NECC President Lane Glenn recently hosted a group of 25 college presidents and vice presidents from Chinese technical colleges which play a role that’s similar to community colleges in the United States.

The group toured the El-Hefni Allied Health & Technology Center; participated in workshops on leadership and strategic planning led by Glenn and Linda Meccouri, NECC dean of professional development; and learned about NECC health care programs in a presentation given by Mary Farrell, NECC dean of allied health professions.

They also met with two of the college’s health care partners, Cindy Phelan, vice president of human resources, Lawrence General Hospital and John Raser, MD of the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, to learn about how the college collaborates with local employers to prepare students in health care programs for their careers.

The visit was organized by the Massachusetts Community College Executive Office on behalf of Global Corporate College, which provides training and performance improvement support to employers worldwide.

 

 

Heavy metal bands, custom houses, polymers, and a graphic novel were just a few of the topics Northern Essex Community College’s Commonwealth Honors Program students researched for their final projects and presented to the college community during the honors poster session in the Hartleb Technology Center.

“Fueling the Mosh Pit” was the focus of Rachael Sarcione’s honors project. The Haverhill resident explored the lyrics written by various heavy metal bands including Anthrax, Metallica, South of Heaven, and Megadeth. The project, completed for her American Government and Politics class, revealed that the lyrics showed the bands to be “politically aware and sensitive,” she said.

“They were often expressing thoughts on the trauma of war through their lyrics,” she noted.

For her Information Security class, Margaret Kostiew, looked at cyber security for her honors project titled “Cyber: An Unbalanced Battlefield”.  The Kingston NH, resident equates today’s cyber hackers with the Russian spies of the Cold War. People should realize that while some hackers make quick hit and runs, many infiltrate a network and troll for years, she said. Avoid a breach, she said, by “locking down” social media accounts and creating lengthy account passwords.

“The Evolution of Custom Houses in New England Port Cities,” was the title of Laurine Faro’s honors project. The Newburyport, Salem, and Boston Custom Houses served as inspiration for the Newburyport resident’s project for her History of the Merrimack Valley class.

“Prior to the income tax of 1913, the duties collected by U.S. Custom Houses funded the early growth and infrastructure of the United States.”

For her screenwriting course Lawrence’s Jennifer Lebron wrote 30 pages of what she hopes will become a full, graphic novel titled “Say No More”.

“The Importance of Nonverbal Communication,” was the topic of Stephanie Jimenez’s honors project for her Interpersonal Communication Class.

“We need to start connecting and communicating in ways other than through technology,” the Lawrence resident said, citing a study that revealed that 93 percent of all communications is conveyed through tone of voice and body language.

Seabrook’s Drew Hartnett had polymers and water content (think diapers) on her mind when she selected her project topic for her physiological chemistry course. While she hypothesized in her “Are Polymers the Answer?” project that polymers could be used to keep soil moist, she found the opposite to be true. The presence of polymers dried out the soil.

These were just a few of the 10 honors projects displayed during the honors poster session Monday, Dec., 14. The research projects were the final project for the Commonwealth Honors Program students.

Honors students must complete either two honors courses or an honors project in two regular courses. Students who opt for the honors project work with a faculty mentor. At the end of the semester, the student produces a 10-15-page paper; presents the project to the class, and participates in an Honors Poster Session. In addition, honors students must enroll in an honors colloquium course and earn at least a B.

The honors program is ideal for students who are independent learners, who have motivation and perseverance, as well as the passion to pursue an honors level project, says Hurajt. Some students, she says, do just one honors course or project without committing to the honors program. That course receives honors designation on the transcript.

Students in the Commonwealth Honors Program also participate in an Honors Community Service Learning Activity, and have volunteered for hospices, veterans centers and homeless shelters.

The Commonwealth Honors Program is designed along the guidelines of the National Collegiate Honors Council and has full status as a Commonwealth Honors Program. This guarantees transfer to a Massachusetts four-year state college or university honors programs upon acceptance to that institution.

Students who complete all of the Honors Experience requirements receive special recognition at graduation and a Commonwealth Honors Scholar seal on their diploma.

