LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Getting one AACC Award of Excellence is impressive. Receiving two draws extra attention. But three? Well, ask Hudson County Community College (HCCC) what that’s like.
The New Jersey college on Monday night took home top honors in the categories of CEO of the Year, Faculty Member of the Year and Student Success. On top of that, HCCC was a finalist in six of the 11 Awards of Excellence categories this year.
HCCC President Christopher Reber brought his contingent with him on stage to receive the awards, emphasizing the team aspect of building student success.
“It is an honor to work in a profession that provides life-changing transformational opportunities for our students,” said Reber, whose college is in the shadows of the Statue of Liberty. “The ripple effects of our student success crosses generations; it affects their communities, their children, their families, their schools, [and] their workplaces for generations to come.”
Deep personal roots
There were touching moments during the awards gala, which emphasized how deeply rooted community colleges are in a number of the award recipients’ lives.
Dorey Diab, president of North Central State College (Ohio), whose college received the award in the category of Exemplary CEO/Board Relationship, related to the audience how he immigrated to the U.S. and attended Cuyahoga Community College as a English as a second language student. He went on to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in engineering before switching to higher education leadership to earn his Ph.D. And then he worked up the ranks at various community colleges, finally making it to the presidency in 2013.
Eugene Lamb, Jr., who received the award in the category of Trustee of the Year, had an equally compelling story. He came from a family of 16 in rural Midway, Florida, and was able to go to Dillard University in New Orleans, where he played basketball. When he came home after his freshman year and needed a job, his family told him that Tallahassee Junior College was being build eight miles away. He jogged there and got the job laying bricks. Lamb later served as board chair of Tallahassee Community College four times.
Providing economic mobility
Another common theme among the winners was their focus on economic mobility. Brenda Hellyer, chancellor of the San Jacinto College District in Houston, which received the top honor in the Outstanding College/Corporate Partnership category with partner LyondellBasell, highlighted how the partnership has helped to improve the college. Based on feedback from the chemical industry company, San Jac redesigned curriculum and created externships that have created better pipelines for family-sustaining jobs.
“I thank you all for this incredible recognition for a partnership that we believe is changing lives and changing the socio-economic mobility of our community,” Hellyer said.
Rising Star-Manager category winner Charles (Ridge) Schuyler II of Piedmont Virginia Community College also emphasized economic mobility in his comments, which mirrors the work of all two-year colleges.
“We identify the people who are left behind in the economy and position them to get the training and supports they need to get the jobs that they require to support their families,” Schuyler said.
This year’s winners
The finalists for the 2024 AACC Awards of Excellence were selected by a committee of American Association of Community Colleges board members, chaired by AACC board member Jay Allen, president of Itawamba Community College in Mississippi.
The winners are:
Advancing Institutional Equity and Belonging
- Middlesex Community College (Massachusetts), Philip Sisson, president
Community College Safety, Emergency Preparedness and Leadership
- Miami Dade College (Florida), Madeline Pumariega, president
Exemplary CEO/Board Relations
- North Central State College (Ohio), Dorey Diab, president
Faculty Innovation
- Heather Satrom, English language for academic purposes instructor, Montgomery College (Maryland)
Outstanding College/Corporate Partnership
- LyondellBasell and San Jacinto College District (Texas), Brenda Hellyer, chancellor
Student Success
- Hudson County Community College (New Jersey), Christopher Reber, president
Rising Star-Manager
- Charles (Ridge) Schuyler III, dean, community self-sufficiency programs, Piedmont Virginia Community College
Rising Star-Executive
- Tracy Kruse, vice president of development and external affairs, Northeast Community College (Nebraska)
Faculty Member of the Year
- Clive Li, Hudson County Community College (New Jersey)
Trustee of the Year
- Eugene Lamb, Jr., Tallahassee Community College (Florida)
CEO of the Year
- Christopher Reber, Hudson County Community College (New Jersey)
