NJCU to Honor JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Connell Foley’s Philip F. McGovern, Jr. at ‘Blueprint for Tomorrow’ Gala on March 30

Five Firms to Be Recognized for Revitalizing Jersey City’s West Side at University Place

Two acclaimed corporate partners—JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Connell Foley LLP’s Managing Partner Philip F. McGovern, Jr.— will be honored at New Jersey City University’s “Blueprint for Tomorrow” Gala on Thursday, March 30, 2017 at The Hyatt Regency, Jersey City, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

Leading the roster of honorees is JPMorgan Chase & Co., which will receive the NJCU Corporate Partnership Award for Elevating Workforce Development.

Thanks to a transformational three-year workforce development grant from JPMorgan Chase & Co., NJCU, through its Logistics Center, is helping boost employment opportunity and engaging with employers to bridge the gap between industry needs and the education of credentialed workers on a career pathway from entry-level to mid-level careers in the logistics sector. In just two years, the program — “Delivering the TLD Workforce--Transportation, Logistics, Delivery” — will have engaged with community partners to build career pathways for 350 unemployed or under-employed community members. The employment placement rate for the trainees is 70%.

“JPMorgan Chase invests in programs like this one because building career pathways is one of the smartest ways to expand our workforce and drive inclusive growth in our communities,” said Alma DeMetropolis, New Jersey Market President, JPMorgan Chase.  “We’re thrilled to partner with New Jersey City University on this terrific, forward-thinking program to give students the extra training they need to be competitive in the marketplace.”

Philip F. McGovern, Jr., Managing Partner, Connell Foley LLP, will receive the NJCU Visionary Leadership Award.

Mr. McGovern has been a stalwart advocate for the NJCU School of Business Institute for Dispute Resolution (IDR) since its founding in 2015. He is a staunch supporter of student involvement in IDR programs at the University, as well as participation in international competitions relevant to negotiation and mediation of disputes in cross border commercial, investor-state, and general conflict resolution forums.

With support from Mr. McGovern, NJCU students were able to compete and win prizes in prestigious international competitions in Vienna and Paris for two consecutive years. NJCU students have benefitted greatly because of Mr. McGovern’s vision, generosity, and understanding that the globalization of trade and commerce requires business managers to have the most current knowledge and training needed to manage disputes.

Five real estate development firms will be recognized for their commitment and vision as major partners in the physical transformation of NJCU and the creation of University Place—an anchor in the revitalization of Jersey City’s west side. The firms to be celebrated are Strategic Development Group, Claremont Construction Group Inc., Crossroads Companies, LLC, The Hampshire Companies, and KKF University Enterprises, LLC.

University Place—a neighborhood in which to live, study, and work—will feature five new residential buildings that will provide 650 living units and retail development that will include shops, a fitness facility, tennis courts, landscaped walkways, restaurants, a big-box grocery store, on-street parking and garages, and a future performing arts center and academic building. An NJCU residence hall, which opened in September 2016, launched development at the 21-acre University Place property. The anticipated completion date for development at University Place is 2019.

“We are thrilled to celebrate these outstanding corporate partners at our Gala,” Dr. Sue Henderson, NJCU president, said.  “The awards we present this evening are testaments to what leadership, vision and thoughtful collaboration can accomplish. Our honorees put a high value on education and have worked tirelessly with NJCU to help others achieve their dreams,” she added.

The “Blueprint for Tomorrow” Gala will benefit scholarship funds at NJCU, a four-year, public university with a student population of more than 8,400 undergraduate and graduate students.  Although the University’s undergraduate in-state tuition remains among the lowest in New Jersey, 85 percent of full-time undergraduates qualify for some type of need-based financial aid.

NJCU provides a solid educational experience that helps prepare students for career success and keeps education affordable. Ten years after graduation, NJCU students earn 22% more than the national average income. Debt burden for NJCU graduates is the lowest of the public, four-year institutions in New Jersey. According to a recent national study, titled, “Mobility Report Cards: The Role of Colleges in Intergenerational Mobility,” NJCU ranked 23rd for intergenerational mobility within a group of 369 selective public colleges. This means NJCU graduates have a considerably enhanced likelihood of moving up two or more income quintiles into the middle or upper classes.

Founded as a teacher’s college in 1929, NJCU now offers 43 undergraduate degree programs, 28 master’s degree programs, and two doctoral programs. In addition to its Main Campus in Jersey City, NJCU operates two off-campus sites—NJCU at Harborside in Jersey City’s financial district and NJCU at Brookdale in Wall Township.

Leaders in the fields of business and industry, education, law, public service, and the non-profit community will be among the guests celebrating the honorees at the “Blueprint for Tomorrow” Gala.

For further information about NJCU’s “Blueprint for Tomorrow” Gala call 201-200-3196, email lfunicello@njcu.edu, or visit www.njcu.edu/gala.