled part-time.  Eleven course sections are being offered at Lacey Township High School, with 222 students (duplicated headcount) enrolled for a total of 663 credits.
  • Overall, 60 course sections are being offered at 12 high schools with 916 students enrolled for a total of 2,767 credits (embedded courses).
  • Conversations are underway with Point Pleasant Beach High School and the Toms River High Schools to start academies for their students in Fall 2018.

• Library
  • The Library and the Center for Access and Equality will be hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the LGBT C.U.E. collection on October 11, 2017, National Coming Out Day, 2017.  Additional details will be available soon.  We would welcome your participation in formally launching this important collection and beautiful space.
  • Ms. Quinn Morris-Pearson, the Library’s new College Lecturer II STEM liaison and Outreach Specialist, is working with the Makers’ Club and is looking forward to applying her experience and knowledge to create programming for outreach to high school and middle school students.
  • Ms. Catherine Pontoriero, Assistant Professor/Librarian in Reference Services, acted as a judge for the 2017 New Jersey Romance Writers’ Golden Leaf Contest this summer.  NJRW sponsors the romance publishing industry’s prestigious awards for published and unpublished romance writers, the Golden Leaf and the Put Your Heart in a Book contests. These awards recognize excellence in romance fiction.
  • Ms. Janelle Bitter, College Lecturer II Librarian, Performing and Fine Arts liaison, worked with e-Learning to create a Music Fundamentals course and assisted in updating the Music Appreciation course.  On October 13, 2017, Ms. Bitter will be presenting on creating an online music course at the Music Library Association joint chapter meeting of the Greater New York and Atlantic Chapters being held at Rutgers University.

Student Affairs

Academic Advising and Career Services

• Orientation
  
  • New Student Orientation concluded on September 1, 2017.  Student response was excellent, with 94% of students indicating they understand how to plan and register for courses, 94% indicating their questions and concerns were addressed, and 88% indicating they feel ready to attend OCC.  Orientation Coordinator Michele Connolly did an outstanding job executing and managing the program, as well as adding new interactive features, such as the use of “Poll Everywhere” to engage students.
  • A total of 1,774 students attended Orientation this year, which is 21 students less than last year’s total.  Additionally, the Advising Office assisted approximately 80 first-time, full-time students who came to register late.  This high volume of students was partially managed via freshman group advising.

• Parent Orientation
  • Five Parent Orientations were hosted by the Advising Office from April through August.  Over 280 parents had the opportunity to learn more about the College through presentations by representatives from Academic Affairs, Student Life, the Center for Student Success, the Counseling and Student Services Office, Academic Advising/NJ STARS, and Financial Aid. The program was very successful, with 97% of parents indicating they were satisfied with the information they received at the orientation.

• Counseling and Student Development Services
  • An all-day seminar on grief and bereavement was held on Friday, September 22, 2017.  Counseling and Student Development Services co-sponsored the event with the Kean University Department of Counselor Education, the Ocean County Department of Human Services, and the Ocean County Traumatic Loss Coalition. Over 150 people attended this seminar presented by nationally renowned grief experts.
  • October is Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, and several events are planned:
  • Wednesday, October 18, 2017, will be Paint the Campus Purple day, with everyone encouraged to wear purple.  The Student Support Services Club will hold its annual Purple bake sale, with store bought baked goods being available for donations.
  • Information and awareness presentations are scheduled for October 18 and 19, 2017, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., in the Gateway Building.  October 18 will feature representatives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and Providence House.  The powerfully moving Silhouettes display, which depicts the story of victims of domestic violence in Ocean County, will be displayed during this presentation.
  • On Thursday, October 19, 2017, presentations will be made by the St. Francis Community Center and Tabitha S., who tells the powerful story of the death of her sister by domestic violence.
  • The intervention program for academically at-risk students, Step by Step to Academic Success, features seminars and follow-up contacts with students who have academic sanctions.  Since June 5, 2017, counselors have conducted 51 Step by Step sessions, with 241 students participating in the sessions.  Counselors are contacting each of those students at least three times during the semester to ensure the students are staying on track – within the first three weeks, at mid-semester, and before the final withdrawal date.
  • Ms. Susan Ebeling-Witte, Student Intervention Specialist, presented to the OCC Lecturer Institute in late August.  She also met with Perkins faculty to share strategies to work with academically at-risk students in the Perkins programs and results from the analysis of students who attended Step by Step programs.
  • The Displaced Homemakers Program currently has 13 clients enrolled in OCC degree programs, for a total of 134 credits.  After graduating from OCC, DHP clients continue their education at other institutions.  Four are currently taking classes at Kean Ocean, two at Rutgers University, and two at Stockton University.  In addition, seven clients are currently enrolled in Continuing and Professional Education courses, with DHP paying $15,467 for tuition.
  • The Student Support Services Program reports 104 students currently enrolled; the program goal is 140 students for the academic year.  The program received an increase in funding for this academic year; funds will be used to provide enhanced direct services to students, including tutoring, educational and cultural trips, and increased programming.  The need for tutoring services continues to increase; currently 66 hours are provided weekly.  Trips are planned to Rowan University and Monmouth University for transfer information and tours.  A variety of cultural trips are planned, including the Mutter Museum, Eastern State Penitentiary, and the Radio City Music Christmas Spectacular.

