EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Bergen Community College class of 2016 travelled the path of 46 years of predecessors, shaking the hand of President B. Kaye Walter, Ph.D., before receiving their degrees May 19. This time, however, a decidedly different venue – one previously inhabited by Super Bowl champions and even “the Boss” – provided the backdrop.
For the first time, the grand stage of MetLife Stadium set the scene for Bergen’s graduation day as faculty, staff, family and friends celebrated the graduates of the state’s No. 1 college for associate degrees. Approximately 6,000 attended the event that featured 1,000 candidates for graduation sitting on the same field occupied on autumn Sundays by the New York Giants and Jets. When combined with those candidates who did not attend, the final Bergen class of 2016 will total more than 2,000.
Bakari G. Lee, chair-elect of the Association of Community College Trustees, served as the keynote speaker, while Anthony Tellez, of Fort Lee, graduated as the class valedictorian.
Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls 15,000 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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