Caribbean-born artist Stacy Mohammed of Randolph will display a number of her oil paintings in an exhibit titled “Santos y Milagros” at Northern Essex Community College’s Linda Hummel-Shea ArtSpace from November 13 through December 15. There will be an opening reception and artist’s talk Thursday, November 16, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

These paintings explore Catholicism, the religion in which Mohammed was raised, and the role of the saints as well as the question of identity and culture.

“Being from the Caribbean and of mixed ethnicity and religions, I am interested in the question of identity and these paintings are an attempt to explore all these parts of myself, my culture and other cultures like mine, places like Mexico, Dominican Republic, where the native culture has had to adapt and reinvent itself,” Mohammed said.

The ArtSpace is located in the Harold Bentley Library on the Haverhill campus, 100 Elliott St.

She attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan in Maine, earned an M.F.A. from Boston University; attended the New York Studio School and earned her bachelor of arts from Brooklyn College, C.U.N.Y., Brooklyn, New York.

Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries including Dadian Gallery, Washington, D.C.; and Sherman Gallery and Fenway Studios in Boston. She has received numerous awards and fellowships. Most recently she was artist-in-residence at the Henry Luce III Center for Arts & Religion, Washington, DC.

NECC offers an associate degree in general studies: art with a focus on specific area of the arts, such as fine arts, multimedia, photography or visual communications.

For further information contact Patricia Kidney at pkidney@necc.mass.edu or Marc Mannheimer at mmannheimer@necc.mass.edu.

Educational Report: NECC’s Digital Archives are Available to Anyone

Northern Essex’s story—the photos and documents that chronicle its past—is in the process of being digitalized, thanks to the efforts of Mike Hearn, director of libraries, and his staff.

At the November trustee meeting, Hearn reported on efforts over the past two years to grow the college’s collection of historical materials and make them more accessible by creating digital archives that anyone can access online.

The college’s digital archives now include over 3,500 photos spanning the 56-year history of the college, commencement programs, yearbooks published from 1963 to 1974, academic catalogs, and Parnassus, the college’s literary and arts magazine which goes back to 1965.  Materials are still being added including all back issues of the “Observer”, Northern Essex’s student newspaper, according to Hearn.

One exciting discovery uncovered during efforts to build the archives was a series of video tapes produced in 1983 in honor of the college’s 25th anniversary.  These videos feature John Spurk, author of the college’s history, interviewing Northern Essex’s first two presidents—Harold Bentley and John Dimitry—about the history of the college.  Titled “A Love Affair with Learning”, those videos are now available in the digital archives.

Report of Administration

Haverhill Campus Update:

The college’s first Homecoming on Saturday, October 14, was a success.  Two-hundred students, alumni, faculty, and staff and their families enjoyed baseball, music, games and a cookout.  Next year’s event is already scheduled for Saturday, October 13, and it will be expanded to include more athletic events, the Campus Classic 5K and Fun Run, and possibly food trucks.

The college is continuing to partner with UMass Lowell to promote its new satellite campus located at Harbor Place in downtown Haverhill.  President Glenn mentioned that an open house is planned for Wed, November 15, from 6 to 8 pm.  “We want to build the pipeline for Northern Essex students who want to transfer to UMass Lowell,” said Glenn.  “We want to make sure four-year degree opportunities are accessible to all of our graduates.”

The Harbor Place site offers bachelor’s degree completion programs in psychology, business, and criminal justice.

Lawrence Campus Update

Northern Essex’s Sleep Technology Program, which is located in Lawrence, is expanding to Greater Boston, thanks to online courses and an agreement with Neurocare, the largest employer of sleep technologists in New England. Read more.

Northern Essex will celebrate a new partnership with Cambridge College at a signing on December 7.  Cambridge, which is based in Charlestown and has a satellite at Riverwalk on Merrimack St. in Lawrence, will offer a discount to Northern Essex graduates who transfer into their human service and education bachelor’s degree programs.

