PARAMUS, N.J. – Bergen Community College students, faculty, staff and community leaders gathered Sept. 18 to recognize the institution’s standing as the No. 1 ranked New Jersey college for associate degree graduates. The College placed first in the state for the second consecutive year.
Bergen President B. Kaye Walter, Ph.D., led the celebration.
“Becoming number one – and remaining number one – takes all of us,” she said. “It takes students who dedicate themselves to the commitment to completion; it takes faculty who inspire students to succeed; it takes staff who support students every step of the way; and it takes our community, who recognizes the importance of Bergen’s mission.”
Members of the College’s board of trustees and other local officials joined the president at the morning event that featured remarks, a video presentation, No. 1-themed balloons and cakes and a photo board.
The number of Bergen graduates rose 13 percent year-over-year with 2,519 students, placing the College 26th among two-year schools in the U.S., allowing the institution to jump three spots in the national rankings.
Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls 16,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip J. Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields. More students graduate from Bergen than any other community college in the state.