The display features artifacts from the College’s history, including its athletics program.
HACKENSACK, N.J. – Artifact displays featuring memories from Bergen Community College’s 50-year tradition of excellence are currently on display at the Bergen County Administration Building, located at One Bergen County Plaza. Numerous large display cases containing photos, documents, stories and other ephemera from the College’s past will remain on display through Feb. 1, 2018, on the fifth floor of the facility, adjacent to the offices of Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco III and the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
“Bergen Community College has helped Bergen County residents realize their dreams for the last 50 years,” Bergen President Michael D. Redmond, Ph.D., said. “We are proud to represent our county and grateful for the support of our 50th anniversary by our county officials, including Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco III and the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders, chaired by Tracy Silna Zur. Their support of this project mirrors their continued advocacy for the institution and the needs of our students, faculty and staff.”
County Executive Tedesco and Freeholder Chair Zur championed the exhibition at county headquarters to enhance visibility for the College and its 50th anniversary celebration. The pair serve as honorary co-chairs of the institution’s anniversary steering committee.
“For 50 years, Bergen Community College has been the jewel of Bergen County,” County Executive Tedesco said. “Whether it is providing recent high school graduates with a quality, affordable higher education or older adults with the training to transition into a new career, Bergen Community College offers so much for those who are looking to better themselves through academics. During this golden anniversary, we are proud to recognize and highlight the many accomplishments of Bergen Community College in numerous displays at our administration building in Hackensack. We are confident that Bergen Community College will long be considered a jewel thanks to its outstanding faculty, staff and students.”
“Bergen Community College has made getting an exceptional education attainable and affordable for hundreds of thousands of students,” Freeholder Chair Zur said. “We here in Bergen County are so fortunate to have a place where people can go to get the education and training necessary to reach their goals. The school has a highly respected reputation throughout the state that other colleges aspire to achieve. We, the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders, salute Bergen Community College for their 50 years of excellence.”
Among the items on display:
*A copy of the student newspaper highlighting the College’s first commencement ceremony in 1970;
*Varsity letters from Bergen’s athletic teams – including those featuring the College’s original black and gold colors; and
*Textbooks written by Bergen faculty.
At the conclusion of the display at the county administration building, items from the exhibition will appear at other county facilities including libraries and schools.
College archivists and 50th anniversary steering committee members professors Joan Cohen and Lynn Schott curated the exhibition.
To learn more about the College’s 50th anniversary celebration, including upcoming events and information on the “$50 for 50” fundraising campaign that has already raised more than $80,000 to provide student scholarships and educational support, please visit 50.bergen.edu.
After its 1967 inception, Bergen’s first 1,454 students arrived the following year in September 1968. Since then, the College 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 transferred to every Ivy League institution and rank eleventh 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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