Raritan Valley Community College has received a $760,812 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a new program to help train workers for careers in Commercial Energy Management.

The three-year Commercial Energy Management Technology (CEM-Tech) project is designed to address a severe nationwide shortage of trained building technicians and educational programs in the Commercial Energy Management area, specifically in the fields of Building Automation, Commercial Energy Auditing, Building Commissioning, and Retro-Commissioning.

As part of the grant, the College will develop a new Associate of Applied Science degree in Commercial Energy Management Technology. The program will include an industry-aligned curriculum and practical experience, as well as general education requirements. The goal is to prepare students and current workers for careers in Sustainable Building Operations.

RVCC Student Earns National Newman Civic Fellows Award

Raritan Valley Community College student Faranak Aminifar was selected in May 2016 to receive the Campus Compact 2016 Newman Civic Fellows Award. The Belle Mead resident joins the Newman Civic Fellows Class of 2016, a national group of 218 Fellows who are being honored for their efforts to take action in pursuit of long-term positive social change.

Aminifar, a Criminal Justice major and 2016 graduate, provided more than 200 hours of service learning activities to the community through her criminal justice courses; assisted probation officers with field visits and interviews advocating on behalf of defendants who could not provide their own defense; and helped at-risk children stay engaged in positive activities through tutoring and mentoring.

While at RVCC, Aminifar created the first Criminal Justice Club and served as the president. She was vice president of the Rotaract Club and a member of the Muslim Student Association and Feminist Coalition, which she also created. Aminifar also participated in many student leadership training programs on campus and at the United Nations.

RVCC One Of Only 11 Colleges In U.S. Selected For Federal Green Ribbon Award

Raritan Valley Community College was one of only 11 colleges and universities in the nation to be honored in April 2016 with the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Postsecondary Sustainability Award.

New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education Rochelle Hendricks, whose office nominated RVCC for the prestigious award, said she was pleased to encourage New Jersey’s colleges and universities to enter the competition for the first time. The federal Green Ribbon program began five years ago. “This award acknowledges your institution’s commitment to sustainable practices. I commend Raritan Valley Community College for its leadership in facilities, health, and environmental education.” In a letter to the president of the College, the Secretary said RVCC was a “representative of promising practices… not only for aspiring green colleges and universities, but for all higher education institutions.”

“Raritan Valley Community College has been an environmental leader for more than a decade,” added RVCC President Dr. Michael J. McDonough. “RVCC has earned a dozen environmental awards, offers innovative sustainability courses and degree programs, and provides extensive community service and health education programs. RVCC was the first community college in the country to sign an environmental stewardship agreement with the federal Environmental Protection Agency, and we were the first community college in the country to run an energy-saving cogeneration plant, which has contributed to an emissions reduction of 51 percent since 2005.”