MORRIS COUNTY — Dr. Anthony J. Iacono, president of County College of Morris (CCM), has received the Enterprise Organization of the Year Award from the Morris County Hispanic-American Chamber of Commerce (MCHACC) in recognition of his and the college’s support of the Hispanic-American community.
In presenting the award to Iacono, Esperanza Porras-Field said, “The Morris County Hispanic-American Chamber of Commerce recognizes you as a leader with a profound local impact on our business. Your strength of character, passion and commitment to service are admirable. You have been an outstanding representative of the mission of the MCHACC.” Porras-Field served as event chair for the 30th Anniversary MCHACC gala and award ceremony held December 5 at the Birchwood Manor in Whippany.
“It is such an honor to be recognized by the MCHAAC,” said Iacono. “As I like to note, County College of Morris does great things every day, but we do even greater things through the strength of our partnerships with organizations such as the MCHAAC, which is such a strong resource for the success of the Hispanic-American community.”
The mission of MCHAAC is to advance the interests of businesses and organizations that serve the U.S. Hispanic-American market.
Iacono became CCM’s third president in 2016. Since then, he has worked diligently to strengthen the college’s relationships in the community and with business and industry. One of his guiding principles is that “great community colleges are those which strengthen the local economy by helping to attract, retain and support businesses, along with providing a high-quality education that changes lives.”
In addition to building strong ties with the MCHAAC to support the Hispanic-American community, the college also recently was awarded an $110,000 grant from Impact 100 Garden State to launch the Dover College Promise. That project will prepare low-income students in Dover for college and provide them with scholarships to cover tuition at CCM. The population of Dover is 70 percent Hispanic or Latino. By increasing the number of students who earn college degrees, CCM and its project partners, The Educational Center of Dover, the Dover School District and business and community leaders, hope to further elevate the town as graduates become leaders in their community.