Camden County College: A Comprehensive Overview

Camden County College (CCC) stands as one of the largest and most comprehensive community colleges in New Jersey and the surrounding region. Since its establishment, the college has been a vital resource for transfer education, workforce training, and cultural events. Licensed by the State of New Jersey since 1965, CCC has grown to encompass multiple campuses and locations, offering accessible and affordable higher education and occupational study to residents of Camden County and beyond.

Historical Foundation and Evolution

The college's story began with the purchase of the Mother of the Savior Seminary in Gloucester Township in early 1967, which was developed into the Blackwood Campus. The college's mission was launched when what had been the Mother of the Savior Seminary was purchased in early 1967. In 1962, a New Jersey State law enabled the establishment of colleges by counties. Camden County created a college board in 1964 and a voter referendum, in 1965, approved the creation of a county college.

In 1966, the Freeholders of Camden County charged Harry Benn, then secretary of the Camden County College Board, and a small commission to find land capable of maintaining a college in the central part of the county. Otto R. Mauke was chosen to be the first president of the college in March 1967 and his staff moved into Washington Hall in June 1967. Founded in 1967, Camden County College was composed of one campus with seven academic programs and a handful of buildings. Three original buildings are still in use. The original enrollment was less than 500 students. The first graduating class was 172 students in 1969.

In 1969, the college opened its first campus in Camden City. In 1970, the college began its first multimillion-dollar expansion. During the 1970s, the Blackwood campus added several more buildings and programs. In 1989, the Blackwood campus underwent another round of expansion. The college added a manufacturing technology building, a Laser Institute building, and a Child Care center. In 2000, the Rohrer Center was opened in Cherry Hill, NJ, creating the third campus for the college. In 2004, a second building was added to the Camden City Campus.

In 2005, the county made an $83 million investment known as the Freeholder Initiative, in order to update and renovate the college campuses, representing the largest investment in the college since its founding. Since 2005 renovation has modernized the Blackwood campus. The college's presence in the City of Camden began in 1969, and was awarded full campus status in 1991. In 2000, the William G. Rohrer Center opened in Cherry Hill. In 2011, CCC assumed administration of the Camden County Regional Emergency Training Center (RETC), at Lakeland which houses the Camden County Fire Academy and the Camden County Police Academy. That same year all adult training offered at the Technical Institute of Camden County in Sicklerville came under the College’s oversight. On July 1, 2012, several different services of Camden County (including the Police Academy, the Firefighter Academy, EMT training, and adult vocational training) were consolidated under the direction of Camden County College unifying all post-secondary education in Camden County under Camden County College management. The name was consequently changed to the Technical Institute at Camden County College. This consolidation added two locations to Camden County College.

Key Milestones and Developments

1967: College founded with one campus and seven academic programs.
1969: First campus opens in Camden City.
1970s-1980s: Expansion of the Blackwood Campus with new buildings and programs.
1991: Camden City Campus achieves full campus status.
2000: Rohrer Center opens in Cherry Hill.
2005: Freeholder Initiative invests \$83 million in campus renovations.
2011: Administration of the Camden County Regional Emergency Training Center (RETC) assumed.
2012: Consolidation of Camden County Technical Schools under CCC management, forming the Technical Institute at Camden County College.

Campus Locations

Camden County College operates across multiple locations, each serving distinct needs within the community:

Blackwood Campus: The main academic campus, established in 1967 on the former Mother of the Savior Seminary grounds.
Camden City Campus: Located at the nexus of Broadway and Cooper Street, offering programs focused on technology-driven careers.
Rohrer Campus (Cherry Hill): A high-tech learning environment with a focus on continuing education.
Technical Institute (Sicklerville): Provides vocational training and career retraining services.
Regional Emergency Training Center (Lakeland): Houses the Firefighter Academy, EMT training facilities, and the Camden County Police Academy.

Presidents of Camden County College

Otto R. Mauke (1967-1987)
Robert W. Ramsay (1987-1993)
Phyllis Della Vecchia (1993-2006)
Raymond Yannuzzi (2006-2016)
Donald Borden (2016-2022)
Lovell Pugh-Bassett (2022-Present)

Academic Profile

Camden County College is a medium, 2-year, public school offering certificate and associate degrees. The school utilizes a semester-based academic year. The student-faculty ratio is 20-to-1. The highest degree offered at Camden County College is an associate degree. The school has an open admissions policy and offers credit for life experiences. Students can earn degrees and certificates in 52 different fields. Popular programs include: Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies, Business Administration and Management, General, and Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse.

The college enrolls over 17,000 credit students annually in more than 100 degree and certificate programs and is recognized nationally as a leader in advanced technology programs. Recent studies of US Department of Education data have shown that CCC ranks among the nation’s top 50 colleges for associate degree completion in education and among the top 100 in associate degrees completed by African-American students. The College also is recognized nationally as a leader in technology programs such as video game design/development and photonics. Recent studies of federal Department of Education data have shown that in addition to ranking among the nation’s top 100 community colleges for overall associate’s degree completion and among the nation’s top 10 for associate’s degree completion in education, the College also ranks among the top 50 for associate’s degrees completed in registered nursing, nursing administration, nursing research and clinical nursing; health professions and related programs; and science technologies/technicians.

