JERSEY CITY, NJ. December 19, 2023 (Biz Republic) — Hudson County Community College (HCCC) President Dr. Christopher Reber was recognized as Education Leader of the Year by the Hudson County Latin American Chamber of Commerce (HCLACC) at their annual holiday party on December 14th.
HCLACC is dedicated to developing, promoting, and enhancing commerce, trade, tourism, and industry in Hudson County for the benefit of the Latino-American business community.
The organization awarded Dr. Reber with this year’s honor because of his steadfast commitment to HCCC students and his ardent support of Hudson County’s Latino community.
HCLACC president Heidi Castrillon stated, “Dr. Reber has long been an ally to Hudson County’s Latino community. He is leading the effort to forge local, regional, and national partnerships that produce transformative and life-changing opportunities for students and community members.”
Hudson County is one of the most diverse counties in the United States and home to a large demographic of Hispanic and Latino residents who make up over 40% of the county’s population.
Proudly serving this richly diverse community with a vibrant Hispanic culture and heritage, Hudson County Community College is a Federally-designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) – 56% of full-time students are Hispanic/LatinX.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is one of the College’s guiding lights, and DEI principles are interwoven into everything that the College does to foster a welcoming and inclusive campus environment.
HCCC’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion leads and supports the HCCC Latino Community Advisory Council, an alliance of more than 30 clergy, educators, business professionals, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders who meet regularly to discuss the needs and concerns of the Hispanic community, and to promote educational attainment throughout Hudson County. The HCCC Latino Community Advisory Council sponsors and hosts networking events, open houses, receptions, and informational and enrollment events throughout the year.
President Reber recently joined other leaders of Hispanic Serving Institutions from the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) to meet with United States Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, where he outlined his vision to create a semiconductor manufacturing center at the College, and to create customized workforce development programs that align with the needs of this lucrative and high-tech industry. Earlier this year, Dr. Reber took part in HACU’s Washington, D.C. roundtable discussion with U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas.
Because of these institution-wide efforts, Dr. Reber and other College leaders are frequently recognized for their consistent and concerted support of the Hispanic community. Last month, HCCC received HACU’s “Outstanding Member Institution Award.”
In May, the College hosted “HACU on the Road,” a conference of over 100 national HACU leaders and members, chancellors and presidents of colleges and universities, superintendents of Hispanic-serving school districts, higher education representatives, state and local officials, and corporate and community leaders. The conference’s goal was to advance and promote dialogue about the state of Hispanic higher education.
Additionally, HCCC Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Dr. Yeurys Pujols, was honored with the 48th Annual Hispanic Statewide Parade of New Jersey Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award in 2023, and in 2022, Dr. Reber won the Education Leader of the Year Award and served as a Parade Grand Marshal for the Hispanic Statewide Parade of New Jersey.
The College has also received the 2021 Community Partner Award from the Desfile Salvadoreño de New Jersey; received 2021 Recognition for Work with the LatinX Community by Ambassador Alfonso Morales, Consul General of Ecuador for New Jersey and Pennsylvania; 2021 Recognition for Community Service in Support of the LatinX Community in Hudson County by Multicultural Poder Hispano; 2020 Save Latin America Los Tres Antillanos Annual Gala Educational Award to Dr. Yeurys Pujols; and others.
On receiving the Education Leader of the Year award from HCLACC, Dr. Reber stated, “As the proud leader of a Hispanic Serving Institution, it’s an honor to be recognized by the HCLACC. The honor speaks to our entire College community’s dedication and commitment to breaking down barriers and serving the Hispanic community. We take the word ‘community’ in our title very seriously. Our mission is to serve our community.”
HCLACC celebrated Dr. Reber and this year’s other honorees at its 2023 holiday party at The Fiesta in Wood Ridge, NJ.
About Hudson County Community College
Hudson County Community College serves more than 20,000 credit and non-credit students annually. The College offers over 90 degree and certificate programs, including award-winning English as a Second Language; Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); Culinary Arts/Hospitality Management; Nursing and Health Professions; and Humanities and Social Sciences. The HCCC Culinary/Hospitality Management program was ranked number six in the U.S. by Best Choice Schools. The College’s School of Continuing Education and Workforce Development offers cutting-edge, industry recognized, stackable credentials in alignment with high-priority workforce needs.
HCCC has partnerships with major four-year colleges and universities in the greater New Jersey-New York area and beyond, accommodating seamless transfer of credits for further undergraduate and graduate education.
The College’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has been recognized with the 2021 Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Northeast Regional Equity Award; the “INSIGHT Into Diversity” 2021, 2022 and 2023 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, this year honoring HCCC as one of six community colleges nationally to be named “Top Colleges for Diversity;” and the “INSIGHT Into Diversity” 2022 and 2023 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award. HCCC was a recent finalist for the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) “Advancing Diversity Award of Excellence.”
For the second consecutive year, HCCC was selected as one of 20 community colleges in the United States to be named among the “2023 Most Promising Places to Work in Community Colleges” by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) in collaboration with “Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.” HCCC was one of 22 community colleges in the nation, and the only college in New Jersey, to be recognized by ModernThink LLC and “The Chronicle of Higher Education” as a 2022 and 2023 “Great College to Work For®,” this year achieving Honor Roll status for top ratings in seven of ten categories.
HCCC is one of two colleges in the United States to be named a Top Ten Finalist in all three program categories for the nationally recognized 2023 Bellwether Awards, and received the 2023 Bellwether Award for the College’s cutting-edge “Hudson Scholars” program. The College’s exemplary work in advancing student success has been recognized with 2023 “Leader College” designation by Achieving the Dream, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing community colleges as catalysts for equity and mobility in their communities. HCCC was also recognized with the Campus Prevention Network Seal of Prevention by Vector Solutions for demonstrating leadership in digital prevention programming focused on student safety, well-being, and inclusion.
