Leadership Development
by Community Collaboration
Leadership Development
by Community Collaboration
Presenters:
Dr. Kenneth Ender - President
Dr. Kim Warker - Executive Director for
Planning and Development
ABOUT CUMBERLAND
COUNTY
• 503 square miles in southwestern NJ
• Vineland is the largest city in NJ (land area)
• 1 hour south of Philadelphia, PA on the
west and Atlantic City on the east
DEMOGRAPHICS
• 65% white, 20% African American, 13%
Hispanic
• Unemployment two times national average
• 42% of adults 18 or older: no HS diploma
• 6th highest dropout rate in NJ
• Lowest per capita income in NJ ($20,987)
DEMOGRAPHICS
• Highest % of income below poverty level
in NJ
• Federal Empowerment Zone designation
• 1 in 10 families receive public assistance
• Local businesses have noted a critical
need for employees with job readiness
and a strong work ethic
KNOWLEDGE NET
Community Colleges…
must create the network, or knowledge
net, which is “the nexus of pathways
leading to empowerment through the
acquisition of knowledge and the honing
of skills that permit people to exploit
change successfully.”
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
• Must focus on learners
• Must continue to provide the vision and
leadership required to help their
communities remain vital and nurturing
places
• “The purpose of community colleges to
empower individuals.” - Ernest Boyer
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
Colleges provide…
• A common ground for people with differing
views, experiences, or heritage
• Collaboration and development of
partnerships
• Diversity to enrich the educational
experience
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
• Colleges have a vested interest in
developing local leaders
• “Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful citizens can change the world;
indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
- Margaret Mead
VISION
• Cumberland County College serves as a
catalyst for creating collaborative
relationships across the county that
enhance the quality of life through
excellence in education, community
leadership and economic growth.
MISSION
• Cumberland County College is a
comprehensive community college that is
accessible, learning-centered and
dedicated to serving a diverse community
of learners and employers through quality
innovative programs, services and the
appropriate use of technology for life-long
learning.
THEMES
• Literacy
• Learning
• Leadership
BUSINESS/EDUCATION
ALLIANCE
• Business and educational leaders meet
• Identify workforce issues
• Brainstorming:
- Workforce development strategies
- Workplace readiness skills instruction
- Mentoring and job shadowing
BUSINESS/EDUCATION
ALLIANCE
• Improve understanding of roles in
workforce development
• Gain greater appreciation of constraints
and challenges
• Complete mutually beneficial projects
• 1st project: School Counts!
School Counts! PROGRAM
• Employers defined following essential
workforce characteristics:
- Attendance - Good school attendance
- Quality - Quality in work effort
- Rigor - Willingness to work hard
- Persistence - Ability to finish
School Counts! CRITERIA
• Make a grade of “C” or better in all
academic courses
• Achieve a 95% or better attendance and
punctuality record
• Complete HS in eight consecutive semesters
• Take more courses than the minimum
graduation requirements
CUMBERLAND COUNTY
COLLEGE ADVANTAGE
• Foundation commits to scholarships for
each student who earns 4 consecutive
School Counts! certificates
Center for Leadership,
Community and
Neighborhood Development
• CUMBERLAND COUNTY COLLEGE
• VINELAND, NJ
CLCND Flow Chart
Center for Leadership, Community & Neighborhood Development
Advisory Board
Leadership
Advisory Board
Leadership
Cumberland County
Youth Leadership
Municipal
Management
Neighborhood/Non-Profit
Leadership Advisory Board
Literacy
Advisory Board
Neighborhood
Leadership Institute
Cumberland County
Literacy Institute
www.cumberland
neighborhoods.org
AmeriCorps
NJ Reads!
Community Forum
Grants Consortium
Community
Technology Centers
CLCND ADVISORY BOARD
• Oversees strategic plan and
programming of the CLCND
• Sets and oversees policy for the
Luciano Center for Public Service and
Leadership
ADVISORY BOARDS
• Three individual advisory boards
Leadership
Neighborhoods/Non-Profits
Literacy
• Responsible for overseeing and setting policy
for individual programs
LEADERSHIP
Objectives
Establish a network of leaders
Provide a means to ramp-up new
leaders as they enter the County
Identify emerging leaders
Value diversity as a resource
county-wide
Encourage the development of pride in
Cumberland County
PROGRAM CONTENT
Two Day Retreat and Orientation Session
Eight Monthly Sessions –
Criminal Justice
Cultural Affairs & Tourism
Economic Development
Education
Health & Human Services
Race Relations
Rural & Urban Issues
State & Local Government
Graduation
FUTURE LEADERSHIP
PROGRAMS
• Leadership Cumberland County Alumni
Programs
• Municipal Management Institute
• Youth Leadership
NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERSHIP
INSTITUTE
Created through a partnership between
Center for Leadership, Community &
Neighborhood Development
and
Cumberland Empowerment Zone, Corp.
NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERSHIP
INSTITUTE PROGRAMS
Community Capacity Building Series
Community Forum
www.cumberlandneighborhoods.org
Additional Workshops
• Offered twice a year
• Seven weekly sessions
• A “tool box” of skills for community organizing, capacity building
and peer networking
• Thirty participants accepted per Series from throughout the county
• Representatives from neighborhood, faith-based, service and
non-profit organizations
FUTURE PROGRAMS
• Grants Workshop, April 2002
• “Best Practices” Workshop, Fall 2002
• Community Capacity Building Series – Part
II/Advanced Sessions
LITERACY
• Community Technology Centers
• Cumberland County Literacy Institute
• New Jersey READS!/AmeriCorps
COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY
CENTERS
• Adult computer based literacy and
GED testing
• Three outreach centers – Bridgeton,
Port Norris and Vineland
• Federal multi-year funding
CUMBERLAND COUNTY
LITERACY INSTITUTE
• Laubach certified
• One-on-one basic adult literacy
and testing
• Volunteer tutor training and
pairing
• Three year funding provided
through a First Union Regional
Foundation grant
NEW JERSEY READS!/AmeriCorps
• Provides reading tutors for at-risk students; Kindergarten
– third grade
• Five schools in Millville and Vineland
• Utilizes AmeriCorps volunteers
• Funds provided by the NJ Department of Higher
Education and the Cumberland Empowerment Zone,
Corp.
FUTURE CLCND
PROJECTS
• Applied research division
• Non-profit management certificate program
• Interdisciplinary courses and service learning
projects
• Community Incubator and Resource Center
Leadership
Development
by Community
Collaboration
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