WEST WINDSOR –WEST WINDSOR – With the theme “A Night in Old Havana,” the Mercer County Community College (MCCC) Foundation annual scholarship fundraiser, “Spring Into Student Success,” will feature recognition of community partners who have made substantial contributions to the academic and career success of MCCC students.

The 30th annual “Spring Into Student Success” student scholarship fundraiser, hosted by the MCCC Foundation, will be held on Friday, April 5, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at The Stone Terrace, 2275 Kuser Road in Hamilton. Event co-chairs are Nina D. Melker, senior vice president at Berkshire Bank; Peggy Iucolino, assistant director of client and community relations at PNC Bank; and Mercer County Freeholder Chair Pasquale “Pat” Colavita Jr.

As part of the festivities, the Foundation will present three awards to community partners for their dedication to furthering MCCC’s mission of student success:

• NJM Insurance Group
  Distinguished Benefactor Award
  NJM has been front and center in supporting MCCC’s mission to expand its facilities and offerings at the James Kerney Campus in Trenton. Since 2013, the company has pledged $225,000 to the college’s expansion. The renovation of MCCC’s newest Trenton building, Trenton Hall, was completed in 2017 with NJM’s help and now houses the James Kerney Campus Gallery (JKCG), a community room, an outdoor courtyard, and programs in Fashion Design, Security Systems Technology, Cybersecurity, and the Health Professions.
  Additionally, NJM has demonstrated ongoing support to student scholarship programs. The company also plays a key funding and leadership role in the Spring into Student Success Gala.
  MCCC proudly displays two plaques commemorating NJM’s support – one in the Kerney Building’s Career Center, which reads, “Dedicated to Students and Their Career Success, New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company” (2013), and one in Trenton Hall, which reads, “Dedicated to the Educational Mission of Mercer County Community College in Trenton” (2017).
  
  
• Wells Fargo
  Distinguished Corporate Partner Award
  MCCC could not ask for a better corporate partner than Wells Fargo Bank. The bank has supported the college’s mission generously and compassionately, donating almost $70,000 since 2013.
  Wells Fargo has been a key supporter of major MCCC Foundation events, including the Spring Into Student Success Gala, which raises significant dollars for student scholarships, as well as the MCCC Golf Classic, which raises scholarship money to benefit student athletes.
  In 2014, Wells Fargo went above and beyond by creating the Wells Fargo Urban Scholarship Fund. Since its establishment, the fund has awarded tuition dollars to nearly 40 students from Trenton area schools, some of whom have no other access to funding.
  Wells Fargo regularly hires MCCC graduates, as well as current students. The bank sends representatives to MCCC job fairs to speak to students about employment opportunities. They have sent speakers to address our Global Business Club and opened their Princeton branch for student tours, during which students have met upper level managers.
  Wells Fargo’s generosity demonstrates its commitment to improving lives through education and to bolstering the workforce in our county.
  
  
• Infinity Flight Group / Piedmont Airlines
  Spirit of Education Award
  The aviation industry is in the early stages of a pilot shortage that is projected to last 10 to 15 years. Some of the major airlines will see up to 75 percent of their pilots retire during this timeframe.
  Thanks to a flourishing partnership between Mercer County Community College and Infinity Flight Group that began four years ago, MCCC’s Aviation Flight Technology program is helping to address this critical need.
  Starting with just three airplanes in 2014, Infinity’s current fleet numbers 35, with more planes on order. Over 100 students are currently enrolled in the program, taking MCCC classes towards their associate degree on campus and earning flight hours towards their pilot certification with Infinity Flight at Trenton-Mercer Airport. In 18 to 24 months, full-time students, including military veterans, can complete the professional pilot program.
  MCCC’s aviation students aren’t just trained; they are trained in some of the busiest airspace in the country, in all types of weather. And, veterans can use their VA benefits for the entire program - private, instrument and commercial.
  The skies have gotten even brighter with the addition of Piedmont Airlines, a regional carrier of American Airlines, as a pipeline to employment. Students train with Infinity to become Certified Flight Instructors and are then eligible to interview with Piedmont Airlines for employment. This three-way partnership is unique among community colleges, drawing students from a wide swath of the tri-state region.

Each year the MCCC Foundation awards hundreds of scholarships to high-achieving and financially-qualified students, including non-traditional students, part-time students and single parents. Many students benefit from endowed or named scholarships established by donors through the Foundation. This year alone, the Foundation will award more than $550,000 in direct support to MCCC students.

This year’s “A Night in Old Havana” event features a formal dinner, including hors d’oeuvres, an open bar, coffee and desserts, live music by the Renaissance Orchestra, and a silent auction.

Wells Fargo’s generosity demonstrates its commitment to improving lives through education and to bolstering the workforce in our county.

For tickets, silent auction donations and corporate sponsorship information, visit www.mccc.edu/siss, e-mail listr@mccc.edu or contact Roxanne List at (609) 570-3616.

 

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Mitch Livingston, President and CEO of NJM Insurance
Group, recipient of the MCCC Distinguished Benefactor
Award.

 

Carlos Arroyo, Central New Jersey Region Bank President
for Wells Fargo Bank, recipient of the MCCC Distinguished
Corporate Partner Award.

Gregory F. John, President of Infinity Flight Group (above) and
Lynette Darnell, Management of Pilot Programs for Piedmont
Airlines (below), recipients of the MCCC Spirit of Education
Award.