Excellence in Education and a Valued Business Partner
County College of Morris (CCM) recently was recognized by two key state business groups for its excellence in preparing students and employees to meet the needs of industry and for serving as an educational leader and valued business partner.
On Tuesday, September 24, the college was presented with an Industry Leader Best Practice Award by the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ). This marked the second year in a row CCM received a CIANJ Best Practice Award. Once again, the award recognized CCM for the strength of its programs offered through its Center for Workforce Development and the construction of an Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Center, slated to open in 2020.
A panel of judges, including Dale Caldwell, executive director of the Farleigh Dickinson University Rothman Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Robert Stramara, chief operating officer of the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program (NJMEP); Dean Paranicas, CEO of the Healthcare Institute of New Jersey and CIANJ President Anthony Russo, reviewed the submissions and selected the most extraordinary ones to be honored at the conference.
CCM President Anthony J. Iacono served as the opening keynote speaker for the awards ceremony held at Nanina’s in the Park in Belleville. During his remarks, Iacono said that the college’s success relies on the strength of its partnerships with business and industry and other organizations.
“As I like to say, CCM does great things every day, but we do even greater things with and because of our partners,” said Iacono.
Included among those partnerships is an online course the college is providing in conjunction with NJMEP to provide food safety training for employees in the food production and manufacturing industry. CCM also is the lead organization in a consortium, supported by a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, to develop apprenticeship models for the advanced manufacturing industry.
The second recognition was presented to Iacono by NJBIZ, which named him to its Education Power 50 list. One of the leading business publications in the state, NJBIZ in its September 23 issue praised Iacono for the college’s work to provide skilled professionals for the manufacturing industry. In the article, Iacono noted, “Our work is to help others to do their work better.”
Photo: County College of Morris receives a Best Practice Award from the Commence and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ) for the second year in a row. Pictured (l-r) are CCM Trustee Vice Chair Thomas Pepe and Trustee Jeffrey Advokat, CCM President Anthony J. Iacono, CIANJ President Anthony Russo; CCM Vice President of Professional Studies and Applied Sciences Patrick Enright, CCM Director of Workforce Development Irena Kaler and Associate Director Beth Rodgers.
