Tag: Bergen Community College

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Bergen Community College cuts 64 full-time lecturer positions

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JULY 30, 2015, 7:35 PM    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2015, 8:24 PM
BY PATRICIA ALEX
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

The positions of 64 full-time lecturers at Bergen Community College have been cut as the school struggles to cope with a mix of stagnant state and county funding and declining enrollment.

The move will save nearly $934,000 and comes after 150 part-time staffers either had their hours eliminated or reduced earlier in the month in an effort to save $1 million more, said school spokesman Larry Hlavenka Jr. on Thursday.

The lecturers carry a full teaching load – about five courses each semester – and are paid $38,600 a year plus benefits. They must reapply for their jobs each semester and are considered temporary employees, Hlavenka said.

Only 28 lecturers will be kept. The other 64 are being asked to reapply as adjuncts, who make about $2,100 per course and have no benefits, according to the college.

The cutbacks will not affect any of the 350-400 full-time tenured faculty, Hlavenka said.

There was concern that the departure of the lecturers would affect teaching quality at the school.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen-community-college-cuts-64-full-time-lecturer-positions-1.1383861

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Freeholders hold off on Bergen Community College project financing until miscommunication cleared up

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MAY 4, 2015, 7:07 PM    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, MAY 4, 2015, 7:07 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

A communications mix-up Monday led the Bergen County Freeholders to postpone action on a proposed $3-million bond issue to renovate a building at Bergen Community College.

Three freeholders who serve on the Board of School Estimate were about to discuss the measure when County Administrator Dominic Novelli said he had not seen the proposal.

There was also concern over whether adequate notice was given for the vote, which several freeholders said took them by surprise as well.

“The conclusion that we came to is that the meeting was not properly noticed,” Freeholder David Ganz said after the Board of School Estimate voted to adjourn until an unspecified date.

“You don’t want — with the dollars amounts what they are — to make a mistake,” he added.

College officials had sought approval for $3 million for renovating Ender Hall on the Paramus campus.

They also sought $1.5 million toward upgrade of information technology equipment.

College President B. Kaye Walter explained that Ender Hall started out as a temporary building many years ago.

She said there are plans to use the building for a number of new initiatives, including a pre-college program for high school students studying engineering.

At first, freeholders sought to accommodate the request, which came during a budget hearing for the college.

Ganz and Freeholder Joan Voss convened a meeting of the board of estimate, which normally includes three freeholders and two college trustees.

They even temporarily swore in Freeholder Tracy Zur to fill in for Freeholder Steve Tanelli, who was not present.

But they quickly recessed the meeting after Novelli pointed out that the administration had not approved the spending.

“Quite frankly, I’m not familiar with this request for additional funding,” he said.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/donors-start-backing-wyckoff-man-as-potential-garrett-challenger-for-congress-1.1325275

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Bergen Community College students react to professor’s suspension

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Bergen Community College students react to professor’s suspension

APRIL 18, 2014, 4:44 PM    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2014, 10:54 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

Students at Bergen Community College expressed surprise, puzzlement, dismay and astonishment on Friday to media reports that tenured Professor Francis Schmidt had been suspended for eight days after posting on social media sites a photograph of his 7-year-old daughter wearing a “Game of Thrones” T-shirt.His daughter had been wearing the yellow shirt that included a quote from one of the characters in the darkly violent but hugely popular fantasy television series on HBO that read: “I will take what is mine with fire & blood.”“It’s a book,” said Paul Mendoza, a 28-year-old computer science major from Nutley who described himself as a fan of both the show and the fantasy series of books by Bayonne-born author George R.R. Martin, upon which the hit TV series is based.

“I like the book. I like the series.” Mendoza said. “It’s fiction. I don’t understand why people were making a big deal about it.”

“It’s his personal life,” Mendoza said of Schmidt. “I don’t find that offensive. I’m sure there are many people who wear the same shirt or wear worse. It’s just a shirt.”

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen-community-college-students-react-to-professor-s-suspension-1.999318#sthash.b6m0VM1l.dpuf