GCU President Joseph R. Marbach, Ph.D., is the new Board of Trustees chair for the Independent Colleges and Universities in New Jersey (ICUNJ). The organization represents 14 independent higher education institutions from throughout the state, including Georgian Court.
Dr. Marbach’s term comes at an important juncture for both ICUNJ and higher education as a whole. ICUNJ is a new organization formed through a merger of two groups with similar missions, the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of New Jersey and the Independent College Fund of New Jersey. With a new ICUNJ president, Stephen R. Reynolds, Esq., the organization will continue to address multiple challenges that have arisen from the pandemic.
“ICUNJ will advance its predecessor organizations’ mission of advocating for the 63,000+ students who attend independent colleges and universities in New Jersey,” said Dr. Marbach. “Now more than ever, because of COVID-19’s impact, we are committed to our students’ success and highlighting the many benefits of attending a private college or university.”
Among the many benefits of being affiliated with ICUNJ are the financial and career support it offers students. In partnership with companies throughout New Jersey, ICUNJ awards scholarships for wide-ranging student research and special initiatives. Through the years, Georgian Court scholars have presented at ICUNJ’s annual research symposium and have received funding to assist with their college journey.
The college presidents joining Dr. Marbach on the ICUNJ Board of Trustees are Gregory D. Dell’Omo, Ph.D., Rider University, vice chair; Christopher Capuano, Ph.D., Fairleigh Dickinson University, secretary; and Marcheta P. Evans, Ph.D., Bloomfield College, treasurer. In addition to a trustee board, ICUNJ also has a board of advisors comprised of 60 business leaders.
Dr. Marbach was also recently named to ROI-NJ’s Higher Education 2021 Honor Roll, part of the 2021 ROI Influencers: Higher Education list, which “is a way to recognize the schools, the presidents, the deans and directors, the doers and the donors that made higher education possible during the most uncertain of times.” The list notes that Dr. Marbach “has the 113-year institution headed in the right direction, with new programs for first-generation students and adults returning to school. The ratings agencies Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s both upgraded their outlook for the university this summer.“
