NEWS & EVENTS

Instructional Building Ribbon Cutting

The ribbon cutting to reopen the renovated Instructional Building will be held following the Board meeting on Thursday, July 26, 2018, at 2 p.m.  Tours of the building will be offered after the ceremony.

The original Instructional Building, constructed in 1965 as one of the first structures on OCC’s campus, served the College for fifty years.  This comprehensive building renewal ensures that many more students will walk its halls in the years to come.

Please plan to be with us for the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Academic Affairs

• School of Nursing and Health Sciences

The School of Nursing staff is in the process of placing 314 nursing students within 13 clinical agencies for the fall 2018 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 34 clinical groups, each requiring a Clinical Instructor to oversee students in the health care facility to which they are assigned.

Faculty continued to meet throughout the month to work on projects required to maintain the standards of the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).  The Assessment and Outcomes Committee as well as the Nursing Curriculum Committee also met to review program outcomes and implement changes to improve student completion rates and licensure examination passing rates.

A substantive report regarding relocation of the School of Nursing to the H. Hovnanian Health Sciences Building was completed for submission to ACEN and the New Jersey Board of Nursing.  Submission of a substantive change report to accreditation and regulatory agencies is required for major changes in a nursing program that may affect student outcomes.

Skills and Simulation Labs within the new building were prepared for the fall semester.  Installation of simulation equipment provides faculty with the ability to record student interactions during patient care situations, review their performance, and enhance their clinical skills.  Students will be returning on August 25, 2018, to begin practicing their skills in preparation for the fall semester.

Representatives from Kean University continue to meet monthly with Ms. Tracy Walsh, Dean of Nursing and Health Sciences, and Dr. Joseph Konopka, Interim Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs, to discuss a BSN program.  Submission of the application required to obtain permission from the New Jersey Board of Nursing to develop the BSN program was initiated.

The School of Nursing has submitted a self-study report to the New Jersey Board of Nursing.  This extensive report is required for the nursing program to continue accreditation status.  Submission of the self-study report occurs every eight years.  Annual reports must also be submitted to the Board of Nursing to maintain accreditation.

• School of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics

• Scott Farrell, Chemistry College Lecturer II, chaperoned three OCC students to the HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) International Leadership Conference 2018:

• Danica Kennedy competed in Pathophysiology – Finished in third place and received the Barbara James Service Award (Gold Level) for volunteering in the medical field.
• Maureen Nelson competed in Medical Terminology – Finished in ninth place.
• Sean Newman competed in Medical Mathematics.

The conference was held at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas, with over 10,000 students in attendance from the U.S., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Canada, and Mexico.  Overall, there are over 235,000 members of HOSA.  The principal guest at the conference was U.S. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Jerome M. Adams.  A number of educational symposiums were also offered at the conference.

During the competition, students are judged based on guidelines for their individual events.  Competitors must achieve a minimum of 70% of the total score in order to place. Of those who score high enough, the top ten are invited on stage and the top three receive medals.  OCC students competed against up to 200 students in their events, and many of their competitors were from four-year colleges and universities, such as the New Jersey Institute of Technology, The College of New Jersey, University of Texas, University of South Florida, University of Houston, University of Hawaii, and University of Toronto.

Sean Newman and Maureen Nelson graduated from OCC in May and both will attend Stockton University in the fall.  Maureen will major in biology with the goal of becoming a physical therapist; Sean is majoring in biochemistry and plans to continue his education at a medical school to become a doctor.  Danica Kennedy is pursuing her interest in neuroscience.

• Gerald Cohen, College Lecturer II in Computer Science, attended the TechReady Summer Coding camp sessions at Toms River High School North. He joined classes with high school students participating in the following computer science topics:  Python programming language, JavaScript webpage programming, and Arduino programmable devices using the C++ programming language.  Student projects included interactive web pages, word games, and organizing circuitry to create electronic music instruments.

• STEM Dean Paul Silberquit, Continuing and Professional Education Director Kaitlin Everett, and Joseph Konopka attended a roundtable discussion on Construction Management at the Toms River Chamber of Commerce. Ocean County construction industry representatives focused on identifying the direction in which OCC should move to develop courses and programs to address employment needs in the construction and construction management field.

