2016 - Page 11 of 23

Free English Language Program for Adult Learners Starts this Fall at NECC in Lawrence

July 27, 2016/in Archive/by andrea

Free English classes for adult English language learners, who want to further their education or employment opportunities, will be offered at Northern Essex Community college beginning in September.

This 16-week program is for English language learners who would like to explore careers in health care, technology, engineering, or advanced manufacturing. The goal of the program is to support these learners while preparing them to further their education or training by focusing on helping them acquire the academic skills, career readiness skills, and information necessary to gain access to a career pathway. Students will improve their reading, writing, listening, speaking, and math skills as well as workplace communication and technology skills.

To enroll in this program, individuals must possess an intermediate or higher level of English language skills. Admission is based on a placement test given at registration.

Individuals interested in the program are invited to attend one of the Adult Career Pathways Program registration days held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on August 10, 24, 30, and 31 at NECC Riverwalk, 360 Merrimack Street, Lawrence, Building 9, Entrance K, Room 309.

Classes, offered through NECC’s Center for Adult Education Programs and Preparation, will be held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and on Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

For more information please contact Marsha Parinussa-Flynn, coordinator ESOL Programs at mparinussaflynn@necc.mass.edu, 978-659-1279, or Nancy Tariot, education and career advisor at ntariot@necc.mass.edu, 978-659-1273.

This program is funded by Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College offers over 70 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth. More than 7,400 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 6,700 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley. Northern Essex is the only state college located in the lower Merrimack Valley Region of Massachusetts. For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu.

Georgetown Woman Thrives Thanks to Support Services

July 27, 2016/in Archive/by Ellen Small-Davis

Laurine Faro General Studies:Individualized Option

Once Laurine Faro learned about Northern Essex’s support services, she couldn’t imagine life without them. They were the academic lifeline she never knew she needed.

The Georgetown resident had already lived an accomplished life having worked as a defense contractor, a consultant to NATO, a certified massage therapist at an exclusive holistic resort, and successful sales and marketing executive in the auto industry.

Though she seemed to have done it all…Laurine, who says she struggled to graduate from high school because of family issues, never earned her college degree.

“I always had that lingering sense of unfinished business,” says the 53-year old. So a few years ago she enrolled at Northern Essex. Within days, she received a telephone call from an advisor in Pathways to Academic and Career Excellence (PACE), a federally-funded student support services program that offers a variety of resources and services for eligible NECC students.

“My involvement with PACE really has been nothing short of life changing,” She says. “With all that PACE offers, I thought it was too good to be true. But I had decided I wanted to make the most of my experience at Northern Essex and if there were resources available, I was going to use them.”

She attended PACE’s weekly workshops that reviewed writing resumes, cover letters, and scholarship applications and discussed how to be a successful student, develop good study habits, and ask for help. She also participated in PACE’s college and museum field trips.

“My experience has changed me as a person,” she says. “I have a different level of self-confidence…a sense of calm I’ve never before experienced.”

Laurine graduated in May with an associate degree in General Studies: Individualized Option. She will take the degree she never thought she would earn, to Merrimack College and work toward a bachelor’s degree in family and community studies.

To learn more about enrolling at Northern Essex for the spring, visit the website or contact Enrollment Services at admissions@necc.mass.edu or 978-556-3700.

Enthusiastic NECC Students Find They are Gullible

July 22, 2016/in Archive/by review

Gull 2E2 is frequently sighted by birders from Main to Plum Island.

Gull 2E2 is frequently sighted by birders from Maine to Plum Island.

Gull 2E2 is a clear crowd favorite.

Charismatic and playful, the Great Black-Backed Gull is often seen by bird watchers during its regular commute from Appledore Island in Maine to Plum Island in Massachusetts where it feeds on fish and loots the coolers and blankets of naive sunbathers.

While some may call 2E2’s incessant squawking and egg sandwich stealing ways a nuisance, others, like a select group of Northern Essex Community College students call it research.

