ECC Taking Part in Fair of Historically Black Collegex

Essex County College (ECC), the state’s only two-year Predominantly Black Institution (PBI), will be one of the stops on Tuesday, November 19 for the 2013 Malcolm Bernard Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) College Fair Week. The event is held in collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Education.

The event, geared toward both high school and community college undergraduates looking to transfer after earning their Associate degree, will be held from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at various sites on the Newark campus, 303 University Avenue. This is the first time ECC and the Malcolm Bernard organization have partnered to bring the college fair to the campus.

”We’re very excited to have the unique opportunity to be one of only five host sites in the state for the Malcolm Bernard event,” said ECC President Gale E. Gibson.  “We will also highlight the fact that high school students can enroll in the ‘2 Plus 2’ program whereby they would attend Essex for two years, earn their Associate degree, and then transfer as juniors to one of the HBCU colleges anywhere they desire. Essex is proud to be a PBI institution.”

Among the more than 40 HBCU institutions slated to attend the college fair at Essex are Howard University, Morgan State and Cheyney University. An HBCU institution, according to the federal Higher Education Act of 1965, must have been established prior to 1964 with the main mission of educating African-Americans.

“The fair will provide an excellent chance for institutions of higher education to meet New Jersey’s students and share the rich legacy and opportunities that an HBCU can offer,” said Stephanie James Wilson, Executive Director of the Amistad Commission of the New Jersey Department of Education. She noted that last year, nearly 6,000 New Jersey students attended one of the college fair week events. More than 1,000 students from area high schools and current ECC students are expected to participate.

The college fair features guest speakers, panel discussions led by HBCU alumni and the opportunity to meet with college representatives. ECC will offer workshops on college motivation and the financial aid process. In addition, students who attend with their official transcript and complete an application can receive on-site admission decisions and application fee waivers from many of the institutions.

Note that high school and community college students planning to attend should register online at http://www.hbcu-cfnj.com. General information about the college fair, now in its 15th year, is also available at the website or call (732) 305-7003. Additional information about the ECC event is available from Assistant Dean Charlotte Attenborough at (973) 877-3055.

The U.S. Department of Education defines a PBI as a school enrolling at least 40 percent African-American students. In Fall of 2012, Essex had an enrollment of 49.4 percent African-Americans. ECC is one of only two colleges in the state with the PBI designation.

The college fair week includes stops at three other community colleges in New Jersey, and locations in Camden, New York and Philadelphia.