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The Voice

Cumberland County Colleges Award-Winning Newspaper

Winter 2014

cccvoice.wordpress.com

Volume 28, Edition 2

Cumberland County College Construction: For the Students

By REBECCA KOLIMAGA
Staff Writer

After 18 months of construction, Cumberland County

College has completed Phase One
of its first renovation since opening in 1966. The total Phase One
renovations cost $6.5 million.
$1.6 million went to renovating
and expanding the Academic
Building. The building has a new
lobby, three new classrooms, one
renovated classroom, a new elevator, and three new study group
areas or collaboratoriums.
The collaboratoriums are
an excellent way for students to
network, focus and relax, said
Cumberland County College
Board of Trustees Chairman,
Keith Figgs. Administrators of the
college firmly believe in the potential of the colleges students. These
renovations and the upcoming
renovations are being funded and

constructed because
the students deserve
them.
The lobby, full
of CCC student and
graduate artwork, is
sleek and welcoming. The elevator
allows students with
disabilities to reach
the second floor
with ease and safety.
The three new classrooms and
the renovated classroom feature
new furniture and technological
resources designed to enhance
student learning. Outside the
classroom, students are forming
study groups, discussing lessons,
and helping each other learn in
the new collaboratoriums.
The Administration Building transformed into a student
resource with $2.7 million. The
president, both vice presidents, the
Foundation, Human Resources,

Communications & Marketing,

and Institutional Effectiveness
all have offices in this building.
Students can now find all administrative offices in one location.
The improved Academic and
Administrative Buildings have
been tailored to meet the needs of
the students.
The 4,200 square feet that
was added allows for an enlarged
boardroom and two new conference rooms that are available for
public use. The modern design

and furnishing of
the Administration
Building represents
the professionalism of the college.
CCCs Senior
Officers, Board of
Trustees and Board
of Chosen Freeholders are proud of
the college and its
students. Stephen
Sweeney, the New Jersey State
Senator President, said, when I
was told Id be in Cumberland, I
couldnt stop smiling. Its good to
be home. The Boards dedication,
determination and pride has given
students of Cumberland County
an environment that is conducive
to learning and success.
CCC has upgraded its facilities with televisions that display
campus news and an improved
Network Operations Center
(NOC) that has state-of-the-art

technology for students. The campus has gained 8,573 square feet
from Phase One and as CCC President Dr. Thomas Isekenegbe said,
All construction and renovations
on campus are all about student
learning and student success. Its
all for you.
Renovations to the Student
Life Center will begin in May
2015. According to Dr. Galbiati, Vice President of Academic
Affairs and Enrollment Services,
The cost is 7.5 million dollars,
and will take approximately 15
months for completion. The caf
will be expanded and students will
be able to register, pay and get
answers about their education and
financial aid in one location. This
next chapter is designed to provide
students with a motivating, useful
and unique learning environment.
Welcome to our beautiful campus, said Isekenegbe.

Transferring to a four-year university? Where do I start?

By TRACEY COSME
Staff Writer
Are you beginning to ask
yourself questions like: How soon
can I transfer? or When should I
start thinking about transferring?
or What steps should I take in
order to have a smooth transfer?
or What would happen if I decide to transfer during the current
semester? If you are, youre not
the only one. Many students, who
attend both two- and four-year
colleges alike, ask these questions
plus many more concerning what
is the best way to transfer.
First, you should know there
are people on campus who are
trained to help us make these

important decisions. Such as, Dr.

Steve Stolar - Transfer Specialist
advisor, Ms. Reta Rios - Career
Development advisor, Ms. Kellie
Slade Senior Director of Student
Life, as well as the many other
advisors assigned to our particular
curriculums located around campus. These people are our support
system.
However, there are still some
decisions we must make on our
own. Such as, What college or
university do I want to transfer
to? Have you made a list? Before
others can assist you, you must
first do your homework. Ask
yourself, Do I want to stay instate, go out-of-state, or abroad?
What do I want to major in?

