Hudson County Community College Gets $499K In COVID-19 Funding

JERSEY CITY, NJ — A collection of New Jersey colleges and universities, including Hudson County Community College, will receive funding through the launch of a new grant program. The federal funds will be distributed to universities, so they can address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, state officials said.

Gov. Phil Murphy and Secretary of Higher Education Brian Bridges announced the recipients of the funding this week, stating that the money will go to support the core priorities of the State Plan for Higher Education.

Hudson County Community College will receive $499,983.

About $28.5 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Education, through the second round of Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funding, will be awarded to 35 public and public-mission private institutions that receive state operating aid.

This funding will also support the launch of the Opportunity meets Innovation Challenge, a "competitive grant program to implement best practices and develop sustainable system-wide reforms as the state builds long-term resiliency."

These institutions will implement vetted best practices that increase college completion, address barriers to student success, and develop sustainable systemic reforms, according to a news release.

The colleges and universities will now be able to expand projects like dual enrollment programs and tackling food insecurity or lack of childcare as a way to address barriers and increase access for low-income students, the release said.

Additional funding of more than $1 million will be awarded to 11 public institutions to combat food insecurity among students.

"Our institutions of higher education have provided a high-quality of education to our students throughout the pandemic, despite challenging circumstances," said Murphy.

"Supporting our institutions will continue to be a priority as they work to provide an equitable educational experience for students, prepare them for the jobs of the future and meet challenges ahead."

Patch reporter Montana Samuels contributed to this report.