Supported by the NECC Fund, the students spend a week banding and measuring the gulls under the tutelage of NECC Assistant Professor of Natural Sciences Sarah Courchesne. The banding allows the gulls to be identified by birders who report sightings of the birds.

While it sounds a little like a reality television show – “The Gulls of Appledore” it is actually a reality research project that often leaves its participants bloodied and scratched, but always exhilarated.

Each May and July Courchesne travels to Shoals Marine Laboratory on Appledore Island with three or four NECC students who are selected based on a personal essay and teacher recommendation. The gull banding project has become increasingly popular; more than 30 NECC students applied for this summer’s week-long trip.

Left to Right Back Row Kyla Marcelonis, Plaistow NH graduating in May Jamie Zananiri, Biology, Bradford, just graduated Eric Lanouette, Biology, North Andover, 2nd semester Left to Right Front Row- Jinette Galarza, Psychology Major, Lawrence, hasn't graduated, Prof. Sara Courchesne, Mary Everett, former student.

Left to Right, rear Kyla Marcelonis of Plaistow NH graduating in May; graduate Jamie Zananiri of Bradford, Eric Lanouette, North Andover, 2nd semester; Left to Right, front row, Jinette Galarza, Lawrence; NECC Professor Sarah Courchesne, and NECC alumna Mary Everett.

Courchesne, a trained veterinarian, became involved when Julie Ellis, the ecologist who founded the gull banding project persuaded Courchesne to co-teach a class on seabirds and later band gulls.

Each summer, while the gulls flock to the island to nest, volunteers band and measure 50 adult gulls and 300 to 400 young gulls in an attempt to track their flying, eating, and nesting habits. There is concern that the population of these seabirds has dropped significantly since the 70s and 80s.

“There is something magical about seabirds,” says Courchesne. “They are so intelligent and so clever. They have to be adaptable to find food sources.”

The volunteers have to be equally as clever in catching the gulls.

“The process is a little bit zany and kind of tricky,” says Courchesne.

The tracking helps identify vital bird and ocean health, while giving the students experience outside the traditional classroom.

“I learned a lot more than I was expecting and was able to gain some experience in field research,” said Eric Lanouette of North Andover, a biology major.

Kyla Marcelonis (left) and Jamie Zananiri document gulls.

Nathan Kozlovski, of Atkinson, NH, a physical science major at Northern Essex, says the experience gave him the opportunity to work with wild animals in a natural setting.

“I learned much about the nuances of behavior that can widely separate two closely-related species cohabiting in close proximity,” he said.

“I learned many skills, like patience and methodical approach,” said Cesar (Davis) Mesta, a lab science major from Haverhill. “That could only be learned by working in the field.”

The young gulls, are easier to catch since they haven’t mastered flying. Caught with a fabric bag, one volunteer holds the gull and pins its wings, while another volunteer slips a green band on the Herring Gulls and a black band on the Great-Black-Backed Gulls. Each band bears a set of numbers and a letter printed in white. The adult gulls are banded in a similar fashion although they are caught by a box-trap, placed above their nests. Once banded, the gulls can be tracked through re-sightings.

For recent Northern Essex biology grad Jamie Zananiri of Bradford, who is headed to Oregon State University in the fall to study wildlife biology, the gulls of Appledore changed her life so much so last year that she returned this year.

“…The opportunity to go to Appledore as a field research assistant last spring allowed me to see what field research could actually consist of … and how hard I could push myself when the situation called for it. Being able to work with professionals in the field, as well as pick the brains of the other professionals at Shoals Marine Lab, was incredible. It reaffirmed the career path I want… Despite the difficulties, like spraining both ankles and getting first hand knowledge of just how powerful Greater Black Back gull bites are, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

Great Black-backed Gulls, one of the study species at Shoals Marine Lab on Appledore Island. The present gull study began in 2004 and builds upon prior studies conducted on Appledore.

The gulls and their travels are chronicled through the efforts of volunteers who Courchesne good-humoredly refers to as “bird nerds” of which she counts herself as one.

