Located in northern New Jersey, Morris County consists of numerous affluent communities populated by successful college-educated professionals. The county, however, reports that approximately 30 percent of its population falls within the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) population, many of whom are Hispanic/Latino individuals who have not attended college.

As a community college, County College of Morris (CCM) offers diverse populations access to affordable, high-quality education. Yet, when Dr. Anthony J. Iacono arrived as the college’s third president in 2016, the college’s enrollment of Hispanic/Latino students was only 21 percent.

Iacono enlisted the help of Dr. Bette Simmons, Vice President of Student Development & Enrollment Management (now retired); Dr. Pam Marcenaro, Dean of Learning Support & Opportunity Services; Dr. Maria Isaza, Dean of Health Professions & Natural Sciences; and Eduardo Lopez, Educational Opportunity Fund Counselor and longtime community leader, to uncover why more Hispanic/Latino students were not enrolling and find ways to have a positive impact on the community. They discovered through meetings with community leaders that Hispanic/Latino individuals did not feel welcomed at the college, did not believe CCM was interested in serving them and did not see themselves represented there. Additionally, while many of the county’s Hispanic/Latino parents wanted their children to earn a college degree, not all knew where to start.

CCM initiated a comprehensive college-wide campaign to turn things around. Its goal was to create a more welcoming environment where Hispanic/Latino individuals would be embraced and supported.

The initiative intended to establish strong, sustainable relationships with the Hispanic/Latino community and develop partnerships that would ensure all community members have robust opportunities to learn, grow, and achieve their educational and career goals. In addition, the college envisioned a future where diversity enhances the vibrancy of the institution and enriches the experience of all students, employees and community members.

One of the college’s first strategies was to develop Dover College Promise (DCP) to provide middle and high school students in Dover – a majority Hispanic/Latino community less than two miles from the campus – with college readiness training, mentoring and scholarships to attend CCM for their higher education. Supported with a $110,000 community impact grant and corporate funding, DCP was developed during the height of the pandemic, in collaboration with a local nonprofit focused on education. DCP is a bilingual program that not only assists students but also their parents with understanding the process of applying to and succeeding in college.

The success of that project has grown to reach other diverse communities as CCM works on developing additional College Promise programs. These programs increase educational and career opportunities for more individuals and are a vehicle for the college to fulfill its mission more completely as it builds a stronger future for its students and surrounding communities through diversity, equity and inclusion.

CCM also partnered with the Table of Hope/Spring Street Community Development Corporation, a local nonprofit designed to uplift and improve lives. This partnership resulted in multiple community food distribution events and an annual back-to-school backpack giveaway on CCM’s campus. These events are well supported by a neighborhood farm, local and state officials, the county sheriff’s department, the Morris County Chamber of Commerce and numerous corporate partners.

CCM also obtained a grant to assist students with childcare expenses and launched a large-scale food pantry on campus with the Morris County Interfaith Food Pantry and Nourish.NJ. The college’s food pantry provides groceries, including fresh produce, dairy products and baby food, for students and their families.

Its other efforts included involving the CCM Foundation and its Grants Office to obtain additional funding for scholarships to support students interested in associate degree and workforce programs. Health care, technology and business are popular choices, as is the college’s advanced manufacturing apprenticeship program, funded through a $4 million US Department of Labor grant and industry partners.

On the cultural front, CCM launched an online Hispanic Heritage Month celebration in 2020 featuring music, dance, poetry and theatrical performances. This year, that program was expanded with numerous on-campus events in collaboration with Hispanic/Latino serving organizations.

“Supporting the success of the diverse Hispanic/Latino student population at CCM is a true team effort; it takes everyone to ensure our students have opportunities and feel seen. Whatever their goals may be, the college is now positioned to get them there. This is a very exciting time for CCM,” explains Marcenaro.

Knowing that to feel welcome, individuals need to feel recognized and appreciated, CCM undertook a concerted effort to translate major portions of its website into Spanish, as well as all key marketing and informational materials. It also reimaged itself by featuring more Hispanic/Latino individuals on its website and in advertising and other marketing materials. It conducted a marketing campaign on Univision, showcasing a female Hispanic CCM graduate who went on to attend Cornell University. Additionally, the college began running radio ads on a local Spanish-speaking station to convey that Hispanic/Latino students are supported on their pathway to success at CCM.

Increasing the diversity of its staff and creating an environment where each employee feels welcomed, respected, supported and valued as a member of the college community were among the goals included in the college’s strategic plan. The message is that CCM is an institution that values diversity and cultural differences.

“In essence, as a community college, CCM’s goal is to demonstrate it is ‘One College Caring for All Its Communities,’” says Iacono.

By the end of the Spring 2022 Semester, CCM had made significant progress, reaching its goal of 25 percent Hispanic/Latino enrollment and thus moving toward gaining designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution. Today, the population is 26 percent, and the Hispanic/Latino graduation rate has increased by nearly 11 percent. Its Educational Opportunity Fund program has also been named by Excelencia as a finalist in its 2022 Examples of Excelencia in Education.

As the president frequently reminds his team at CCM, “Our biggest goal is not registration, it’s education that leads to graduation. If we want stronger communities, we have to be more inclusive, since we know that today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders.” •

Author Bio

Kathleen Brunet is Director of Marketing & Public Relations at County College of Morris. She previously ran her own marketing firm, serving higher education and nonprofits, and worked as a science writer at Rutgers University Newark. She is the recipient of several awards, including a Communicator of the Year Award.