Anthony Iacono, President, County College of Morris

In an interview with Invest:, Anthony Iacono, president of County College of Morris, discussed the school’s expanding industry partnerships, evolving workforce programs, and community-centered mission. “Our success really comes down to one thing: partnerships,” he said.

What have been the key highlights for the County College of Morris in the past year?
Our biggest achievement, something we’ve been building for eight years, is deeply integrating the college into business, industry, and the broader community. A great example is our new construction. Every building underway is a partnership. We launched this approach with our manufacturing building, a public-private partnership funded by state and county dollars. Industry partners equip the space with cutting-edge technology and shape the curriculum. They also provide apprenticeships, internships, and scholarships.

Now, we’re applying that model to new projects. The Center for Entrepreneurship and Culinary Science is being co-developed with the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. Our expanded culinary kitchen is being built in collaboration with local restaurants and hotels. We’ve also begun work on an 80,000-square-foot healthcare facility, with interior equipment provided by healthcare partners. Delta Dental, for example, is helping us launch new dental programs.

This model runs campus-wide. CCM doesn’t operate in isolation. We bring industry in early to ask: What do you need? Where is your field going? Can you help shape our curriculum and support students?

This collaboration has elevated CCM. For six consecutive years, we’ve led all New Jersey community colleges in alumni salaries — and we’re among the national leaders, too. That’s because the industry hires directly from our programs, knowing that graduates are job-ready.

Our recent economic impact study showed CCM contributes $586 million, comparable to the revenue from a Super Bowl. It may not come with the fanfare, but the economic value is there.

We’ve also helped reduce welfare rolls by $11 million, moving people into jobs with family-sustaining wages and strong benefits.
Our success really comes down to one thing: partnerships. 

How does CCM align its programs with evolving industry needs?
My team and I constantly review population trends, economic and political forecasts, and consumer data. We ask: What does this mean for us, and how can we use it to benefit students and the community?

Everything ties back to partnerships, but we also track global shifts. This is a dynamic time, and we’ve made major changes in response. For instance, the U.S. population has been shrinking, especially among 18–20-year-olds. After 2025, high school graduation numbers will fall, especially in the Northeast.

Years ago, we began pivoting. A demographic study revealed our community had changed significantly. We started offering new programs for career changers and workers needing to upgrade their tech skills — a trend that’s only growing.

We’re also investing heavily in AI. Though still in its early stages, we’re preparing students of all ages, including the 35–60 age group, to stay competitive. Many careers are disappearing, but these individuals bring valuable experience, and we want to help them remain vital.

Another major initiative is a fully integrated experience that starts in middle school. We offer early college programs for high schoolers, many funded privately, and we help them understand that there are options after graduation, with CCM as one of them.

We also focus on breaking down silos between K–12 and higher ed, creating smoother pathways and stronger connections with businesses and families.

What do you foresee happening in the coming years, especially with changing population trends and workforce needs?
The systems we know are going to be disrupted. Every generation views work differently, and the shrinking workforce is accelerating that. As I often say, population decline hits kindergarten first, colleges second, and industry hardest. Part of why salaries are up is simply that there are fewer workers, and that will continue. This shift benefits younger generations. They’ll see higher pay and more opportunities earlier than previous generations.

At two national conferences, major corporations emphasized that future hires must have two things: data science literacy and AI fluency. They don’t need to program AI, but they must understand it. It’s like the internet boom in the 1990s. At first, some were excited, others hesitant. But soon, if you didn’t know how to use it, you couldn’t even apply for a job. Colleges held workshops to teach people how. AI will move even faster and change everything — on campus and in the workplace. But for today’s students, it’s an incredible opportunity. They’re positioned to thrive.

How do you integrate industry credentials into degree programs, and why is that important?
This has been central to our transformation. We embed industry credentials into degree programs to address what employers keep asking: “Great, you have a degree — but what can you actually do?” A student with a business, English, or history degree plus credentials in coding, AI, or data science gives employers a clearer picture of their capabilities. It also deepens students’ learning.

All degrees are meant to teach critical thinking and communication, but students need real-world applications to think critically about. Credentials provide that. 

Today’s students are more career-focused. They want to know: What job will I get, and what will it pay? That wasn’t as common in earlier generations, but it’s essential now. We can now show students live job boards tied to their degrees, expected salaries, and real career outcomes. Our nursing degree costs about $12,000, with starting salaries around $100,000. Paramedic grads can start at $85,000 to $90,000. Tech and engineering fields offer similar results.

We also teach students how to interview and present themselves in ways that align with what employers now expect.

What is your approach to supporting the arts, athletics, and student mental health at CCM?

Mental health is a national and global crisis. We begin by reducing stigma. Our dean of students, a licensed counselor, reminds everyone that mental health is like physical health. It fluctuates and sometimes needs support. We employ four full-time mental health counselors with master’s degrees and also partner with community providers for more intensive care. Just like with physical health, support comes in different levels. We’re proud of our student-led groups where students can talk privately and realize they’re not alone. That sense of community is powerful.

Our arts programs are top tier. Our Fine Arts program is ranked No. 1 nationally, and our Performing Arts program is also highly respected. We have a vibrant on-campus art gallery hosting about a dozen exhibits each year, showcasing students, faculty, and regional artists. It’s become a vital cultural hub. We often say that even if you work in STEM, you live in a humanities world. The arts make us all better, including engineers and scientists.

We have two state-of-the-art recording studios, and being just 40 minutes from New York City means incredible internship opportunities. These programs are a key part of who we are.

What are your strategies and goals to further enhance the college’s impact on students and the broader community?
We’re going to continue building on our fully integrated model, preparing students for the best possible future, supporting employers’ needs today and tomorrow, and adapting for careers that don’t even exist yet. But beyond that, we’ve made CCM a true community priority. Everyone should benefit from their local community college, even if they’re not taking classes. That might mean attending an exhibit at the gallery, watching a game, or hearing a guest speaker.

We partner with community agencies to run food distribution events in our parking lots, often for residents who aren’t even our students. That’s part of our mission.

We want to grow in a way that’s meaningful, not just as an educational institution, but as a force for innovation and community strength. We see ourselves as one of the engines driving Morris County and New Jersey forward, helping them reach their fullest potential.