State Releases Strategy for Capital Planning

President Glenn shared a report released in September of this year that provides a framework for capital planning in public higher education.

Basically, the state will focus on deferred maintenance projects, rather than construction of new buildings, said Glenn.

Referring to the El-Hefni Allied Health & Technology Center, Glenn said “This building is a Lexis but, in public higher education, we have a lot of Pintos with bad paint jobs up on blocks.”

Glenn told trustees that, in 2015, Northern Essex had a deferred maintenance backlog of $90 million, larger than any college in the state.  That situation has improved somewhat recently with the renovation of the Spurk Building in Haverhill and plans to renovate the Dimitry Building in Lawrence.  Both much-needed projects received significant capital funding from the state.

Mike McCarthy, Northern Essex’s vice president of administration, is part of a statewide committee looking at capital needs in higher education across the state.

Three New Appointments are Approved

Trustees voted unanimously to approve the following appointments: Andreas
Fleckenstein, assistant professor, Culinary & Hospitality; Erin Colstad, special programs coordinator, Patient Simulation Center, Health Professions; and Melanie Batista-Ortiz, academic counselor, Academic Advising Center.

Two Northern Essex Community College initiatives have been nominated for 2018 Bellwether Awards which recognize outstanding and innovative programs and practices that are successfully leading community colleges.

The college’s Civic Action Plan, created under the leadership of Janel D’Agata-Lynch, civic engagement and service-learning coordinator, and the Massachusetts Community Colleges Go Open Project, led by Jody Carson, Early Childhood Education, and Sue Tashjian, Academic Technology, were both nominated.

Northern Essex created its first Civic Action Plan in the spring of 2017.  The new civic action plan, which aligns with the college’s strategic plan and includes campus-wide input, was written by D’Agata-Lynch and Professors Steve Russell and Paula Richards.

It outlines four outcomes with clear goals on how to get there.  The outcomes focus on encouraging faculty to adopt civic learning and service learning; insuring students receive civic education and practice leadership/civic engagement skills; building awareness of community service opportunities among faculty, students, staff, and alumni; and contribution to the economic, social, environmental, education and political well-being of our communities.  The full civic action plan is available online.

“Northern Essex Community College strives to create an environment that supports and encourages civic engagement among our students, faculty, staff, and as an institution,” said D’Agata-Lynch.   “NECC’s Civic Action plan will guide these efforts over the next three years, keeping the college accountable to both itself and the community at large.”

The Massachusetts Community Colleges Go Open project was launched in 2016 to address the cost of college textbooks. Carson and Tashjian built the statewide initiative based on the Northern Essex’s successful Adopt Open initiative, which has already helped NECC students save over $1 million in textbook costs.

“The average college student spends $1,200 a year on textbooks,” said Carson.  “This program encourages faculty to use free, open educational resources (OER) in place of expensive textbooks.”

In its first year, 115 faculty have been involved in the statewide initiative, helping close to 9,000 students save over $1.2 million.

The Massachusetts Community Colleges Go Open project was launched in 2016 to address the rising cost of college textbooks. Carson and Tashjian built the statewide initiative based on Northern Essex’s successful Adopt Open project, which has already helped NECC students save over $1 million in textbook costs.

“The average college student spends $1,200 a year on textbooks,” said Carson.  “This program encourages faculty to use free, open educational resources (OER) in place of expensive commercial textbooks.” With OER, students have day one access to course materials and can retain access once the course ends.

In its first year, 9000 students will save $1.2 million dollars in textbook costs through the work of more than 115 faculty from across the state. “Students frequently choose not to purchase course materials due to the cost; lowering the overall cost of higher education removes barriers and promotes student success.” said Tashjian.

Finalists and winners will be announced at the Community Colleges Future Assembly held in January in Orlando, Florida.

With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College offers over 60 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth.  Nearly 6,000 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 3,000 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus and at the Opportunity Works building at 671 Kenoza St., located next to the Haverhill campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley. For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu.