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Dear Members of the NJCU Family,

As we approach the beginning of a new academic year, I am filled with profound gratitude and excitement for the journey we continue to take together. This moment feels especially meaningful as I reflect on the extraordinary trust you have placed in me and the remarkable progress we have achieved as a community.

Last week, our Board of Trustees voted unanimously to officially appoint me as the 13th president of Â鶹´«Ã½ —a sacred trust I accept with deep appreciation and an unwavering commitment to our mission. I am deeply honored by this confidence, but I know that this moment belongs to all of us—every member of our campus community who has worked tirelessly to strengthen our mission and secure our future. As the son of immigrants and a firm believer in the power of public higher education, — lit by generations before me to illuminate the path forward for those yet to come. This role represents a calling to servant leadership rooted in equity, resilience, and love, and together we will continue revitalizing our indispensable mission while securing a brilliant future for our community and campus.

This fall, we will celebrate this milestone together with a formal investiture on September 10 during our convocation ceremony that honors the resilience and determination of our entire NJCU community, our bold history and legacy, and the future of our campus as we approach our second century. I look forward to celebrating with all of you as we officially launch this next chapter in our university's remarkable story.

The progress we have made together continues to be validated by external recognition that confirms what we know to be true: NJCU is not just surviving but thriving. Moody's assignment of a positive outlook to our university—the first in NJCU's history—reflects the meaningful financial and operational progress we have achieved through our collective efforts. This external validation affirms that the hard work we have done together has positioned our institution for sustained success.

Just last week, we held the first of two orientations for our incoming freshmen and transfer students, and I am thrilled to share that this fall we will be welcoming our campus’s centennial class—the Class of 2029. What a remarkable milestone to reach together, and what an extraordinary cohort of students to help us celebrate this historic achievement. Our incoming freshman class reflects the continued confidence families place in NJCU's ability to transform lives and create pathways to success.

Our enrollment momentum continues to build, with three consecutive semesters of double-digit transfer enrollment growth that demonstrates the attractiveness of our programs and the strength of our transfer partnerships. Thanks to the exceptional work of our enrollment management, admissions, and communications and marketing teams, I'm thrilled to report that this year's freshman class is expected to be nearly 150 students larger than last year — a remarkable achievement during a time when colleges and universities across the nation are facing significant enrollment challenges. Additionally, early projections show our transfer student numbers are up an impressive 16 percent, further demonstrating the growing confidence in NJCU's value and mission.

None of this progress would be possible without the unwavering commitment of our faculty, staff, and union partners who have stood with us through every challenge and opportunity. Your dedication to our students and our mission has been the foundation of every success we celebrate today. Together, we have proven that when a community unites around a shared purpose, extraordinary things become possible.

Over the past year, we have completed the development and implementation of three critical strategic plans that will guide our future: our Academic Master Plan, Strategic Enrollment Plan, and Student Development and Community Engagement Strategic Plan. These comprehensive roadmaps, developed through extensive collaboration with our campus community, provide the framework for our continued growth and excellence. Their implementation represents a new era of strategic planning and purposeful action at NJCU.

As we secure our campus for another century of service, we have taken a historic step by signing a letter of intent with Kean University in May to begin the process of merging with Kean to form Kean Jersey City. This transformational partnership will expand access to quality higher education while preserving and strengthening our mission to serve the Jersey City and Hudson County communities. The hard work of integration began this month with more than a dozen integration teams representing all sectors and constituencies of our university community.

Our integration committees — Athletics, Communications/Marketing/Alumni, Enrollment Management & Online Education, Financial & Operations, Health Safety and Emergency Response, Human Resources/Labor, Strategic Data and Illumination, Student Affairs & Career Services, Student Success and Retention, and Technology & Campus Planning — will ensure that this merger strengthens our ability to serve our students and community while honoring the values and mission that define who we are.

At our July 23 meeting, our Board of Trustees approved a $151 million budget that invests strategically in the areas that matter most: academic programming, student success initiatives, and our physical plant. This budget reflects our commitment to providing the resources our students and faculty need to excel, while maintaining the fiscal responsibility that has earned Moody’s and Fitch Ratings’ recognition of our financial progress.

We are especially grateful for the state's historic $50 million investment in our campus infrastructure, funding that will address decades of deferred maintenance and ensure our facilities support our academic mission for generations to come. Combined with $7 million in continued stabilization funding, this state investment represents a powerful endorsement of our university's importance to Â鶹´«Ã½ and our region.

The world continues to change rapidly around us, and the mission of institutions like NJCU becomes more critical with each passing day. We remain fiercely protective of our role as a place where dreams take shape, where first-generation college students find their voice, and where communities discover the transformative power of education. We will continue to champion this mission together with the same unity and determination that has brought us to this remarkable moment.

In the coming weeks and months, we will continue to push our mission forward and elevate our community to greater heights. The story we are writing together—one of resilience, perseverance, and greatness—grows more beautiful with each chapter we complete as a community.

Thank you for the privilege of serving this extraordinary institution and for the trust you place in our shared work. Together, we will ensure that our campus’s next century is even more remarkable than its first.

With gratitude and excitement for the journey ahead,

Andrés Acebo
President
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