“We are totally reliant on the public to track these sea birds,” she says. “They have been tracked as far as Indiana, Texas, and Florida. We have really amazing, dedicated volunteers who visit our website and upload detailed information on a banded gull they have sighted.”

All the gull data is archived for anyone to use says Courchesne.

“Gulls represent a bridge between the land and the ocean. They are so ordinary and so accessible. Yet they are really interesting in tying two environments together. They can tell us about seabird health and ocean health,” she says.

Internship and Scholarship Help Haverhill Man Succeed

July 21, 2016/in Archive/by review

NECC Business Transfer graduate Matt Sibley

Several years out of high school, Haverhill resident Matt Sibley wanted to change course.

At the time he was working retail jobs while taking the occasional college class.

“I realized eventually that I wanted a career instead of a job. It took me a while to find just what that career was, but I’m so glad I found it here.”

The affordability and reputation of NECC’s programs were strong factors in Matt’s decision to attend full time beginning in the fall of 2013. Upon enrolling, he entered the Business Transfer Program and quickly got involved in a number of programs and activities, including the Student Leadership Program and Internship Program. The latter landed him an internship in NECC’s Marketing Communications office, where he assisted with social media and press distribution efforts.

“The strong internship program has helped immensely in giving me focus on my career path. It has given me a chance to work toward my degree and build up my professional network-all while accruing no debt.”

Matt is a recipient of the Matthew W. Poth Memorial Scholarship, which offered him the financial assistance he needed to complete his degree. “Receiving the scholarship was a blessing for me; NECC was extremely generous in helping me cover my academic expenses in order for me to succeed,” he says.

Matt graduated in May of 2016 and hopes to pursue a bachelor’s degree in business with the intention of eventually becoming a marketing executive.

He encourages students with similar stories to network as much as they can as they work toward their goals.

“It’s all about connections. Participate in class, make connections with professors, and apply for scholarships… the school has a lot to offer. You just have to be willing to go out there and take advantage of it all.”

New Programs Lead to Careers in Health Care

July 20, 2016/in Archive/by review

NECC is launching a news community health worker certificate as well as a public health associate degree this fall.

NECC is launching a new community health worker certificate program as well as a public health associate degree this fall.

The health care industry offers more than just direct patient care job opportunities. Northern Essex Community College recognizes this and is launching two new iHealth programs – the community health worker certificate and the associate degree in public health – to address the needs of the local job market as well as the wishes of the community labor force.

Individuals interested in promoting health and wellness to individuals, families and communities are ideal candidates for these programs, which will begin in September 2016 and will be taught in a hybrid mode. Students will come on campus one to two evenings per week with additional work being completed online using Blackboard. The capstone course for both programs includes a practicum experience. The Public Health Associate Degree prepares students to transfer onto a four-year college or university to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in health education, health administration or environmental health.

Northern Essex is the first Massachusetts community college to offer an associate degree in public health.

Individuals, who complete the community health worker certificate program through iHealth at NECC, will be trained to work in their communities to provide health education, assist with accessing health care services, collect statistics and coordinate care. The associate degree in public health takes this concept a step further providing classroom theory and field work experience.

“It’s the perfect blend of working with clients and performing administrative functions in diverse settings,” says Pat Demers, NECC professor and interim coordinator of the new program.

Both the certificate and degree were designed to meet the needs of the local communities, says Demers, while creating a career ladder for those interested in community health care.

“The bottom line is better patient outcomes for a community,” says Demers.

What can a community health worker expect for employment opportunities? According to Indeed.com, a leading job search engine, over the last six months, available positions include: peer navigator, care coordinator/community health worker, or patient navigator for certificate holders. While graduates of the associate degree in public health will find entry-level opportunities as a health promotion advocate, outreach coordinator, health educator, or family support coordinator, all of which assist members of their community in public health education.

Certificate graduates may transfer into the associate degree program and associate degree graduates may transfer into bachelor degree programs in health education, health administration, or environmental health.

