Vision 2025 | New Jersey Council of County Colleges

Call to Action

Building a prosperous and future-ready New Jersey calls for a relentless focus on helping more New Jerseyans achieve postsecondary degrees and credentials that lead to genuine economic mobility and opportunity. New Jersey’s community colleges offer a unique value proposition to address these needs, based on access, quality, affordability, and innovation, and we stand ready to work with all partners for the benefit of our state.

Joining together to do this work is both a moral and an economic imperative.

We are eager to work with all who share this commitment. To learn how you can get involved, please click here.

Action Pillars

To help more New Jerseyans attain postsecondary degrees and credentials of value, we are committed to the following action pillars. Some call for new legislation or funding, while others advocate for new partnerships between community colleges and with external stakeholders. Many will be undertaken by community colleges themselves, reinforcing and building on progress they are already making. These action pillars represent our collective priorities and will shape our focus in the years ahead. We believe implementing these strategies is the best route to equitable academic, social, and economic mobility for all New Jerseyans and broadly shared prosperity for our communities.

Pillar 1: Helping All High School Students Access Pathways to Postsecondary and Career Success

In order to ensure that more New Jerseyans are on a path to family-sustaining careers, that we have an educated, skilled workforce to support economic growth, and that we close equity gaps, New Jersey must implement innovative efforts to help all high school students get on a path to earning a postsecondary credential or degree.

Pillar 2: Fostering Student Success and Completion in Postsecondary Education and Training

It is not enough to enroll students in postsecondary programs: we must ensure that more students earn a credential or degree. NJ’s Community Colleges serve an incredibly diverse population of students with multiple goals.

Pillar 3: Building Transparent, Seamless, and Stackable Pathways That Respond to the Changing Economy

NJ’s Community Colleges recognize that students take many different and unique journeys to postsecondary credentials and degrees and need transparent pathways that can be accessed in myriad ways. These pathways should seamlessly stack to higher levels of education.

Pillar 4: Helping Adults Attain the Credentials They Need for Career Mobility and Labor Market Success

To keep up with evolving skills and achieve economic and career mobility, more adult and working learners will need ongoing access to education and training. Some of these needs can be met through short-term nondegree credential programs at Community Colleges.

Press Releases

March 12, 2026 | News Story

NJCCC’s Statement on Governor’s Budget

Given the difficult fiscal situation in New Jersey, Governor Sherrill faced tough choices in her FY27 State Budget, and we appreciate that the proposed budget includes level funding for community college operating aid.

Press Releases

February 26, 2026 | News Story

New Study Quantifies “Substantial Economic Impact” of New Jersey’s Community Colleges

According to a new independent economic impact analysis, New Jersey’s 18 community colleges add $12.8 billion to the state’s economy annually—a value roughly equal to 1.6 percent of the total gross state product.

In The News

February 19, 2026 | News Story

New Jersey community college faculty and staff convene at Princeton for inaugural Transfer Pathways Institute

At Princeton University’s Carl A. Fields Center, community college faculty and staff from across New Jersey gathered to discuss a question central to their work: how can they help more community college students successfully transfer to selective four-year colleges and universities?

A Collective Roadmap for Action and a Future Ready New Jersey

Call to Action

Action Pillars

Pillar 1: Helping All High School Students Access Pathways to Postsecondary and Career Success

Pillar 2: Fostering Student Success and Completion in Postsecondary Education and Training

Pillar 3: Building Transparent, Seamless, and Stackable Pathways That Respond to the Changing Economy

Pillar 4: Helping Adults Attain the Credentials They Need for Career Mobility and Labor Market Success

Contact the Council

Upcoming Events

Latest News

NJCCC’s Statement on Governor’s Budget

New Study Quantifies “Substantial Economic Impact” of New Jersey’s Community Colleges

New Jersey community college faculty and staff convene at Princeton for inaugural Transfer Pathways Institute

Council Newsletter

A Collective Roadmap for Action and a Future Ready New Jersey

Call to Action

Action Pillars

Pillar 1: Helping All High School Students Access Pathways to Postsecondary and Career Success

Pillar 2: Fostering Student Success and Completion in Postsecondary Education and Training

Pillar 3: Building Transparent, Seamless, and Stackable Pathways That Respond to the Changing Economy

Pillar 4: Helping Adults Attain the Credentials They Need for Career Mobility and Labor Market Success

Contact the Council

Upcoming Events

Latest News

NJCCC’s Statement on Governor’s Budget

New Study Quantifies “Substantial Economic Impact” of New Jersey’s Community Colleges

New Jersey community college faculty and staff convene at Princeton for inaugural Transfer Pathways Institute