Is my GPA sufficient to get into

the college of my choice? Are
SAT scores still a factor in the
decision-making process? all of
these are valid questions we need
to ask.
Ok, now youve got all the
information you need and youre
ready to apply. Now what?
Instead of applying to just one,
try two, or maybe your top three.
Make sure you adhere to all the
rules and regulations listed on
the application fill each one
out carefully. Do you need to
write an essay? Did you cover
the suggested topic thoroughly
and adhere to the word count?
After youve completely filled out
each application, you may want

to seek out a trusted member of

your support team to check it for
errors. Remember to request an
official copy of your transcript
from the Registrars office for each
application before submitting, and
also one from your high school.
After youve amassed all pertinent documents, made sure your
applications are error-free, and
included any requested application fees youre ready to send
them out, preferably by certified
return-receipt mail. Also, dont
forget to make copies of important
documents for yourself, incase
anything becomes misplaced, and
you have to resend it.
Another avenue you might
try is CCCs annual Transfer Day,

held sometime in February every

year. During this time, recruiters
from area colleges and universities
come to Cumberland County College to view application packages,
in person, and give an instant
approval for admission on the
spot. If accepted, you will receive
an informal letter of acceptance
immediately and then the formal
letter in about two weeks after the
event.
The hardest part is the waiting game. But take condolence
in the fact that if you are certain
you did everything correctly then
just be patient and wait for your
much anticipated reply letters and
hopefully they will all be marked
ACCEPTED. Good luck.

Online Learning: You Dont Have to Go to Class, to Be in Class

By TAYLOR DUFFIELD
Staff Writer
Juggling a part-time job,
a full-time school-schedule, with
other obligations? It may be time
to consider fulfilling your college-credited courses online.
The online courses offered
at CCC are credited towards your
degree and may be a solution for
students struggling to balance
commitments. The CCC website states, Distance Learning
provides students the opportunity
to take courses that may have
otherwise been inaccessible due to
scheduling constraints.
Classes are executed using
the Internet system, Blackboard.
Blackboard allows students to
access their courses to complete
exams, surrender assignments, and

much more. This information is

available to the students whenever
they have access to a computer
with Internet capability. Around
the clock admittance to Blackboard allows students to fulfill
course obligations and view class
lectures at their convenience.
However, as the CCC
website states, certainly many
students are attracted to Distance
Learning courses because of their
convenience, but it is also true
that some may fare better in a
traditional classroom setting.
Students of CCC struggling to
utilize technological tools may
experience difficulty in an online
environment. Lacking knowledge
to maneuver Blackboard could
distract from the course, resulting
in an unsuccessful class.

Being particularly tech-savvy, but with lack of reliable access

to a computer or to the Internet,
will hinder the online learning
experience. Most classes do not
require you to be available at a
specified time, excluding deadlines
for class assignments, discussions,
and tests. Aside from hindering
deadlines, limited resource to
Blackboard will prevent access
to essential material required to
complete accurate work.
Online learning professors
rely on Blackboard and email
correspondence to communicate
with their students. Professors
expect that students check Blackboard and email on a daily basis to
remain updated to new information. Without a reliable computer,
the potential to succeed is slim if

the student fails to maintain the

course obligations.
Sarah Galzerano, a student
at CCC, discussed her experience
with learning online. I didnt
want to take English composition classes on campus, because I
thought it would waste my time,
because I do my best writing at
home. Also, I liked the idea of the
flexibility of online classes. They
definitely gave me extra freedom
for when and how I did my work.
She described the independence
of an online course environment.
I could do my work while I was
in my pajamas, in bed, eating a
snack, or doing anything else for
that matter. However, she does
warn that online learning may
not be suitable for all students.
Online learning might not be

so convenient for a student who

needs constant reminders about
assignments, and doesnt have
the responsibility to check up on
them, online, on their own.
CCC has a way for students
that are considering online learning to help them decide if it suits
their learning style. On the CCC
website, the distance learning page
encourages students to partake
in a questionnaire designed to
determine what to expect in an
online setting. Students interested
in pursuing an education online
should first check the technological requirements on the CCC
website and take the online learning questionnaire. Perhaps try one
online class first to see for yourself
if an online environment truly is
for you.