There are three public health information sessions scheduled for Friday, July 22, at 10 a.m. in Lawrence, 414 Common St. Rm. 307; Wednesday, July 27, at 5:30 p.m. in Lawrence, 78 Amesbury St., Rm. 105; and Friday, July 29, noon, Lawrence, 414 Common St., Rm. 307.

iHealth general information sessions are scheduled for Lawrence, 78 Amesbury St., Rm. 105, Wednesday, July 27, at 5:30 p.m.; Wednesday, August 10, 1 p.m.; Wednesday, August 24, 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday, August 31, at 4:30 p.m.; September 14, 10 a.m.; Wednesday, September 28, at 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday, October 12, at 5:30 p.m.; Wednesday, October 26, at 10 a.m.; Wednesday, November 16, at 4:30 p.m. and Wednesday, November 30, at 4:30 p.m.

For additional information for either program contact Linda Comeau at lcomeau@necc.mass.edu or call her at 978738-7610 or Cristina Nuncio at cnuncio@necc.mass.edu or 978-738-7609 or visit iHealth page.

NECC offers a variety of health care degrees and certificates that prepare students for entry level health care positions. These are offered days, evenings, weekends, and online. For a complete list visit NECC’s health website.

NECC Administrator Goes to Washington

July 20, 2016/in Archive/by jscamman

Shown left to right are: Jeffrey Goldman, immigration lawyer and chair of the MA Governor’s Advisory Council on Refugees and Immigrants; Westy Egmont, director, Immigrant Integration Lab and Assoc. Professor, Boston College; and Noemi Custodia-Lora, executive director of NECC’s Lawrence Campus and community relations.

Dr. Noemi Custodia-Lora, executive director of Northern Essex Community College’s Lawrence Campus and community relations, recently visited the White House where she participated in the National Credential and Skills Institute which is part of the White House New Immigrant Initiative.

She attended the institute with national leaders in workforce development, education, immigration, and government, and the goal was to learn about strategies for addressing barriers that immigrants and refugees face related to credential attainment and credential recognition, particularly in the health care, IT, engineering, and education sectors.

“Over one third of all immigrants in this country have college degrees but they are disproportionately likely to be unemployed or underemployed,” said Custodia-Lora. “We’re working collectively to find solutions to these challenges.”

At the institute, Custodia-Lora reported on the work she’s been doing with PIÉS Latinos de NECC, which was created earlier this year to increase higher education attainment among Latino immigrants living in Greater Lawrence. PIÉS is focusing on helping immigrants validate and transfer foreign credits to NECC and other colleges in Massachusetts and validate their foreign degrees with job training.

“In Washington, they were especially interested in a project we are developing to provide assistance to immigrants pre-departure to the United States,” said Custodia-Lora. “We are planning to offer assessment testing in the Dominican Republic and to give people the opportunity to take NECC courses online while still in the DR.”

Custodia-Lora was recently named to the City of Boston’s Task Force on Foreign-Trained Professionals based on her work with PIÉS. She was invited to attend the institute and present as a result of her participation on this task force.

For more information on PIÉS Latinos de NECC and Northern Essex Community College’s initiatives to help immigrants gain credentials, contact Custodia-Lora at ncustodialora@necc.mass.edu or 978 738-7401.

With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College offers over 70 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth. More than 7,400 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 6,700 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley. Northern Essex is the only state college located in the lower Merrimack Valley Region of Massachusetts. For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu.

$4 Million U.S. DOL Grant will Benefit Merrimack Valley

July 18, 2016/in Archive/by review

A consortium of four Massachusetts community colleges, including Northern Essex Community College, and partnering vocational-technical high schools, local workforce investment boards, the Northeast Advanced Manufacturing Consortium and employers has received a $4 million federal TechHire grant to provide workforce training in advanced manufacturing in Worcester, Middlesex and Essex counties.

Led by Mount Wachusett Community College in collaboration with Middlesex Community College and North Shore Community College in addition to Northern Essex, The Massachusetts Advanced Manufacturing TechHire Consortium (MassAMTC) has the support of major regional industry association partners, including the Northeast Advanced Manufacturing Consortium, which represents 13 different advanced manufacturing employers.

