The Bergen Community College Newsletter
Winter 2016 • Volume 3, Issue 2
Bergen Boasts U.S. Professor of the Year F
aculty excellence has long served as a defining characteristic of Bergen Community College. Countless professors have earned accolades for their teaching methodologies, establishing Bergen as one of the top community colleges in the nation. Yet, none in the collection of accomplished faculty ever stood as “U.S. Professor of the Year.” Until now. In November, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching named Professor of English Geoffrey Sadock, Ph.D., as the state’s U.S. Professor of the Year. “Professor Sadock epitomizes the very definition of a scholar,” Bergen Vice President of Academic Affairs William Mullaney, Ph.D., said. “He has consistently sought to inspire deeper critical thinking in his students and dedicated his life’s work to intellectual pursuits. As such, it remains fitting that Professor Sadock has become the first Bergen educator to earn this recognition.” Competing against finalists from public, private, two- and fouryear institutions, Sadock said the award further validates a 43year career at the College. “I’m very grateful for this recognition,” Sadock said. “It confirms
me in my vocation and my colleagues who strive to impart humanistic learning. It means somebody is noticing that humanities are still valid in a time when the number of majors has declined.” A graduate of Brooklyn College, Tufts and Brown, Sadock has sought to elevate the level of scholarly outlets at Bergen by championing such initiatives as honors classes and publishing the work of young writers. He co-founded the honors program in 1975 and has led the Bergen County writing contest for 38 years. “I’ve found teaching deeply rewarding and dynamic – it never grows old,” he said. “The real pay I get is going to commencement, and I look up and see the sea of graduates, those who have taken honors courses and have 4.0s and I realize we were catalytic for them. Students discover a dimension in their own capability and their own intellect – there’s no substitution for that.” Since 1981, the annual U.S. Professor of the Year program recognizes the most outstanding undergraduate instructors in the country – those who excel in teaching and positively influence the lives and careers of students. n
FA C U LT Y F O C U S
Bulldogs: Best in Region (x2!)
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wo region champions. One unforgettable fall season. Bergen athletes astounded fans this autumn, smashing school records and establishing new standards of excellence. Both the men’s soccer and men’s cross-country teams earned National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Region XIX titles, punching their tickets to national tournaments in the process. The region championship represented a return to glory for the crosscountry team, it’s first title since 1981 and third in school history. Meanwhile, the men’s soccer team accomplished the feat for the first time. Led by Region XIX coach of the year Fredy Herrera – a Bergen soccer alumnus and two-time first-team all-region star – the Bulldogs set a new standard for wins, breaking a 35-year-old Bergen record. First-year forward Malik Stewart keyed the team’s success, scoring 24 goals en route to earning second-team All-American, Region XIX player of the year and first-team all-region honors. Defender Paul Nganansou joined Stewart on the region first-team. n
Campus Calendar Give Kids a Smile Day February 5, 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Pitkin Education Center, Dental Hygiene Clinic (S-327), Paramus, N.J. (201) 447-7180 The Clouds February 26, 27, March 3, 4, and 5 Ender Hall Lab Theatre Paramus, N.J. Tickets.bergen.edu Walk On “The Rosa Parks Story” March 1, 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Anna Maria Ciccone Theatre Paramus, N.J. Tickets.bergen.edu TEDx Conference March 8, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Anna Maria Ciccone Theatre Paramus, N.J. Tickets.bergen.edu ARS Electronica Concert “Within the Strings” March 10, 7:30 p.m. Anna Maria Ciccone Theatre Paramus, N.J. Tickets.bergen.edu
A Schedule for All Seasons Spring I • January 19 – May 10 Spring II • February 9 – May 10 Spring III • March 22 – May 10
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Opportunities Granted
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he College’s innovative strategies have earned recognition by the federal government, resulting in the acquisition of two grants totaling a combined $5 million. The first grant challenges the College to expand and enhance the groundbreaking “Turning Point” program for students with intellectual disabilities; the other asks the College to conduct research that could ultimately help create a new national model for developmental education. The $2.4 million “Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities 2” grant will expand the Turning Point program, which began at the College in 2010 under the grant’s first phase. This time, Bergen will partner with The College of New Jersey to develop community outreach activities for students with intellectual disabilities and broaden opportunities to career pathways. U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, Bergen County Executive James Tedesco III, Bergen County Freeholder Vice Chair Steve Tanelli and Bergen County Freeholder Tracy Zur joined President B. Kaye Walter, Ph.D., (pictured) to announce the acquisition. The second grant, a $2.6 million “First in the World” award, will enable the College to conduct a research study on new approaches for preparing students for college-level math. Among 300 applications, the government selected only six U.S. community colleges. Bergen and partner institution Union County College will utilize the grant to pilot the “Alternatives to Math Placement, an Unprecedented Program (AMP UP),” which will divide 2,400 students each year at Bergen and Union into groups that will receive specialized support from tactics such as a bridge program and increased tutoring. n
On a Mission for Success