Finance and Administration

• Negotiations with the Support Staff Association were concluded, and the Agreement was ratified by the membership on September 20, 2017.   The College’s negotiation team consisted of Ms. Sara Winchester, Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration; Ms. Tracey Donaldson, Assistant Vice President of Human Resources; Ms. Ann Feneis, Special Assistant to the Executive Vice President; and Ms. Geraldine Sheridan, Special Assistant to the Assistant Vice President.  The Agreement covers the period July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2021, and will be presented for approval at Thursday’s Board meeting.
• Payment plan functionality in the Colleague self-service finance module was updated for the fall semester.  Students are now able to set up their payment plans and make payments completely online.  Payment plan fees have been standardized for both full-time and part-time students at $30 with the intention of keeping the OCC payment plan as affordable as possible for students.

• Continuing Education
  • Customized Training/Workforce Development
  • Fifteen students graduated from the Summer Welding Class Partnership with Brookdale Community College and the Ocean County Vocational Technical School on August 29, 2017.  Sixty percent of the students have secured full-time employment to date.  Ms. Pat Fenn, Assistant Vice President of Continuing and Professional Education and Workforce Development, and Mr. Michael Forcella, Manager of Business Engagement, attended Brookdale’s Completion Certificate program and congratulated our Welding graduates.

• Allied Health
  • The summer CPE Health Care Medical Assistant program participants had a 100% passing rate on the national certification exam.
  • CPE launched a new Pet Therapy course in response to community interest.  A community partnership was formed with Caregiver Canines and Caregivers of Ocean County in an outreach effort with the senior population.  The response was overwhelming and first-time enrollment exceeded expectations.

• Human Resources
• Leadership Academy – 2016-17
  • The Leadership Academy Cohort #2 will present its project to the President’s Leadership Team at the September 27, 2017, meeting.  A mid-October graduation luncheon for Cohort #2 members is being planned.
  • The third cohort of the Leadership Academy has been selected.  The cohort members are:
  • Donna Carbone, Manager of Work Control, Facilities
  • Jennifer Fazio, Director of Student Life
  • Sheenah Hartigan, Director of Student Services Operations (The Hub)
  • Mary Lancaster, Director of Financial Reporting
  • Robert Marchie, College Lecturer II in History
  • Megan Miskin, Assistant Director of EOF and CFAE
  • Donna Rosinski-Kauz, Director of Library Services
  • Gina Zippo Mazur, Coordinator of Disability Services

A two-day kick-off event, facilitated by General John DiNapoli of Spencer-Ryan LLC, is scheduled for October 26 and 27, 2017.  Additional events and workshops will be held throughout the year.

• Training and Development

Ms. Tracey Donaldson, Assistant Vice President of Human Resources, participated in a Colloquium panel presentation on August 31, 2017, designed to discuss how to handle disruptive classroom behaviors that go beyond the use of normal classroom management techniques.  This included information on Title VI, VII, and IX, as well as discussion on the College’s position on the right to free speech.

• Employee Social Events

Planning is underway for a Fall Social in October.  The employee socials, which are expected to increase in frequency, will encompass new hire “welcome” events.

• Office of Human Resources

Staff from the Office of Human Resources attended a workshop, Transgender Students in College: Navigating Requirements and Avoiding Litigation, on August 23, 2017.

• College Relations
  • On Monday, September 11, 2017, Ocean County College held an event to pause and remember September 11, 2001, and all those who perished in the coordinated terrorist attacks.  The 9-11 Commemoration featured New Jersey Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno, who spoke about the importance of standing together as a nation. Those in attendance were also privileged to hear Mr. Christopher Bottomley, College Lecturer II of Business, speak about his first-hand experience in New York City that day.  Other participants included Mr. Edward Kissling, Professor of Business; Dr. Stephen A. Kubow, Acting Associate Vice President of Kean Ocean; Mr. Richard Trimble, Teacher of Humanities, Mr. Jason Ghibesi, College Lecturer II of Political Science/History, and Ms. Lynn Kenneally, Professor of Social Science.    In addition, Mr. Jordan Varga, OCC Alumnus, Class of 2017, sang the National Anthem, and the Ocean County Emerald Society performed Amazing Grace.
  • Ellucian has developed a new marketing brochure for its Grants Services to promote the contributions that can be made as institutions seek to find, secure, and manage grants to advance student and institutional success.  Given the assistance provided to the College by Ellucian, OCC is highlighted in the brochure with a quote from the President.

