Bergen Tutoring Center Credited for Coaching
PARAMUS, N.J. – Building on its reputation as one of the nation’s best community college student support resources, the Bergen Community College Cerullo Learning Assistance Center (CLAC) has received the “Coaching Program of Excellence Award” from the Association for the Coaching and Tutoring Professions (ACTP).
The honor marks the latest major award from the ACTP for the Cerullo Center, which previously won the 2025 “Learning Center of Excellence Award” for two-year institutions.
“Creating an environment where both coaches and students can thrive is at the heart of everything we do and I think that intentionality is what sets us apart,” Cerullo Center Manager Candice Kaup Scioscia said.
The award recognizes the Cerullo Center’s focus on expanding awareness of their academic coaching and tutoring services and its efforts to strengthen how the Cerullo Center recruits, trains and supports their staff.
Academic Coaching Supervisor Kelli Hayes and Writing Center Supervisor John Findura accepted the award at the ACTP annual conference in March. The pair attended various panels focused on innovation, neurodiversity and assessment-based topics within the tutoring sphere. Both Hayes and Findura also presented “Student Centered Focus: Using Assessment to Drive Change,” where they shared assessment practices developed at the Cerullo Center.
“I attended numerous presentations and had the ability to talk with a large number of tutoring and coaching administrators from colleges and universities around the country,” Findura said. “Having worked in this field since 2009, it is always exciting to be around others who are involved in the same work and have such a deep knowledge base.”
“I feel fortunate and grateful to work at a college that supports its learning center and all of its initiatives so well,” Hayes said. “Seeing the program grow from being a small cohort of six coaches to the cohort of 24 coaches that we currently have is quite wonderful. We have such an outstanding program because we have such dedicated and supportive coaches who are always coming to me with ideas for how to better serve and support our students and the Bergen community.”
The Cerullo Center provides no-cost, one-on-one, walk-in and in-class tutoring in more than 200 academic subjects from over 100 professional and student tutors. Assistance areas include a math and science walk-in center, writing center and English language resource center. Along with tutoring sessions, the Cerullo Center also hosts workshops to cultivate student learning throughout the academic year.
Khairia Fazal, dean of learning support, has led the Cerullo Center for more than 20 years. A donation from Bergen County residents Henry and Edith Cerullo led to a rededication of the student resource in 2003.
Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls more than 24,000 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: Dean of Learning Support Khairia Fazal, Academic Coaching Supervisor Kelli Hayes, Writing Center Supervisor John Findura and Cerullo Center Manager Candice Kaup Scioscia.
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