Henry H. Kessler Foundation Awards $500,000 Grant to Bergen
By Mel Fabrikant Monday, September 29, 2008, 04:02 PM EDT
The Henry H. Kessler Foundation has awarded a $500,000 grant to Bergen Community College and its partners to establish a Regional Center for Disability Employment. The Center aims to: increase the number of people with disabilities who secure employment, retain jobs and advance their careers; and increase the number of private and public sector employers that derive the economic and competitive benefits from employing people with disabilities.
The Center will be housed at the College’s Bergen at the Meadowlands academic facility in Lyndhurst. The Center will be relocated to the permanent Bergen at the Meadowlands campus in East Rutherford near the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Complex once the campus is constructed (expected opening 2012).
“This is an important grant for Bergen Community College,” President Dr. G. Jeremiah Ryan said. “We have a strong commitment to people with disabilities, as evidenced by our 2,500 students with special needs currently attending programs at the College. This grant will increase the College’s ability to serve our communities – including by providing local businesses with skilled employees. Obtaining this grant was a group effort by many at the College and throughout the region – I thank all of them for their efforts.”
As a single point of contact for people with disabilities, officials believe the Center will serve four constituencies: out-of-school youth and adults who are unemployed; incumbent workers who are underemployed or seeking career advancement; young people transitioning out of school into jobs, training and further education; and in-school youth working their way through pathways to careers and independent living.
The Center’s students will receive specialized training, guidance and education from the College’s staff at Bergen at the Meadowlands.
The Center will also act as a resource for local employers, who are expected to use the Center to obtain employees.
For example, throughout the past year, College officials have worked with Meadowlands Xanadu personnel in order to create a partnership between the two entities – particularly given Bergen at the Meadowlands’ eventual proximity to the retail and entertainment destination. As Xanadu is estimated to employ 20,000 workers, College officials believe the Center can supply people with disabilities training and education, while Xanadu can provide employment, creating a pipeline for personal and economic growth.
“If we can increase employment and career opportunities for people with disabilities and engage businesses to utilize the talents of people with disabilities, we have succeeded,” President Ryan said.
Grant funding will begin October 1, 2008 and carry through September 30, 2010. The College and other partners will fund the balance of the Center’s $1 million start-up cost and two-year operating budget. Officials believe a two-year period will enable the Center to become entrenched within the region. After the grant’s expiration, officials expect private and partner support will help keep the Center solvent.
Key partners in the project include: Colony Capital (Meadowlands Xanadu), Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce, New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, Bergen County Technical Schools and Special Services School District, Hire Disability Solutions, LLC, the Workforce Investment Boards and One-Stop Career Centers of Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic Counties; Bergen County Division on Disability Services, Hudson Community Enterprises, State of New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, the Partnership for Community Health, Inc. and the Northern New Jersey Disabilities Network, and Palisades Learning Center, Inc.
Bergen Community College is a public two-year coeducational college, enrolling more than 15,000 students in Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Associate in Applied Science degree programs and certificate programs. More than 10,000 students are enrolled in non-credit, professional courses through the Division of Continuing Education, the Institute for Learning in Retirement, the Philip J. Ciarco Jr. Learning Center, located at 355 Main Street, Hackensack, and Bergen at the Meadowlands, located at 1280 Wall Street West, Lyndhurst. Information about the College is available at www.bergen.edu or by phoning the Welcome Center at (201) 447-7200.
The Center will be housed at the College’s Bergen at the Meadowlands academic facility in Lyndhurst. The Center will be relocated to the permanent Bergen at the Meadowlands campus in East Rutherford near the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Complex once the campus is constructed (expected opening 2012).
“This is an important grant for Bergen Community College,” President Dr. G. Jeremiah Ryan said. “We have a strong commitment to people with disabilities, as evidenced by our 2,500 students with special needs currently attending programs at the College. This grant will increase the College’s ability to serve our communities – including by providing local businesses with skilled employees. Obtaining this grant was a group effort by many at the College and throughout the region – I thank all of them for their efforts.”
As a single point of contact for people with disabilities, officials believe the Center will serve four constituencies: out-of-school youth and adults who are unemployed; incumbent workers who are underemployed or seeking career advancement; young people transitioning out of school into jobs, training and further education; and in-school youth working their way through pathways to careers and independent living.
The Center’s students will receive specialized training, guidance and education from the College’s staff at Bergen at the Meadowlands.
The Center will also act as a resource for local employers, who are expected to use the Center to obtain employees.
For example, throughout the past year, College officials have worked with Meadowlands Xanadu personnel in order to create a partnership between the two entities – particularly given Bergen at the Meadowlands’ eventual proximity to the retail and entertainment destination. As Xanadu is estimated to employ 20,000 workers, College officials believe the Center can supply people with disabilities training and education, while Xanadu can provide employment, creating a pipeline for personal and economic growth.
“If we can increase employment and career opportunities for people with disabilities and engage businesses to utilize the talents of people with disabilities, we have succeeded,” President Ryan said.
Grant funding will begin October 1, 2008 and carry through September 30, 2010. The College and other partners will fund the balance of the Center’s $1 million start-up cost and two-year operating budget. Officials believe a two-year period will enable the Center to become entrenched within the region. After the grant’s expiration, officials expect private and partner support will help keep the Center solvent.
Key partners in the project include: Colony Capital (Meadowlands Xanadu), Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce, New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, Bergen County Technical Schools and Special Services School District, Hire Disability Solutions, LLC, the Workforce Investment Boards and One-Stop Career Centers of Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic Counties; Bergen County Division on Disability Services, Hudson Community Enterprises, State of New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, the Partnership for Community Health, Inc. and the Northern New Jersey Disabilities Network, and Palisades Learning Center, Inc.
Bergen Community College is a public two-year coeducational college, enrolling more than 15,000 students in Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Associate in Applied Science degree programs and certificate programs. More than 10,000 students are enrolled in non-credit, professional courses through the Division of Continuing Education, the Institute for Learning in Retirement, the Philip J. Ciarco Jr. Learning Center, located at 355 Main Street, Hackensack, and Bergen at the Meadowlands, located at 1280 Wall Street West, Lyndhurst. Information about the College is available at www.bergen.edu or by phoning the Welcome Center at (201) 447-7200.
