The Innovation Center at Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands gaming laboratory.
Who: Bergen Community College
What: Ribbon-cutting event celebrating the opening of the Innovation Center at Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands.
When: Wednesday, November 29, 10 a.m.
Where: Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands, 1280 Wall Street West, Second Floor, Lyndhurst, New Jersey
Why: Responding to the explosive growth of information technology and business careers that require hands-on experiential learning, Bergen Community College will open The Innovation Center at Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands. The newly renovated Center encompasses an entire floor of the Lyndhurst location and includes cybersecurity, gaming and Bloomberg Finance laboratories.
The official ribbon cutting event will feature remarks from Bergen President Eric M. Friedman, Ph.D., Board of Trustees Chair Dorothy Blakeslee, Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco III and Bergen County Board of Commissioners Chair Thomas Sullivan.
Guests will have the opportunity to explore the Center’s cybersecurity, gaming and Bloomberg Finance labs, each boasting signature elements designed to bring real-world applications into the classroom. Among the highlights, the cybersecurity lab features multiple large cyberthreat monitors that display actual security breaches occurring throughout the world. The Bloomberg Finance lab includes a 16-foot LED ticker displaying real-time stock prices from various international markets and terminals for analyzing market data. Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet members of Bergen Bulldogs e-gaming team and faculty from each of the academic disciplines represented in the Center.
The Center represents the latest initiative in Bergen’s commitment to developing programs that prepare students for employment in thriving workforce sectors. The demand for information technology professionals continues to outpace available talent, as the U.S. Department of Commerce has estimated the global shortage of cybersecurity professionals at more than three million; gaming industry leader Activision Blizzard has said “talent is scarce” for the current 30-50,000 gaming-related employment positions currently open across the sector.
Immediately after the Center’s ribbon cutting, the Meadowlands location will sponsor an open house for prospective students and members of the community from noon to 3:30 p.m. The open house offers an opportunity for guests to explore the Meadowlands location’s other signature offerings, including the paramedic science laboratory and the fifth-floor conference center. Meadowlands personnel will lead tours every 15 minutes. Email [email protected] or call (201) 301-9699 for more information.
Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls more than 13,000 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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