HAZLET – The Brookdale Community College Board of Trustees approved new higher education partnerships on May 17 designed to expand opportunities for local college students.
Officials from Brookdale and Georgian Court University (GCU) signed off on the new Brookdale – Georgian Court University Partnership, which will allow students to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the university while studying under GCU faculty at Brookdale’s Hazlet campus.
The partnership builds on an existing agreement between both schools, offering dual admissions and GCU tuition discounts of up to 45 percent to eligible Brookdale graduates. Programming will begin in September 2016.
“We are very excited to extend what has been a long and lasting partnership,” said GCU President Joseph Marbach, who joined Brookdale President Maureen Murphy to sign off on the initiative during the board of trustees’ monthly public meeting, held at Brookdale’s Hazlet campus.
“Partnerships are becoming the norm in higher education, and it’s great to be piloting a program that allows a student to complete an associate degree, a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in one location. Affordability and accessibility are critical to local students, and that mission is something we both share at Georgian Court and Brookdale.”
According to Marbach, nearly 9 percent of all GCU alumni were previously enrolled at Brookdale.
The Brookdale – Georgian Court University Partnership marks the first time bachelor’s and master’s degrees will be offered through Brookdale’s Hazlet campus. Similar partnerships are offered with Rutgers University at Brookdale’s Freehold campus and with New Jersey City University at Brookdale’s Wall campus.
The Brookdale board also unanimously approved the new Explorer Program – Early College Academy, offered by Brookdale and the Hazlet Township School District.
“A colleague of mine likes to say that Brookdale is where we are, college is what we do and community is why we do it,” said Reed. “I see these initiatives as sort of stitching together a community of educators to serve Monmouth County in a really clear, distinct way. We could not be happier to announce these new partnerships tonight.”
To learn more about Brookdale’s academic and transfer programs, visit www.brookdalecc.edu/recruitment-services.
