As the regional award recipient, Dr. Reber is one of five finalists for the
national Marie Y. Martin Chief Executive Officer Award.
September 14, 2022, Jersey City, NJ – Hudson County Community College (HCCC) President, Dr. Christopher M. Reber has been named the recipient of the 2022 Association of Community College Trustees’ (ACCT) Northeast Regional Chief Executive Officer Award. As the regional honoree, Dr. Reber is a finalist for national-level recognition as a potential recipient of the ACCT 2022 Marie Y. Martin Chief Executive Officer Award. The regional awards will be presented at the 53rd Annual ACCT Leadership Congress at a luncheon on Friday, October 28, 2022, in New York City. The national awardee will be announced at the ACCT Annual Awards Gala that evening.
The 2022 ACCT Chief Executive Officer Award formally recognizes the tremendous contributions made by community college chief executive officers. The award is given by ACCT in recognition of chief executive officers who demonstrate commitment to excellence in advancing the community college movement.
“We are very proud to announce Dr. Reber’s well-deserved award” said HCCC Board of Trustees Chair, Mr. William J. Netchert, Esq. “Student success, and diversity, equity and inclusion are the hallmarks of Dr. Reber’s governance. His commitment to our students, faculty, administrators, and community is significant and pronounced.”
“Community colleges are unique institutions dedicated to making high-quality higher education accessible for all Americans,” said ACCT President and CEO Jee Hang Lee. “This year’s regional ACCT awardees represent the most outstanding people and programs from throughout the country, and we are excited to be able to bring attention to them.”
Dr. Reber was installed as HCCC President in July 2018. He has devoted his entire 40-year-plus career to higher education, serving as President of the Community College of Beaver County (2014-18); Executive Dean and Campus Executive Officer of Venango College of Clarion University of Pennsylvania (2002-14); Associate Provost for Advancement and University Relations, Dean of Student Affairs, and Affiliate Assistant Professor of Education at Pennsylvania State University at Erie, The Behrend College (1987-2002); Director of Human Resource Development Division, and Director of Lifelong Learning at Lakeland Community College (1984-87); and other positions earlier in his career. He holds a Postdoctoral Certificate from the Institute for Educational Management, Graduate School of Education at Harvard University; Ph.D. in Education from the University of Pittsburgh; M.A. in College Student Personnel Administration from Bowling Green State University; and B.A. in Latin from Dickinson College.
Dr. Reber tirelessly and passionately advocates Hudson County Community College (HCCC) as well as state and national community college priorities. As HCCC President, he created the President’s Advisory Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (PACDEI); established the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion position and Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; instituted the “Hudson Helps Resource Center” to promote student retention and success through wraparound services to support the holistic needs of students; initiated “Hudson Scholars,” a model student retention and support program; formed community and corporate partnerships that promote upward social and economic mobility for students and community members; and successfully led HCCC throughout the twin pandemics of COVID-19, and racial/social injustice. Because of the culture of caring and connectedness Dr. Reber has nurtured, HCCC students have proudly coined the phrase, “Hudson is Home!”
“Needless to say, I am humbled and deeply moved by this honor,” Dr. Reber stated. “It is a privilege to work with my colleagues at Hudson County Community College as well as our elected representatives, and community and corporate partners, in creating transformational opportunities for our students, Hudson County residents, and the community college movement nationally. Our students and their achievements are inspirational.”
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About Hudson County Community College
Hudson County Community College serves more than 18,000 credit and non-credit students annually. The College offers nearly 90 degree and certificate programs including award-winning English as a Second Language, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Culinary Arts/Hospitality Management, Nursing and Health Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Business. The HCCC Culinary/Hospitality Management program was ranked number six in the U.S. by Best Choice Schools.
HCCC has partnerships with every major four-year college and university in the greater New Jersey-New York area and beyond, accommodating seamless transfer of credits for further undergraduate and graduate education.
The College’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has been recognized with the 2021 Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Northeast Region Equity Award; and the “INSIGHT Into Diversity” 2021 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award honoring HCCC as one of nine community colleges nationally to be named “Top Colleges for Diversity.” HCCC was a finalist in 2022 for the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) “Advancing Diversity Award of Excellence.” HCCC was selected as one of 24 community colleges in the United States – and the only community college in New Jersey – to be named among the “2022 Most Promising Places to Work in Community Colleges” by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD), in collaboration with “Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.”