MassAMTC is a strategic partnership of training providers, employers and the workforce investment system. With this four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration, MassAMTC will provide training, work-based experiences, support services and job placement assistance in advanced manufacturing to 300 young people and 100 other unemployed, underemployed, or dislocated workers.

Under the Tech Hire grant and working in partnership with Whittier Regional Vocational School and Greater Lawrence Technical School, Northern Essex Community College will train 102 young adults, unemployed workers, and under-employed individuals for good-paying jobs in three in-demand advanced manufacturing careers: quality technician, electronics technician, and CNC machine technician. The programs are noncredit and will likely be offered in the evening. The first program, Quality Technician, will be approximately six-weeks long and the second two, Electronics Technician and CNC Machine Technician, will run approximately 25 weeks. Upon successful completion of the programs, trainees will receive job placement assistance from the ValleyWorks one-stop career center. Training is scheduled to start in January of 2017.

“Advanced manufacturing is one of the cornerstones of the Merrimack Valley economy,” said George Moriarty, NECC’s executive director of workforce development. “We’re excited about preparing more local residents for jobs in these fields.”

Additional partners include the North Central Workforce Investment Board (WIB), Greater Lowell WIB, Metro North Regional Employment Board, North Shore WIB and Merrimack Valley WIB, Lowell Technical High School, Lynn Vocational Technical High School, Essex Technical High School, Whittier Regional Technical High School and Greater Lawrence Technical High School.

“I congratulate Mount Wachusett, Middlesex, North Shore and Northern Essex community colleges on receiving a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to accelerate their advanced manufacturing training partnership program,” said Congresswoman Niki Tsongas. “Boosting American manufacturing and increasing educational opportunities are two essential components to our nation’s future, and this funding will allow Massachusetts to continue to lead in both areas by providing top-tier training and credential programs that also bolster our local manufacturing companies and workforce.”

“We are excited to begin this new partnership,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “Best practices and curriculum from each institution will be shared and implemented, thereby benefiting employers and employees of the entire North Central and Northeast region.”

More than $150 million in the H-1B TechHire grant program were awarded in July to 39 partnerships, providing training in 25 states across the country. More than 18,000 participants will receive services, with a focus on youth and young adults ages 17 to 29 with barriers to employment, as well as veterans and individuals with disabilities, limited English proficiency, criminal records, and long-term unemployment.

For more information on Northern Essex’s involvement in this program, contact George Moriarty, gmoriarty@necc.mass.edu.

With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College offers over 70 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth. More than 7,400 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 6,700 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley. Northern Essex is the only state college located in the lower Merrimack Valley Region of Massachusetts. For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu.

President Glenn Updates Haverhill City Council

July 14, 2016/in Archive/by review

NECC now hosts a police academy as well as a training academy for the Essex County Sheriff’s Department.

The Spurk Building Renovations, the downtown Haverhill redevelopment, and the police and sheriff’s academies were just a few of the topics Northern Essex Community College (NECC) President Lane Glenn brought before the Haverhill City Council as a courtesy update Tuesday night.

Glenn was introduced to speak to the council by Councilor Mary Ellen Daly O’Brien, who is also a member of the NECC Board of Trustees.

He thanked the council for allowing him to speak, noting that there was nothing urgent to report nor was he making any requests. He wanted to inform the council on the most recent Haverhill campus updates.

The college, which opened in 1961 in the Greenleaf Elementary School with 181 students, he said, now has more than 4,000 on the 106-acre Haverhill campus with another 3,000 on the Lawrence campus.

When the Spurk Building reopens in 2017, it will be updated for accessibility and efficiency.

The buildings on the Haverhill campus are now more than 40 years old with no significant updates during that time, he said. Thanks to a $7.1 million capital bond and an additional $8.1 million in deferred maintenance from the state’s Division of Capital Asset and Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) renovations are underway. A fence now surrounds the Spurk Building which is off-line for about one year. Improvements to the building will include changes for safety and accessibility at the entrances and bathrooms, installation of central air conditioning, new windows, boiler and insulation and improvements to lecture hall A.