• A behind-the-scenes tour of Jenkinson’s Aquarium in Point Pleasant Beach was attended by Gerald Aska, College Lecturer II in Engineering Studies; Dr. John McElroy, College Lecturer II in Biology; Mr. Duane Grembowicz, Associate Professor of Science; Ms. Linda Henderson, Professor of Mathematics; Mr. Dan Keiser, College Lecturer II in Mathematics; Dr. Mary-Ellen Rada, College Lecturer II in Anatomy; Mr. Gaetano Ricciardone, Science Adjunct Faculty Member; and Dean Paul Silberquit.  The tour included details on the facility’s life support and filtration systems, care of the species, impact of Superstorm Sandy, and the management of special projects for the preservation of select species.

• School of Business and Social Science

• Katherine Toy, College Lecturer II in Economics, and Mr. Gerald Cohen will be trained by IBM representatives in Predictive Analytics during the week of July 23, 2018, as part of OCC’s partnership with NJIT in data analytics, a topic which the School of Business hopes to incorporate into OCC business courses and programs. Data analytics is a growing field that involves examining data in order to define opportunities and assist organizational leaders in decision-making.

• On June 22, 2018, Ms. Katherine Toy attended the annual Bloomberg for Education New York Symposium Various speakers presented advanced techniques for implementing the Bloomberg terminal into undergraduate business coursework.  Presentations included: “Deep Dive with Bloomberg Specialists Gene Kim, Credit Market Specialist, and Bob Huber, Equity Markets Specialist,” and “Developing a Finance Lab and Transforming the Student Experience.”  The information shared through this event further enhances the educational value of the Business Lab.

• Jason Ghibesi, College Lecturer II in Political Science, was accepted into the Community College Faculty Program, formally the Mid-Career Fellowship Program, at Princeton University. This professional development opportunity allows participating faculty to audit two courses in their discipline, interact with scholars in their area of interest, and network with peers from other community colleges.  Mr. Ghibesi will be taking the “Chinese Politics” course with Dr. Rory Truex, Assistant Professor of Politics and International Affairs, during the fall semester.

• School of Arts and Humanities

• The School of Arts and Humanities continues to work on curriculum, particularly the A. degree in English and the A.A. degree in History. Faculty are also working on certificates in Photography, Video, Digital Humanities, and Audio Engineering.  Several Lecturer IIs and full-time faculty are working on master syllabi for all of the most-enrolled courses as well as adjunct resource pages.

• College Lecturer II in Communications and Theatre Paul Chalakani’s summer production of Man of La Mancha through the Ocean County College Repertory Theatre Company was a great success. It was a wonderful kick-off to the 2018-19 season of six theatre productions through April 2019.

• Associate Professor of Communications and Theatre Dr. Beth Willetts-Brierley is developing a Speech Lab that will provide additional academic support in speech writing and preparation. In addition to choreographing Man of La Mancha for the Repertory Theatre Company, Dr. Willetts-Brierley also directed and choreographed School House Rock Live for Kids on Campus and the Ocean County community, which ran from July 16 to 18, 2018, in the Grunin Center.

• College Lecturer II of English and Literature Dr. Madison Peschock will be presenting at the English Association of the Pennsylvania State Universities (EAPSU) 2018 Conference being held at Shippensburg University in October. Peschock’s presentation will discuss ways to connect the horror film genre with naturalism and realism in American literature.

• College Lecturer IIs in English Samantha Glassford and Kristyn Stout are co-authoring a chapter titled “Incorporating Critical Theory in First-Year Composition Courses,” which will be published in First-Year Composition at the Community College: Empowering the Teacher.  The chapter will share approaches to embolden educators to use critical theory to advance classroom discussion and improve critical thinking and writing.

• College Lecturer II in Dance and Theatre Catherine Mancuso successfully ran Dance Appreciation (DANC 145) during the Summer First Five-Week Session. It is the first time a dance course has been run in the summer at Ocean County College.

Ms. Mancuso is also currently working with Mr. Mark Wilson, Director of Cultural Affairs, and Ms. Jaclyn Wood, Community Engagement Coordinator, on a grant to bring a dance festival to OCC in spring 2020.  The festival would allow OCC students to perform with professional New Jersey dance companies and provide opportunities to visit Ocean County schools to present dance workshops.  These workshops will assist preparation for performances that will be occurring during the festival.  This event will extend awareness of dance and associated opportunities to the Ocean County community.

• Center for Student Success

• Jamie Prioli, Adaptive Services Specialist, was asked by the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management and FEMA regional leaders to serve as the Chair of Ocean County’s Core Advisory Group (CAG). In 2010, FEMA began hiring disability integration specialists to help make disaster response efforts fully inclusive of all people in the community, including those with disabilities/access and functional needs.  The specialists developed a model called Core Advisory Group (CAG).  To date, Ocean County has not been successful in developing its CAG; Ms. Prioli was asked to lead the efforts to bring together people from throughout the County to organize the group.  Ms. Prioli is congratulated for being selected for this important leadership position.

