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William Paterson University joined the New Jersey Community Development Corporation (NJCDC), elected officials, community leaders, and Paterson youth on October 16 to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Great Falls Youth Center on Front Street in Paterson, where the University will establish William Paterson University College Central, a dedicated space offering educational programs and resources to help Paterson residents pursue higher education.
The groundbreaking, attended by U.S. Congresswoman Nellie Pou, New Jersey Senator Benjie Wimberly and Assemblyman Al Abdelaziz, Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh, city council members, public school leaders, and youth center ambassadors, marked a significant milestone in a broader partnership between William Paterson and NJCDC, through which the University has committed financial and in-kind support to the project.
"As William Paterson University marks the 75th anniversary of our move to our current Wayne campus, it is especially meaningful for us to reaffirm and deepen the University's connection to the city of Paterson where we were founded in 1855," said Amy Ginsberg, the University's interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, at the ceremony.
She noted the University's ongoing engagement with the city through partnerships that include the Paterson Alliance, Hinchliffe Stadium home teams the Cosmos and Jackals, the Paterson Anchor Collaborative, the regional Small Business Development Center, and Professors-in-Residence in Paterson schools.
"Now, through our partnership with NJCDC and College Central, we will expand that connection and provide the young people of Paterson with a new means of empowering themselves and this wonderful community," Ginsberg said.
NJCDC co-founder and CEO Bob Guarasci, who is also secretary of William Paterson's Board of Trustees, described the groundbreaking as one of the most exciting and meaningful days of his 32-year career.
Congresswoman Pou reflected on the success of NJCDC's existing youth center, which opened eight years ago and grew to serve approximately 100 children daily by 2024. She expressed particular enthusiasm for the partnership with William Paterson University, which she expects will help more city youth see that college is within their reach.
Mayor Sayegh described the occasion as an opportunity not only to break ground, but to break barriers, including those that can stand between young people and a college education. He thanked William Paterson for its involvement and noted that a future standout scholar, perhaps one who attends William Paterson, could emerge from the new center.
Among the elected officials celebrating the groundbreaking were two with their own ties to William Paterson: Senator Wimberly, who earned his special education teaching certification from the University, and Assemblyman Abdelaziz '09, a William Paterson political science graduate.
Staffed by William Paterson University employees, College Central will offer a variety of programs to help Paterson students prepare for and pursue higher education. Planned services include college fairs, application and college essay workshops, financial aid and FAFSA assistance, instant decision days, dual-enrollment opportunities, and transfer advising, particularly for Passaic County Community College students.
The center will also serve adults seeking to begin or return to college, with resources involving transfer pathways, prior learning assessment, certificates, micro-credentials, and career preparation.
Additional offerings are expected to include bilingual family information sessions; academic enrichment in areas such as writing, mathematics, digital literacy, and time management; and career preparation activities involving résumé writing, interviewing skills, career exploration, and internship opportunities. Programs may also be developed in collaboration with the University's Small Business Development Center and Center for Socially Responsible Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
The partnership will also provide William Paterson students with opportunities for community service and experiential learning, including tutoring and mentoring young people in Paterson.
Founded in 1994, NJCDC is a nonprofit community development and social service organization that supports more than 4,000 children, teens, and families in Paterson daily through programs focused on education, youth development, affordable and supportive housing, and community building.
