NJCCC Honors Bergen Leader’s “Spirit” with Award

PARAMUS, N.J. – For the second consecutive year, the New Jersey Council of County Colleges has recognized a Bergen Community College leader with one of the organization’s top honors. This year, Bergen’s Tracy Rand, the senior director of student access and transition services, received the “Spirit Award” recognizing her “above and beyond” service to community college students.

“The award is symbolic of the ‘Community College Spirit’ of perseverance, dedication and excellence,” NJCCC President Aaron Fichtner, Ph.D., said in a congratulatory letter to Rand. “[You have] demonstrated effort and outcomes of going above and beyond in service to community colleges and the students we serve.”

For 15 years, Rand has led Bergen’s Office for Specialized Services, which seeks to provide students, including those with disabilities, with the opportunity to fully participate in the College’s educational programs. Under Rand’s leadership, the College has developed a portfolio of resources for students that includes services, accommodations and initiatives such as the Turning Point Program. The full-time, on-campus, two-year postsecondary education experience for young adults with intellectual disabilities allows enrollees to participate in college-level coursework and develop employment skills. Students have the opportunity to graduate with industry recognized credentials and a Certificate of Achievement from the College.

Rand also directed efforts to establish the Center for Adult Transition through funding received from the State of New Jersey. The center serves as a resource hub and offers customized peer mentoring and enhanced academic and social support to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Recognized as a statewide leader, Rand has worked in partnership with several New Jersey colleges to secure approximately $7 million in federal grant funding to support the development and expansion of inclusive postsecondary programming for young adults with intellectual disabilities.

“Promoting inclusivity and a sense of belonging for all students, including those with disabilities, really captures the spirit of the American community college,” Rand said. “I am proud that Bergen exemplifies this spirit.”

Last year, the NJCCC selected Bergen Board of Trustees Chair Dorothy Blakeslee for the Ronald D. Winthers Community College Trustee Leadership Award as part of the organization’s annual recognition program.

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.