; 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
Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its ...
.
History
In 1933, the Board of Education of the
Englewood Public School District
The Englewood Public School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Englewood, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The district's offices are in ...
in
Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, which at the 2020 United States census had a population of 29,308. Englewood was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from por ...
, suggested establishing a junior college in
Bergen County
Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The proposed college would provide the first two years of a college education at an affordable and convenient location for local students. However, efforts to establish the college in public school buildings in Englewood, Hackensack, and Ridgewood were not successful.
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. 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. 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.
The college opened on September 13, 1933, and had fifty students. Tuition for the junior college was initially $200 to $250. Cecil K. Lyons was president of the board; Littlel was a member of the board of trustees. Lyons had a M.A. from the University of Oxford and a Ph.D. from Clarke University. He taught contemporary civiliazations. Little had a M.A. from
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
and was previously the head of
Centralia Junior College
Centralia may refer to:
Places Australia
*Central Australia, sometimes called "Centralia"
Canada
* Centralia, Ontario
** RCAF Station Centralia, a former Royal Canadian Air Force training base
** Centralia (Essery Field) Aerodrome
United States ...
and had taught at New York University and the University of Washington. He taught vocational sociology and German.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. All other faculty had Ph.D.s or master's degrees and taught classes in five essential subjects.
In May 1934, the college's library was expanded with a gift from Harriet C. Hunter. The library's collection included classic literature and books on modern science. In 1936, the college moved to its own campus in Teaneck, New Jersey.
The college began to be known as Bergen Junior College in 1937. In November 1941, the alumni, students, and college administration voted to change its name to Bergen College to better reflect its growth. However, the school's legal name remained the same.
In 1951, the college offered day and evening classes. In September 1951, the college expanded its music department in collaboration with the Carnegie School of Music of Englewood.
Merger
In August 1953, the trustees of the college approached
Fairleigh Dickinson College
Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its ...
about merging. In late 1953, the college merged with Fairleigh Dickinson College (now Fairleigh Dickinson University).Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. (August 5, 2023) Closed Institutions . Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities '. Urbana: University of Illinois. Accessed December 21, 2023. At the time, Bergen had 197 day students and 297 evening students. Walter Head, who was then president of Bergen, became the provost of the Fairleigh Dickinson Bergen campus. Other faculty, support staff, and administrative staff retained their positions with the merger.
Academics
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. In 1941, the college awarded A.B. and B.S. degrees and also provided instruction in accounting, commercial, engineering, and secretarial. In September 1951, the college expanded its music department in collaboration with the Carnegie School of Music of Englewood.
Student life
The students of the junior college established several local fraternities and sororities. There was also a chapter of
Delta Psi Omega
Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society () is an American recognition fraternity for participants in collegiate theatre.
History
The ''Alpha Cast'' (Alpha Psi Omega's term for "chapter") was founded at Fairmont State College (now Fairm ...
, a national honorary dramatic fraternity. It also had basketball and football teams that competed with other junior colleges. Its athletic teams were called the Cagers.