Junior College of Bergen County

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Junior College of Bergen County
Other name
Bergen Junior College
Bergen College
TypePublic
Active1933–1953
FounderCharles L. Littel
PresidentCharles L. Littel
Location
Hackensack (1933-1936) and Teaneck (1937-1953)
,
New Jersey
,
United States
MergerFairleigh Dickinson College (1953)
NicknameCagers

The Junior College of Bergen County (also known as Bergen Junior College and Bergen College) was an educational institution founded in 1933 in Hackensack, New Jersey; it later moved to Teaneck, New Jersey. It was the first coeducational junior college in New Jersey. In 1953, it merged with Fairleigh Dickinson College.

History[edit]

In 1933, the Board of Education of the Englewood Public School District in Englewood, New Jersey, suggested establishing a junior college in Bergen County.[1] The proposed college would provide the first two years of a college education at an affordable and convenient location for local students.[1] However, efforts to establish the college in public school buildings in Englewood, Hackensack, and Ridgewood were not successful.[2]

In July 1933, officials with the Hackensack Y.M.C.A. announced it was going to rent facilities to Charles L. Littel for the junior college.[3] The Y.M.C.A. had four classrooms, a boardroom, a cafeteria, gymnasium, and study spaces that could be used around the Y's schedule.[3][2] Chairs for students were provided by Littel, the former principal of Teaneck High School who was also leading the effort to start the junior college.[3]

The college opened on September 13, 1933, and had fifty students.[4] Tuition for the junior college was initially $200 to $250.[3] Cecil K. Lyons was president of the board; Littlel was a member of the board of trustees.[5] Lyons had a M.A. from the University of Oxford and a Ph.D. from Clarke University.[5] He taught contemporary civiliazations.[5] Little had a M.A. from Stanford University and was previously the head of Centralia Junior College and had taught at New York University and the University of Washington.[2][5] He taught vocational sociology and German.[6] All other faculty had Ph.D.s or master's degrees and taught classes in five essential subjects.[7][6]

In May 1934, the college's library was expanded with a gift from Harriet C. Hunter.[8] The library's collection included classic literature and books on modern science.[8] In 1936, the college moved to its own campus in Teaneck, New Jersey.[9]

The college began to be known as Bergen Junior College in 1937.[9] In November 1941, the alumni, students, and college administration voted to change its name to Bergen College to better reflect its growth.[9][10] However, the school's legal name remained the same.[10][9]

In 1951, the college offered day and evening classes.[11] In September 1951, the college expanded its music department in collaboration with the Carnegie School of Music of Englewood.[12]

Merger[edit]

In August 1953, the trustees of the college approached Fairleigh Dickinson College about merging.[13] In late 1953, the college merged with Fairleigh Dickinson College (now Fairleigh Dickinson University).[14][13][15] At the time, Bergen had 197 day students and 297 evening students.[13] Walter Head, who was then president of Bergen, became the provost of the Fairleigh Dickinson Bergen campus.[13] Other faculty, support staff, and administrative staff retained their positions with the merger.[13]

Academics[edit]

When it opened, the college offered classes in American history, biology, botany, chemistry, contemporary civilizations, English, French, German, Latin, mathematics, occupational sociology, physical education, physics, psychology, and sociology.[5][6] In 1941, the college awarded A.B. and B.S. degrees and also provided instruction in accounting, commercial, engineering, and secretarial.[11] In September 1951, the college expanded its music department in collaboration with the Carnegie School of Music of Englewood.[12]

Student life[edit]

The students of the junior college established several local fraternities and sororities.[14] There was also a chapter of Delta Psi Omega, a national honorary dramatic fraternity.[16] It also had basketball and football teams that competed with other junior colleges.[17] Its athletic teams were called the Cagers.[17]

Notable people[edit]

Faculty[edit]

Presidents[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Junior College". The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. 1933-06-12. p. 24. Retrieved 2024-01-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c "Jr. College to Start Monday". The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. 1933-09-09. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-01-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d "Junior College Likely; Littel to use Y.M.C.A." The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. 1933-07-18. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-01-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Campus Chatter". The Ridgewood Herald. Ridgewood, New Jersey. 1933-09-19. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-01-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c d e "First Junior College for County Opens". Ridgewood Herald-News. Ridgewood, New Jersey. 1933-09-14. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-01-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b c "First Junior College for County Opens" (pt. 2). Ridgewood Herald-News. Ridgewood, New Jersey. 1933-09-14. p. 8. Retrieved 2024-01-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "9 Students to Attend Junior College in 'Y'". The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. 1933-07-29. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-01-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b "Library of Jr. College is Greatly Enlarged". The Sunday News. Ridgewood, New Jersey. 1934-05-06. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-01-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b c d "Junior College Name Changed". Ridgewood Herald-News. Ridgewood, New Jersey. 1941-11-27. p. 14. Retrieved 2024-01-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b "Bergen College". The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. 1941-11-25. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-01-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b "The Junior College of Bergen County". The Journal News. White Plains, New York. 1951-05-23. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-01-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ a b "The Board of Trustees of the Junior College of Bergen County". The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. 1951-09-08. p. 9. Retrieved 2024-01-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Fairleigh and Bergen Junior Colleges to Merge". The News. Paterson, New Jersey. 1953-11-23. p. 11. Retrieved 2024-01-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. (August 5, 2023) "Closed Institutions". Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities. Urbana: University of Illinois. Accessed December 21, 2023.
  15. ^ Closed & Renamed New Jersey Colleges & Universities, New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education. Accessed January 15, 2024. "Bergen Junior College (merged with Fairleigh Dickinson University)"
  16. ^ "West Bergen". The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. 1936-05-25. p. 10. Retrieved 2024-01-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ a b "Junior Collegians Meet Bergen Squad". The Daily Record. Long Branch, New Jersey. 1936-01-09. p. 8. Retrieved 2024-01-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Wenonah Bell Appointed Art Instructor", The Berkshire Eagle, June 18, 1949. Accessed January 15, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "She comes here from Bergen (N.J.) Junior College."
  19. ^ "Bergen Junior College 2-Year Scholarship Won By N. Y. Girl", The Record, January 29, 1950. Accessed January 15, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "Miss Jepson, who recently became a music instructor at Bergen Junior College, was one of the Judges, assisted by Mrs. Mildred Toone, director of the college music department, and Harold Kasschau, director of the Ridgewood Choral Society."
  20. ^ Kentucky Center for African American Heritage. "Celebrate Black History Month by looking back on Kentucky history makers", Courier Journal, February 1, 2021. Accessed January 15, 2024. "Love worked as a librarian at the Lincoln Institute, Florida A&M University and Bergen Junior College."

External links[edit]

*Historic postcards of college (Teaneck Public Library)

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