Dr. Larson’s July 2019 Report to the OCC Board of Trustees

Academic Affairs

School of Nursing and Health Sciences
- Maryann Martirano, a first-year nursing student, was the recipient of a $1,000 New Jersey State Nurses Association (NJSNA) Scholarship. This is the third year in a row that an Ocean County College student has received this award. Ms. Caitlin Opirhory, a Fall 2017 graduate of the OCC Nursing Program, also received a $1,000 NJSNA scholarship this year to continue her studies in the BSN program at Villanova University. NJSNA provides scholarships annually to one student attending an associate program and one student enrolled in a baccalaureate program who demonstrates academic achievement, professional conduct, and involvement in school activities.
- The School of Nursing staff is in the process of placing approximately 345 nursing students within 15 clinical agencies for the Fall 2019 semester. Placing students within clinical sites includes validation that physical exams and immunization records are current, criminal background checks are clear and updated, orientation to each facility is completed, and access to the facility’s electronic medical record is obtained. This fall there are 36 clinical groups each requiring a Clinical Instructor to oversee students in the health care facility to which they are assigned.
- Nursing College Lecturers continued to meet throughout the month to work on projects required to maintain the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) standards. The Assessment and Outcomes Committee as well as the Nursing Curriculum Committee have also met during the month to review program outcomes and implement changes to improve student completion rates and licensure examination passing rates.
- Representatives from Kean University continue to meet monthly with Tracy Walsh, Dean of Nursing and Health Sciences, and Dr. Joseph Konopka, Vice President of Academic Affairs, to discuss a 3 + 1 BSN program. The application required to obtain permission from the New Jersey Board of Nursing for the BSN program is being prepared.
School of Arts and Humanities
- Curriculum
  - Work is continuing on updating current courses and creating new courses in Art History, Modernism, History, English, and Audio Engineering by College Lecturer II’s Stephanie Shestakow, Catherine Mancuso, Robert Marchie, Dr. Madison Peschock, and Lee Kobus., respectively.
  - Several College Lecturer II’s are busily engaged in creating and updating Canvas resource pages for adjunct faculty in the areas of English, History, Applied Music, and Communications, including Christine Bryant, English; Rick Carr, English; Samantha Glassford, English; Kristyn Stout, English; Robert Marchie, History; Stephen Downey, History; Brian Gilmore, Humanities and Fine Arts; and Jason Molloy, English.
- Events
  - Communications/Theatre College Lecturer II Paul Chalakani, and the OCC Repertory Theatre Company presented Stephen Sondheim’s beloved musical Into the Woods from July 11-14 and July 18-21, 2019, in the Grunin Center.
- Professional Development and Workshops
  - College Lecturer II Catherine Mancuso completed course development training, which will be distributed campus wide.
  - Assistant Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities Veronica Guevara-Lovgren, College Lecturer II Catherine Mancuso, and Adjunct Faculty Member in English Heather Sciarappa will be attending the Community College Showcase: Promoting Equity and Student Success at New Jersey City University on July 30, 2019.
  - Assistant Dean Veronica Guevara-Lovgren joined the Immigrant Student Success 2019 Webinar, which was hosted by the Immigration Learning Center on July 9 and 10, 2019. She shared the webinar information with the School faculty, staff, and adjuncts.

School of Business and Social Sciences
- Bloomberg for Education Symposium
  - On June 21, 2019, Dr. Katherine Toy, College Lecturer II in Economics, attended the annual Bloomberg for Education Symposium in New York City. This year’s theme was “The Future of Experiential Learning in the Classroom.” Bloomberg specialists presented information on new features of the Bloomberg terminal, such as Bloomberg Query Language and Data Visualization. Bloomberg Query Language is a new cloud-based platform to retrieve Bloomberg data and perform custom analytics. Examples of Data Visualization include using custom scanner plots to discern trading strategies and using the Bloomberg “MAPS” function in the growing field of Geospatial Intelligence.

- Street Law, Inc.
  - On July 1 and 2, 2019, College Lecturer II in Business Law Adam Bisaccia, attended the Street Law, Inc., Training Program at New York Law School. Street Law, Inc., is a global, non-profit organization whose central mission is to develop classroom programs to educate high school students about law and government within the context of a history, civics, political science, law, or social studies class. Throughout its forty year history, the Street Law initiative has trained upper-level law students and then placed them into participating high schools to team-teach approved lesson plans focusing on various legal issues in areas such as criminal law, criminal procedure, torts, constitutional law, and contract law. Currently, there are nearly 100 US-based programs, all of which are at the Law School level. Should the Street Law, Inc., initiative be implemented here, it would make OCC the first college nationally to implement the program.

