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MCCC Unveils Plaque Honoring NJM Insurance For Donation to Trenton Campus
9/26/13
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TRENTON – Mercer County Community College (MCCC) dedicated a plaque at the college’s Trenton campus Career Center on Sept. 25 in appreciation of New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company’s (NJM) $100,000 pledge to support expansion and development at MCCC’s downtown campus.
“This is not just a vision for our Trenton campus, this is a vision that is becoming a reality. New Jersey Manufacturers is helping us move our vision forward,” said Dr. Patricia C. Donohue, MCCC president. “The college and its Board of Trustees are committed to providing education and training to everyone at whatever level they need as we contribute to a productive citizenry.”
The plaque is mounted outside the Career Center, with the inscription “Dedicated to Students and Their Career Success, New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company and NJM Bank.” The company has donated $40,000 thus far for the Trenton campus project, with the remainder to be funded over the next two years. The $100,000 pledge is in honor of NJM’s 100th anniversary.
“We chose to unveil the plaque in front of the Career Center because this is where the confidence-building happens and where students turn for assistance in finding employment,” Donohue said. “It now has state-of-the-art computers and access to the latest job databases. It has been completely transformed.”
Donohue added that the Career Center was one of the first areas of the campus to be renovated in 2011, with additional projects that include the acquisition and renovation of Trenton Hall, which opened in Fall 2012 and now serves as home to the new Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising programs. Additional art and design courses will be offered in Trenton Hall in the spring.
Bernie Flynn, president of NJM since 2008 and chair of NJM Bank since 2009, expressed his company’s loyalty to the city of Trenton, noting that the company’s 100th anniversary was the perfect time to give back.
“There is no more important way to support the city than through education. This campus and these students are why we are doing this,” Flynn said. “We have more than 60,000 policy holders and hundreds of businesses as our clients. There is a great deal of alignment between our mission and that of the college. We appreciate MCCC being part of the solution.”
Pat Hartpence, director of Community Relations for NJM, also spoke, noting the long history shared by the two institutions, including NJM’s support of MCCC fundraisers and recently sending approximately 80 employees to training programs at Mercer. |
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| Bernie Flynn, President and CEO of NJM Insurance, and MCCC President Patricia C. Donohue unveil a plaque outside MCCC's Trenton campus Career Center in honor of a $100,000 contribution from NJM. |
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Members of MCCC's Trenton Campus team outside the Career Center. |
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| Culinary student Charles Warren talks about the services available at the Trenton campus Career Center. |
“When NJM was founded in 1913, we were on East State Street just down the street from the School of Industrial Arts, which merged with MCCC in 1967,” Hartpence said.
Scott Bollwage, director of MCCC’s Trenton Career Center, discussed the services the center provides, including help with job searches, resume writing and cover letters. He listed the job search databases to which students have access. Bollwage noted that with the college’s big plans for expansion in Trenton, the Career Center is “here as the campus grows to serve as many students who need us.”
Culinary student Charles Warren addressed the group, noting that he has used the Career Center for help with his resume and letters as he conducts his job search. “It has been a great resource for me,” he said. Another student, Jose Ramos, who has been in the Culinary program just three weeks, shared his enthusiasm and hope for the future. “It’s a good program with good instructors. I am learning a lot.”
Trenton Campus Provost Monica Weaver spoke about programs and services offered at the campus that “impact Trenton and the greater community.” She pointed to Adult Basic Education, GED prep, and the Career Training Institute (CTI), which collectively have served 18,900 students in the past 25 years.
NJM’s contribution will be used for the continued renovation of James Kerney Hall on the Trenton campus, as well as continued development and upgrades at Trenton Hall. As part of MCCC’s long-term Facilities Master Plan approved by the college’s Board of Trustees, curricula and facilities will be expanded in Trenton to include additional offerings in the STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), healthcare, and the arts, among others.
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