Community college athletics are not just about getting the next big win. Athletes do play for the love of the game, but Rogers Glipsy, athletic director at Community College of Philadelphia, says the soft skills and useful life lessons drawn from sports enrich the student experience and position players to compete in life.

The strategies learned in competition provide a foundation for fostering lifelong success and that is where the real victory lies.

Learning from Adversity

Rafiq Johnson, a 6’5” starting forward for the Colonials’ men’s basketball team is confident that the Colonials, who were crowned Eastern Pennsylvania Athletic Conference champions and are headed to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III, Region XIX playoffs for the second consecutive year, can repeat last season’s success.

The team holds a 20-5 record going into its final regular season game against Eastern University Feb. 15. Johnson believes the Colonials can duplicate the magical 2014-2015 season, when Coach Joe Rome’s 25-2 squad was ranked as high as second in the nation and advanced to the national championship in its first year of NJCAA playoff eligibility.

Johnson, a member of NJCAA Div. III championship all-tournament team, was a key contributor to last season’s success. So imagine his disappointment when a class scheduling snafu caused him to become ineligible for the first part of the season.

“I was devastated,” said Johnson, who was reinstated to the team in January. “I had so much recent success and felt obligated to help the school. But I supported my team (while ineligible) and made sure I buckled down.”

The buckle-down strategies of discipline and time management, learned at the College, have helped him on the court and off.

A Business Administration major, Johnson trained as a teller at Citizens Bank and takes a full course load while squeezing in games and practice. College is teaching him how to show up, and how to be a winner.

“Once I got to college, I learned discipline,” Johnson said. “You have to be on time. Going to away games, you have to dress a certain way and behave a certain way, so when I go out now, I dress appropriately. On the court, you have to use your head and be focused; I try to do the same thing in the classroom. Teamwork is the most important of all. My friends are into what I’m into with similar goals, and I’m learning as a teammate how valuable that can be.”

Rallying to Build Character

For Koraly Adames, sports have always served as a stress reliever, a way to balance her full academic course loads. So when the College recruited her for the club-level women’s tennis

team, the high school softball player thought, why not try something new? “I’m an athlete and I learn quickly,” she said.

Adames considered herself a “decent” tennis player; then she played two matches and lost them both by large margins. During the long rides home, Coach Evan Beilin shared conversations with Adames and teammate Noyra Torres about learning from defeat and appreciating the rewards of competition.

“It’s frustrating to lose, but we are learning about what it means to be a competitive team, “said Beilin, whose team went winless in the two matches it played. “We talk about commitment and showing up every day and understanding the value of setback and loss.”

Even in defeat, Adames learned that preparation never stops, just as it doesn’t in real life. You always strive for improvement.

Tennis “has taught me to never give up,” said Adames, a biology major whose goal is to become a pediatrician. “You’re going to fold but you have to get back up and keep going. So what, you’re the worst player on the team? You just keep going to practices. It’s the same way in school. I don’t like getting bad grades, so I’m always in the library getting the grades that I want. You always want to make the best of it, you know?”

Setting Precedent By Persevering

Fielding a women’s team sometimes presented a challenge for Coach Antowine Graham. But this season, despite their youth, inexperience and 1-15 record this season, the Colonials are honing their skills and laying a foundation for the future.

“We have young women who have never played before — it’s hard to make a basketball player within a couple of months,” Graham said. “But they don’t quit. They give you 100 percent all the time.”

The all-freshman squad realized the value of teamwork in December, when they traveled to Nanticoke, PA, and notched their first victory against Luzerne County Community College. “Everybody did their part, and it was so cool because we could see they were definitely learning. All the running and the drills we do in practice — they were able to see how it paid off,” Graham said.

Athletics has given them confidence, which they can transfer from the court to the classroom and beyond, Graham says.

When Elizabeth “Ellie” Scicchitano read the email notifying her she had been selected as a 2015 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar, her thoughts quickly turned to her mother, who is battling Stage 4 breast cancer.

More than anything, the scholarship spurred her to stay the course on her journey to become a research oncologist and do her part to conquer the disease that has ravaged her family.

Scicchitano, 32, a second-year Biology major and mother of a 7-year-old daughter, carries a 3.72 grade point average. She is co-president of scholarships of the Rho Epsilon Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the largest and most prestigious honor society for community college students. “It’s hard to raise my daughter and go to school, but if my mother isn’t giving up, there’s no excuse for me to give up,” she said.

