Inclusive Education Program Notches National Honors
PARAMUS, N.J. – Bergen Community College’s Turning Point Program, a two-year postsecondary education experience for young adults with intellectual disabilities, has earned a silver “Excellence Award” in the Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice category from NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.
Only two community colleges, including Bergen, placed in any of the 11 categories. Bergen joins an accomplished group of institutions that earned NASPA honors this year, including Columbia University, New York University and the University of Virginia.
“The Turning Point Program represents an important piece of Bergen’s commitment to inclusivity and delivering transformational educational opportunities for the community,” Bergen Vice President of Student Affairs AJ Trump, Ed.D., said. “The program’s recognition by NASPA not only reinforces its work as exemplary, but lauds the many faculty, staff and community partners that have collaborated to build such a successful initiative.”
NASPA, the professional organization for higher education student affairs personnel, recognized high-achieving colleges in categories such as assessment, civic engagement and enrollment management as part of the group’s annual awards program. Honorees will accept their awards at the 2025 NASPA Annual Conference in New Orleans next month.
Turning Point, a full-time, campus-based program, accepts up to 16 students ages 18-30 each year. As part of this program, students enroll in college-level coursework and earn access to the College’s on-campus experiences, including clubs, activities and events sponsored by the Office of Student Life. Participants also develop employment skills through a career pathway credentialing course that prepares them for on-campus and community-based internships.
Students graduate with professional industry recognized credentials and a Certificate of Achievement from the College. The Bergen class of 2024 included 12 members of the program; each participated in the College’s May commencement ceremony alongside Bergen’s associate degree graduates. After graduation, most students seek to obtain competitive integrated employment.
Originally known as the “Garden State Pathways to Independence for Students with Intellectual Disabilities Project,” Turning Point began in 2010 under a $2.3 million U.S. Department of Education grant shared with partner Camden County College. Over the last decade, Bergen has secured an additional $5 million federal grant funding with partners the College of New Jersey and Georgian Court University to continue the initiative and fully integrate Turning Point into the College’s offerings. Tracy Rand, Bergen’s senior director of student access and transition services, has directed the program since its inception.
“For nearly 15 years, I have had the opportunity to work with an incredible team of dedicated professionals who have made it their mission to serve all members of the Bergen County community, including those with intellectual disabilities,” she said. “It is really gratifying to receive the NASPA award that celebrates those efforts of inclusivity.”
Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls more than 13,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields. More students graduate from Bergen than any other community college in the state.
Photo Caption: Bergen Community College Turning Point Program students develop a variety of skills for employment, including for the culinary industry.