11 - Union County College

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From the Chairman As past Chair of the Union County College 75th Anniversary Celebration Committee, I am excited to report that the 2008-2009 fiscal year was an exceptional and memorable one. Dozens of members from the college community contributed their time and creative talents to develop a year’s menu of activities and events to mark the occasion and bring together the college community and the community at large in a meaningful, educational, cultural and social way. Among these activities were first-class lecturers, musical events, an alumni homecoming and an academic conference that drew colleagues from fellow colleges and universities to share in the scholarly pursuits and the celebratory spirit of our diamond anniversary. In contrast to these exuberant activities, I am saddened to report that after 20 years of distinguished service to the College, Dr. Thomas H. Brown has announced his upcoming retirement as President. Since 1990, Dr. Brown has served as the College’s President and under his leadership UCC has experienced unprecedented growth in enrollment, extensive programmatic diversity, and expanded facilities. During his tenure, Dr. Brown extended the Cranford campus and presided over the dedication of two, full-service, student friendly urban campuses, one in Elizabeth and the second in Plainfield. Most recently, to accommodate continued enrollment and programmatic growth on the Elizabeth campus, with generous funding and support from the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the State of New Jersey, the Elizabeth I. Kellogg building, a new state-of-the-art facility opened. Dr. John R. Farrell, Jr., Vice President of Administrative Services and Executive Assistant to the President, was named the Interim President beginning January 1, 2010. Dr. Farrell is serving in the absence of President Brown, who will be taking a one year sabbatical during 2010 to write a book reflecting on his tenure at UCC and to build and establish an official College archive. The College is committed to undertaking a national search to find an exceptional leader to work together with the College community and build the next chapter in UCC’s outstanding history. On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Governors, I am pleased to present this annual report highlighting the 75th anniversary year. I applaud the entire college community in their earnest and successful effort to reflect and celebrate this milestone. Our twelve month commemoration marks a significant period for the College and I look forward to continuing together to build toward an extraordinary future. Sincerely, Victor M. Richel, Chair Union County College Board of Trustees 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 and beyond
MOMENTS ON THE UCC TIMELINE 1. Franklin D. Roosevelt defeats Herbert Hoover in November 1932 by seven million votes. During the first 100 days of his presidential administration, FDR sets up agencies to help the country recover from the depression by putting unemployed adults back to work. 2. Union County Junior College opens its doors on October 16, 1933. This “emergency junior college” began as an eveningonly school within Abraham Clark High School in Roselle. 3. June 29, 1936, Commencement. 40 students graduate, 27 continuing on to colleges and universities across the country. The faculty is, for the first time, dressed in full academic regalia. 4. In 1936, to assert independence from federal governing agencies, the College institutes a tuition plan: $100 for a full year, or $12.50 per course for part-time students. 5. In 1936 a movement began to remove “County” from the school’s name. In 1938 the school was renamed “Union Junior College” (UJC). 6. Basketball is the only Varsity sport at Union. The ‘39/’40 girls’ basketball squad captures first place in the “Powderpuff League” topping Bergen and Morris. This is the first championship for a UJC Team. 7. Publication of the College’s first (and so far only) yearbook in the spring of 1940 begins the written history of UCC. 8. Grant School is called the “Old Lady of Holly Street.” The 1940’s growing student body filled the UJC building on Holly Street beyond capacity. 9. In 1945, UJC established the Veterans’ Study Center, providing accelerated high school classes to returning GI’s. For a time, veteran enrollment surpassed College enrollment, accounting for 87.5% of students on the dean’s list. In 1945 the Alumni Association is founded. 10. In November 1946, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt sends UJC a check for $100, the College’s first charitable gift. 11. 1948 brings record enrollment and puts UJC at capacity – the facilities are overflowing. In November 1948 the Board authorizes $56,000 to purchase the 56 acres known as the Nomahegan Tract. 12. Students participate in classes at the College’s Grant Street School location. 13. The College’s first library is established. 14. The 40’s college veteran population was replaced in the 1950’s by students taking draft deferment tests in the thirdfloor library. 15. A sign on Springfield Avenue in 1949 announces the future location of the College on the same site in Cranford where it stands today. 16. Throughout the 50’s, the cold war is in full swing, and the student body is a conservative group, politically and socially, backing Eisenhower for reelection in 1956 by 66%. 17. In April 1957, UJC’s 20-year quest for accreditation is achieved with recognition by the Middle States Commission. Changes that follow include academic affiliations, an honors program, and a chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa international honor society. 18. Women are showing increased interest in education, both their own and their husbands’. The Nite-Owl Student Council initiates a baby-sitting service for married students. 19. The library in the Nomahegan Building was dedicated in 1960 to Arthur L. Johnson, and by fall ‘63, the Campus Center is complete with a theater, language labs, lounge, snack bar, and recreational facilities. 20. The most unusual building on the Cranford campus was dedicated on May 20, 1962. The William Miller Sperry Observatory, built during the ’60s race to stars, houses two telescopes, a lecture hall, library, darkroom and exhibit area. 21. Enrollment nears 1,500 students. Pro-Vietnam War demonstrations polarize the student body, but UJC misses most of the disruption that plagues other campuses during this turbulent decade. The student march in support of President Johnson’s policy in fall 1965 is a dignified procession. 