Scicchitano is a recipient of Coca-Cola’s Leaders of Promise Scholarship. This year, 200 recipients nationwide were selected by a panel of independent judges from more than 1,100 applicants. Winners were selected based on outstanding academic achievement, demonstrated leadership potential and essays written on leadership.

The mission of the scholarship is to help motivated students get to the finish line, and forge a career to serve others, change the world and create an enduring legacy. Scicchitano embodies that mission.

“Ellie is a tenacious woman whose ambition to succeed is fundamentally driven by a desire to be an exemplary role model to her daughter,” said Art Department chair Dr. Sarah Iepson, an associate professor who doubles as Phi Theta Kappa advisor. “I feel fortunate to have watched her grow as a student, an academic and a leader over the last two years.”

A wisp of a woman who could easily pass for a junior high school student, Scicchitano speaks with a matter-of-fact authority and world-weary wisdom that comes from witnessing her mother battle breast cancer for almost a decade.

Scicchitano’s mother was originally diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer seven years ago. “We thought we caught it,” she said. But two years ago, it returned, and had metastasized with a vengeance.

Instead of cowering in a corner, wondering whether she would be stricken next, Scicchitano did what came naturally — she studied the disease.

“I started doing research — that’s the only way I knew how to deal with it,” said Scicchitano, whose grandmother and aunt also suffered from breast cancer. “In talking to the doctors, I started toying with the idea of being an oncologist. I thought I could have some kind of impact because I knew what people went through.”

Interestingly enough, it took her mother becoming seriously ill to motivate Scicchitano to fully commit to her education and pursue her goals.

“By going to school,” she said, “I can take an irrational fear and break it down into something that can be studied…I can stop being afraid.”

The Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship is part of Community College of Philadelphia's Learning Without Limits campaign. As the College celebrates 50 years, Learning Without Limits will share stories of businesses, nonprofits and leaders that help students achieve their academic goals and make it to the finish line.

Jamil Watson was serving time in prison when he first met Tara Timberman, founder and coordinator of the Reentry Support Project at Community College of Philadelphia.

Timberman assured Watson that if he enrolled in the Reentry Support Project’s College REACH program, he could map out a pathway to earning his associate’s degree at the College and get the support he needed along the way.

In the spring of 2015, while still incarcerated, Watson started his first college classes. He was released in July. In December, as proud family, friends and members of the College community looked on, Watson and eight other formerly incarcerated students were recognized by Mayor-Elect Jim Kenney, College President Donald Guy Generals and Court of Common Pleas Judge Holly Ford as they received certificates of completion for their first academic semester as part of the REACH program.

Watson shared his journey at a moving ceremony during which Mayor-Elect Jim Kenney offered the students a vote of confidence. “I want to thank the College for giving us the second chance to be better fathers, brothers, husbands, boyfriends and leaders,” Watson said. “We no longer have to define ourselves by our prison ID numbers, now we’re defined by our college IDs. And we soon will be students with degrees.”

Kenney stood nearby, taking in the moment. “I want you to understand that we are committed to doing what we say,” he pledged. “We want to be there to help at every step of the way in your effort to come back into society, be productive members of society, pay taxes, raise families.” he said.

Dr. Generals praised the students for reaching the first of many milestones: “It’s important to recognize the transformation these young men have made in their lives,” he told their family, friends and supporters.

The College has been on the cutting edge in providing programs, educational access and targeted, multipronged support for returning citizens. In December, it unveiled Future Forward, an initiative designed in collaboration with District Attorney R. Seth Williams which offers eligible Philadelphians who have been charged with a non-violent felony crime an alternative to incarceration.

The REACH program, an academic initiative under the umbrella of the Reentry Support Project, made headlines in December because it provides a visible road map to a population that needs direction. Philadelphia is home to more than 300,000 citizens with criminal records. Since 2010, the Reentry Support Project has served 500 students with criminal records.

Incarceration is expensive and taxpayers pay for it. The cost to house an inmate in the Philadelphia Prison System or the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is approximately $42,000 per year. The United States spends $80 billion a year to keep people incarcerated. For that amount America could provide such social enhancements as: pay for universal preschool for every 3- and 4-year-old; double the salary of every high school teacher; and offer free tuition at every public college and university.

During the summer of 2015, President Obama mentioned the positive contribution the Reentry Support Project has made to increasing student access to higher education in Philadelphia during his speech to the NAACP. He cited Jeff Copeland, a College alumnus who received support from the Reentry project,

as a shining example of someone with a criminal record who has gone on to achieve great academic success. Copeland recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Temple University.

The Reentry Support Project, which has been recognized by the League for Innovation, is housed under the Fox Rothschild Center for Law and Society, headed by Kathleen Smith, J.D., professor of Paralegal Studies and director of the Fox Rothschild Center for Law and Society at the College. Law is treated both as an area of study, as well as an influencer in community life. Students are encouraged to explore its effect on them. “When students see how law relates to the technology they use, the food they eat and just about every topic imaginable, that’s a real light bulb moment for them,” Smith said.

Last December, Ari Bank, an assistant professor of English at Community College of Philadelphia, told his wife, Kirsten Quinn, that all he wanted for Christmas were donations to his favorite charities. Quinn, an associate professor of English at the College complied, gifting him as well with a bag of “care packages” to give to people without homes.

Taking a chance, Bank brought a few of the packages to the College to show members of the International Student Association (ISA), where he is the faculty advisor. Maybe, just maybe, he thought, his students could take the idea and run with it.

They didn’t just run, they sprinted.

Students began making and designing their own care packages, which included socks, underwear, soap, shampoo, body moisturizer and $5 Wawa gift cards. ISA’ s enthusiasm turned the project into a campus-wide activity and led to a ceremony where over 100 packages were donated to Project HOME, a nonprofit that assists and empowers men and women in need. The Homeless Assistance Project was born.

In November, undeterred by the rain, students, faculty and staff packed a van to the brim with care. Student organizers plan to sustain the effort annually through a social media challenge, asking other campuses to commit to change, as they have.

Maryam Yusef, a student from Nigeria participating in the service learning project, said she witnessed institutional homelessness in her hometown of Kaduna — orphanages filled with children who often stayed for years with little access to food, hygiene or education.

“We wanted to do this project so we could help other people,” said Yusef, who says she always keeps extra snacks and juice to give to people on the train. “Not everybody has the heart to help, but when you help you feel so good.”

As these compassionate students were discovering ways to help the city, others at the College, including a growing list of donors, are finding ways to help college students, some of whom face severe challenges and obstacles, including hunger and homelessness. A recent New York Times Op Ed reported that just over half of community college students are at risk of hunger and homelessness.

Each year, just before Thanksgiving, the College gives more than $7,000 worth of grocery gift cards to students courtesy of the Pincus Family Foundation. In addition, the Homeless Student Support Project provides resources to students who are facing homelessness or are food insecure. A free, for-students from-students food pantry is also in the final planning stages, sponsored by the Student Government Association and Single Stop USA, a one-stop organization that connects students to social services and resources.  In addition, various faculty and staff members contribute each year to provide supermarket gift certificates for students and their families in need. In addition, the College faculty and staff this year made holiday cards for servicemen.

In Bank’s view, the holiday season is the perfect time to blend life lessons with English coursework. Banks developed writing assignments that helped students grow, as writers, problem-solvers and community responders.

“They had to write an essay offering their emotional reactions (to homelessness) and think of viable solutions,” said Bank, whose English 101 reading list includes such titles as My Name is Malala, by Malala Yousafzai, Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northrup  and Elie Weisel’s Night . “The idea is to become socially aware.”

Reiterating his philosophy of combining academia and the social good, Banks keep a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. close by, to remind him of the importance of community service.

It serves as a constant reminder:  “The time is always right to do what is right.”

Convening his third Town Hall meeting of a busy academic year, President Donald Guy Generals updated the College community on ways in which the College is continuing to develop strategies to strengthen student success, despite coping with a five-month old budget impasse that has adversely affected community colleges throughout the state.

Members of the College community gathered at the Bonnell Auditorium for the Nov. 18 hour-long session, which was also video streamed for faculty and staff in the West, Northwest and Northeast Regional Centers.

Though the College has been working with other college officials across the state to come up with temporary measures to ease the financial burden, Dr. Generals conceded that the impasse impacts the College’s cash flow. “We have to be mindful at some point that we will run out of cash,” he said. The College receives approximately 20 percent of its own budget from the state.

As a result of the budget stalemate, Moody’s downgraded the credit ratings of Pennsylvania community colleges, including Community College of Philadelphia, which saw its rating slip from A1 to A2, based solely on the uncertainty of the state budget.

“We’re OK for now, but it is a serious matter,” Dr. Generals said. “If you have any influence on any of your legislators, please make sure they are informed about how serious this is.”

Budget crisis aside, Dr. Generals did share some promising news regarding academics, innovation and enhanced public safety.

The president announced the College has been selected as one of 30 institutions to participate in the American Association of Community Colleges Pathways Project, a new national initiative that is designed to meet students where they are and enable them to begin an individually-planned program at their own level that will lead down a quicker, more efficient pathway to completion.

Community College of Philadelphia will serve as a testing ground to this prescriptive approach toward community college education, Dr. Generals said. The Department of Liberal Arts is already in the process of designing a program in which students must take required courses, in addition to first-year experience courses which are “fundamental aspects of the guided pathways model,” he said.

Supporting technology, such as Starfish, an early alert system designed to track students who are struggling, has already been implemented and is yielding results, Dr. Generals said. Searches are also underway to hire academic advisors, deans and an associate vice president to create an organic, unified learning environment for students under the pathways model.

Emphasizing safety as an ongoing concern, Dr. Generals revealed the latest information regarding beefed-up security measures implemented around the Main Campus. Among the improvements: The hiring of bicycle security officers for enhanced mobility; visible security posters; appointment of building captains and floor wardens for critical incidents; enhanced fire drills and active shooter training and drills.

In other business, the president shared:

• The Middle States Commission on Higher Education report is complete and posted on the College’s website for public feedback. Dr. Generals expressed confidence the College will pass its accreditation review. A team of reviewers will visit the Main Campus on Jan 11.
• The College is exploring public-private partnerships to develop the parking lot on 15th and Hamilton Streets into a commercial-residential complex featuring affordable housing for students. “If we are to expand our enrollment we have to get international students,” Dr. Generals said.
• The College will look for ways to work with Mayor-elect Jim Kenney on workforce development and readiness as a way to create more on-ramps to student success.

Referring to the College’s social service support programs — particularly the Reentry Support Project of Community College of Philadelphia's Fox Rothschild Center for Law and Society, and Future Forward, a new diversionary program launched in partnership with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office which provides individuals charged with a non-violent felony crime an alternative to incarceration — Dr. Generals stressed the College can contribute to the overall public safety, community health, and reduction of recidivism in Philadelphia, all while deepening learning.

“I think it’s a social good to be doing those types of things,” he said. “I don’t think the city can move forward unless we can do something about it.”

Community College of Philadelphia is a vibrant gathering place that gives people an opportunity to work for a better world.

On Nov. 9, the Sierra Club and the College’s Coalition for a Sustainable Future joined together to sponsor a program on climate change and explore its impact on Philadelphia and the planet.

Michael Mann, distinguished professor of Meteorology at Penn State and an expert on global warming, spoke to a nearly packed house in the Bonnell Auditorium. He is a leading member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which won the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore in 2007.

In his talk titled, "The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: The Battle Continues," Mann spoke of global warming from a historical perspective, explaining how the earth has warmed up a degree and a half in the last century. He noted 2014 “came in as the warmest year on record and there is enough data to indicate that 2015 will be the warmest year on record.”

Mann told the audience that even ultra-conservative IPCC scientists agree:

• Global warming is real
• Climate change is caused by human activities
• Climate change is threatening the planet

He pointed to the recent, extreme weather events as evidence — the dried up lake beds in St. Angelo, TX in 2011, the ever-decreasing moose population and lobster migration in Maine, California enduring its worst drought in 1,200 years, and other flooding and warming events in North America — as proof.

If the world keeps burning fossil fuels at the current rate, Mann said, it will cross into a danger threshold by 2036. But he added it is possible to make a difference.

“What is our future? That depends on us,” he said. “If we could stop burning fossil fuels today we could reduce climate sensitivity by 2.5 degrees Celsius (roughly four degrees Fahrenheit). “If so, it offers cautious optimism. It provides encouragement that we can avert irreparable harm to our planet. That is, if — and only if — we accept the urgency of making a transition away from our reliance on fossil fuels for energy.

That same cautious optimism has been expressed by politicians and climate scientists alike. In August, President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the Clean Power Plan, a historic step in the Obama Administration’s fight against climate change. Among other restrictions, it calls for limited carbon emissions from power plants. In addition, China, India and parts of Europe have committed to investing in renewable sources energy.

It’s not too late for individuals to do their part, Mann said. By making simple modifications — using energy efficient light bulbs, driving a fuel efficient vehicle (or better yet, using publictransportation), recycling, insulating, composting and powering down electrical devices every night can go a long way on curtailing reliance on fossil fuels and reducing the earth’s carbon footprint.

“We frame the issue as a scientific problem or an economic problem, but to me it’s a problem of ethics,” Mann said. “We have to make sure we make decisions today that determine the future of the planet for our children and our grandchildren.”

Across the city, ceremonies marked Nov. 11, the day the nation shows its appreciation for those who serve and have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

At Community College of Philadelphia, Craig L. Adams, a veteran who is executive vice president of Exelon and president and CEO of PECO, joined the College community in honoring these heroes for their commitment to duty, honor and country.

A U.S. Army veteran and a community college graduate, Adams shared the story of 92-year-old Herschel Woodrow “Woody” Williams, a retired United States Marine who is the last surviving recipient of the Medal of Honor from the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.

Heroes like Williams don’t wake up every day thinking about the medal they have earned, Adams told the crowd gathered outside the Veterans Resource Center in the Bonnell Building. Rather, they reflect on a more universal and everlasting reward — “the wonderful gift called freedom.”

Before a packed ceremony of students, faculty and staff, the College paused to recognize the men, women and children whose sacrifices preserve our freedoms.

“We cannot take the freedoms that we enjoy for granted,” said Dr. Donald Guy Generals. “Veterans need your support but, more importantly, they need your love and thanks for their service and sacrifice to the country.”

After Adams returned from military service, he did not let go of his sense of duty to his fellow veterans. Under his leadership, PECO has provided $400,000 in support of veterans’ organizations that help homeless vets. And in 2014, Exelon hired over 650 veterans under its Diversity & Inclusion program. PECO also established the PECO/Exelon Veterans Training and Employment Program, which provides veterans with the skills they need to succeed in a civilian workplace.

Jason Mays, an alumnus and a veteran who was twice elected Student Government Association president at the College, returned to campus to speak at this year’s ceremony. “This day means a lot to me,” said Mays, who now attends Temple University and serves as president of the Temple Veterans Association. He plans a career in business analytics.

Mays, who served and was wounded in the Iraq War, re-established the Student Veterans Club at Community College of Philadelphia and helped launch the first ever Philadelphia Veterans Day Parade.

“Take some time to reflect on what this day means to you,” Mays said.

President Donald Guy Generals kicked off the National Hispanic Heritage Month celebration with a discussion of a larger than life classic as the Fireside Chats began anew.

During the program, Dr. Generals presided over a free-wheeling conversation of what is arguably one of the greatest and bestselling works of fiction ever published — Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra’s Don Quixote.

For an hour in the Winnet Student Life Building Coffeehouse on Sept. 29, he led the audience in a discussion of the ways Don Quixote has influenced global culture, even five centuries after it was first published. It has inspired ballets, films, cookbooks and clothing lines. The word “quixotic,” meaning extravagantly chivalrous or romantic, has even made its way into the English lexicon.

Dr. Generals noted that American idealism reflects Quixote’s quest for liberty — “to be part of the whole but to be able to express our individualism...I call that jazz,” said the College’s president, who is also an accomplished drummer.

The story revolves around a nameless nobleman who reads so many classic romantic novels that he begins to believe the stories’ plotlines as reality. In other words, “he reads himself into insanity,” Dr. Generals said. The deranged nobleman takes the name Don Quixote, enlists a commoner sidekick named Sancho Panza, and together, the duo embark on a series of adventures to correct the wrongs of the world Quixote sees through his lens.

In a fascinating exchange with the audience, Dr. Generals pointed out the dichotomy between Don Quixote and Sancho Panza and what each represented: rich vs. poor; power vs. struggle, idealism vs. common sense.

The Fireside Chats, launched by Dr. Generals last fall, engaged the College community in an effort to learn from and with each other. During the chat, Marissa Johnson-Valenzuela, an English instructor at the College, introduced the audience to the works of Juan Felipe Herrera, the poet laureate of the United States and the first Latino to hold the honor. Johnson-Valenzuela guided audience members through a responsive reading of two of Herrera's poems that demonstrated how Hispanic culture is woven into the American identity.

Hispanic Heritage Month offered other opportunities to learn about various people and the many cultures. Student Life hosted a luncheon with meals prepared by the Culinary Arts students and remarks by Dr. Rosanna Reyes, Dean of First Generation Learning Initiatives at Williams College. The Student Programming Board also sponsored a Hispanic Music Celebration.

After Gunter Pfau enrolled at Community College of Philadelphia, he learned never to be afraid to question the status quo.

As an entrepreneur and CEO of Stuzo, a marketing and digital advertising company, that lesson is one he still uses regularly. “In technology, there’s no other choice,” he said. “In fact, I would say you have to seek out change. If you don’t change, you’ll die.”

Since our founding in 1964 and opening our doors to students for the first time on September 23, 1965, Community College of Philadelphia has been expanding minds, changing lives and transforming generations. Pfau is one of 54,000 Community College of Philadelphia graduates, many of whom contribute to the city as job creators, police officers, firemen and business leaders.

He believes his community college education afforded him an edge in business. Here, he learned to trust his instincts and gain that sense of confidence that would help him take his business from good to great.

Pfau’s opportunity for game-changing risk and reward occurred in 2008 at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, TX. After hearing that Facebook needed help in advertising and running promotions, he approached one of the social network’s vice presidents.

“Are you looking for platforms?” Pfau asked.

The VP replied in the affirmative and just like that, Pfau made a decision to throw out the old Stuzo concept, which was developed as an online marketplace for students, and go after Facebook as a client. He watched his company morph into a software engineering firm. “They say luck is when preparedness meets opportunity, Pfau said. “We had built apps, and we were prepared.”

Pfau’s pivot turned into business gold.

Today, Stuzo’s name is just about the only part of the original company remaining. Stuzo’s team boasts 50 employees across three offices — one in Philadelphia, two in Europe — and counts as its clients Fortune 500 companies such as Procter & Gamble, MasterCard, CBS, Coach and Allstate, along with some of the world’s most respected advertising agencies. Recently, Stuzo was named one of the region’s top branding, marketing and media service agencies by the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Continuing its focus on future multi-device marketing, Stuzo recently launched MEG.com, a mobile marketing company.

Just as he did in business, Pfau shunned the conventional academic path, perhaps because he was never conventional himself. Born in Romania, his family fled communism and relocated in Austria as political refugees. The Pfaus came to Philadelphia when Gunter was 11.

Though smart, Pfau said he was far from an exemplary student — he was even expelled from Northeast High. He earned his GED and pondered his options. Community College of Philadelphia seemed like his best bet.

“Initially, I didn’t know what path to take and I had a lot of fears,” said Pfau, a 2002 graduate. “At Community College of Philadelphia, professors helped me build a tremendous amount of confidence that helped me move forward.”

He graduated from Temple with a B.S. in finance and entrepreneurship and had dreams of opening a gym. “I never thought I’d end up in technology,” Pfau said.

And now he is among the legion of young entrepreneurs redesigning the economic landscape with jobs and opportunity.

Pfau’s words of wisdom for those who create their own jobs and companies?

“It’s going to be a rollercoaster,” he said. “There will be ups and downs multiple times throughout the day. Learn how to push through the downs. It’s part of the game.”

Watch Gunter Pfau in our Moving Philadelphia Forward video series.

With the fall term just around the corner, Community College of Philadelphia welcomes two new administrators who will play key roles in supporting student success: Jason Hand, director of Admissions and Enrollment Management and Marina Patrice “MP” Nolan, bursar.

Prior to arriving at the College in July, Hand spent nine years serving as director of Graduate and Undergraduate Admissions and Enrollment at Rutgers-Newark. During that time, first-year enrollment increased from 600 to 1,000 over five years.

“I hope to be able to make the process of applying to college more manageable and create a cleaner, more enriching experience for students,” he said.

Hand holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Ithaca College and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Monmouth University.

Nolan previously worked at Philadelphia University, where she also held the position of bursar. Prior to that position, she served as assistant director of Student Business Services at Chapman University in Orange, CA. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Women and Gender Studies from the University of Southern Maine and a Master of Business Administration from Chapman University.

“I’m excited to join the Office of the Bursar at Community College of Philadelphia,” Nolan said. “I hope my office can help ease students’ discomfort by offering support and solutions to make understanding their payment options easier.”