Mark Fitzgerald Wilson has been the Director of Cultural Affairs for Ocean County College since 2013 and has been instrumental in the growth of the Grunin Center for the Arts. Through his leadership, annual attendance at the center has increased from 9,000 to over 25,000 patrons.

One of the largest economic drivers of a community is a thriving arts culture. We spoke with members of the Toms River community who determined that Ocean County College would be the natural place to bring an influx of world class performers and visual art, while also growing our own local talent.

In 2014, the Grunin Foundation gave a $5.75 million gift, the single largest gift in the 50-year history of OCC’s Foundation, to establish an arts center endowment allowing OCC to develop quality programming housed in the Center. The income generated from this endowment is used for a number of initiatives that benefit OCC, Kean-Ocean, the Performing Arts Academy, and local high school students, as well as county residents and visitors.

In addition to bringing in world-class performers, the Center provides students and local talent with a venue to display and hone their skills while benefiting and enriching the cultural life of our Central Jersey Shore residents.

The Grunin Foundation gift has enabled the Grunin Center to bring in premier acts from around the world, giving patrons a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Music performances of all genres, theatre, film, and dance are included. The upstairs area is a professional visual arts gallery for student, local, and national art exhibits, as well as classrooms for college and high school students, guest artist lectures, and workshops.

The Grunin Center is home to resident companies and partners, such as the OCC Repertory Theatre Company, the OCC Concert Band, the OCC School of Arts & Humanities, and the Garden State Philharmonic. In addition, it’s the host of the Ocean County and New Jersey State Teen Arts Festivals, as well as many other local award ceremonies and programs honoring our county residents.

Since the gift from the Grunin Foundation, there has been a 50% increase in ticket sales, 125% increase in gross sales and a 177% increase in patron donations.