iHealth student Rosaria Morel

Rosaria Morel knew she needed the education and specialized job skills to make her more marketable to employers. After moving to the United States from the Dominican Republic on her own in 2008, she began working in a local restaurant. In 2010, she enrolled in Northern Essex’s Associate of Science in Business Transfer Program.  

Eager to improve her skill set and make her resume more attractive to employers, Rosaria attended an information session at Northern Essex in 2012. Intending to enroll in the Radiologic Technology Program, she had a quick change of plans when she learned the program was only offered during the day. With an infant at home, a full-time job in a restaurant, and no local family support, she needed night classes to make it all work. When she learned about iHealth@NECC, where most courses are offered online, she knew she had found what she needed.

“I was so happy when I learned about the program,” says the 27-year-old.  “The class schedule was flexible and worked for me.”

Rosaria quickly enrolled in the Medical Billing Certificate Program and began taking a combination of online and locally-offered night classes that fit her already-demanding schedule. As part of her iHealth program, she interned at Pentucket Medical Associates (PMA) in Lawrence, and was offered a full-time data entry specialist position after completing the internship.

“The best thing about the iHealth program was coming out of it with a job,” raves the Lawrence resident, who received her Medical Billing Certificate in the spring of 2013.

With a certificate from iHealth@NECC under her belt and a secure job at PMA, Rosaria continues her journey toward her associate degree. She plans to transfer to UMass Lowell in the spring of 2015 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and ultimately work as a business administrator at PMA.

NECC Knights are Sixth in the Nation

The NECC Knights returned from the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III World Series in Tyler, TX, ranked sixth in the country.

And, at the June 4 meeting, members of the board of trustees had the opportunity to congratulate Coach Jeff Mejia and members of the team in person.

NECC Athletic Director Sue MacAvoy introduced team members and described what the team accomplished this year, including winning the Massachusetts Community College Athletic Championship and the Region 21 championship, in addition to the national ranking.

What is even more important than winning, according to MacAvoy, is the praise which the team received on and off the field for sportsmanship.

“We were recognized repeatedly for our conduct, and the team really took the spirit of community service, coaching Little League players from Texas.”

Student Success Initiatives

Dawna Perez, who recently filled the new position of dean of student success, reported on what the college has been doing to ensure that students achieve their goals.

The college’s focus has been on tracking the transition from developmental courses into gateway courses—introductory courses within a major—and on retention and graduation rates, according to Perez.

The college is carefully tracking students who transfer from a developmental course into a gateway course, looking at their success rate as well as demographic factors such as age, ethnicity, whether they are first generation, and whether they are part time or full time.

One problem has been that students are spending too much time in developmental courses so the college has focused on speeding up this process with a number of initiatives including accelerated learning programs, math pathways, pairing developmental courses with college-level courses, and streamlining the ESL course sequence from five levels to four.

As President Glenn shared, accelerating developmental programs has to be balanced with the need to be sure students are well-prepared to succeed in college-level courses.

“We want to be sure that students transition when they’re ready and have the skills they need to be successful,” he said.

Approval of FY15 Budget

Based on the recommendation of the Audit & Finance Committee, trustees voted unanimously to approve a $43.6 million FY15 budget for the college. 

According to committee chair Peter Dulchinos, the budget is based on state support consistent with the budget passed by the State’s House Ways & Means as well as fee increases.

 Trustees also voted unanimously to approve several fee increases, which will take effect this fall.

The college fee per credit hour will increase by $18 from $132 to $150 a credit hour; the per credit cost for health care courses that are not part of the iHealth initiative will increase by $49 to $230, which is what iHealth students currently pay; and there will be a new facilities fee of $75 for part-time students taking six or fewer credits and $150 for full-time students taking seven or more credits per semester.  

At the December meeting of the Board of Trustees, President Glenn reported that with a $90 million deferred maintenance back log, Northern Essex is leading community colleges across the state in deferred maintenance.

“When you look at the college’s net asset value, which measures the condition of a campus, the college is last in the state, falling in the “catch-up” stage which indicates that buildings need significant repairs,” he said.

In FY14, Northern Essex fees were the third lowest of the Commonwealth’s 15 community colleges.

 “We’re one of the lowest cost colleges in the state, and we’re proud of this but it’s coming at a tremendous price,” said Glenn. 

Although the fees are increasing, Glenn and the board of trustees plan to keep Northern Essex’s cost in the lower half of all community colleges in Massachusetts.

 To assist students with the increase in fees this year, the college has increased its institutional aid available to students by 25 percent. 

Four Receive Full-Time Appointments

The trustees approved four full-time appointments: Susan Fichera, assistant professor, Nursing; Jody Carson*, assistant professor, Early Childhood Education; Courtney Newman, academic counselor; and Arlene Suriel, clerk IV, Academic Advising.

*This was a part-time position moving to full time.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held on Wednesday, September 3 at 5 p.m. in TC103 in the Hartleb Technology Center on the Haverhill Campus.

Northern Essex Community College will host a series of special enrollment events for recent high school graduates and others, who are still considering their college options for the fall.

Admission information sessions will be held on Thursday, June 26, and Wednesday, July 2, both at 5 p.m., in the Behrakis One-Stop Student Services Center, Haverhill, and on Wednesday, June 25, and Thursday, July 3, at 10 a.m. in the Dr. Ibrahim El-Hefni Allied Health and Technology Center, 414 Common St., Lawrence.
 
Representatives will be available to answer questions on financial aid, NECC programs, and more at the information sessions.
 
Special registration days and walk-in advising hours will also be available at both locations, Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. and Friday ,noon – 4:30 p.m., June 23 through June 26.

More recent high school graduates are choosing to start at Northern Essex, according to fall 2013 enrollment figures. High school enrollments at Northern Essex were up as follows: Lawrence High School, up 22* Haverhill High School, up 18*; Methuen High School, up 8*; Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical School up 39*; Newburyport High School, up 211*; Pinkerton High School, up 43*; and Andover High School, up 25*.

“It’s all about value and quality,” said Northern Essex Community College President Lane Glenn. “You can start at Northern Essex and transfer to the college of your choice, saving thousands of dollars on your college education, or prepare for a high demand career.”
 
Northern Essex offers over 70 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth. Over 15,000 students ranging from recent high school graduates to workers employed locally attend classes days, evenings, weekends, and summers. Northern Essex is the only state college located in the lower Merrimack Valley Region of Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.necc.mass.edu.
 
For more information on these events, please contact NECC enrollment services at 978-556-3700 or admissions@necc.mass.edu