Yesterday Union County Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh and Union County College President Dr. Margaret McMenamin cut the ribbon officially opening the new Union County College facility in Rahway. They were joined by Freeholder Sergio Granados, Rahway Mayor Samson Steinman, Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) Board President Dr. Sondra Fishinger and Executive Director Dr. Lawrence McCullough, members of the College’s Board of Trustees and Board of Governor and faculty, staff, and students.
By opening this facility in Rahway Union expands its ability to bring class offerings closer to home for individuals, businesses and non-profit organizations in the Rahway area.
“We are bringing the arts to the County of Union on a higher level than it’s ever been done before. We have the facilities, we have the resources, and now we have the education right here in Union County for our students to stay here, to learn here, to live here and to do arts here,” said Freeholder Chairman Jalloh.
Presented as part of the Freeholder Chairman’s 2015 “Build a Community of The Arts” initiatives – a set of initiatives that seek to build a County-wide arts ecosystem that will grow and stimulate our economy – the opening of this facility is the result of a partnership between the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Union County College, the City of Rahway, and the Union County Performing Arts Center.
Among the planned programs at the new Rahway location are credit and non-credit classes in Acting, Dance, Public Speaking, and more. In these classes, students will have an opportunity to volunteer with several of the acting companies that stage productions at the UCPAC. In addition classes will be offered by the Industry-Business Institute for employees of businesses in the area. These are free classes funded by a grant from the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Also courses will be available through the College’s Senior Scholars Program and Office of Continuing Education. Classes at the new Rahway location, like all others offered through the County College, will be open to all residents.
“I think it’s absolutely essential that we provide these opportunities for our students who endeavor upon the arts for their future. I think people who look at the world from that perspective can make a difference in the world. I’m truly excited to have the partnerships that we have established. Today is about making it happen – this was an idea, now it’s a reality,” said Chairman Jalloh.
For more information about Freeholder Chairman Jalloh’s 2015 “Build a Community of The Arts” initiatives visit ucnj.org.
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