Fueling Community Journalism Through NJ Community Colleges

NJCH and Journalism + Design at the New School are partnering with a set of community colleges around the state in 2023-24 to create and deliver free noncredit community journalism certificate offerings, to equip people with tools to better understand and articulate what's happening in their communities.

These certificates, unique to each school and created with input from local community partners and media organizations, will give participants transferable skills from a variety of disciplines – including journalism, design, the humanities, media literacy and systems thinking – that challenge them to explore creative ways to better inform their community and circulate high-quality news.

Project TeamS

NJCH and Journalism + Design at The New School are pleased to announce the members of our 2023-24 “Fueling Community Journalism Through NJ Community Colleges” cohort!

Each college will receive a $40,000 award from NJCH and J+D to train faculty members and fund tuition-free, noncredit certificates in community journalism at their institutions. These certificate programs, which will be unique to each college, will be developed by the selected colleges through training and support from NJCH/J+D and other local news experts.

Beginning in July 2023, representatives from each college will take part in intensive workshops that will explore how to create, facilitate, and sustain certificate programs that incorporate local voices and community needs. Colleges also will have the opportunity to build sustainable connections with local media partners and nonprofit organizations in their regions through a Spring 2024 community journalism/community college convening, as well as through NJCH/J+D-supported seed grants for the colleges’ community partners. The colleges will launch their inaugural certificate programs in Spring 2024.

Press release

Four New Jersey community colleges have received $40,000 awards to train faculty members and fund tuition-free, noncredit certificates in community journalism at their institutions.

Read the press release

Media coverage

TapInto Sparta, June 29
NJ Herald, July 5
Sparta Independent, July 10
Community College Daily, July 17
ROI-NJ, July 21
The Trentonian, July 21

Atlantic Cape Community College

Jennie Field, Assistant Professor of English and Communication

Sherwood L. Taylor, Senior Director of Workforce Development

Mercer County Community College

Holly-Katharine Johnson, Professor of English and Journalism

Middlesex College

Melissa Edwards, Professor of English

Cristobal Espinoza-Wulach, Associate Professor of History and Social Science

Sussex County Community College

Cheryl Conway, Instructor of Journalism

Nancy Gallo, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs & Dean of Professional Studies, Social Sciences & STEM and Director of the Center for Lifelong Learning