Hudson County Community College Earns 2025 Higher Education Excellence and Distinction Award, HEED Champion Designation from Insight Into Academia

November 3, 2025

November 3, 2025, Jersey City, NJ – Hudson County Community College (HCCC) has earned its fifth consecutive Higher Education Excellence and Distinction (HEED) Award from Insight Into Academia Magazine for sustained commitment to academic excellence and community building across all levels of campus life. The College also received its second HEED Champion designation for serving as a national model for higher education.

HEED Champions set the standard for thousands of colleges and universities by implementing strategies that foster outstanding learning environments, increase representation, and drive meaningful change. HEED Champions consistently rank in the top tier of HEED Award recipients. By creating inclusive and supportive learning environments and professional development opportunities, HEED Award winners ensure that graduates are leaders for a global workforce and that employees achieve thriving careers.

HCCC HEED Award

Hudson County Community College earned its fifth consecutive Higher Education Excellence and Distinction (HEED) Award from Insight Into Academia Magazine for sustained commitment to academic excellence and community building. HCCC also received its second HEED Champion designation for serving as a national model for higher education.

“We thank Insight Into Academia Magazine for recognizing our dedication to student success and the enrichment of our faculty, staff, and administration,” said HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber. “The HEED Champion designation places the College among a nationally recognized cohort of changemakers, highlighting our commitment to students, the HCCC family, and our community.”

HCCC goes above and beyond to support academic excellence and student success with innovative programs such as:

  • The HCCC First Year Experience course that helps freshmen transition into the rigors of college life and clarify career goals by providing peer leadership and mentoring;
  • HCCC’s Summer Refresher Academy that assists students in improving their grade point averages and completing their degrees more quickly;
  • HCCC Abegail Douglas-Johnson Academic Support Services Center, providing free tutoring and supplemental instruction;
  • The “Hudson Scholars” program that improves retention and degree completion through proactive advisement, financial stipends, and early academic intervention; and
  • “Hudson Helps Resource Center” of wraparound services including mental health support, food pantries, a career clothing closet, Chromebook loaners, and more.

HCCC’s transparent, objective, and multilayered screening and hiring practices help attract candidates with broad skills, backgrounds, and experiences and advance the knowledge and skills of the entire HCCC family. These include:

  • Certificate and employee-recognition initiatives celebrating the contributions and achievements of faculty, staff, and administrators that facilitate continued support and growth;
  • The President and Board of Trustees serving as champions, active participants, and supporters of HCCC’s goals, strategies, and policies;
  • Monthly Presidential Town Hall Meetings and retreats where ideas are exchanged and valued;
  • Training and cultural celebration programs open to the community at large;
  • Establishment of the Office of Institutional Engagement and Excellence and the President’s Advisory Council on Institutional Engagement and Excellence; and
  • Myriad partnerships and memberships such as Former Governor James McGreevey’s New Jersey Reentry Corporation, Eastern Millwork, Inc. (Holz Technik Registered Apprenticeship Program), JPMorgan Chase, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 164, International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 825, Hudson County Department of Family Services and Reintegration, Achieving the Dream, and many others that lead to workforce development and better lives for all in Hudson County and beyond.