Fall 2007 - Summary - Open Forum - Week Two

1. Whom do we serve?

• Bergen serves a very broad community of students: Bergen County, out of county, international, senior citizen, handicapped, financially challenged, academically challenged, gifted, all residents of the local region, unemployed individuals, first generation college students, those with degrees already
• Through the students we serve the community
• Local business community
• People seeking job skills – AAS degrees
• High school equivalency, continuing education
• Local community and community groups
• Faculty & staff
• Members of the community who use the college facilities
• Town & gown (civic engagement)
• Those who come for cultural events
• The taxpayers – make sure tax dollars are well spent

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2. What programs and services do we offer?

• Access to education – credit & non-credit (Cont. Ed. & ILR), Honors, health care programs
• A broad range of student services: transfer services, academic, career & personal counseling, financial aid, EOF, international (F-1) services, OSS (special needs services), tutoring services
• Prepare people for employment, workforce development
• Co-op, internship experience, service learning
• On-line learning
• Wellness center
• Dental hygiene clinic
• Cultural center for the community
• Shelter for the community
• Child Development Center
• Student life, athletics, intramurals
• Leadership & diversity training for students & staff
• Pool & fitness center
• College Experience & Summer in Motion for HS students
• Library
• Food
• Speakers bureau
• Study abroad
• ALP
• Student ambassadors

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3. What are our assets (strengths)?

• Faculty – closeness with the students; student to faculty ratio in classes
• Library – well used
• Bookstore – convenient for non-book items
• Facilities – i.e. the theater, TV studio, pool, gym
• Quality of programs
• Counselors
• Diversity of courses including on-line courses
• Population diversity
• Tutoring center
• Safe and pleasant environment; free parking; convenient
• Top notch state of the art technology
• Financial aid
• Open forums such as this one
• Bergen has a mind and a heart – academic strength and caring (the personal touch)
• Student services and student life

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4. What challenges are we facing?

• Communication – getting messages, policies, and procedures out
• Communication across all areas - providing opportunities for dialog between the academic and service areas to foster more collaboration
• Bureaucracy – bureaucratic snafus; transcripts not received, courses dropped, lost applications
• Diversity – large numbers of diverse groups; how to blend & understand all the cultures & give BCC an identity
• Funding – all around – academics, student services, etc.
• Competition for resources – dollars as well as space (i.e. classrooms)
• Environment – tight for space; gees;, health & safety
• Student services is spread out – should be centralized – “provide one stop shopping” for the students
• Prevent students from falling through the cracks
• Scheduling grid – current one is inadequate
• Growth – strains all services
• Increase in community & external demands
• Cleanliness – inside & outside
• Bookstore – procedures need to be more student friendly
• Need to make our students part of the college community so we can better serve them
• Obtaining more clinical sites for nursing program
• Serving the academically and/or financially needy student

To add your comments go to:  http://dl.bergen.edu.  (User ID: strategic, Password: planning)