Community College Month at CCM

Thomas Pepe, Chair of the Board of Trustees

 

 

Since their formation, community colleges have seen us through many challenging times. Now more than ever, community colleges throughout the country are making significant impacts in our communities. This unprecedented time presents challenges for all of us, but we are in this together and we will continue to support you.  

In Morris County, many of our first responders, medical personnel and others who are out on the front-lines first experienced success at County College of Morris (CCM). We welcome you to experience the successes that come from pursuing a community college education. Earn a degree or certificate. Start a new career path. Explore your options. CCM provides a convenient way to meet your higher education and career goals. We encourage the community to also visit our COVID-19 Information and Resource Center.

Take a look at all we have to offer. Be a part of the more than 50,000 alumni who are making a positive impact in our community. Every day.

CCM is one of 18 community colleges in New Jersey and one of nearly 1,200 community colleges across the nation that are celebrating Community College Month in April #CCMonth.

The purpose of #CCMonth is to raise awareness about the impact community colleges make in the lives of students and the economic benefits graduates make within their local communities.

 

CCM has many advocates and partners who help us to do great things everyday — our students and alumni, legislators, businesses, organizations and the greater Morris County community.

Stay well.

CCM Everyday Heroes! #NJCCHeroes

Throughout the Month of April we are honoring everyday heroes in our community. From our faculty, alumni and students who are making an impact during this crisis, we honor your sacrifice in helping the community. We will be posting on our social media accounts.

This week, April 22, we recognize Alumni Jeremy Friedland, ’19 – Nursing.

Jeremy Friedland ’19 a recent County College of Morris Nursing graduate, usually works in the orthopedic trauma unit at Atlantic Health’s Morristown Medical Center but currently is on a dedicated COVID-19 unit due to the ongoing pandemic. 

Friedland recently took time out of his very busy work schedule to share how CCM helped him serve as a nurse on the front line of healthcare. Friendland explained that during the COVID-19 pandemic nurses and doctors are the only people allowed in rooms to care for patients. In addition to their normal duties, they are also providing important services to patients, such as food, hygiene and socialization, as no visitors are allowed. 

“A person is not defined by their diagnosis, especially during this stressful and lonely time,” remarked Friedland. “It is important to remember that we are not treating ‘COVID patients,’ we are caring for husbands, wives, children and friends.”

Commenting on how the CCM Nursing Program prepared him professionally, Friedland said, “The Nursing Program at CCM is incredible. It is extremely challenging and taught me not only how to care for patients from a medical standpoint, but also how to care for the whole person. The skills and knowledge taught at CCM literally prepared me and my peers to help save lives during this horrible pandemic.”

As a recent CCM graduate, Friedland had some words of wisdom to share with nursing students and for those considering the program. “For current nursing students at CCM, study hard and take part in any opportunity to learn while studying with the excellent nursing faculty.”

Friedland continued, “Enjoy the friendships you will make during your nursing courses. Many of my best friends are nurses from CCM and I continually learn from them. I am in awe by their bravery and compassion during this challenging time.”

If you wish to make a donation to help the medical staff at Atlantic Health, they are in need of personal protective equipment: masks, goggles, gowns, crocs. To learn how to donate, email covidDonations@atlantichealth.org.

Jeremy Friedland personifies #NJCCHeroes! 

 

This week, April 15, we recognize Engineering Lab Coordinator, Eric Pedersen and his student aide, Maxwell Samuels.

Pedersen and Samuels are creating face shields on the college’s 3-D printers and Samuel’s personal Prusa 3D printer for healthcare workersat the request of Atlantic Health System. The shields are being created based on specifications provided by Atlantic Health System. Per the request, the CCM Lab team have been making the shields and surgical mask tension release bands to relieve the tension from when the healthcare professionals have to wear the tight masks around their ears in the hospital.

This week New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy specifically called out Pedersen and CCM for the work being done during the #NJThanksYou portion of the State’s daily COVID-19 news conference.

Upon learning about Governor Murphy’s special shout out, Pedersen’s responded on LinkedIn: “Thank you to Governor Murphy for the kind words and support. And thank you to my student aide, Maxwell Samuels, who has been working remotely also printing face shield parts from his own Prusa printer at home. And thank you to our Art and Design and our IT Departments at CCM for recently loaning us their 3D printers to help us increase our daily output. Though everyone is working from various locations, teamwork has made it possible for us to help our healthcare workers and first responders.”

We are #CCMProud of Eric and Max and all the departments making this happen! You are #NJCCHeroes!

 

This week, April 8, we recognize Professor John Williford.

County College of Morris Professor John Williford, Psychology and Education department chair, is a New Jersey Community College Hero (#NJCCHeroes) for his altruism during the COVID-19 health crisis. Williford has been a pillar of the CCM community for many years and is well respected by his students. In addition to helping his students transition to an online learning environment, he also is dedicating his time to assisting his wife Maryanna, executive program director of the Willing Heart Community Care Center in Newark. 

Williford has been assisting his wife to support at risk populations during this crisis. Within the past few weeks, over 700 families have been served, as Willing Heart has assisted seniors in city housing and the unemployed, along with smaller faith-based community organizations.

Families served through the center have received:

• Three bags of food, including meat, canned goods, fresh produce and paper goods

• Hygiene products, including toothpaste, lotions, toilet paper

• Diapers for those with infants and toddlers, and baby food 

For more information on the Willing Heart Community Center, visit https://willingheartccc.com

Thank you, Professor Williford for helping the community! You exemplify #NJCCHeroes!

 

This week, April 1, we honor Professor Gracielle Fong.

Fong is a professor in the Respiratory Therapy program at CCM. During the Fall Semester she teaches Cardiopulmonary Pharmacology and during the Spring Semester she teaches Cardiopulmonary Evaluation. Fong is also the clinical instructor in the hospital for CCM students.

The Respiratory Therapy Program has significant meaning for Fong. She suffers from asthma and believes that this field is important in helping others to learn about lung disease. Although she is unable to discuss what is currently happening at the hospital, the respiratory therapists are working very hard to help those who are suffering from COVID-19.

Fong’s words of wisdom comes from Babe Ruth: If you really want something, you will work had to achieve it. Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.

Thank you for being an everyday hero! 

Interested in a Respiratory Therapy career?  Registration for the Fall Semester begins on April 6. Current students please use Titans Direct and plan your semester!

The Benefits of Attending County College of Morris

*99 percent of CCM Graduates Rate their education good to excellent!

*More than 70 percent of CCM students who earn degrees transfer to earn their bachelor’s within three years of graduation – enrolling in top schools from the Ivy League to New Jersey’s top colleges and universities.

*CCM is ranked one of New Jersey’s BEST by BestColleges.com, based on data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

*#1 in New Jersey for Alumni Salaries, PayScale has named CCM the top community college in New Jersey based on our graduates who are earning the highest salaries at mid-career.

*Over the last eight years, CCM has trained nearly 25,000 employees at more than 660 companies.

There’s even more to brag about!

“I always say, ‘If you have the choice, go to CCM first, get your degree here and move on.’ I still wish it were a four-year school because I believe the education here was better than the education I received anywhere else.” – Betsy Greenleaf, D.O., ’92

“The professors at CCM really brought out the cool, exciting aspects of the field. We learned every aspect of law enforcement from the crime scene to incarceration.” – Bryan Chavarriaga ’17

“There’s a higher purpose in nursing that appeals to us. We’re proud to be a family of nurses who picked CCM to get our start.” – Gulay Loder ’17