College student centers are hubs for academic and social engagement, cultural events and activities and student resources, where students, faculty, staff and community share fellowship and develop a sense of belonging.
On April 18, nearly one year after the groundbreaking, Hudson County Community College hoisted into position the last steel beam of its new Center for Student Success at 2 Enos Place in Journal Square.
The event began with students, faculty and staff signing the last beam. Afterward, Nicholas Chiaravalloti, HCCC vice president for external affairs, strategic direction and senior counsel to the president, introduced HCCC President Chrisopher Reber, Hudson County Executive Craig Guy, New Jersey State Sen. Raj Mukherji, Hudson County Commissioner Anthony Romano Jr., HCCC Trustee Chair Jeanette Pena, HCCC Student Government Association President Nina Maria Resurreccion and Hudson County Building and Construction Trades Council President Patrick Kelleher, all of whom delivered remarks. The beam was lifted at 1:00 p.m., with music and activities adding to the celebration.
The ceremony is an ancient Scandinavian tradition that celebrates the construction milestone and recognizes the architects, engineers and laborers for every plan, beam, bolt and weld. The project team and others sign the beam and raise it with an evergreen tree and American flag attached.
The 11-story, 153,186 square-foot HCCC Center for Student Success is one block from the Journal Square PATH. The tower will replace several of the college’s small, segregated and aging buildings. The blueprint includes 24 classrooms, full-size National College Athletics Association (NCAA) gymnasium to facilitate the debut of the college’s athletics program, a fitness center, black-box theater, health sciences laboratories, 85 offices, eight conference rooms, a “University Center” for sister colleges and partners to offer baccalaureate instruction and expanded student services areas and more.
“The Center for Student Success will centralize and consolidate student services and complement the architecture of the surrounding area while driving local economic development,” Reber said. “It is the final segment of the HCCC Facilities Master Plan. We are not just celebrating the last beam going up, but how it correlates to helping our students reach new heights in their higher education achievements.”
“As Hudson County Executive, I am proud of the vital role my administration played in securing the funding to make this Center for Student Success possible, and I am grateful for our partnerships with state leaders and labor in this effort,” Guy said. “This center will ensure our students have the modern resources they need to build their skills and confidence, allowing them to be successful in the workforce. The center is symbolic of what we can accomplish when we work together for the betterment of all our students.”
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.