Bergen Community College is an accredited, co-educational, two-year, public community college located in Bergen County, New Jersey. Bergen Community College was founded in 1965 to provide accessible, affordable, and comprehensive community education services for the Bergen County region. Over the past 50 years, the college has expanded its main campus to include an expansive library, theater, student center, and most recently a new Health Profession Integrated Teaching Center with state-of-the-art laboratory equipment. In 1970, the Ciarco Learning Center in Hackensack, NJ was founded to provide non-credit education and counseling services including GED and adult ESL courses. Most recently, in an attempt to expand its offerings to the southern portion of Bergen County, a new satellite site, Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands, began offering courses at a newly-purchased facility in Lyndhurst, NJ. As of Fall 2016, Bergen Community College enrolled 14,500 students in degree programs, as well as over 8,000 students in continuing and adult education programs.
Bergen Community College has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools since 1972, and was most recently reaccredited in 2016. Individual programs are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, the National League for Nursing, the American Dental Association, the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology, The National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Services, and the American Physical Therapy Association. The Paralegal Studies Program and the Legal Nurse Consultant Program are approved by the American Bar Association.
The interim president of Bergen Community College is Dr. Michael Redmond.
During the 2017-2018 academic year, Bergen Community College is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Athletics
A New Day at Bergen Community College - Founded in 1965 to satisfy the region's need for a convenient, affordable and comprehensive higher education destination, Bergen Community College now enrolls nearly 17000 students in its...
The college colors are Pantone Purple and Pantone Orange 021. Bergen Community College sports teams are nicknamed the Bulldogs in honor of James J. Braddock, the "Bulldog of Bergen".
BCC is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association in Region XIX (New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania) and of the Garden State Athletic Conference. Bergen offers 12 sport teams to eligible students:
- Fall: Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Cross Country and Women's Volleyball
- Winter: Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball and Wrestling
- Spring: Softball, Track and Field, Tennis, Golf and Baseball
Cerullo Learning Assistance Center (CLAC)
The College's tutoring center has twice been named the best 2-year college tutoring program in the country.
National College Learning Center Association (NCLCA) - Frank L. Christ Outstanding Learning Center Award (2014)
National Tutoring Association - Program of the Year (2016)
Free speech controversy
After Francis Schmidt, a tenured professor, filed a grievance over denial of sabbatical leave, the college suspended him, claiming that a photo he posted to social media of his seven-year-old-daughter wearing a t-shirt quoting Game of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen could be construed as a threat of violence against college officials. It also required Schmidt to visit a psychiatrist before returning to campus. The suspension was soon rescinded, with Schmidt receiving back pay for the suspension period Later that year, the college faculty cited the incident as a factor in its vote of "no confidence" in college president Kaye Walter. A college spokesman eventually acknowledged to Schmidt that "By sanctioning you as it did, BCC may have unintentionally erred and potentially violated your constitutional rights, including under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitutionâ€. The Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression conferred one of its annual Jefferson Muzzle Awards for "the past year’s most outrageous and ridiculous affronts to free speech and press" on the college administration, declaring that it had "demonstrat[ed] its collective cluelessness on two distinct levels".
Notable alumni
- Daisy Fuentes (born 1966), television host, comedian and model.
- Mike Laga (born 1960), former professional baseball player for the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants in the 1980s and 1990s.
- Dennis McNerney, politician who served as the County Executive of Bergen County from 2003 to 2011.
- Vincent Prieto (born 1960), politician who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly since December 2004, where he represents the 32nd Legislative District and served as the 170th Speaker of the Assembly from 2014 to 2018.
- Kyle Scatliffe (born 1986), stage actor best known for playing Enjolras in the 2014 Broadway revival of Les Misérables and Harpo in the 2015 Broadway Revival of The Color Purple.
See also
- New Jersey County Colleges
References
External links
- Official website
- Civility Code or Loyalty Oath?