President's Inaugural Message
 Members of the Board of Trustees, alumnae, faculty, staff, students, parents, colleagues from other colleges and universities, it is humbling and inspirational to be formally received into this collegial community. I am honored to accept the mace and the great seal of Bergen Community College, before this audience, and to follow my four predecessors in pledging to uphold the College's founding ideals. I embrace this opportunity with a deep sense of responsibility, high resolve, and I affirm my intent to instill an institutional commitment to civic engagement. I am deeply honored that you, Stephen J. Moses, the Board of Trustees, and all Bergen Community Collegians, along with the citizens of Bergen County and the State of New Jersey are entrusting to me the fiduciary duty to lead Bergen Community College. I want to thank Stephen J. Moses for his wise counsel and support in making the transition productive. This presidency provides the opportunity to make this institution a centerpiece for civic engagement and a place that transforms the lives of thousands of our students who come here to learn and to succeed.
I consider the Bergen Community College presidency to be the most important leadership position of all community colleges today. I address you all this afternoon, with a strong sense of responsibility because your presence evokes just how many constituencies to whom Bergen Community College matters. We are charged with shaping the lives of the citizens of Bergen County because it’s clear that a college education provides an economic benefit that lasts a lifetime. Ever since I came to Bergen Community College, I have reflected on what makes this institution a cohesive and civically engaged community and what bonds connect faculty, students and staff across the forty years of the College’s existence. Speaking to some very prominent and distinguished alumnae, our educational delivery system has produced leaders and professionals who have harnessed the knowledge and skills imparted here and gone on to make significant contributions to the communities they serve.
Community colleges enroll nearly half of those who attend college in the United States, an increase of 18 percent over the past decade. In fact, it is community colleges that offer access to all and this fact clearly articulates its importance. In the century since community colleges were founded, they have emerged as the largest single sector of higher education in America, with nearly 1,200 regionally accredited two-year colleges enrolling nearly 6.5 million students annually for credit classes and another 5 million for non-credit courses. Despite limited resources, community colleges:
- Certify nearly 80 percent of first responders in the United States: police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians.
- Provide more than 50 percent of new nurses and other healthcare workers.
- Celebrate the benefits that diversity brings since 47 percent of African Americans, 47 percent of Asian students, and 55 percent of Hispanics enroll in community colleges as their entry point into higher education.
- Award more than 800,000 associate degrees and certificates annually in programs ranging from English Literature, biochemistry, and statistics to foreign languages, the arts, community development, emergency medical personnel and more.
In this important municipality of Paramus, Bergen Community College thanks the vision and fortitude of the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Their vision was to provide universal access to higher education, especially for families who can’t afford the tuition price points of more traditional colleges and universities. It was to be, and has evolved into a center of learning that delivers traditional and educational innovation, supported by technology that hasn’t been featured in a community college setting. We are dedicated to the development of the private self, the fulfillment of public obligation and a sustained focus on the imperative of civic engagement.
In keeping with this notion of civic engagement, I’m pleased to announce that the College recently received a personal gift of $25,000 from Daniel M. Foley, the Senior Managing Director of Studley Commercial Real Estate Advisors. This generous monetary donation will go toward the College’s Civic Engagement Fund, which was established to facilitate efforts between civic leaders and the College.
Civic engagement has intensified within the past year beginning with the establishment of a Red Cross shelter last April for those displaced by the April rains. Accommodations included feeding stations and a comfortable and safe place for people to sleep until they could return to their homes. Additionally, Bergen provided a suitable setting that facilitated West Brook Middle School students to complete their school year in a timely and safe environment. Other examples of recent civic engagement opportunities include partnering with The Record for a distinguished speaker series to co- sponsor legislative debates in a number of Bergen County districts. These events allowed citizens to learn about key issues that impact Bergen County. Last November, the College launched Fifth Friday Forums, which allows the institution to forge strong relationships with the surrounding communities.
Civility encompasses another important ideal and it is my hope that I can engender a deep commitment to encourage civility on this campus. One of my first observations on campus was that there is a lack of civil discourse. It is not enough for Bergen Community College to stick to its primary mission of teaching and community service. I sense an erosion of our vital center, an uncertainty about our universal goal and the pressures of society that divide and distract us from achieving a common sense of purpose. One of our most difficult challenges is to teach and to continually model respectful dialogue and discourse. Political polarization tears at the fabric of our community at times; even our preliminary discussions about civility were not met with acceptance or understanding. Such a national phenomenon happens every day on college campuses, and fallout from negative emotions can fester if strong civility measures aren’t put in place to protect opposing viewpoints.
As we take on the tenor of a national dialogue, our promise to the community is to become a center for intellectual thought, given our mission is to provide the best possible education to transform the lives of our students and serve the citizens of Bergen County.
The former president of Brown University, Henry Winston, once made the following observation about the role of a College President:
"The president," Winston once said, "Is expected to be an educator,
To have been at some time a scholar,
To have judgment about finance,
To know something about construction, maintenance and labor policy,
To speak virtually continuously, in words that charm and never offend,
To take on bold positions with which no one will disagree, to consult everyone and follow all proffered advice,
And do everything through committees but with great speed and without error."
I will add to this list “to raise money incessantly by building bridges and viable constituencies and to continue to raise the bar on the quality of our academics for the benefit of our students.” Bergen Community College is recognized as a quality institution because of the caliber of our faculty, who are first and foremost great teachers. Our professors encourage our students to have confidence in their inherent abilities to attain levels of intellectual growth never before achieved. As we extend our reach as a College, we invite each and every student, faculty member and member of our administration to become a part of our enduing legacy.
How do we accomplish this goal? We do so not only by cultivating our students with a superb educational experience but also by teaching them that collaboration with members of their community is the primary way to achieve success. The College provides our students with access to politicians and local leaders, as a means of presenting our community with solutions to the daily challenges they face. By doing this we will teach our students to become engaged and effective citizens in the best tradition of Bergen Community College.
In closing, I invite you to join me in the quest to build self-confidence in our students, since this is essential to the transformation of the human mind. This facilitates student growth and mastery of academics, enabling them to graduate and to become gainfully employed. Education is the key to a lifetime of economic independence. I look forward to continuing this journey of discovery and expansion. We must constantly connect with our students, faculty and community members in solving the problems that society faces, problems related to gangs, crime, health care, economic injustice, and the environment. The College has provided our students with the educational means and resources to prepare them to become productive members of this ever-changing society. I pledge to you today to faithfully transform the lives of our students and to forge partnerships in Bergen County that will build a legacy, which makes the name of Bergen Community College synonymous with excellence.
Dr. G. Jeremiah Ryan
President
Bergen Community College
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