Academic Affairs Updates from the Office of the Provost Part VI: Opportunities Ahead at Fort Monmouth

Dear Members of the NJCU Community:

This week, we will continue providing a series of seven updates regarding changes in Academic Affairs. These changes respond to our fiscal crisis and position us to focus more clearly upon our mission as a minority-serving institution committed to supporting our unique student population.

These changes reflect a reduction in administrative layers and renewed focus on student success and retention.

If you missed any of the previous announcements, they can be found on our new Academic Affairs Communications webpage.

Previous updates included:

• Academic Affairs Updates Part I: Organizational Changes in Academic Affairs
• Academic Affairs Updates Part II: Changes in the Office of the Provost
• Academic Affairs Updates Part III: Leadership Changes within the Colleges and School
• Academic Affairs Updates from the Office of the Provost Part IV: New and Continuing Roles and Responsibilities in Academic Units
• Academic Affairs Updates from the Office of the Provost Part V: Strategic Support for Graduate Education and Adult Learning

Today's update will discuss our numerous opportunities ahead for our location at Fort Monmouth.

When I used to teach second grade, I would start each year with an activity where the students would make owls using paper plates. As they worked, I taught them a poem:

There was an old owl
Who lived in an oak.
The more he saw,
The less he spoke.
The less he spoke,
The more he heard.
Why can’t we be
Like that wise old bird?

I believe this poem captures our charge at NJCU @ Fort Monmouth. We are listening to our partners — the community colleges, businesses, and social agencies. We are asking them about their students’ needs and the community’s needs. As we listen, we learn how we can serve our mission at this extension of our campus.

We are committed to serve Brookdale Community College, Mercer County Community College, Middlesex College, and Ocean County College. We have heard them talk about how their students need completion programs, particularly in academic areas like criminal justice, fire science, security studies, education, and business. We have heard their hopes of developing strong articulation agreements to support their students’ degree completion. We continue to listen and to work with them to build a strong hub for students who want to complete their undergraduate degrees.

We are also in conversation with various organizations and agencies regarding the use of our space to maximize non-academic revenue. These conversations include public entities, private and non-profit organizations who have teaching and training needs.

Once these partnerships are built and finalized, the university will be eager to announce this news as we progress through the spring semester.

Until then, we continue to offer programming in business and nursing for those who are completing their degrees. We will also continue to offer courses and make use of the HyFlex Classroom Technology. We will also explore non-credit opportunities within this space as well.

Currently, Dr. Wanda Rutledge is leading collaborative efforts to build these partnerships. She will maintain a regular presence on the campus and serve as the point person for our work with the community colleges.

Sincerely,

Donna Adair Breault, Ph.D.
Acting Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs
New Jersey City University