Find your path to success with a diverse range of more than 120 degree, certificate, and continuing education programs.
LYNDHURST, N.J. – Under the terms of an agreement signed July 16 by Bergen Community College and New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) officials, the College will assume operations of the William D. McDowell Observatory located in the NJSEA’s DeKorte Park Plaza complex. The observatory remains in short proximity to the College’s Lyndhurst location, Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands.
“As an institution of higher education committed to the study of the sciences, we are very proud to now operate the only two public observatories in Bergen County,” College President B. Kaye Walter, Ph.D., said. “Southern Bergen residents will be amazed by what they see in the skies above and our distinguished faculty’s knowledge and passion for astronomy.”
“The NJSEA is committed to providing quality educational opportunities to the public and we are pleased that Bergen Community College’s expert astronomers will be staffing the William D. McDowell Observatory,” Wayne Hasenbalg, president and CEO of the NJSEA, said. “These educators have a wealth of experience that will greatly benefit visitors and inspire a healthy curiosity and interest in science education among young people.”
College faculty will lead free, public observations of celestial objects on Wednesday evenings and oversee the maintenance and care of the state-of-the-art facility’s equipment – including a research-grade telescope with a 20-inch lens housed under a six-meter retractable dome. Bergen faculty have hosted a similar public viewing program in the Emil Buehler Trust Observatory at the College’s Paramus main campus since 2003.
Wednesday evening observations will begin Aug. 5 and take place from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Additionally, a special viewing of a total lunar eclipse will take place from Sunday, Sept. 27, 7:30 p.m. until Monday, Sept. 28, 1:30 a.m. Peak viewing will occur at 10:45 p.m.
Approximately 3,000 visitors attend events at the McDowell Observatory each year. Ramapo College of New Jersey previously operated the observatory since its 2008 opening. The agreement between Bergen and the NJSEA runs until Dec. 31 before requiring renewal by both organizations.
In addition to the newly established Wednesday evening observations in the McDowell Observatory, the College will continue to host observations of celestial objects on Friday evenings from 8 to 10 p.m. in the main campus observatory located in the Technology Education Center, 400 Paramus Road. That observatory, which supports science and astronomy instruction and features three 16-inch telescopes, opened in 2003 with a $288,875 grant from the Emil Buehler Trust.
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.
The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority is the planning and zoning agency for the 30.4-square-mile Meadowlands District, which consists of portions of 14 municipalities in Bergen and Hudson counties. The NJSEA also provides environmental public education programs and workshops for all ages through its Meadowlands Environment Center. In addition, the NJSEA provides for the ongoing operation of the MetLife Sports Complex and support to MetLife Stadium and the New Meadowlands Racetrack. www.njmeadowlands.gov.
# # #