AREA — UCNJ Union College of Union County, NJ (UCNJ) has announced that Vice President of Student Development Demond T. Hargrove, Ph.D., is the 2024 recipient of the Chester Holmes Humanitarian Award from the Union County Board of County Commissioners.
Dr. Hargrove, a resident of Union Township, was joined by his wife and two sons as he accepted the award at a ceremony on February 22 at the Hamilton Stage in Rahway as a part of the county’s celebration of Black History Month.
The Commissioner Board established the Chester Holmes Humanitarian Award in 2012 in honor of the former county commissioner and Rahway resident Chester Holmes, who passed away earlier that same year. An accomplished civic leader who loved the Union County community, Mr. Holmes was a former police officer, community volunteer and member of the Army National Guard.
Dr. Hargrove joined UCNJ in 2017 and serves as the college’s chief student affairs officer, leading the Student Development Division. This includes overseeing the many student-success initiatives at the college, among them Project Achievement, Operation Graduation and Inspire the Future. These initiatives specifically support firstgeneration college students, African-American students and Hispanic students. Under Dr. Hargrove’s leadership, the college has seen the addition of student-success campaigns, a growing diverse student population, and increased graduation rates.
“We are immensely proud of Dr. Hargrove’s accomplishments at UCNJ. This award is a testament to his dedication to our students. Dr. Hargrove is a student-centered administrator who continues to prioritize student needs. The Chester Holmes Humanitarian Award acknowledges his contributions at UCNJ and reaffirms our commitment to transforming our community, one student at a time,” stated UCNJ President Margaret M. McMenamin, Ed.D.
In a recent interview, Dr. Hargrove shared information on his upbringing, his thoughts on fatherhood, Black history and more. That interview can be viewed on YouTube.
UCNJ is a public, comprehensive community college that provides quality, affordable and accessible educational programs to the greater Union County region. It is the first of New Jersey’s 18 two-year colleges, serving both career-minded and transferoriented students since 1933. The college offers a wide variety of academic and extracurricular activities. UCNJ provides many experiential learning opportunities such as access to a Bloomberg Business Center, Innovation Center, and Student Research hub. Additionally, students at UCNJ attend one of the top 25 community colleges in the country for 2023 as designated by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. To learn more, visit www.ucc.edu.