Despite being miles up the street from Haverhill’s downtown, Glenn said, NECC is proud to part of the Haverhill redevelopment. When Harbor Place, currently under construction at the intersection of Route 125 and Merrimack Street, opens its doors, students in NECC’s broadcast journalism classes will be taking classes in the first floor studios of HC Media.

“Just like 30 Rock” he quipped, referring to 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York home of NBC studios,

NECC broadcast journalism students will take classes at the new HC Media studio in the new Harbor Place.

“And somewhere along the riverfront we are hopeful that we will soon be creating a new hospitality and culinary arts institute,” he said.

It would be a partnership among Northern Essex Community College, Whittier Vocational Technical High School, and Endicott College, to offer certificates, associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and graduate degrees for a number of hospitality and culinary arts careers in food service, hotel, travel, and tourism industries – some of the fastest growing employment sectors in the region.

“Our plan is to build out classrooms, laboratories, kitchens, and hopefully public meeting spaces and a restaurant where students can apply their skills,” he said.

Although the state legislature approved a $1 million line item toward funding this project, Governor Charlie Baker recently vetoed it.

“We are hoping for an override later this week,” Glenn said.

In January 2015, Haverhil High School graduated 18 students from the Early College Program in partnership with Northern Essex Community College.

In January 2015, Haverhill High School graduated 18 students from the Early College Program in partnership with Northern Essex Community College.

Other partnerships that Northern Essex has been cultivating include dual enrollment and early college programs. NECC already partners with Haverhill High School and soon with Whittier Vo-tech. At the start of their sophomore year, he explained, students can take classes that qualify for both high school and NECC college credit. Many students are able to graduate from high school with a year or more of college credits already completed, Glenn said.

“This can save the student a lot of time and money…making it more likely they will actually complete their college degrees,” he said.

Northern Essex is particularly proud of its recent partnership with the Massachusetts Municipal Police Training Council. NECC now offers a 24-week police academy.

“In June 2014, I learned from Chief DeNaro that the Haverhill Police Department would be hiring several new officers and they were expecting to have a difficult time finding training for these officers quickly enough and close enough to home,” Glenn said. “The same problem was happening in police departments across the Merrimack Valley and around the state.”

In June of last year, 46 cadets, including four from Haverhill, graduated from NECC’s first police academy and all went right to work in 20 different departments around the Commonwealth. Since then two more classes for a total of 119 cadets, 10 from the Haverhill Police Department, have graduated.

In addition, NECC is now providing Corrections Department Training for the Essex County Sheriff’s Department with 40 graduating from the first two classes and a new class beginning this September.

“We are now in the public safety training business,” he said.

Councilor Joseph Bevilacqua, whose late uncle Francis J. Bevilacqua, a former state representative, was instrumental in the founding of Northern Essex, said this forward thinking is exactly what his uncle and others envisioned…”creating opportunities for the middle class and lower income students to obtain a college education.”

The college was to be commended for its many partnerships, said Councilor Thomas Sullivan, a Haverhill attorney, who noted its affiliation with the Little Sprouts Child Enrichment Center, where his sister Maureen Bly is executive director; Opportunity Works, which is Northern Essex’s newest neighbor and temporarily houses several NECC departments; and the public safety academies.

“The academies have created benefits you may not even be aware of,” Sullivan said.

The recruits often train at Winnekenni Park Conservation Area which is a welcome sight for those using the park. It “shows community” Sullivan said.

Haverhill City Council President John Michitson said the police academies have helped the city overcome a crucial barrier to help get police on the streets.

Governor Baker Announces Community College Board Appointments

July 13, 2016/in Archive/by review

Enterprise Bank’s Rosalin Acosta is the newest appointment to the NECC Board of Trustees.

Governor Charlie Baker recently announced that Enterprise Bank’s Rosalin Acosta of Amesbury has been appointed to the Northern Essex Community College Board of Trustees. He also reappointed William D. Cox, Jr., Esq. of Haverhill to a second five-year term.

