Camden County College

Mother of the Savior Seminary campus in the 1960s. Wilson Hall in the center, Old Roosevelt Hall on the left (vertical) and Jefferson Hall on the right (vertical) In 1962, a New Jersey State law enabled the establishment of colleges by counties. Camden County created a college board in 1964 and a voter referendum, in 1965, approved the creation of a county college. In 1966, the Freeholders of Camden County charged Harry Benn, then secretary of the Camden County College Board, and a small commission to find land capable of maintaining a college in the central part of the county. The Salvatorian Fathers, who ran the Mother of the Savior Seminary, were looking to sell the land and close down the facility. [ 1 ] Camden County College was established in 1967 on 320 acres (1.3 km 2 ) of land which had belonged to the Mother of the Savior Seminary. The only surviving seminary building, Jefferson Hall, is used by Rutgers University 's School of Health Professionals. Jefferson hall survived due its architecture, The Three buildings form a "U" shape with a small central courtyard. The 1969 graduation commencement took place in the courtyard of the three major buildings. Currently, a small memorial to the Mother of the Savior Seminary resides in that courtyard. In 1967, Wilson Hall served as an administrative center, library, cafeteria and activity room. Jefferson Hall served as the main Science Building. Originally, there was a pond and creek on campus which later included a series of waterfalls, lounge beaches, and pedestrian walks. [ 2 ] Otto R. Mauke was chosen to be the first president of the college in March 1967 and his staff moved into Washington Hall in June 1967. First Day of classes for the college was on September 25, 1967, only six months from the founding of the college.

Aerial Photograph Camden County College in Blackwood, 2013 Aerial View of Camden County College in 1995 Jefferson Hall, on the Blackwood Campus of Camden County College Founded in 1967, Camden County College was composed of one campus with seven academic programs and a handful of buildings. Three original buildings are still in use. The original enrollment was less than 500 students. In 1969, the college opened its first campus in Camden City. In 1970, the college began its first multimillion-dollar expansion. The nine million dollar (1969 dollars) $58,857,302.45 in (2016 dollars) project constructed new buildings, all of which are still in use, including Madison Hall, Taft Hall, Wolverton Library, the Community Center, the Papiano Gymnasium, and Truman Hall. During the 1970s, the Blackwood campus added several more buildings and programs. The Camden City campus moved several times to larger locations. In 1989, the Blackwood campus underwent another round of expansion. The college added a manufacturing technology building, a Laser Institute building, and a Child Care center. Also in 1989 a new campus, a multistory tower, began construction in Camden City. In 2000, the Rohrer Center was opened in Cherry Hill, NJ, creating the third campus for the college. In 2004, a second building was added to the Camden City Campus. In 2005, the county made an $83 million investment ($103,913,755 in 2016 dollars) known as the Freeholder Initiative, in order to update and renovate the college campuses, representing the largest investment in the college since its founding. Since 2005 renovation has modernized the Blackwood campus. A "ring road" was constructed to allow for better traffic flow and parking, Madison Hall was renovated to allow for modern technology and equipment, the Madison Connector was built as a public space, a new science building was constructed, Taft Hall was renovated, and new "green" initiatives were started in order to make the campus more energy efficient.

In 2011, The Technical Institute of Camden County and the Regional Emergency Training Center were incorporated into the college, bringing all of Camden County's educational services under one organization. In the fall 2014 Taft Hall became the main student registration and advisement center and was named the Louis Cappelli Student One Stop. In 1967 the college began with less than 500 students. The first graduating class was 172 students in 1969. Enrollment expanded, by 2011, to over 15,000 students and 1,800 graduates. Presidents Lovell Pugh-Bassett Dr. Lovell Pugh-Bassett is the current president of the college. She became the sixth president of Camden County College on July 1, 2022. Dr. Pugh-Bassett previously served as the Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness, Advancement, and Strategic Initiatives at the college since 2021. This marked her return to higher education after 20 years with the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), having served in a number of capacities culminating in the role of Camden County Executive County Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Pugh-Bassett's professional introduction to education began in higher education where she served as an instructor and program coordinator for the Math/Science Upward Bound Program at Temple University. After years with Temple, she served as the program director for Upward Bound at the Community College of Philadelphia and transitioned to her work in K-12 at the NJDOE.

Donald Borden served as president of the college from 2016 to 2022. He previously served as superintendent of the Audubon Public School District in Camden County from 2006 to 2013. During his tenure, the district solidified their financial footing while increasing diversity through the implementation of the school-choice program. In addition, his entrepreneurial approach to leadership led to creating partnerships with a number of organizations that increased the district's revenue. He also reorganized the district which led to greater fiscal efficiency and improvement of the delivery of support services while maintaining research based class sizes. During his time as superintendent, Mr. Borden served as an officer of the Camden County Superintendent's Roundtable.