Freeholders Seek to Create College Advisory Board

CREST HAVEN – Is it time for more county input into the operation of Atlantic Cape Community College? Freeholders discussed the creation of an advisory board staffed by Cape May County residents at their March 27 caucus. 
Atlantic Cape Community College has experienced a protracted enrollment decline in recent years, as reported here. Fewer local high school graduates have elected to attend the college.
The recent appointment of Daniel Money by freeholders as a college trustee, whose first trustees’ meeting was later March 27, was made with expectation that his expertise as a principal of vocational schools locally and in Burlington County would bolster college programs and enrollment.
College trustee board Chairman Dave Coskey attended the meeting. He said the trustees would welcome additional input from the community. Such input was “One of the pieces lacking over the last couple of years,” Coskey said.
He said there was “a lot of information that needs to be shared in both directions.” He also cited the need to interest more members of graduating classes which have experienced “double-digit decreases for the past decade. Obviously, that dramatically affects the enrollment of the college.”
Further, Coskey said the college must “reinvent ourselves and make ourselves accessible to other parts of the county other than just traditional college students.” Dr. Barbara Gaba, college president, was working toward that goal, Coskey noted.
“We certainly welcome the input. I think the advisory board would be a welcome addition that we would like to work with them, and would certainly encourage the freeholders to bring that along if you so choose,” said Coskey.
Scott Halliday, a member of the selection committee which chose Money from among candidates, also addressed the board:
“I am here today to speak on recommendation made by the selection committee to establish an advisory board to the ACCC Board of Trustees. The recommendation made to the freeholders to establish an advisory board was developed after much discussion pertaining to the current status of the enrollment at Cape May County campus.
“The purpose of the board would be to analyze the relationship between the high schools in Cape May County and the college, and to develop a strategy to attract local students to ACCC. The primary thrust would be to promote the college as a valuable resource for secondary education as well as looking at the courses offered to capitalize on the conditions of employment in the marketplace of Cape May County.
“From the selection committee, Corrie (Corrine) Robinson has offered to head the advisory board and reach out to the pool of candidates that were interviewed in the selection process to solicit their help.”
Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton thanked Halliday and committee members for their work in selecting Money. He added that he had known Money for over 40 years, and highly respects him.
One of Thornton’s first questions was whether members of the selection committee could serve on the proposed advisory committee? He was uncertain whether a law or regulation would prohibit them from serving. Thornton asked acting County Counsel Jeffrey Lindsay to review laws to learn if any prohibit the enlistment of selection committee members as college advisory board members.
Coskey said that Atlantic Cape mirrors other community colleges in New Jersey, except those in Burlington and Gloucester counties.
Those counties have “struck up four-year relationships with,” and aligned their community colleges with Rowan University, renaming their schools Rowan College at Burlington County and Rowan College at Gloucester County. Such signs posted in front of those colleges, Coskey noted, are, “…a subliminal marketing tool.”
He also said “Anybody’s kidding you if they tell you that there isn’t a bit of hurdle still to the mental idea of community college. That’s one of the reasons why Rowan has struck up their relationship. It’s a similar relationship on a smaller scale that we struck up with Stockton last summer. Although we chose not to do the name change. That was an offer from Stockton (University). We chose not to give away 50 years of branding and building on the college.”
Having attained an associate’s degree, students in those colleges can easily move into Rowan, having satisfied all entrance credit requirements for the university.
There is a satellite branch of Rutgers University at Atlantic Cape’s Mays Landing campus. Coskey said it is possible for students to study in 14 degree programs there. “They won’t ever leave Atlantic Cape’s campus to graduate with a degree that says Rutgers University,” Coskey said. He added that Atlantic Cape is the only community college in the state with a Rutgers University building on its campus. That university has articulation agreements with eight other community colleges, he said, but no physical presence on campus.
Coskey cited a 33 percent increase in Stockton’s enrollment this year. “Which also is a disadvantage for us because obviously they’re dipping into the local student pool,” he continued. That was a larger increase for that college than any other year, he said.
Asked by Freeholder Will Morey how the advisory board would interface with the college trustees, Coskey replied there could be a monthly or bi-monthly interface to exchange ideas.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Thornton said.
Freeholder E. Marie Hayes added that one of the catalysts to consider creating the advisory board was the number of “really, really qualified candidates that you interviewed that, during the interview process, there were some excellent ideas that they were passing. That was one of the catalysts for the advisory board to be able to sit with Dave and the other trustees from Cape May County and impart them with that information.” 
Thornton additionally asked Diane Wieland, county tourism director who also oversees public information, “See what we can do for PR (public relations) for the community college.”
Morey said that the formation of an advisory board would form a support network for trustees of the college.
Thornton cautioned about having 20 members on the board. Halliday responded that six would be a solid number for board membership.
“Six is good. I like that,” said Thornton.
Morey said it would be advisable to have public forums from time to time to get the public’s input to the advisory board.