Brookdale Community College is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior s ...

in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, in

Monmouth County, New Jersey Monmouth County () is a county located on the coast of central New Jersey. The county is part of the New York metropolitan area and is situated along the northern half of the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population wa ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

, United States. Founded in 1967, the college also has regional locations in Neptune Township, Freehold Township, Long Branch, and Wall Township. Brookdale is an open-admission college that admits anyone 18 years of age or older or anyone who is a high school graduate or holder of an equivalency diploma. The college also offers courses to qualified high school students through its dual enrollment program. It serves the residents of Monmouth County and surrounding communities and has an enrollment of approximately 10,000 students. The college offers associate degrees in more than 75 programs, as well as non-degree/non-credit classes and certificate programs.

History

In 1967, the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders decided to form a community college for the benefit of Monmouth county residents. For this purpose, the 800-acre Brookdale Farm in Lincroft was acquired from Lewis S. Thompson Jr. in 1968. Classes were first offered in 1969. On July 24, 2012, College President Peter F. Burnham, who had retired from a 20-year tenure after corruption allegations surfaced pleaded guilty to two indictable (felony) counts of official misconduct and one count of theft by deception in a plea agreement that called for a five-year prison term. Five months later, he was sentenced to a 5-year-prison-term and ordered to make financial restitution to the college. The college announced on October 5, 2022 that its Hazlet campus had been sold and that the college would seek to open a new branch campus in the region.

Lincroft campus

The Lincroft campus in Middletown consists of 22 buildings, including the Center for the Visual Arts, the Center for World War II Studies, and the Donald D. Warner Student Life Center. The newly renovated Robert J. Collins Arena/Brookdale Recreation and Events Center holds special events, including conventions, concerts, and athletic competitions. High Technology High School, a

magnet school In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...

for students from Monmouth County, is located near the eastern edge of the Lincroft Campus. It is operated by the

Monmouth County Vocational School District The Monmouth County Vocational School District (MCVSD) is a vocational and technical public school district in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, providing vocational education to students across the county. Monmouth County Vocational ...

. The Lincroft campus is home to the Monmouth Museum, the Brookdale Performing Arts Center, and Brookdale Public Radio (

WBJB-FM WBJB-FM (90.5 FM, "Brookdale Public Radio, 90.5 The Night") is a non-commercial, member-supported, educational public radio station licensed to Brookdale Community College, serving Central New Jersey with "The News You Need and the Music You Love ...

). These institutions offer performances,

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

programming, and music.

Athletics

The Department of Athletics, Recreation, and Intramurals provides a diverse range of programs. Brookdale's intercollegiate program is nationally recognized. The Jersey Blues teams compete in the

Garden State Athletic Conference The Garden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) is a junior college conference in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) for many technical and community colleges in New Jersey. And it is one conference in the Region 19 of the NJC ...

and in Region XIX of the

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

. The program has won eight NJCAA Division III National titles: softball (2002, 2005 and 2010), women's soccer (2013, 2014 and 2015) and men's basketball (2013 and 2018). ;Sports teams * Men's and Women's Cross Country * Men's and Women's Soccer * Men's and Women's Tennis * Men's and Women's Basketball * Men's Lacrosse * Baseball * Softball * Cheerleading * Women's Volleyball

Student clubs and organizations

There are approximately 50 recognized student organizations at Brookdale Community College. Clubs and organizations are recognized by the Student Life Board, Brookdale's student government, and must re-register every year with the department of Student Life and Activities.

Coastal Communiversity and university partnerships

The NJ Coastal Communiversity, led by Brookdale, was an alliance of New Jersey higher education colleges and universities offering selected associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees, and graduate certificates in Monmouth County.Its members were Brookdale, Georgian Court University,

Montclair State University Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public university in New ...

, New Jersey City University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

. Classes and services were offered at Brookdale's Wall Higher Education Center (on the grounds of the former US Army installation Camp Evans). Rutgers classes and services were offered at the Western Monmouth Branch Campus in Freehold and Montclair's MBA classes were offered on the Lincroft main campus. As of 2021, the Communiversity had been replaced by institutional partnerships with Georgian Court University, New Jersey City University, and Rutgers University.

Center for World War II Studies and Conflict Resolution

The Center for World War II Studies and Conflict Resolution is dedicated to fostering the study of the historical, political, social, economic, cultural and military aspects of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

era up through the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

. The Center examines the key events of the time; the political and military leaders who waged the wars, provided the leadership, made the peace; and those who served on the battlefield and home front.

Notable people

Faculty and staff

Monica Aksamit Monica Aksamit (born February 18, 1990) is an American Olympic saber fencer. She represented the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics, earning a bronze medal in the Women's Saber Team competition. She won a gold medal with Team USA at t ...

(born 1990), saber fencer who won a bronze medal at the

2016 Summer Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...

in the Women's Saber Team competition. * Jeffrey Ford (born 1955), fantasy, science fiction and mystery author, who is a recipient of the

Edgar Allan Poe Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

, the

Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a nonprofit association of prof ...

and the

World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous ann ...

* Laura McCullough (born 1960), author and poet. *

Sally Priesand Sally Jane Priesand (born June 27, 1946) is America's first female rabbi ordained by a rabbinical seminary, and the second formally ordained female rabbi in Jewish history, after Regina Jonas. Priesand was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Je ...

(born 1946), America's first female rabbi. She serves on the board of the Center for Holocaust Studies at Brookdale. * Dan Tomasulo (born 1951), counseling psychologist, author, and professor. * Pat Villani (1954–2011), computer programmer, author, and advocate of free software. * William John Watkins (born 1942), science fiction writer and

Rhysling award __NOTOC__ The Rhysling Awards are an annual award given for the best science fiction, fantasy, or horror poem of the year. Unlike most literary awards, which are named for the creator of the award, the subject of the award, or a noted member of t ...

-winning poet.

Alumni

Lou Brutus Lou Brutus (born November 10, 1962) is an American radio personality, program director, voice-over talent, musician, and photographer. He is best known as the host of the nationally syndicated rock radio programs '' hardDrive with Lou Brutus'' a ...

(born 1972), radio host, musician and photographer. *

Deena Nicole Cortese Deena Nicole Cortese Buckner ( Cortese; born January 12, 1987) is an Italian-American reality television personality who appeared on the MTV reality show ''Jersey Shore'' from 2010 to 2012 and is currently on '' Jersey Shore: Family Vacation''. ...

(born 1987), cast member on the reality shows ''

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May P ...

'' and '' Jersey Shore: Family Vacation''. *

Dean Ehehalt Dean Ehehalt (born September 10, 1964) is an American college baseball coach, currently serving as head coach of the Monmouth Hawks baseball team. He was named to that position prior to the 1994 season. Raised in Middletown Township, New Jersey ...

(born 1964), head coach of the

Monmouth Hawks baseball The Monmouth Hawks baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, United States. The team is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, which is part of the National Collegiate ...

team. * Bill Hill (born 1959), former NFL cornerback for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

* Jim Hunter (born 1959), formerly of

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W ...

and currently a broadcaster on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network that covers the

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

. * Rob Lukachyk (born 1968), former Major League Baseball player who played briefly for the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in ...

during their 1996 season. * John Montefusco (born 1950), former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1974 to 1986 who played for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in ...

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

and

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

. * Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi (LaValle) (born 1987), Reality-TV star of

Dancing With the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the form ...

, Celebrity Apprentice,

Fear Factor ''Fear Factor'' is an American stunt/dare game show that first aired on NBC from 2001 to 2006 and was initially hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The show was adapted by Endemol USA from the original Dutch series titled ''Now ...

Snooki & JWoww ''Snooki & Jwoww'' (sometimes rendered ''Snooki & JWOWW'' in print and online sources) is an American reality television series on MTV starring Nicole " Snooki" Polizzi and Jennifer " JWoww" Farley. It is the second of three spin-offs of ''Jersey ...

, Nicole & Jionni's Shore Flip, & Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. *

Dave Rible David P. Rible (born August 28, 1967) is an American Republican Party politician, who has served as Director of the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control since July 2017. He had previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly re ...

(born 1967), Director of the

New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control The New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (Division of ABC or, simply, ABC) is an agency of the government of the state of New Jersey that regulates commerce in alcoholic beverages in that state. The 21st Amendment to the United State ...

, who previously served in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

. * Alex Skuby (born 1972), actor best known for appearing on '' King of Queens''. *

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film '' Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, ...

(born 1970), film director, screenwriter, and actor, perhaps best known for the cult classic ''

Clerks A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store. Office holder Clerk(s) may also refer to a person who holds an office, most commonly in a local unit of government, or a court. *Barristers' clerk, a manager and adminis ...

''. Brookdale's Criminal Justice degree program was mentioned during the jail scene in his film '' Clerks 2''. He received an Associate of Letters degree in 2007. * Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino (born 1982), Reality-TV star of

Celebrity Big Brother (UK) ''Celebrity Big Brother'' is a British television reality game show based on the Dutch show '' Big Brother'', created by producer John de Mol in 1997, which aired from 2001 to 2018. The show followed a number of celebrity contestants, known a ...

, The Sorrentinos,

Marriage Boot Camp ''Marriage Boot Camp'' (also known as ''Marriage Boot Camp: Bridezillas'', ''Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars'' and ''Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars Family Edition'') is an American reality television series which debuted on May 31, 2013, on W ...

, and Jersey Shore: Family Vacation *

James Urbaniak James Christian Urbaniak (born September 17, 1963) is an American character actor. He is best known for his roles as Simon Grim in three Hal Hartley films: '' Henry Fool'' (1997), '' Fay Grim'' (2006) and '' Ned Rifle'' (2014), Robert Crumb in ...

(born 1963), actor of film, stage, and voice. Portrays Dr. Venture, amongst other characters, on ''

The Venture Brothers ''The Venture Bros.'' is an American adult animated action comedy TV series created by Chris McCulloch (also known as "Jackson Publick") for Cartoon Network's late night programming block Adult Swim. Following a pilot episode on February 16, 20 ...

''. *

Denny Walling Dennis Martin Walling (born April 17, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball player. Walling played all or parts of 18 seasons in the majors, from 1975 to 1992. His most frequent position was third base, but he also saw significant time as an out ...

(born 1954),

third baseman for the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...

. *

Brian Williams Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American retired journalist and television news anchor. He was a reporter for '' NBC Nightly News'' starting in 1993, before his promotion to anchor and managing editor of the broadcast in 2004. ...

(born 1959), former anchor and managing editor of ''

NBC Nightly News ''NBC Nightly News'' (titled as ''NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt'' for its weeknight broadcasts since June 22, 2015) is the flagship daily evening News broadcasting#Television, television news program for NBC News, the news division of the NB ...

''.Strauss, Robert
"In Person; The Life Of Brian, Annotated"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', October 27, 2002. Accessed October 14, 2007. "Early on, Mr. Williams was hardly a striver. After high school he went to Brookdale Community College without much of a plan besides volunteer firefighting." * Madlyn-Ann C. Woolwich (born 1937), pastel and impressionist painter and author of several books and articles.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Universities and colleges in Monmouth County, New Jersey New Jersey County Colleges NJCAA athletics 1967 establishments in New Jersey Middletown Township, New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1967