Other Commonwealth Honors Program participants and their projects included Sofia German, “Technology in the Deaf World,” April Campano, “Hidden Existence of My Adventurous Treasures,” Whitney Lischke, “Blood Spatter Analysis” and Ripley Iwen, “Perception and Realities of the Human Body”.

For additional information on the Commonwealth Honors Program contact Ginger Hurajt at ghurajt@necc.mass.edu or visit the Commonwealth Honors Program page.

Northern Essex has been preparing students for careers in a wide variety of fields for over 50 years, and the college recently stepped up its involvement in the training of local first responders.

Last February, the NECC Methuen Police Academy opened on the college’s Haverhill Campus and this fall the Essex County Sheriff’s Department began renting space, also on the Haverhill Campus, for its academy.

On Wednesday, Dec. 2, Northern Essex hosted an Academy Meet & Greet at which Northern Essex Community College faculty, staff, and students were introduced to the college’s first responder training.

NECC President Lane Glenn opened the event with an overview of the college’s role in public safety training.

President Glenn shared that although it’s less common in Massachusetts, 85* of first responders nationwide, including police, firefighters, and paramedics, are trained at community colleges.

Collaborations between public safety providers and community colleges can lead to better educated first responders, according to Glenn. “We can’t eliminate the incidents of violence that have taken place across the country, but better training can help reduce those incidents.”

They can also help provide a safer campus, said Glenn.  “Academies provide a very visible police presence and can be comforting and an effective deterrent to crime.”

Glenn said that future goals included adding a credit component to the academies, allowing recruits in the academies to earn college credits and work toward an associate degree.

Thomas Fleming, director of the NECC Methuen Police Academy spoke about what’s involved in the academy, which welcomed its second class this fall.

The intensive 25-week program covers constitutional law, prevention and intervention, community policing, domestic violence, elder abuse, victims’ rights, and other topics. All training takes place on the Haverhill Campus except for fire arms training and emergency driving techniques which are held at off-campus locations. Most recruits are sponsored by local police departments so they work in the area after graduation.  The program is authorized by the Municipal Police Training Committee.

Fleming graduated from the NH State Police Academy in 1980, which was located at the NH Technical Institute, and, he has 20-plus years of experience directing police academies.

He said their training is focused on community policing and is scenario based, meaning recruits are exposed to situations they are likely to encounter after they graduate.  “We need to get our training as close as possible to reality,” he said.  “The average recruit is 25-years old with no experience in law enforcement or corrections.  We have to prepare them to deal with what can often be difficult issues.”

Jason Ebacher, assistant superintendent III, Essex County Sheriff’s Department, said their training also has to be “as real as possible.”  Once on the job, corrections officers work unarmed with a partner in a unit housing 120 inmates.  “”Our job is the care and custody of the inmates,” he said.  We teach recruits to treat inmates with respect.”

The Essex County Sheriff’s Department began holding the classes for its academy in September of this year.  The 12-week academy covers topics including first responder medical training, defensive tactics, ethics and professionalism, substance abuse, cultural diversity, and more.  Graduates are prepared for careers as corrections officers in the Essex County Sheriff’s Department.

Some members of the college community have expressed concerns about aspects of the training, asking whether it’s appropriate for a college campus, and Lane Glenn encouraged anyone with questions or concerns to contact him, lglenn@necc.mass.edu, or George Moriarty, the college’s executive director of workforce development, gmoriarity@necc.mass.edu.  “This is still pretty new and we’re learning,” said Glenn.  “If something concerns you, we will consider it and do our best to address it.”

The Northern Essex Community College Chorus will present its winter choral concert on Sunday, Dec. 6, at 2 p.m. in Room 103 in the David Hartleb Technology Center on the Haverhill campus, 100 Elliott St.

A selection of seasonal music will be performed by the NECC Chorus.

This event is open to the public. Tickets are $5. They can be purchased at the door.

For more information contact Alisa Bucchiere at abucchiere@necc.mass.edu

The Winter Choral Concert is part of the “Performing Arts Series” presented by the Department of Performing Arts at Northern Essex Community College.

For additional information or for sign language requests contact Michelle Deane at mdeane@necc.mass.edu or call 978-556-3597.