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he mission of Bergen Community College Mission To inspire our community to never changes. But, from time to time, the realize a better future. words describing it do. That’s exactly what transpired this fall as Vision Bergen Community College will be a a group of nearly two dozen faculty and staff dynamic partner by bridging potential with collaborated to revise the institution’s misopportunities for educational, professional sion, vision and values statements. The projand personal growth. ect emerged as the College sought to refocus Values its statements for the first time since 2009. To fulfill the vision and mission of Observers will recognize few similarities Bergen Community College, these core values will between the current and former statements. guide our daily endeavors: learning; excellence; The most obvious change remains the sheer integrity; respect; and creativity. length: the mission statement evolved from a 71-word paragraph to a nine-word statement; the vision statement went from 94 words to 19. The College’s Center for Institutional Effectiveness, led by Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness Yun Kim, Ph.D., sponsored the project’s meetings, writing sessions and focus groups. n
Inside Bergen • The Bergen Community College Newsletter |
Winter 2016
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1. President B. Kaye Walter, Ph.D., helped honor a pair of alumni, 5. Michael DeLeon, founder of Steered Straight, visited for “Caught 10. Hosted by President B. Kaye Walter, Ph.D., the annual holiday Dr. Joseph Manno (’76) and Angie Goldszmidt (’14), and longtime in the Web: Heroin Addiction,” a drug awareness event dedicated breakfast organized for faculty and staff put a little extra jingle professor, Celeste Finney, at the Foundation’s sixth annual to Bergen graduate, the late, Jason Vann. in everyone’s holiday season. alumni dinner. 6. Professor Phil Dolce led a panel discussion with elected officials 11. A gravity vault, rock climbing and other student challenge 2. Clutching symbolic white roses, more than 260 new members during “Uniting New Jersey: Cities and Suburbs Working activities encouraged emerging leaders during the Office of were welcomed into one of the region’s top three Phi Theta Together.” Student Life’s “Leadership Begins at the End of Your Comfort Kappa chapters, Alpha Epsilon Phi, during an evening cere- 7. Vice President of Academic Affairs William Mullaney, Ph.D., Zone!” weekend development retreat. mony held at main campus. stopped by the No. 1-ranked Cerullo Learning Assistance 12. Featured alongside artwork by fellow faculty and staff, Pro3. Small business owners learned lessons on digital strategy Center to celebrate “International Tutor Appreciation Week.” fessor Suzaan Boettger, Ph.D, exhibited digital photography from FUSE – the small business incubator at the College’s 8. More than 125 students received scholarships totaling $170,000 at Gallery Bergen’s “BCSees: Visual Culture” art unveiling. Meadowlands location — and Google at the “Let’s Put Lyndhurst at the annual mid-year scholarship awards ceremony spon- 13. President B. Kaye Walter, Ph.D., and Foundation Executive on the Map” workshop. sored by the Bergen Community College Foundation. Director Lindsay Maurer donned traditional clothing at the 4. Presented during a ceremony at the Mexican Consulate in New 9. Business student Elie Tanous received a U.S. Department of York City, the Philip Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack State Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study received nearly $30,000 to provide scholarships for students abroad in China during spring 2016. of Mexican heritage.
“Garba and Dandiya Raa” held at main campus.
Inside Bergen • The Bergen Community College Newsletter |
Winter 2016
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NoN-Profit org. US PoStage PAID ParamUS, NJ Permit No. 57
400 Paramus Road Paramus, New Jersey 07652
Middle States Evaluators Visit
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he final step in the College’s decennial Middle States Commission on Higher Education accreditation evaluation will take place this month. A team led by Harper College President Kenneth Ender, Ph.D., will visit Bergen Feb. 28 through March 2 to conduct their formal review of the institution – the culmination of nearly two years of preparation by the Middle States self-study team. The evaluators’ final report will follow. n
Achieving the Dream Update
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Bergen Means “Military Friendly”
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pproximately 300 U.S. military veterans enroll at Bergen. The College’s recent designation as a “military friendly school” may open the door to others. Coinciding with Veterans Day, Bergen announced the recognition by Victory Media, which annually compiles data on services provided for veterans by colleges and employers. Nine New Jersey community colleges, including Bergen, received the designation. Among its veteran-outreach efforts, the College opened its Veterans and Military Affairs Center at main campus in 2013. The center offers veteran-specific counselors, advisers and information on benefits, events and resources. Victory Media evaluates colleges based on criteria such as graduation and employment outcomes. Results are independently tested and verified by auditor EY (Ernst & Young). n
tarry eyed faculty, staff and students set their sights on how to enhance the institution this fall as work began as part of the College’s membership in the Achieving the Dream national college reform network. At the annual fall “Day of Professional Development,” faculty, staff and students gathered to learn more about Achieving the Dream and to brainstorm ideas for enriching the institution. Focus has now turned to compiling those responses and generating data that will help identify focus areas for the College’s Achieving the Dream initiatives and projects. For more information about Achieving the Dream, or how you can get involved, email atd@bergen.edu. n
New Year, New Skills
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long with the perennial plans to get fitter or eat healthier, community members can expand their New Year’s resolutions this year to learn a new skill with help from the Division of Continuing Education. Visit www.bergen.edu/continuinged to view the entire catalog. n
InsideBergen is a publication of the Office of Public Relations. Send feedback to lhlavenka@bergen.edu.