LEGEND T

to those in their lives who contributed to making their higher education dreams come true.

CBS News Chief Investigative and Senior National Correspondent James D. Axelrod, who also served as a past member of the Bloomfield College Board of Trustees, was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters and presented the graduates with an unusual recommendation. He said, “I want you to all go out there – and fail. Because it means you are trying. Because it means you are stepping outside your comfort zone which is where so much of the good stuff happens. Because it means you are challenging yourself which is a necessary ingredient for growth, for the development of new skills.”

Montclair State University President Jonathan GS Koppell, whose institution is working toward a planned merger with Bloomfield College, observed that the College has changed

Bloomfield marks its 150th commencement, we are inspired to look toward the next 150.”

Honorary degree recipients shared motivational remarks applauding the graduates for persevering through the changes brought on by the pandemic, and encouraging them to express appreciation

“When the German Theological Seminary no longer had relevance, it evolved into something better, something more powerful, something more inspirational, something great. I’m confident that [the planned] Bloomfield College of Montclair State University is going to build up on the past and do something even better than what has been done before … the most powerful force in the universe is optimism … don’t ever lose that and you will do great things.”