As senior vice president and managing director for Enterprise Investment Advisors, Acosta oversees operations for the wealth management and brokerage divisions of the bank.

A banking professional for 30 years, she has worked in wealth management, government banking, cash management and commercial lending for banks throughout the Greater Boston region including TD Bank, Fleet/Sovereign Bank, and Eastern Bank.

Active in the community, Acosta is currently a board member of The Boston Foundation; co-founder & committee member of the Latino Legacy Fund (at The Boston Foundation); co-founder of the Latino Executive Council for Boston Children’s Hospital; a member of the Board of Overseers of Boston Children’s Hospital; and a board member of the Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board.

She has received many awards and honors including Boston’s Most Influential Women from the Women of the Harvard Club (2014); the YWCA’s Boston Academy of Women Achievers (2013); the American Red Cross of Northeast’s Community Hero (2013); the Association of Latino Professionals Lifetime Achievement Award (2012); and the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus Abigail Adams Award (2012). El Planeta Newspaper named her one of the top 100 Most Influential Hispanics in Massachusetts in 2011 and in April of 2015 she was featured in Hispanic Executive Magazine.

NECC President Lane Glenn was pleased with Acosta’s appointment. “Her financial background will be very helpful since our trustees oversee the college budget,” he said. “Also, Rosalin is a role model for women and for Latinos, and she frequently speaks publicly about diversity and motivating young people, both topics of great interest to our student population.”

“I am honored to be named to the Northern Essex Board of Trustees, said Acosta. “I look forward to working with President Glenn and the entire Board to continue to make a positive impact on the lives of our student body and in the communities we serve”.

Acosta was born in Cuba and earned her bachelor’s from Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

Attorney Bill Cox was reappointed to the college’s Board of Trustees.

Cox, who has his own law practice, also has held the position of city solicitor for Haverhill for more than a decade. He was appointed to his first term on the NECC Board in 2011 by then Governor Deval Patrick.

The college’s Board of Trustees includes nine members who are appointed by the governor of the state to a maximum of two five-year terms as well as an alumni-elected member, who also serves a maximum of 10 years, and a student trustee who serves for two semesters.

With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College offers over 70 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth. More than 6,600 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 3,400 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley. Northern Essex is the only state college located in the lower Merrimack Valley Region of Massachusetts. For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu.

NECC Professor Highlights Cuba in Presentation at Stevens Memorial Library

July 13, 2016/in Archive/by jscamman

Dr. Ligia Domenech of Haverhill, professor of history & government at Northern Essex Community

Dr. Ligia Domenech of Haverhill, professor of history & government at Northern Essex Community, will give a free presentation on the Cuban embargo and why it happened at Stevens Memorial Library, 345 Main St., North Andover on Thursday, July 14 at 7:00 p.m.

While most people know about the United States’ embargo with Cuba, many don’t know the history of the embargo. Professor Domenech will detail the sequence of historical events that led to the Cuban embargo. Viewing it from the perspective of the Cuban people, she will explore the relationship between the United States and Cuba from before the embargo to present day with the impending lift of the embargo by the Obama administration. This presentation is especially timely since Domenech just returned from Cuba.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Domenech has a B.A. in Social Work, a Master’s in Puerto Rican and Caribbean Studies and a Ph.D. in History. Since 2001 she has taught history, humanities and social sciences and even spent three months as an at-sea professor in a US Coast Guard cutter on patrol. At present she is an associate professor at Northern Essex Community College in Massachusetts.

This presentation is sponsored by the NECC Speakers Bureau, which hosts expert talks by faculty and administrators of Northern Essex Community College. Speakers are available to present to public and private school systems, libraries, service clubs, and more.

For additional information on the presentation, visit the Stevens Memorial Library website or call the library at 978 688-9505.

For additional information on the NECC Speakers Bureau, please visit the Speakers Bureau website or contact the group at speakersbureau@necc.mass.edu or at 978-556-3682.

With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College offers over 70 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth. More than 7,400 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 6,700 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley. Northern Essex is the only state college located in the lower Merrimack Valley Region of Massachusetts. For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu.