Media Release
Cumberland
County College – City of Bridgeton
CONTACT: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mary Ann Westerfield
Cumberland County College
(856) 691-8600
Kevin Rabago
City of Bridgeton
(856) 451-3407
CUMBERLAND COUTNY COLLEGE LOOKS TO PARTNER WITH CITY ON
SATTELITE SITE IN DOWNTOWN BRIDGETON
If approved, the site will
feature everything from 3-D printers and Programmable Logic Controllers
(PLC’s), to Computer Aided Drafting software (AutoCAD), robotics, Computer Aided
Machining, (mechatronics), electronics and a recording studio. It is the fruit
of a partnership between Cumberland County College and the City of Bridgeton resulting
in a college satellite location in Bridgeton’s downtown.
Known as a “Makerspace”, the City-College collaboration, slated for 46-50 E. Commerce Street, is part of a cutting edge move nation-wide toward robotics, automation and 3-D printing that will change the face of manufacturing and entrepreneurship in much the way the internet has over the last 20 years.
Centered on preparing
students to succeed in an increasingly digitized workforce, the Bridgeton
Makerspace would also be open to the general public and small business through
a membership structure that will provide access to equipment, training, and
technical assistance.
With preliminary approval
from the Cumberland County College Board of Directors from their August 21st
meeting, the next stop is Bridgeton City Council, where Mayor Albert Kelly and College
President Thomas Isekenegbe hope to receive authorization to invest $350k from
the City’s Urban Enterprise Zone fund to launch the satellite facility at 46-50
E. Commerce Street in downtown Bridgeton.
“We’ve received support
from the Bridgeton Area Chamber of Commerce, the Cumberland Development
Corporation, and our Freeholders to have a college presence on this side of the
county; specifically in Bridgeton as the County Seat. This satellite program
will help the college fulfill its educational role while helping our community
on a number of growth and development fronts” said Kelly
“We want to have a real
presence in the Greater Bridgeton Area but more importantly, we want to enable more
students to become competent in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) using the dominant and emerging equipment and technology.
The Makerspace provides the perfect structure for this” said College President,
Dr. Thomas Isekenegbe.
The project also includes
a partnership with South Jersey Robotics, a FIRST robotics team that welcomes southern
New Jersey high school students. This
team competes regionally and nationally through building increasingly complex
robots with applications that could have far reaching implications in the field
of robotics.
Not confined to
“mechatronics”, the Makerspace will also feature a recording studio that will
be part of the college’s portfolio of classes on audio recording, sound, and
music production. The recording studio will also be available to area musicians
hoping to rent studio time and expertise for demos and tracks on their own.
“Bridgeton has a
traditionally underserved demographic when it comes to STEM areas and while
some students will be drawn because of the technology and equipment, others
will come to record music utilizing MIDI-Live in a modern digital recording
studio. Whatever their initial reason
for walking in the door, students and the general public will receive training
and be exposed to modern trends in STEM. This is how we change things” said Dr.
Mary Ann Westerfield, Dean External Partnerships and Assistant to the President
at Cumberland County College.
In addition to the
partnership with South Jersey Robotics, the project also has support of the
Cumberland County Improvement Authority with their focus on an expanding
college presence being a key part of a new downtown facility.
“The CCIA continues to
work with the City as we do with all of our partners throughout the county on
projects to grow and revitalize our communities. As we’ve seen from their
presence in Vineland and Millville, the college is a key part of that success. With
a college satellite in Bridgeton, we’ll see good things for that side of the
county” said CCIA Executive Director Jerry Velasquez
Aside from the current
base of Cumberland County College students who would be using the Bridgeton
satellite facility, the Makerspace would also serve as a place where middle
school and high school students could prepare for college-level work while the
facility would also be available to students from other colleges, businesses
and the general public from the broader region who don’t currently have access
to 3-D printers, software, laser cutters and the technical assistance to go
with it. Both mini-courses on the basic use of the available technology and an
array of advanced manufacturing courses are anticipated.
“The Makerspace has the
potential to change the trajectory of our downtown. With students from all over
the county and various points throughout South Jersey, it will provide a real
lift for our merchant base. With a better trained workforce, it will allow our
residents to compete for better jobs and it will nurture new entrepreneurs”
said Kelly.
A presentation is expected
at the September 2nd Bridgeton City Council meeting with project
planners hoping to launch the Bridgeton Satellite by mid-October.
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To learn
more about the City of Bridgeton please visit www.cityofbridgeton.com
To learn more about
Cumberland County College please visit www.cccnj.edu