• Prioli and Ms. Gina Zippo-Mazur, Coordinator of Disability Services, submitted a joint proposal on Project TechVet, a grant managed in the Office of Disability Services, which has been accepted for presentation at the 2018 New Jersey Assistive Technology Summit hosted by the Richard West Assistive Technology Advocacy Center at Disability Rights New Jersey. In addition, Ms. Prioli will also present on Emergency Preparedness at this Summit.

• Laura Manresa, College Lecturer II for the College Success Seminar, attended the New Jersey Center for Student Success Hybrid Course Design Institute in June. The Center works collaboratively with all 19 community colleges in New Jersey to increase successful experiences and outcomes for community college students.

Finance and Administration

• The Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts

• Ticket sales for the 2018-19 Performing Arts season began on July 16, 2018. On the first day, there were 206 ticket orders, resulting in $25,894.25 in gross ticket sales, with 49 subscriptions sold.  In contrast, on the first day of selling tickets last year, there were 111 ticket orders, $11,567.91 in gross ticket sales, with 26 subscriptions sold.

• The Wintrode Family Foundation is sponsoring four free summer shows. Over 3,600 campers will be coming to the Grunin Center this summer:

• School of Rock – July 18, 2018

• Fun with Energy – July 24, 2018

• Tim Kubart and the Space Cadets – July 27, 2018

• Goowins Balloowins – August 2, 2018

• Performing Arts highlights for the fall include:

• Bernie Williams – Saturday, September 8, 2018

• Assisted Living the Musical – Saturday, September 22, 2018

• National Geographic Live – Friday, October 5, 2018

• Mandy Gonzalez – Friday, November 2, 2018

• Max Weinberg’s Jukebox – Sunday, November 18, 2018

• Canadian Brass – Friday, December 14, 2018

• Upcoming Planetarium Events:

• Sunday, July 29, 2018 – PJ Party! “So You Wanna Live On Mars?” Activities begin at 3:30 p.m. when patrons will travel to Mars and become the Mars Rover, working their way through an obstacle course while performing tasks that the Mars Rover must do.

At 4:00 p.m., Ms. Cara Muscio, Planetarium Education Coordinator, and Ms. Kathleen Lefebvre, Astrophysicist, will present a show about the differences between Earth and Mars and the challenges scientists must conquer for humans to travel and live on the Red Planet.

• Friday, August 3, 2018, 9:00 p.m. to 1 a.m. – Members of the Astronomical Society of the Toms River Area (ASTRA) will set up telescopes for the opportunity to see Mars in its closest position to Earth in eighteen years.  Mars will also be in opposition, meaning that Mars, Earth, and the sun form a straight line during the course of their orbits, with Earth in the middle. The exact opposition will occur on July 27, 2018.

• College Relations

• The new HD camera system is installed in the TV Studio and is expected to be operational by July 30, 2018. This new system will enhance production capability and give students cutting-edge experiences in the studio.

• OCC’s community outreach continues. Manchester Chief of Police Lisa Parker requested assistance in producing another module for the Manchester Police Department’s anti-drug/training program, “Not Even Once.”  The video will be made available to area high schools and Ocean TV20.

• Jan Kirsten, Executive Director of College Relations, will provide a brief overview of the new alumni banners that were installed throughout the campus. The banners highlight OCC graduates, with each banner displaying a few inspirational words along with the students’ educational and career paths after OCC.  Both current students and community members have an opportunity to read “their stories” and strive for similar success.

• 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 20, 2018, through July 18, 2018.

Student Affairs

• Several Student Affairs offices partnered with the Testing Center to execute an Express Enrollment Day on July 19, 2018. Admissions, Advising, Transfer and Career Services, Financial Aid, the Hub, Records and Registration, and Student Life worked with Testing to offer a one-day enrollment experience for new students.  Students were able to test, meet with an academic advisor, and register for fall 2018 in one day; most students completed their enrollment in three hours or less.  Students were treated to a dollar lunch and also had the opportunity to meet with financial aid counselors and pay their bills.

In total, 145 students registered for the event, 106 students attended, and 96 successfully enrolled for the fall semester. Students who did not attend or did not complete registration were invited to a second Express Enrollment Day scheduled for August 1, 2018.

