The Venetian has hosted the College’s last three major fundraisers, including this year’s 50th anniversary gala and previous years’ Club Monte Carlo.
PARAMUS, N.J. – Generations of Bergen Community College supporters, faculty, staff, alumni and students will celebrate the institution’s 50-year tradition of excellence during an anniversary gala fundraiser April 19 at the Venetian in Garfield. Presented by the College’s board of trustees, President Michael D. Redmond, Ph.D., and the Bergen Community College Foundation, event proceeds will provide scholarships and educational support for students.
“The anniversary gala will not only celebrate Bergen’s 50 years of success stories, both past and present, but the College’s future as well,” President Redmond said. “By sponsoring the event or purchasing tickets, attendees will impact the lives of future students by contributing to scholarship funds that offer critical financial support. That’s why the gala represents a night to celebrate and make a difference for our community.”
The milestone event will take place Thursday, April 19 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Venetian, 546 River Drive, in Garfield. The evening will begin with a full cocktail hour featuring an open bar and passed hors d’oeuvres. Guests will then enter the main room, where the open bar will continue alongside the Venetian’s lavish spread of entrees and delicacies, live music, a silent auction, College memory displays, games and other activities designed to celebrate Bergen’s 50-year history. Event tickets, available for $175 per person by calling (201) 447-7117 or visiting bergen.edu/gala, include all food, beverage and entertainment. Tables of 10 tickets, offered for $1,500, provide a $250 discount on the single ticket price.
Additionally, sponsorship packages from $2,500 to $15,000 include brand/name recognition in public relations and event materials, acknowledgement at the event and tickets. Current sponsors include DeCotiis, FitzPatrick & Cole, LLP and RSC Architects. To discuss sponsorship opportunities, please call Larry Hlavenka at (201) 689-7057 or email [email protected].
Supporters can also contribute to the College’s “$50 for 50” fundraising campaign by visiting tinyurl.com/bergen50. Donors will have their name included on a recognition wall in the main campus student center.
Bergen has sponsored a number of events as part of the anniversary, including artifact displays at government offices and libraries, an alumni dinner and art exhibition. An April 12 open house from 3 to 7 p.m. at the main campus invites prospective students and their families to the Paramus main campus for demonstrations, workshops and information on all the College offers. For more information, visit bergen.edu/openhouse.
Commemorating the 1967 hiring of Bergen’s first president, Sidney Silverman, Ph.D., and the approval of the master plan that developed the College’s main campus at 400 Paramus Road, the institution launched its 50th anniversary celebration last fall. Since its inception, Bergen has grown into the state’s largest community college with approximately 14,000 students taking classes this semester. Ranked No. 1 in the state for associate degree graduates, alumni have studied at every Ivy League institution and rank 11th in the U.S. for mid-career salaries, according to Payscale.
Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2017-18, enrolls 14,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip 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.
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