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JERSEY CITY, N.J. | (NJCU) has announced a formal educational partnership with Cortaditos Holding Corporation, a New Jersey-based company that owns and operates seven Cuban-style coffee shops across the state, to provide customized workforce education for Cortaditos employees. Under the agreement, NJCU will deliver a six-course Retail Management Certificate program designed specifically for Cortaditos team members, equipping them with the leadership, supervisory, customer service, and financial skills needed to help grow one of the most distinctive and community-rooted small businesses in the region. Cortaditos is a veteran- and Hispanic-owned coffee shop chain.

The program consists of six consecutive courses — Leadership; Fundamentals of Supervision and Management I and II; Managing Customer Service; Business Finance for Non-Finance Personnel; and Accounting Fundamentals — each running six weeks in length. Course materials are delivered asynchronously online and supported by weekly in-person check-in sessions on NJCU's main campus. 

�鶹�� provides a dedicated instructor and coach who is a content expert fluent in Spanish, ensuring that all participants are fully supported in both language and subject matter. Between 6-10 Cortaditos employees participate in each course, which Cortaditos funds directly on behalf of its employees at no cost to the participants.

�鶹�� President underscored the significance of the partnership, noting the pride in launching the initiative alongside a distinguished alumnus while emphasizing its broader impact.

“This partnership reflects what NJCU’s mission stands for at its core: expanding opportunity and creating meaningful pathways for working professionals to grow. It is especially meaningful to launch this effort in collaboration with a distinguished alumnus whose success speaks to the promise of our institution. When our graduates return to invest in their employees’ futures, it creates a powerful cycle of opportunity that strengthens families, businesses, and communities alike. We are proud to support Cortaditos’ team in their educational and professional advancement, and to see this work continue to evolve as we become Kean Jersey City.”

"This partnership between NJCU and Cortaditos Coffee reflects the very heart of what collaboration should mean — uniting academic expertise with real-world industry leadership to create opportunity and elevate communities," said Adam San Miguel '18, Chief Executive Officer of Cortaditos Holding Corporation and a 2025 NJCU Distinguished Graduate Award recipient. "At Cortaditos, we consider our greatest asset to be our people, and developing leadership capacity in our company is the best investment we can make in our future. So, by developing a Certificate in Retail Management tailored for Cortaditos' leaders, we're investing in the growth of a true homegrown local business whose CEO and mother are proud NJCU alumni. Together, we are building a model for how universities and businesses can co-create training pathways that strengthen organizations, empower employees, and inspire the next generation of leaders."

The mission-aligned partnership is a natural extension of NJCU's longstanding commitment to workforce development and urban community engagement in the greater Jersey City and Hudson County communities, bringing the university's academic expertise directly to the employees of a growing, locally owned business.

The collaboration also builds on the university's recent partnership with The BLOC Foundation, which established a construction workforce training program on NJCU's campus to create pathways to higher education for underrepresented women in the trades. 

The agreement, like the one with The BLOC Foundation, was signed in November 2025. It runs for one year from the launch of the Fall 2025 cohort and is designed to be renewed and expanded. Notably, the partnership includes provisions to carry forward the program after the completion of the merger with Kean University to form Kean Jersey City, expected to be finalized in Summer 2026.

Cortaditos was founded by San Miguel, a Cuban-American social entrepreneur, U.S. Coast Guard Reserve Maritime Enforcement Specialist, and NJCU alumnus who earned his Bachelor of Science in Spanish from NJCU in 2018. He also holds a B.A. in Finance from Monmouth University and an MBA from Fordham University. In addition to leading Cortaditos' soon to be seven locations — including Cortaditos Newark, which is opening soon — and more than 60 employees, San Miguel serves as founder and chairman of the Cuban American Alliance for Leadership & Education, which was recognized as Nonprofit of the Year by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey in 2020. He also serves on the Cuba Study Group and Cuba Emprende Foundation. In September 2025, he was honored with NJCU's Distinguished Graduate Award at the university's annual Leaders & Legends Gala.

�鶹�� NJCU: 
�鶹�� is a comprehensive public regional institution committed to providing a high-quality education to a diverse student population. Located in Jersey City, New Jersey, NJCU 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, NJCU 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. On July 1, 2026, NJCU is expecting to complete a merger with Kean University to join the Kean University system to become Kean Jersey City.

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