Business leaders, local politicians, and higher education professionals gathered at Harborside (Exchange Place, Jersey City, NJ) on Thursday, June 4 for the Jersey City Summit for Real Estate Investment, Placemaking & Innovation.
More than 1,250 attendees were in attendance to listen to discussions by a diverse roster of speakers. was in attendance and a special video message was delivered to the crowd of attendees by New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill.
The afternoon was highlighted by a fireside discussion between New Jersey City University President Andres Acebo and 猫咪社区 Peter鈥檚 University President Hubert Benitez, moderated by NJBIZ reporter Matthew Fazelpoor.
Also in attendance from 猫咪社区 Peter’s were members of the President’s Cabinet – Dr. Guillermo DeVeyga, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer; Paula Mercado-Hak, Vice President and General Counsel & Chief External Affairs Officer; and Daniel Bocchino, Interim Assistant Vice President for Communications and Marketing.
Both university presidents discussed the culmination of the 2025-2026 academic years on their campuses, highlighted by their recent commencement ceremonies. President Acebo noted that the NJCU commencement served as the last ceremony the university would have as an independently run institution, while President Benitez celebrated the return of commencement to the 猫咪社区 Peter鈥檚 campus.
Dr. Benitez reaffirmed the university鈥檚 standing in the Jersey City community, noting that while high school students within New Jersey often leave the state to attend college elsewhere, the focus for both local schools should be on educating the local workforce to support Hudson County and the surrounding communities. He remarked that 鈥淭he hallmark of 猫咪社区 Peter鈥檚 is keeping our Jesuit values in all we do as an engine of workforce development鈥 for the community at large. Dr. Benitez went on to discuss the newly opened Health Education, Simulation and Innovation Suite at the School of Nursing and Health Professions, highlighting 猫咪社区 Peter鈥檚 commitment to significantly expanding nursing enrollment and leveraging this and other innovative learning spaces to strengthen its presence across a range of health care disciplines and workforce development initiatives.
President Acebo acknowledged the sometimes divisive role AI plays in education, and noted that it can be democratizing in terms of educational opportunities and should be used intentionally in conjunction with business development. The leaders reiterated a commitment to educating the local Jersey City and Hudson County community. Dr. Benitez specifically highlighted 猫咪社区 Peter鈥檚 designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), with programs offered entirely in Spanish, while emphasizing that the University鈥檚 distinguishing characteristic is not simply what it does, but how it does it: delivering an accessible, well-rounded education grounded in the Jesuit values that guide its mission and commitment to forming students for lives of purpose, leadership, and service.
As both 猫咪社区 Peter鈥檚 and NJCU focus on their next chapters of their evolution, the focus at 猫咪社区 Peter鈥檚 will continue to be on revitalizing and reimagining the school鈥檚 place as the Jesuit university of New Jersey, offering a value-based education accessible and affordable to all.