, we are announcing the Publisher’s Choice awards in advance. Today, we put a spotlight on the winner of Excellence in Education:Dr. Ara Karakashian has been the dean of the School of Business, Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management atIn 2022, he spearheaded the implementation of the cannabis curriculum at the Jersey City-based college, working closely with Garden State cannabis industry insiders, including Cannademix and Stockton University’s Cannabis & Hemp Initiative.
To create the associate’s degree and cannabis certification programs, he worked with local retail dispensary applicants, helping to negotiate agreements to provide for co-marketing opportunities, special events, scholarships, externships, and preferential employment of HCCC graduates. There are several opportunities for new and returning students with three courses that offer credentials HCCC. The certificate of cannabis proficiency labeled the Cannabis Business Agents credential can be done in one semester. There’s the Cannabis Business Management course, which could be done in two semesters if geared toward someone with a prior college degree who wants to learn accounting management.