NJCU Hosts Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa for Historic Community Visit
JERSEY CITY, N.J. | New Jersey City University (NJCU) served as the host for a historic community visit when Daniel Noboa, the newly-elected President of the Republic of Ecuador, held an official gathering with more than 400 invited members of the Ecuadorian immigrant community who reside in Hudson County, New Jersey. The community encounter was held on Saturday, March 2 at NJCU’s Gilligan Student Union.
Event Photo Gallery (📸 credit: Paul Gargiulo/NJCU University Communications)
Noboa, is the first known Latin American president to visit New Jersey City University. He was elected in October, 2023, and took office in November, thus becoming the youngest president in the country's history. He was making his first official state visit to the United States.
Interim President Andrés Acebo offered welcoming remarks on behalf of the University, while Clifton (N.J.) Councilwoman Rosemary L. Pino presented a key to the city.
This event was an outcome of NJCU’s historic partnership with the Latino Community that was reinforced with signing a first-of-its-kind memorandum of understanding (MOU) with GLACO — Grupo Latinoamericano de Cónsules en New Jersey — in November by NJCU’s Guarini Institute. NJCU is the first higher educational institution in New Jersey to enter into a formal collaboration agreement to partner with GLACO — an alliance made up of 17 Latin American consulates that aim to collaborate when offering consular services as well as migratory, educational and health issues.
According to the 2020 U.S. Census, New Jersey is home to the second largest community of Ecuadorian immigrants in the United States with 237,523 residents — 2.6% of the state population — and the New York/Northern New Jersey metropolitan area has the largest Ecuadorian population in the United States (656,912). Furthermore, Essex County (21,800) and Hudson County (20,600) are the counties in the U.S. which claim the second and third largest Ecuadorian immigrant populations.
About NJCU:
New Jersey City University is a comprehensive public regional institution of higher learning located in Jersey City, N.J., dedicated to the development of our students, our city, our communities, and our state. We are a game-changing force for our students and have been recognized as one of the top colleges in the nation improving their upward economic mobility. In fact, NJCU has been ranked No. 1 in New Jersey and Top 10 in the nation in the CollegeNET Social Mobility Index for 2023. Whether enrolled in one of our undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral programs at our three locations, NJCU students 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.
Contact:
Ira Thor, Associate Vice President for University Communications | ithor@njcu.edu | 201-200-3301