- PBL National Conference
  - From June 24-27, 2019, Mr. Sean Bips, College Lecturer II in Hospitality, Recreation, and Tourism Management, accompanied four OCC students to the PBL National Competition held in San Antonio, Texas. The four students included James Vitkuske (Public Speaking, Business Decision Making), Tsvi Kassover (Business Decision Making), Daiana Conde (Business Decision Making) and Jayme Luzzi (Job Interviewing). Although none of the four students placed in their respective categories or open events, all four students became more confident in a business environment by gaining the chance to network with other PBL clubs across the country and had the chance to experience competition at the national level.
- Dottie’s House
  - Dr. Margaret Maghan, College Lecturer II in Psychology, is a committed and active volunteer at Dottie’s House located in Ocean County. Dottie’s House is transitional housing for women and children who are domestic abuse survivors. As a result of her time spent volunteering, Dr. Maghan has assisted several of the resident families in exploring the possibility of attending OCC. In collaboration with the OCC Admissions Office, a private open house with lunch will be hosted for several newly admitted students. The Financial Aid Office and Disability Services will also be attending the luncheon to assist, as many are the first in their families to attend college.

School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
- The School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Science welcomed its new Dean, Dr. Sylvia Riviello, on July 1, 2019. Riviello’s degrees are in Chemistry and she has a strong background in e-Learning as well as in face-to-face teaching and entrepreneurship.
- Mathematics College lecturer II Julia Kim attended the United States Conference on Teaching Statistics (USCOTS) held annually at Penn State University on May 16 – 18, 2019. This year’s theme was Evaluating Evidence. She engaged in various multi-faceted seminars, workshops, key note presentations, and poster sessions.
- In conjunction with the Barnegat Bay Program, the Makerspace installed an enhanced water quality monitoring system in the Barnegat Bay. This project was led by the Makerspace and was expanded to provide students in ENGR 181, Graphics for Engineers, to have a real-world application for their group project. The Engineering Department also provided consulting services by troubleshooting a design flaw in the sensor’s electronics. Chairing this project and installation were STEM College Lecturers Dr. Angel Camilo, Mr. Edmund Hong, and Ms. Pamela Bogdan.
- With guidance from NAVAIR, the Engineering Department submitted a whitepaper to the Office of Naval Research (ONT) Grant Program, “Alternative Pathways to Engineering and Engineering Technology.” The proposal was developed with the Toms River School District and has four components: Academics, Social/Cultural, Work Experience and Industry Exposure, and Hands-on Training.
- Detailed components for the implementation of advanced machining and mechatronics courses and infrastructure are being reviewed by a sub-committee of the Engineering Advisory Committee (EAC). This is the first EAC sub-committee, but it is anticipated others will be formed to bring in local industry experts to help with new curriculum and program development. This submission was overseen by Ms. Pamela Bogdan, Dr. Angel Camilo, and Mr. Neil Schiller, Associate Professor of Engineering.
- The Engineering Department has filled two of five work-study positions, and one additional student is in the pipeline. Students in these positions are given projects that support the growth of the Engineering Department as well as provide them with significant projects that improve the content of their professional resumes.

Student Affairs

Southern Education Center
- The Southern Education Center will be holding an Open House on Tuesday, August 13, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Appropriate mailings will be sent in the coming week to alert prospective and returning students living in southern Ocean County of the event. In addition to registration and advisement in a number of areas, representatives of student-related services will also be in attendance to support incoming and returning students.
Admissions
- During the months of June and July, Admissions representatives attended and presented at multiple college and career events around the county for prospective students to learn more about OCC. Visits were as follows:
- Many upcoming activities are scheduled, including:
  - SEC Open House and Enrollment Day – August 13, 2019
  - College Pathways Presentations at 14 High Schools – September
  - Dual Credit High School Embedded Enrollment Processing (with Registration and the HUB) – September/October
  - OCC e-Learning Open House – September
- Admissions, in collaboration with College Relations, has created an Adult Learners landing webpage, https://www.ocean.edu/admission_and_aid/adult-learner/. This webpage helps prospective adult students in the community understand the benefits of attending OCC, with special emphasis on flexibility, transferability/partnerships, affordability, and support services. The page also guides prospective Adult Learners through some frequently asked questions, career options, and the OCC enrollment process.
- The Admissions team, led by Dr. A.J. Trump, Director of Admissions/Enrollment Management, and Ms. Nadine Hawkins, Assistant Director of Admissions, in collaboration with College Relations, updated the main recruitment piece, the FY 2019-20 OCC View Book, which is distributed to tens of thousands prospective students each year. The latest edition is highlighted by multiple student testimonials, updated face-to-face and online degree and certificate options, information on student clubs and intercollegiate athletics, and the three pillars that make OCC unique and attractive – flexibility, transferability, and affordability. This will be an integral part of recruiting for 2020.

