The Bergen Community College Newsletter

Spring 2014

Apair of transfer agreements signed this semester will not onlystreamline the path to a four-year degree, but feature uniquecharacteristics: one eases the burden on wallets; the other offersa “smooth landing” at the top aeronautical university in the U.S.In October, Bergen officials met with their counterparts from

Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) to formally unveil the BCC-FDU Scholars Program, a transfer agreement that provides par-ticipating students with a 40-percent tuition discount at the four-year school located in Florham Park and Teaneck. Additionally,the agreement paved the way for the creation and managementof a dedicated FDU office at Bergen’s main campus in Paramus.The office represents the first such arrangement for the College.Two months later, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

(ERAU) administrators departed the sunny skies of Daytona Beachand arrived in snowy Paramus to certify an agreement betweenthe two schools. ERAU will accept at least 64 credits fromBergen’s A.S. in professional studies (aviation administration op-tion) or natural sciences (aircraft operations option) programs.“It’s quite an academic achievement for us to be entering into

an agreement of such depth with a college of such renown asEmbry-Riddle,” Dr. William Mullaney, Bergen’s vice president foracademic affairs said. Bergen’s aviation courses launched in 2012, buoyed by the

opening of the College’s Emil Buehler Trust Aviation Center,

which includes airplane and helicopter simulators. Grants totaling$2 million from the Emil Buehler Trust funded the creation of thecenter and the program. Courses include introduction to aero-nautics and aviation safety.Bergen maintains more than 40 articulation agreements with

four-year schools. �

(Sitting) Bergen President Dr. B. Kaye Walter, FDU President Dr. Sheldon Drucker,(standing) FDU Senior Vice Provost for Institutional Effectiveness Dr. Joseph Kier-nan, Assemblyman Gordon M. Johnson (D-Englewood) and Bergen Vice Presidentfor Academic Affairs Dr. William Mullaney.

Medallion Supports Scholarships

Amid ball gowns and bowties, guests helped raisemore than $135,000 in support of student schol-arships at the 29th annual Bergen CommunityCollege Foundation Medallion Awards Dinner Nov.15 at the Sheraton Mahwah Hotel.

For his continued contributions to Bergen students, Mahwah residentLawrence R. Inserra Jr., Inserra Super markets Inc. president, received the2013 Award for Merit for Corporate Responsibility and Philanthropy at the Col-lege’s signature gala event. Mr. Inserra leads the operation of 22 ShopRitestores in the region. The company bearing the family’s name began in 1954with Larry’s grandfather Patsy, who operated “Patsy’s” in Lyndhurst; an InserraShopRite now stands on that parcel of land.The foundation board of directors, comprised of community leaders from the

public and private sector, works closely with the College to develop fundraisingopportunities to meet the needs of the institution. Since its inception in 1982,total contributions received by the foundation have surpassed $17 million. �

Don’t Miss the Bus

On the “wheels” ofa federal grant,

Bergen Com munityCollege studentscan now travel be-tween the Paramusand Meadowlandslocations via shuttlebus. At the launch of the free student service,College and county officials such as BergenCounty Executive Kathleen Donovan (pink jacket)cut the ribbon on the community resource. Athree-year, $634,836 “Congestion Mitigation andAir Quality Grant” — with a county match ofmore than $211,000 – will help fund the servicethat runs every half-hour when classes meet.The shuttles meet ADA requirements. �

Art Left in Sandy’sWakeThe tragedy and triumph arising from Hur-ricane Sandy lived on through “Sandy:Artists Respond to a Once and Future Super-storm” in Gallery Bergen, the visual arts ex-hibition space at Bergen Community Col-lege’s main campus in Paramus. At anopening reception the evening of Oct. 15,Bergen faculty, staff and students joinedmembers of the public in viewing the work of13 area artists. Conceived, co-curated andorganized by Bergen professors SuzaanBoettger and Marriott Sheldon, the exhibitionfeatured photographs, paintings, prints andvideo before closing in December. �

400 Paramus RoadParamus, New Jersey 07652

InsideBergen is a publication of the Office of Public Relations. Send feedback to lhlavenka@bergen.edu.

Agreements Support Affordability and Smooth Landings

Volume 1, Issue 2

Bulldogs Show Bite

The fall 2013 Bulldogs defended their yard: five of the sixsports qualified for the Region XIX tournament, with manyathletes earning individual honors along the way. • After qualifying for the national tournament with a thirdplace finish in the region tournament, the men’s cross coun-try team earned a top ten showing, completing their seasoneighth in the nation. Women’s runner Elizabeth O’Brienplaced 13th out of 36 competitors at nationals.• Finishing with nine wins, the men’s soccer team receivedstrong contributions from players like Leonardo Lopez and Jonathan Maher, whoboth earned all-region and all-conference honors.• Notching nine goals and five assists, Sara Ramirez (pictured) helped pace the women’ssoccer team to a 7-4 record; she earned recognition as one of the top 10 players in theregion and first-team all-conference honors.• Leading the volleyball team to its fourth consecutive region tournament appearance, all-region and two-time all-conference sophomore middle hitterMarissa Lortz received conference player of the week and Bergen student- athleteof the month honors in September.• Women’s tennis team members Tello (Stella) Citlali and Isabella Delgado reachedthe region tournament semifinals. �

