New Brunswick Center

Guided by the motto “Educate to Elevate,” the New Brunswick Center opened in April of 1980 and provides educational opportunities to meet the needs of the community. The Center was established through the efforts of New Brunswick Tomorrow, the city’s redevelopment organization, aided by an advisory committee comprised of representatives of government, business, and industry and community groups. The New Brunswick Center is located at 140 New Street, corner of New Street and Joyce Kilmer Avenue and within walking distance of the New Brunswick train station, bus stop and a bustling downtown art/cultural center. Registered students with a car are encouraged to purchase the reduced student parking card which gives them access to the New Street parking deck seven days a week for the entire semester. Key members of the New Brunswick Center are bilingual in English/Spanish to better serve the community.

This satellite location offers over sixty college courses per semester including various levels of English writing, Spanish, business, public speaking, criminal justice, sociology, psychology, biology, business, allied health, mathematics, computer science and history. Courses are scheduled throughout the day, evenings and Saturdays. The staff is trained to support all phases of the enrollment process. Potential students can visit the Center for information on how to apply for admission, arrange to take the ESL (English as Second Language) and/or college placement test (CPT), apply for financial aid (FAFSA) or the Alternative Financial Aid application, drop off documents, access advisors or personal counselor on site and much more. Registered students can access free tutoring services and library support online. They may also use the open computer lab during hours of operation and for registered students who need a computer at home, the Center has Chromebooks to loan out. In addition, the Center staff advocates for students needing help with basic needs and works collaboratively with community partners as students are referred. Students can socialize, make friends and expand their learning by participating in fun, cultural and educational activities held in person or remote live. Those who want to an opportunity to lead can run for an officer position with the New Brunswick Center Cub or can simply attend the many activities promoted throughout the semester.

In response to the high number of first generation college students in the New Brunswick area with a need for tutoring and mentoring, programs for college-bound teens were created over the years. Introduced in 2009, the E.M.P.O.W.E.R. Program is the longest running of these programs. This college preparation program provides much needed guidance and support to teens who want to attend college and whose resources are limited. These teens receive directed tutoring, attend student success workshops including time management and note taking, participate in team building experiences, receive assistance in filing for financial aid including scholarships, and may be given the opportunity to take a college class while in high school. The Center partners with Rutgers, the Collaborative for Community Based Research and Service and the Middlesex College Office of Civic Engagement and Community Partnerships to serve this population.

The New Brunswick Center serves the diverse needs of this community by providing adults with options to take non-credit courses such as English as Second Language classes beginning levels and American English Pronunciation, Conversational English, and Word Building. In addition, the Center actively seeks outs grants in alignment with local needs. One such grant, Pathways into Health Careers Bootcamp, a program funded by the Rutgers Community Health Foundation, is a three-year grant that recruits immigrants and offers them the opportunity to explore various health careers and matches them with funding sources to pursue these careers in collaboration with local employers.

Since 2005 and in support of the local community, the location became certified by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as an official Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site. VITA certified volunteers offer the general public free tax filing assistance. This is a popular service for students, staff and the community at large. These services have been offered virtually since 2020 and will return to in person, when feasible.

For more information about the services or programs offered at the New Brunswick Center, please call 732.745.8866, check out the New Brunswick Center web page at https://www.middlesexcc.edu/new-brunswick-center/ or e-mail infonb@middlesexcc.edu for information.