Hudson County Community College was established in 1974 when the New Jersey Board of Higher Education approved the establishment of a community college commission in Hudson County, the first ofits kind in the country. The College began as a "contract" college. As one of only two such colleges in the United States, and the sole contract college in New Jersey, its goal was to offer programs to students that reflected the nature of the job market. Hudson County Community College received its official name in 1981. In the past several years, Hudson County Community College has realized unprecedented growth, with enrollment and graduation rates increasing significantly each year. Enrollment has risen from 4,129 students in 1996 to 9,400 in Fall 2011.This growth is a result of careful and thoughtful planning to (1) enlarge the depth and number of course/class offerings (including scheduling "sunrise," weekend, and online classes), (2) enhance students' experiences (including the establishment of a central counseling prog ram, and reorganized student activities and student government prog rams), and (3) expand the number and quality of its facilities by adding more than eight state-of-the-art buildings to the College's campuses.