Faculty Finish Rewarding FallTwo faculty projects have earned submission to theLeague of Innovation in the Community College asthe Bergen representatives for the organization’sJohn and Suanne Roueche Excellence Award andthe Innovation of the Year Award. Professor RachelWieland (pictured) earned the Roueche Award forher leadership of the “green team,” a group of full-time students directing campus-wide sustainabilityinitiatives. With their help, more than 10,000 lbs. ofpaper is recycled each semester at the College. Meanwhile, Professor MargaretHayes’ mobilization of nursing faculty in integrating video evaluations intocoursework earned her team the Innovation Award. Students now produce moviesdemonstrating their ability to perform safe nursing practices. Professors MaryanneBaudo, Dr. Maria Fressola, Marie Griffo, Joan McManus, Carrie Polnyj and NatalieTimme collaborated on the project.�

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PAIDParamUS, NJPermit No. 57

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Curtain Up!Big stage talents… in Bergen County.Anna Maria Ciccone TheatreBlack 47March 7, 7:30 p.m.Tickets for events: $35 (General); $20 (Faculty/Staff/Seniors); $10 (Students)

BergenStagesStudents share their talents and begin their paths to stardom. Other People’s MoneyFebruary 21, 22, 27 and 28 and March 1Ender Hall Lab TheatreThe Threepenny OperaApril 11, 12, 17, 18 and 19Anna Maria Ciccone TheatreTickets.bergen.edu or (201) 447-7428 fortickets.

Speakers, Conferences and Events“Seduction/Destruction” Art Exhibition February 4 - March 26Gallery BergenSTEM C^2 Research SummitApril 11, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.Moses Family Meeting & Training Center (TEC 128)TEDx ConferenceMarch 11, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.Pitkin Education Center Room A-104Commencement 2014May 22, 7 p.m.Izod Center, East Rutherford

Students Are So “Money” For many students, the line be-tween attending college and nothaving the financial wherewithal todo so remains razor-thin. To bridgethe gap, many seek scholarships –including those offered through theBergen Community College Foun-dation and various national, stateand county programs. In just thepast few months:• The foundation distributed morethan $180,000 to 110 students atits third annual mid-year schol-arship awards ceremony;• Blyss Molina Ayala (left) receiveda $3,500 scholarship from the Benjamin A. Gilman InternationalScholarship Program to

study abroad in Spain this semester — making her the fourth Bergen student toearn the prestigious award;• Janus Varela (center) and Brenda Turkdogan (right) each received $2,000 schol-arships from the State of New Jersey for the cost of enrollment in certificateprograms at Bergen as part of the Governor’s Industry Vocations Scholarshipfor Women and Minorities (NJ-GIVS) after receiving assistance in obtainingthem from the College’s Division of Continuing Education.�

CampusCalendar

Tom LaPointeEnglish Professor Thomas LaPointe’s instrumental in-volvement with the College’s Center for Peace, Justiceand Reconciliation (CJPR), serves as a testament to his in-fluential work in global culture. At an early age, LaPointenurtured his appreciation for diversity and cross-cultural understanding througha career that started abroad – before finally landing at Bergen in 2010.Beginning his career as a reporter in Central America, LaPointe, professor of

literature and composition at Bergen, later joined Shanghai International StudiesUniversity in China, teaching English to native students. There, the professor alsohelped develop the nation’s first high school textbook covering the Cambodiangenocide. The professor recently co-authored another book: “Hidden Genocides.”LaPointe uses his sustained interest in exploring other cultures to teach

students how to be effective citizens — both locally and worldwide.“Students should be honored for their differences because without them they

would have a diminished sense of identity,” LaPointe said. As co-director of the CJPR, now a state-recognized Holocaust Resource Center,

LaPointe works to raise awareness on campus — and in the community — aboutthe history of genocide and conflict resolution. LaPointe’s experiences carry intohis teaching to help students “facilitate critical thinking skills” and realize theirown personal impacts on society. �

A Schedule for All Seasons• Spring II: February 11 – May 13

• Spring III: March 25 – May 13

• Summer I: May 27 – July 3/August 7

Register at my.bergen.edu.

Faculty Focus

01. The Educational OpportunityFund program sponsored itsfirst ever all-star basketballfundraiser to support theEOF student emergencyfund.

02. Local residents convergedon Ridgewood High Schoolfor “Seniors in Suburbia:Setting New Goals,”sponsored by the College’sSuburban Studies Group andthe Village of Ridgewood.

03. Animator Bill Plymptonshared his creative process— including how hedeveloped “Your Face,”which earned an AcademyAward nomination.

04. As part of its annualVeteran’s Day recognitionceremony, the Collegeopened its Veterans andMilitary Affairs Center,which offers veteran-specific support services.

05. Sponsored by the LiteraryArts Series, poet andPulitzer Prize winner TracyK. Smith read from hercollections in November.

06. Professor Jim Bumgardner,student Jessi Melendez andAssemblyman Tim Eustace(D-Maywood) took part in“PRIDE Fest” to raiseawareness regarding theGLBT community.

07. The College’s Rotary treatedveterans to a lunch preparedby the school’s hotel/restaurant/hospitalityprogram students andserved by members of theStudent GovernmentAssociation.

08. Actress and Bergen Countynative Ali Stroker, paralyzedsince age two, discussedovercoming obstacles andearning a role on television’s“The Glee Project.”

09. Professor Lynn Schott,Professor Emeriti JeanGoldstein and George Skauand former Executive VicePresident Virginia Laughlinvisited the Sidney SilvermanLibrary archives as part ofan upcoming project.

10. Latino Heritage Month atBergen wrapped up with adinner highlighting theachievements of Latinostudents and staff at theCollege.

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