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JERSEY CITY, N.J. | The  (Ұ������) Board of Trustees voted unanimously at its regular board meeting today to lift the interim title for Andrés Acebo and officially appoint him as the 13th president of the institution, dating to its founding in 1927.

Acebo has served as interim president since his original appointment on January 17, 2023, leading the university through the most critical period in its 98-year history and orchestrated a remarkable financial and academic recovery. Marking the next chapter in delivering accessible public higher education to the Jersey City and Hudson County communities, Acebo signed a letter of intent in May to advance a historic merger to integrate Ұ������ into Kean University, two mission-aligned institutions, which once completed will create Kean Jersey City.

"At our regular Board of Trustees meeting on July 23, the Board voted unanimously to lift the interim title for Andrés Acebo and officially appoint him as the 13th president of Ұ������," said Luke Visconti, Chair of the Ұ������ Board of Trustees. "President Acebo and his management team have provided exceptional leadership during the most critical period in our university's history, and while he may have carried an interim title, the transformative work he has accomplished alongside our campus community has been anything but temporary. Under his leadership, our campus has experienced unprecedented change—he reduced institutional debt by tens of millions of dollars, drove three consecutive semesters of double-digit transfer enrollment growth, secured the first positive financial outlook in Ұ������'s history from Moody's, and established numerous academic and community partnerships that have strengthened our campus connections throughout the region. In recognition of these demonstrated results, the Board determined he has earned the permanent title, and his vision has helped secure the future of our campus for generations to come."

Since taking office during a financial emergency, Acebo’s leadership resulted in Moody's Ratings upgrading Ұ������'s outlook from "negative" to "stable" in February 2024, followed by Fitch Ratings doing the same in November 2024. In May 2025, Moody's upgraded Ұ������'s outlook from stable to positive—the first time Moody's has ever assigned a positive outlook to the university.

President Acebo addressed the audience following the Board announcement, and after thanking the Board and his family, added: “Thank you to the Ұ������ community for carrying me over the last two and a half years. None of this is ever done alone. Nothing meaningful and impactful is ever accomplished alone and I will forever honor and cherish this beautiful and beloved community that is Ұ������.”

Under Acebo's leadership, Ұ������ has achieved numerous historic milestones. The university was ranked No. 1 in New Jersey and 10th nationally in CollegeNET's 2023 Social Mobility Index, maintaining its No. 1 state ranking and Top 20 national position in 2024. The university graduated 1,667 students in Spring 2024—an 8.2 percent increase in bachelor's degrees from 2023, and an additional 1,544 in 2025.

Acebo, who became only the third Hispanic to serve as leader of a four-year public institution in New Jersey and is the youngest known president to lead a public university in the state, has been widely recognized for his transformational leadership. In May 2024, ROI-NJ named him the No. 1 ranked Influencer in New Jersey Higher Education, and he ranked No. 4 overall in the 2024 NJBiz Education Power 50 List—the highest ranking of any college or university president in New Jersey.

The Hudson County native and proud first-generation son of Cuban exiles has implemented four major strategic initiatives during his tenure: the Ұ������ Recovery and Revitalization Plan (April 2023), the university's first Academic Master Plan (February 2024), the institution's first Strategic Enrollment Plan (April 2024), and the first-ever Student Development and Community Engagement Strategic Plan (December 2024).

Acebo has also strengthened community partnerships, including the groundbreaking Hudson Connect Program with Hudson County Community College and similar agreements with Essex County College and Mercer County Community College. 

The university's relationship with local communities has flourished under Acebo's leadership, including enhanced partnerships with Jersey City Public Schools and the creation of the Ұ������ President's Community Advisory Council in August 2024.

Furthermore, Acebo has signed key strategic MOUs, including with the NJEA, Hudson Building Trades, GLACO, AFT Local 1839, Jersey City POBA, Boys & Girls Clubs of Hudson County, Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (SHCCNJ) and Hudson County Latin American Chamber of Commerce (HCLACC). In March, 2025, Ұ������ announced its athletics program would move from the NJAC to join a new conference being formed that includes the eight Division III members of the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC). The conference realignment will make Ұ������ the first school outside of the New York City five borough footprint to join the conference as a full-time member.

Ұ������’s relationship with the Jersey City Public Schools (JCPS) has never been stronger than during Acebo’s tenure. Notably, Ұ������ in partnership with the A. Harry Moore Laboratory School launched the A. Harry Moore School Life Independence and Future Transitions (LIFT) in October 2024 on campus in Grossnickle Hall and in November 2024 signed an academic articulation agreement with the Jersey City Board of Education aimed at enhancing the operation of the JCPS Visual and Performing Arts Program.

Under his leadership, Ұ������ introduced the most significant overhaul of its general education curriculum in decades, allowing every course on the approved New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC) list, including those without direct equivalencies, to be accepted at Ұ������ for general education credit. The Ұ������ University Senate, with 95 percent in favor, overwhelmingly voted in favor of the reforms to the General Education program — thus making Ұ������ the most-transfer friendly institution in the State of New Jersey. 

In Spring 2024, Ұ������ continued making transformative changes to higher ed, dismantling systemic barriers that students face in their degree completions, as the university introduced a pledge of guaranteed schedules for its students. Additionally, Ұ������ announced plans to absorb the cost of books into the price of tuition beginning in Fall 2024, which will eliminate the uncertainty about the cost of college. 

Acebo holds a B.A. from Brown University and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School. A North Jersey resident, he  is a proud product of Union City public schools in Hudson County. He’s the proud father to three young children and husband to an extraordinarily dedicated educator — an Ұ������ alumnae — who proudly celebrate and champion their community and their roots together.

The campus will plan a formal investiture for President Acebo during the Fall 2025 semester.

 

About Ұ������: 
Ұ������ is a comprehensive public regional institution committed to providing a high-quality education to a diverse student population. Located in Jersey City, New Jersey, Ұ������ offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs and is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for learning, professional development, and community engagement. Consistent with our mission, Ұ������ is recognized as a top university for improving upward economic social mobility, ensuring students enrolled in our undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral programs have access to an affordable, diverse environment, and an exceptionally supportive faculty. This prepares them to go on to become the next generation of workers and leaders who improve their communities and the State of New Jersey.

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Contact: 
Ira Thor, Associate Vice President for University Communications and Marketing | ithor@njcu.edu | 201-200-3301