Student Life

As the club advisor to HOSA Future Health Professionals, Chemistry College Lecturer II Scott Farrell accompanied four students to the HOSA International Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida from June 19 to 22, 2019, which had over 10,000 students in attendance. In competitions against students from both two- and four-year institutions, OCC’s students did very well: Leandra Bourdot placed 2^nd in the Knowledge Test on Medical Law and Ethics; Chloe Page placed 3^rd in Medical Spelling; and Oladotun Aluko placed 4^th in the Knowledge Test on Nutrition. Zachary Maynor competed in Extemporaneous Writing and National Geographic testing in Microbiology. Also, Leandra placed in the top 10 in the National Geographic testing in Anatomy and Physiology.
“HOSA-Future Health Professionals” is an organization for those students you are going to enter the health field. Founded in 1976, with New Jersey being one of the founding states, HOSA now has chapters in 48 states; Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico; American Samoa; Canada; Mexico; and China. There are over 245,000 members of HOSA.
The ILC is also a way for students to network with others students and future colleagues in their field. One way HOSA encourages meeting new people is by providing students with their state pins and then meet with other students to trade pin. State’s pins collected are on display in the cabinet on the first floor of the Hiering Science Building.
Center for Student Success – Dr. Lori Harris-Ransom, Director
- The Testing Center implemented a Test-taker Satisfaction Survey on April 30. Here is a summary of the results:
- Test-taker Satisfaction Survey- April 30 – May 19, 2019

Number of Test Takers Served	503
Number of surveys completed:	491	98%
Easy to Check-in/Check–out	468	95%
Able to complete test today-yes	469	96%
Room is comfortable-yes	462	94%
Helpful, courteous and professional staff?	484	99%
Overall Satisfaction Rating	470	96%
Very Satisfied	327	67%
Satisfied	143	29%

Participated in the following Webinars sponsored by the NCTA (National College Testing Association):

Building Codes and Accessibility: What the IBC and A117.1 Mean to You

Developing Continuous Improvement Based on Self-Assessment (Part 1 of 5)

Gina Zippo-Mazur attended Equity & Excellence: Access in Higher Education, AHEAD’s 42nd annual, international conference for a week of extraordinary professional development and networking on the topic of Disability and Higher Education. Presenters and participants came from diverse fields, including education, technology, law, scholarship, and government.
Due to popular demand, the Ocean County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is continuing classes on Community Emergency Response Team Training (CERT) here at OCC. We are continuing collaboration between disability services, security and OEM. Classes are schedule to resume August 2^nd.
Disability Services has implemented new record keeping and data collection software, Student Accommodation Manager.
Disability Services received $16,000 from the Foundation in support of students and the campus community with hearing loss. Funds will be spent providing captioning services to 5 major college wide events and adaptive technology to benefit the deaf and hard of hearing community.

Finance and Administration

The Finance and Administration Division is continuing the practice of hiring Interns to fill entry level administrative positions. The idea of hiring alumni began in the Purchasing & Payables Office and has proven successful. The interns are all recent OCC graduates who have also attended Kean at Ocean or will attend Kean in the fall. Two OCC alumni and two Kean alumni interns were hired full time within the Division and recently, as a result of a high turnout of applicants for a posted Undergraduate Intern position in Purchasing & Payables, additional intern positions were offered in the Accounting and Facilities Offices. All three offices have welcomed the new interns who are proudly working at their alma mater.

Purchasing and Payables

Led by Ms. Christine Healey, Director of Purchasing and Payables, the OCC Purchasing Office has facilitated a major increase in contracts through the New Jersey Council of County Colleges’ Joint Purchasing Consortium. The following contracts were awarded in FY 2019, which resulted in saving of over $2,500,000 for the sector:

Product or Service	Lead College	Contract Savings	Admin. Savings	Total
Electric	Middlesex	$1,472,624	$14,224
Natural Gas	Ocean	$201,913	$12,192
Readspeaker	Bergen	$19,765	$10,160
Tumitin	Ocean	$158,601	$9,144
Accuplacer	Ocean	$	$82,973
Bookstore	Ocean	$90,723	$3,048
Blackboard	NJCCC	$9,600	$4,064
Career Coach/Analyst-EMSI	JPC	$108,000	$14,224
Scientific/Medical Supplies	Camden	$85,523	$23,100
Athletic Uniforms	Ocean	$63,457	$23,100
Online Test Proctoring	Ocean	$15,00	$3,048
Testing and Review Materials	Ocean	$151,365	$9,114
Athletic Game Officials	Ocean	$	$13,208
		$2,459,544	$131,782	$2,591,326

College Relations

Ms. Jan Kirsten, Executive Director of College Relations, invited Ms. Karen Smith, Vice President of University Relations at Kean University, to attend Thursday’s Board meeting to do a brief overview of collaborative marketing efforts for Kean Ocean, some of which include the SEC Open House on August 13, 2019, new banners and decals on and off campus providing guidance to students, and digital advertising in the southern part of the County. She will also be sharing a new, refreshed Kean Ocean logo.