22. In 1965, a federal grant funded construction of the Science building. Dedicated in the fall of 1967, it was NJ’s first completely air conditioned, electrically heated college building. It houses an IBM 1130 computer that cost as much as the entire construction of the Sperry Observatory. 23. Union is no longer “Junior.” In fall 1966, the Board eliminates the word junior from the College’s name, effective September 1,1967. 24. In 1969, the College enters an agreement with the Union County Coordinating Agency for Higher Education to provide college level programs. Funds are now available to keep tuition low for county residents. 25. In September 1970, Union College opens urban centers in Elizabeth and Plainfield. The sites allow for growth and new programs including criminal justice and astronomy. Keeping up with the awakening social consciousness of the ‘70’s, the Board adopts an affirmative action plan to address racial, religious and gender discrimination in admitting and hiring. 26. In fall 1971, the College enters cooperative Nursing Programs with Elizabeth General and Muhlenberg Hospital Schools of Nursing – partnerships that continue today. 27. The David Fables Memorial Sanctuary Wildlife Gardens were dedicated May 7, 1972, honoring a man who was important to the legacy of Union Junior College. 28. Union proudly unveils the new MacKay Library in summer, 1973, with an art gallery, seminar room, audio center and room for more than 100,000 volumes. 29. In 1974, tuition is $175 per semester for Union County residents. Women account for more than half the enrollment, and practically all Union College students are part-time. 30. Students gather in between classes on the College’s Cranford campus and show off the fashion of the time. 31. The 1977 women’s basketball team continues in their honored tradition as Region XIX Basketball Champions and tally a string of 26 consecutive victories. 32. An early session in the Counseling Department. 33. Athletes pose under “Icarus” for a team photo. 34. UCC is created on June 24, 1982. With the signing of merger docu ments, the consolidation of Union College and Union County Technical Institute (UCTI) in Scotch Plains is complete. The new UCC is part of the NJ community college system, with four campuses, 4,000 full and 5,000 part time students. 35. The 1984 -1986 catalog show off UCC’s college colors of red and white. 36. The UCC recruitment table at one of the many college fairs visited each year. 37. UCC’s nursing programs respond to the national nursing short age. 100% of the 1989 classes of the Elizabeth General Medical Center and Muhlenberg Regional Medial Center Schools of Nursing pass the National RN Licensure Exam. 38. September 18, 1989, UCC took title to the headquarters building of Elizabethtown Gas, giving the College a permanent home in downtown Elizabeth. 39. The Cranford campus was enhanced in 1991 with the opening of a new 43,000 sq. ft. student life building, now known as the Victor M. Richel Student Commons. In 1994, a stateof-the-art Visual Arts and Communications Center opened in the lower level of the MacKay Library and in ‘95 the new Fitness Center and Executive Education Center continued the growth of the Cranford campus. 40. Evidencing changing social attitudes, the College set a goal to be a smoke-free facility by the end of 1991. 41. After extensive renovations, in ‘92 Dr. Brown presided over the dedication of both the Lessner building, UCC’s full-service Elizabeth Campus, and the Plainfield Campus which occupies nearly an entire city block. 42. In the 90’s more than 10,000 students enrolled annually in UCC’s Continuing Education Programs. Emphasis on community education spurred creation of a paramedic program, College for Kids, and classes with the Union County Police Academy. 43. Rating UCC “excellent” Middle States Commission on Higher Education reaccredits the College. 44. The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders established the first Freeholders Scholars Program in the nation in Fall 1999. The scholarship pays tuition and fees at UCC for County residents who meet edu cational and financial criteria. 45. In 2001, UCC launched new programs including Deaf-Blind Interpreting and Radia tion Therapy. As well, Trinitas School of Nursing moved from the former Elizabeth General Hospital to UCC’s Elizabeth campus. 46. The 2001-02 academic year was one of incredible highs and devastating lows across the nation. Six days into the Fall Semester the world was rocked by the horrors of September 11. The College community responded with blood drives, commemorative ceremonies, and collective and private reflection. 47. The 39/’40 girls’ basketball squad was the first championship Union Team, but not the last! The 1977 women’s team continued the tradition and with championships in ‘79, ‘81, ‘82, ‘86, ‘87, ‘88, ‘89, ‘90, ‘96, ‘97, ‘98, 2003, and 2007, the winning seasons continue! 48. 2006 brought the completion of the 3rd floor addition to the MacKay Library. This provided much needed instructional space and the library tower is a distinctive architectural centerpiece of the Cranford Campus. 49. For 18 months, anticipating the Middle States Commission on Higher Education 2007 peer review, the entire UCC campus engaged in a Self-Study. At the conclusion of the review, the College’s accreditation was again reaffirmed. Dr. Wallace Smith, VP for Academic Affairs (l), and Faculty Chair Professor Bohdan Lukachewsky proudly proclaim the outcome. 50. For three consecutive years, the UCC Men’s soccer Team won the championship of the Garden State Athletic Conference, in 2005, 2006 and 2007. 51. UCC’s State of the Art Future: In 2008 the college began constructing the Elizabeth I. Kellogg building located just west of UCC’s existing Lessner building. 52. With 132,000 square ft. of learning space, the Elizabeth I. Kellogg building positions UCC for continued growth and service to the community. 52. Looking Forward In 1933, Union County Junior College opened its doors with less than two hundred students. Now, with more than 35,000 students, UCC is more than 200 times larger than it was in the 1930s. The College is proud of its tradition of academic excellence and its future of continued growth and service.
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Page 3 and 4: From the President As I look back o
Page 5 and 6: ELIZABETH CAMPUS EXPANSION Of the m
Page 7 and 8: Through a partnership with the Coun
Page 9 and 10: In the mathematics department a new
Page 11 and 12: t& Education CEWD continued to prov
Page 13 and 14: ange of academic disciplines in sup
Page 15 and 16: plishments Professor Jennifer McCar
Page 17 and 18: ATHLETICS The UCC Intercollegiate A
Page 19 and 20: The UCC Foundation’s special even
Page 21 and 22: The College continues to maintain m
Page 23: Enrollment ENROLLMENT 2008-2009 •
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