Road to Ocean County College
On Dec. 8, 2022, Dr. Pamela J. Monaco was selected to be the next president of Ocean County College, becoming the first woman president in the college’s history.
The Ocean County College Board of Trustees and Search Committee endured a six-month search amongst a diverse pool of candidates across the country before selecting Monaco. Her passionate support for community colleges and her commitment to removing barriers limiting student success is one of the reasons that led to Monaco’s selection. In a new era of leadership, Monaco’s determination to improve student experiences while also willing to listen to their voices could make her a student favorite, and to some she already is.
Who is Monaco?
As an accomplished administrator, President Monaco brings 30 years of higher education experience to Ocean County College. She has held senior leadership roles in higher education institutions in Kansas, California, and Florida and most recently served as the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at Wilbur Wright College in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Monaco received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from George Washington University and master’s and doctoral degrees in English from The Catholic University of America.
Monaco was born and raised in Washington D.C. and started off her higher education pursuing dentistry prior to changing majors a couple times. She then graduated with a business administration degree from George Washington University. After earning her bachelors, Monaco managed a globe bookshop chain. She then became the mid-Atlantic sales representative for Viking Penguin Publishers.
Monaco then shifted her focus to open her own independent bookshop which prompted her to take a semester to expand her passion for literature. She enrolled as a special student in the English graduate program at The Catholic University of America. Monaco was later invited to become a graduate assistant and when she was asked to teach an undergraduate drama class which ultimately led Monaco discovering her passion for teaching. Monaco’s career focuses on providing educational opportunities to nontraditional and underserved student populations leading to her serving as faculty and administrator at a variety of colleges and universities, from two year colleges to research-intensive universities. In her roles in higher education, Monaco has repeatedly demonstrated her dedication to working with underserved student populations. This pattern of helping students throughout her career shows Monaco’s drive to make personal connections with not just students, but the college as a whole.
Interviewing Monaco
In attempts to go in depth on Monaco’s road to Ocean County College and her plans as the new president, “The Viking News” reached out to Monaco for an interview. Here is how it went.
Interview:
Question 1:
I know that you have recently served as the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at Wilbur Wright College in Chicago while also having served in other leadership roles in other higher education institutions all across the country. I would like to know how you heard about Ocean County College and what made you interested in serving here?
Many people, including myself, when looking to advance in leadership positions, receive postings of job opportunities from search firms. I was very fortunate that the search firm OCC had hired to manage the process included me on their list of people they thought might be interested. I read about the college, read about New Jersey higher education, and read carefully the detailed job description prepared by the search firm. I was impressed by the beauty of the campus, the longevity of the institution, the many programs the college offers, and the wide range of services and support offered to students. I remain honored to have been chosen to serve.
Question 2:
Board Chair, Jerry Dasti, described you as passionate and an advocate for education. He said that you believe that education transforms lives and that you’re committed to removing the barriers that get in the way of the success of students. What specific barriers do you believe impact students at Ocean County College and what are your plans for student success?
Ocean County College students face the same barriers college students everywhere share—balancing family, work, and school, learning how to be a student in a physical space. I hear from students that learning to manage time and stress is something they struggle with. Some students also deal with some very difficult challenges, such as food or housing insecurity, acceptance for who they are, and maintaining healthy relationships. OCC listens to students. We are working on how to be a Caring Campus, and we invest in the resources to help students experience success. These resources include academic support services, Our TRiO program, our EOF program, counseling, and financial help when needed through a FIPSE grant and the generosity of our Foundation.
Question 3:
In the time you have served at Ocean County College, what have you seen that you would say needs improvement. What are some things that OCC lacks?
We heard from our accreditor that we needed to work on shared governance, and the entire community has eagerly participated in ways to improve our commitment to shared governance. We have established a new cabinet that includes the chair of the Senate and three faculty members, I meet regularly with the SGA officers, several Vice Presidents regularly attend SGA meetings, I meet with PTK officers, and we have put into practice building teams and committees to explore opportunities and solve problems. We will continue to work on our communication channels.
One thing I would love to see on campus is a multicultural center. We must continue to work on how we embrace everyone and make a home for all.
Question 4:
I have talked to many people about the importance of having the resources for non native English speakers. What are your thoughts on the difficulties for students who are enrolled at OCC but struggle to understand due to lack of English? There are many foreign speakers in Ocean County, especially Spanish speaking people, have you had experiences with this issue in your previous leadership roles?
OCC is committed to providing a learning environment that serves the needs of our diverse community. We are working on deliberate recruiting of faculty and staff who have additional language skills and cultural knowledge to help students whose first language is not English. We are in active discussion about how we could offer bilingual courses and how we can help students who are in the ESL program become students in our credit programs. We have a lot to do.
Question 5:
Ocean County College is a relatively inexpensive community college with many resources and options to entice people. What are your goals to strengthen the reputation of OCC and the overall importance of community colleges?
Community colleges provide access to anyone who wants to earn a degree, develop new skills, or enrich their lives. This is a uniquely American form of higher education, and I am honored to be part of Ocean County College. We are well known for our successful transfer program, but we offer much more than transfer degrees. We have an opportunity to become better known throughout our county for all that we can offer to enhance the lives and livelihood of our county residents. We should not be the best kept secret of Ocean County. All the outstanding work of the college must be broadly shared through social media, marketing campaigns, and by each of us representing the college in the community.