• Enrollment Services

Ms. Sheenah Hartigan, Director of Enrollment Services, presented at the annual NJ RUG conference on July 11, 2018, at Brookdale Community College.  Her seminar was regarding OCC’s recent upgrade to Recruit 5.0 in the Cloud and leveraging the CRM system to communicate with and enroll students.

• Advising

New Student Orientation numbers are up 20% from last year.   As of July 11, 2018, 931 students have attended Orientations and enrolled for the fall semester.  This increase is due in part to the High School Experience Days held from April through June and coordinated in collaboration with Admissions.

• Financial Aid

The U.S. Department of Education approved Ocean County College’s Application for Approval to Participate in Federal Student Financial Aid Programs for another six years, through March 31, 2024.  Seven additional certificate programs were included in the application and approved for federal funding.  Commencing in fall 2018, the following certificate programs are now eligible for federal student aid:

• Advanced Manufacturing and Mechatronics
• Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination
• Theater Production
• Addictions Counseling
• Nutrition
• Holistic Health and Wellness
• Sports Management

e-Learning and Learning Enterprises

• Conferences

• In late June, Jack Kelnhofer, Dean of e-Learning, attended the e-Learning Guild’s Annual 360 Realities conference in San Jose, California. The conference focused on Augmented Reality, Extended Reality, and Virtual Reality applications and the ways in which they can be used in higher education.  Mr. Kelnhofer is hoping to present what he learned to the campus in a series of seminars.

• Melissa Bova, e-Learning Instructional Designer, and Mr. Hatem Akl, Interim Associate Vice President of e-Learning and Learning Enterprises, are attending the CANVAS annual users’ conference, “InstructureCon,” in Keystone Colorado, from Tuesday, July 24 to Friday, July 27, 2018. They will be attending a number of breakout sessions that will look at the effectiveness of online learning, best practices, and instructional design technologies that can be easily integrated into the classroom.

• Master Course Development

Significant progress continues to be made with the development of Master Courses.  As of July 22, 2018, the following courses have been successfully defended:

• FILM 190, World Cinema
• HEHP 225, Contemporary Health
• POLI 101, Global Issues
• PSYC 174, Personality Theory
• HRTM 124, Quality Guest/Customer Service Management
• HRTM 214, Supervision and Human Resource Management
• MATH 023, Algebra Basics
• SOCI 238, Race and Ethnicity
• BIOL 232, Microbiology
• COMM 110, Introduction to Communications
• CSIT 185, Networking I

CENGAGE Wave Three courses that have been completed, successfully defended, and approved include:

• BUSN 271, Principles of Management
• CSIT 213, Database Management
• MATH 151, A Survey of Mathematics
• MATH 265, Calculus I
• MATH 266, Calculus II
• MATH 267, Calculus III
• PHYS 281, General Physics I
• PHYS 282, General Physics II
• PHYS 283, General Physics III
• SOCI 231, Social Problems

The following USIFL grant courses are close to completion:

• SPAN 252, Intermediate Spanish II
• ARTS 191, The Arts of the Islamic World

There are currently 16 courses on the development schedule for spring 2019.

• Online Faculty Empowerment

• Professor of Mathematics Vicki McMillian successfully completed the newest iteration of the remedial math online course. Professor McMillian’s extensive experience and teaching acumen have been invaluable in assisting in the development of another outstanding online course.

• Award winning filmmaker, Rutgers professor, and published scholar Elizabeth Welch successfully completed e-Learning’s first film course, FILM 190, World Cinema, which will be the first to be offered online.  The course will be offered in the fall as a pilot with limited students and will then be fully available to students in spring.

• Starting on June 12, 2018, the department ran a session of the Online Instructor Training course with 15 participants. Another 15 participants are currently registered for the next offering, beginning on August 8, 2018.  Also offered was a session of the Master Course Development Training course with 5 participants, 4 of whom successfully completed the course.  This training will again be offered on July 17, 2018, and 15 participants are registered.

• Egypt Initiatives

• The American Community College in Egypt

Dr. Maysa Hayward, Assistant Vice President of International Programs, is currently in Egypt to finalize the operational plan for the Ain Shams University proto-type, which includes:

• Responsibilities of the parties: OCC, Ain Shams University, Supreme Council of Universities, and Ministry of Higher Education
• Admissions requirements
• Transfer abilities of credits and students
• Programs of study
• Learning pathways
• Tuitions and fees
• Marketing

The President of Alexandria University, Dr. Essam El-Kurdy, will be visiting Ocean County College during the week of August 1, 2018, to sign the second Community College agreement.