Key Academic Features

Open Admissions: Camden County College maintains an open admissions policy, making higher education accessible to a wide range of students.
Credit for Life Experiences: The college recognizes the value of prior learning, offering credit for life experiences.
Diverse Programs: Students can pursue degrees and certificates in 52 different fields, catering to various career interests and goals.
Popular Programs: Noteworthy programs include Liberal Arts and Sciences, Business Administration and Management, and Registered Nursing.
Recognition: CCC ranks among the nation's top colleges for associate degree completion, particularly in education and for African-American students.

Tuition and Fees

The in-district tuition and fees were \$3,648, and out-of-district tuition and fees were \$3,744. There is no application fee.

Campus Facilities

Blackwood Campus

Gabriel E. The Wolverton Library: A mixed-use four-story building that houses the traditional library facility and a computerized testing center, student study areas including quiet rooms for group study. The Wolverton Library contains over 40,000 volumes and print journals covering three floors of the building. Students and staff have access to the county library system, which allows access to any volume in the Camden County public library system. The Wolverton Library also provides access to an extensive online e-book collection of over 100,000 volumes and research journals. Through the CollegeAnywhere system students also have access to hundreds of hours of educational video services including PBS documentaries.

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Madison Connector Building: The Madison Connector Building is a construction project begun simultaneously with the renovation of Madison Hall. The Connector is a three story breezeway-office-classroom facility linking Madison Hall with the College Community Center. It features a dramatic curved exterior. The building is 32,000 square feet (3,000 m2) and represented the first new construction on campus since the building of the CIM in the early/mid 1990s. Madison Connector contains a lecture theater, an amphitheater, high-tech classrooms and office spaces."smart" technologies fill the building, providing state-of-the-art wireless and hard-wired teaching spaces and presentation capabilities. The most visually appealing part of the Madison Connector is the Atrium; a three story open space paneled, on three sides, by tall glass walls allowing the Atrium to be sunlit throughout the day. As such, it has become the gathering space for students. The Madison Connector building houses Civic Hall and The Forum - two high-technology meeting/conference/lecture spaces which serve as the hub for the presentations given by the Center for Civic Leadership and Responsibility. Civic Hall is a 315 stadium seat lecture hall containing a full presentation room in the back and multiple cameras and projectors. The Forum is a 40-seat amphitheater built to be reminiscent of both the Roman Forum and Medieval Observation Classrooms.
Kevin G. Halpern Hall for Science and Health: This science building is a $30 million capital project.

Camden City Campus

College Hall: A five-story, fifty thousand sq. foot building.
Camden Technology Center (CTC): The CTC is a US$19.6 million, 278,000-square-foot (25,800 m2) facility built as part of the Camden Rehabilitation and Economic Recovery Act. The purpose of the facility is to create a space for the teaching and learning of technology-driven careers in health, business and technology fields. Amenities include technologically "smart" learning spaces, an "electronic village" computer lab, fully wired conference rooms, a 621-space parking garage and a University District Bookstore.

Rohrer Campus (Cherry Hill)

The two-story building is located at the corner of Route 70 and Springdale Road in Cherry Hill, New Jersey on an 11-acre (45,000 m2) site. The campus provides a high-tech learning environment. A high proportion of classrooms are computer labs, the entire campus has wireless internet, every classroom has a digital projector and computer workstation for the lecturer (and some classrooms have printing capabilities.) The E-Library has 25 workstations allowing access to the college's 50,000+ collection of e-books (and contains technical manuals for Continuing Education courses). The Campus also contains a Barnes and Noble mini-bookstore to provide textbooks, refreshments, and other items to students.

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Student Demographics

The college has a diverse student body, reflecting the demographics of the surrounding community.

Total Entering Students (Fall 2023): 2,322
Full-time Enrollment (Fall 2022): 3,424
Part-time Enrollment (Fall 2022): 4,698
Age Distribution (Fall 2022):
- Under 18: 4%
- 18-24: 56%
- 25-64: 40%
- Over 65: 0%

Student Support Services

Camden County College offers a range of services to support students' academic and personal success. These include:

Academic/career counseling services
Employment services for students
Placement services for completers
On-campus day care for students' children
Credit for life experiences

Paying for School

At Camden County College, 46 percent of undergraduates receive grant or scholarship aid and the average scholarship or grant award is \$4,766.

In-state tuition and fees \$3,744
Out-of-state tuition and fees \$3,744
Books and supplies \$1,800

Student Life

Camden County College offers a vibrant student life with various activities and organizations.

The Center at Camden CC

The Center at Camden CC (formerly known as e Center for Civic Leadership and Responsibility) focuses on the needs and interests of educators and the community at large. Its goal is to create an informed citizenry through exploration of humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and issues critical to a democratic society. All members of the community are welcome to attend our courses, special events and lecture series. The Center offers interesting and thought-provoking courses and events to help teachers to meet their professional development requirements and community members to enhance their knowledge. In order for us to notify you of any cancellations or changes, all participants are asked to register prior to attending. We reserve the right to cancel or reschedule programs should the need arise.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Camden County College does not discriminate in admissions or access to, or treatment or employment on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, nationality, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status or domestic partnership or civil union status, gender identity or expression, or persons with a mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected characteristic, in its programs and activities.

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