The new OCC App for Student Life has been introduced via a soft rollout, The College Relations team will fully publicize it in the following ways for the fall semester:

- Promotional video – to be displayed on the OCC website, flat panels, OCTV-20, Canvas announcement, and all social media outlets
- Bookmarks – to be available with all textbooks purchased at the Bookstore and to be handed to all employees at Colloquium
- Full-page announcement in the OCC Student Handbook
- Banners – to be located in Student Center and the HUB
- Posters – to be posted on all bulletin boards on campus
Alumni
- The 6^th Annual Alumni, Student and Staff Picnic will be held on Friday, August 9, 2019, at the Lakewood BlueClaws game. Tickets are available to purchase online.
Grants
- Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation (MAAF) – The Grunin Center was awarded $5,200 from the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Arts Connect Grant. This grant will subsidize the cost of the production of Layer the Walls, a puppet show that explores the stories of Irish, Italian, and Eastern European Jewish immigration between 1860 and 1909. Project Director: Mr. Mark Wilson, Director of Cultural Affairs. Project period: July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020.
- Ocean County’s Work-Related Activities Provider (WRAP) Grant- ($450,000) The Continuing & Professional Education Department received a second round of funding for Ocean County’s Work-Related Activities Provider (WRAP) Grant. This grant supports the resources and activities affiliated with the Ocean County Achievement Center. Project Director: Gina Opauski, Assistant Director of Work Readiness. Project period: October 1, 2019, through September 30, 2020.
Continuing and Professional Education
- Scaling Apprenticeship Through Sector-Based Strategies Grant: A consortium of 15 New Jersey community colleges will begin the planning and implementation of the USDOL-funded Apprenticeship Grant this month. The grant focuses on entry-level allied health training programs with career growth opportunities. At OCC, CPE Pharmacy Technician and Certified Clinical Medical Assistant programs will be matched with local employers. This consortium grant will span four years and fund $12,000,000 of apprenticeship-related consortium activities throughout New Jersey.
- In addition, the Continuing and Professional Education Department received a second round of funding for Ocean County’s Work-Related Activities Provider (WRAP) Grant. This grant supports the resources and activities affiliated with the Ocean County Achievement Center. Funding and outcomes have increased (formerly $300,000/year to reach 50 at-risk youth, to $450,000/year to reach 75 youth). The second year of the WRAP Grant starts in October 2019.
- In compliance with the terms of the Settlement Agreement entered into by the New Jersey Department of Health, OCC AND MONOC. George Buchanan, compliance officer for OCC, submitted the risk analysis and compliance for the Paramedic Education Program (PEP). The plan was compiled in partnership with Monmouth Ocean Hospital Service Corporation (MONOC). The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP). Now that the compliance plan has been submitted, OCC and MONOC are working together to reinstitute the paramedic program within the established guidelines in the spring of 2020.
Security
- 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 June 24, 2019, through July 22, 2019.

e-Learning and Learning Enterprises

Rachel Doss-Block reports that the Course Development for Fall 2019 is complete. The Spring 2020 Course Development Schedule is in progress, and courses are scheduled to be completed by November 1, 2019. The ID Specialists recently reviewed all 240+ online master courses to determine the state in which the courses are in. This will allow the department to determine which courses need to be updated and which courses need to be redeveloped based on the data.
All master courses for Fall 2019 were modified to reflect the removal of the Readiness Quiz and Student Café, as well as the addition of the Need Help Module and updated Introduction Discussion. We are currently gathering a list of edits that will be made for either Spring 2020 or Fall 2020 depending on the priority.
In addition to course development, Examity Proctoring will be implemented for Fall 2019 for all DL sections of BIOL-232, MATH-265, MATH-266, MATH-267, CHEM-181, and PHYS-180. Each course will have two proctored exams, Exam #1 and Exam #3. The eLearning Department is currently working on updating those courses to include information related to Examity for students, as well as scheduling trainings for instructors. Also, the Online Instructor Training and Master Course Development Training are still running, as well as planned trainings for F2F and DL Instructors for Fall 2019 regarding Canvas and Publisher Integrations.

NEWS & EVENTS