Irma Cruz Says Salem CC’s EOF Program Proving Beneficial to Students
BY CLYDE HUGHES | AC JosepH Media
SALEM – Irma Cruz has spent much of her educational career helping underserved students and as head of the Salem Community College’s Educational Opportunity Fund, or EOF, program, she is planning to expand that effort to record numbers.
In her short time at the college, Cruz has already led to significant growth in the program, Presently, 90 students are in Salem CC’s program, 60% more than when she arrived. She said she hopes that number of students she serves will top 100 soon.
“When I started, the program was not as robust,” Cruz told Front Runner New Jersey in an interview this month. “Some were fearful of the program and thought it wasn’t for them. I would tell them to come and join us for lunch, check out our workshops and you may find out that you qualify for it.”
Since 1968 in New Jersey, the EOF program has been instrumental in creating opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds to pursue a college degree with a comprehensive student support service program that offers financial and academic assistance to disadvantaged eligible students.
Salem CC’s staff consists of Cruz, assistant director Katelyn Good, enrollment counselor Mark Murdock and advisor Wendy Jo Brewer.
Black and Hispanic candidates today make up 70% of the EOF students in New Jersey.
“I don’t foresee a problem reaching our goal because the program here speaks for itself,” Cruz said. “We have created a community, a caring community, and a sense of belonging. The word is spreading across the campus, and a lot of students will come to my door asking if they qualify.
“Some don’t qualify so they will not get funding, however, they can still participate in workshops to get the personalized attention that they need to be successful.”
Before arriving to Salem in September 2022, Cruz served as executive director of student affairs at Cheyney State University, a renowned HBCU in Pennsylvania. She also served as assistant director of admissions at Kutztown University, where she earned her master’s in counseling and student affairs,
She also spent time in the classroom as a middle school teacher.
“I actually think my experience prepared me to lead a team and to support student success, which has always been my passion,” Cruz said.
She said many students who come from poor and disadvantaged situations are trying to learn while shouldering heady responsibilities like being a young person and taking on the responsibility of caregiver to their siblings while the parents work.
Cruz said she had at times talked and helped arrange for help, even if it meant she getting involved herself, in assisting a student in attending classes or studying. She said that grassroot, one-on-one assistance pays dividends not just to the individual student but the college as well.
“We have a variety of students within our program, and it has been our support services that has helped out students grow,” Cruz said. “We provide one-on-one advising, mentoring and guiding them through the whole process that really has helped.
“Some of our students come with a lot of mental health challenges or come to school with other responsibilities at home. We work with them to help navigate those challenges.”
Cruz said the Salem Community College EOF program serves as an opportunity to give disadvantaged students a chance to succeed in becoming the best version of themselves. The growing program shows that more students want to be a part of that every day.
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