• Security
  • As students returned to campus for the Fall semester, the OCC Security Department offered four training sessions entitled “A Practical Response to Active Shooter/Hostile Intruder.”  The one-hour presentations focused on the importance of preparing for a hostile intruder, active shooter, or other campus threat.  Participants learned how to create and practice an individualized plan for their classroom or work space.  The hope is that participants feel empowered and gain confidence as they learn strategies to react to threatening situations.
  • In accordance with New Jersey Public Law 2015, Chapter 220, and College Policy #2332, Reporting of On-Campus Criminal and Fire Events, attached is the monthly statistics report of crimes, fires, and other emergencies on campus for the reporting period August 17, 2017, through September 20, 2017.

e-Learning and Learning Enterprises

Dr. Maysa Hayward, Dean of Instructional Outreach, Mr. Hatem Akl, CIO, and Mr. Salim Hussien, Director of International Partnerships, just returned from several weeks in Egypt.  While in Egypt, they were working to strengthen and advance OCC’s relationships with Egypt’s higher education institutions.

• Ain Shams University
  • Existing Ocean-Ain Shams-Kean Business Program
  • Cohort 1 began its Fall semester on September 6, 2017.  Two training sessions were provided for Ain Shams professors, and meetings were scheduled with students to discuss their challenges and develop plans for resolving their issues.
  • Cohort 2 will start the Fall Quick Term on October 11, 2017, and 37 students have registered to date.  Orientation sessions were held with students and their parents.
  • New 2+1+1 bachelor’s degree programs were requested in collaboration with Kean, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and William Paterson in Computer Science Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science Digital Media.  Dr. Abd El Wahab Ezzat, President of Ain Shams University, is looking forward to signing the articulation agreements for these programs during our October visit.
  • Interest continues in pursuing the Community University-OCC Cairo initiative as well as the New Administrative Capital, the Private University project.  In fact, it was suggested that the Community University-OCC Cairo begin as early as Fall 2018.
  • The Network for School Success Early College program was discussed, whereby students can achieve an associate degree by the time they graduate from high school.  A meeting will be scheduled with the Egyptian Minister of Education to pursue the feasibility of offering this program.

• Ahram Canadian University
  • In April 2016, Mr. Jack Kelnhofer, Dean of e-Learning, and Dr. Hayward conducted training for Ahram Canadian professors on Canvas use and hybrid teaching pedagogies.  During this trip, additional training was offered for teaching assistants and second-year student ambassadors.
  • ACU expressed a desire to add options for summer immersion after students complete their first and second years of studies as well as inquired about students spending the last semester at Kean’s Union campus and entering its Master of Arts degree program.
  • The President of ACU, Dr. Farouk Ismail, will be in the U.S. in November.  He would like to visit OCC and our four-year university partners to discuss further collaboration in Management and Computer Studies programs.

• Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport
  • It was agreed that the start date for the OCC program at AASTMT will be the Fall 2017 Quick Term, pending enrollment of at least 20 students.  A three-day training session was offered to faculty on Canvas.

• “Train to Hire” Presidential Initiative Program
  • Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has prioritized an initiative to require the country’s youth be trained to enter the work force as soon as practical.  It has been proposed that English as a Second Language be taught to prepare them for employment in the offshore customer service sector using OCC hybrid courses.  The possibility exists for the College to offer a six-month pilot program teaching 500 students beginning in November.

• AMIDEAST Egypt
  • During the trip, the team learned of two AMIDEAST-sponsored programs.  The first is for students to spend a semester abroad; it was proposed that they come to OCC in May for their graduation, enroll in a summer five-week immersion program, and continue towards a master’s degree at Kean or NJIT.  The second AMIDEAST program is a sponsorship for students to earn an engineering master’s degree in the U.S.  OCC might assist this cohort to complete general education courses online and enter a college readiness program before joining NJIT.

A tentative schedule has been developed for our October visit to Egypt during which we will meet university presidents and various Egyptian ministers as well as finalize new partnership agreements.  There is no doubt that there are unlimited opportunities available for OCC to be a leader in international education.