Is your New Year’s resolution to finally earn that college degree or jump start a career, enroll now at Northern Essex Community College for the spring semester which begins Wednesday, January 23, 2019.

It’s not too late to register for courses that could lead to a degree or a certificate. Register online , in person, or by phone.

Northern Essex offers more than 60 associate degrees and certificates in fields such as health care, criminal justice, computer science, business, engineering, and much more. Classes and programs are offered days, evenings, weekends, and online. Campuses are in Haverhill and Lawrence.

Drop-in hours at the Haverhill campus Student Success Hub, 100 Elliott St. are Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or at the Riverwalk mini-hub, Monday 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and Tuesday 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. For more information, contact enrollment services at Northern Essex at 978-556-3700 or admissions@necc.mass.edu.

The Lupoli Family Foundation has made a $500,000 pledge to fund the new hospitality and culinary school which Northern Essex Community College plans to open in downtown Haverhill in 2019.

The Lupoli Family’s pledge will jump start an anticipated $1 million endowment for the NECC Lupoli Family Institute of Culinary Arts which will be named in honor of Sal’s parents, Nicholas and Jeannette Lupoli, and  his brother James.  The $1 million endowment would include the Lupoli pledge as well as funding from other sources, which the college is currently raising.  It would be used to fund a chair or lead faculty for the college’s hospitality & culinary school.

“My family is honored to partner with Northern Essex Community College in their efforts to ensure that all students have equal access to a quality education,” says Lupoli. “As I close my eyes each night, I reflect upon my purpose to make my mother, father and brother proud of what Lupoli Companies was able to accomplish by focusing on family, education and culture.”

Like other community colleges and state universities, NECC has struggled with decreased state funding. Massachusetts has cut higher education by 31% since 2001. “It’s an incredible gift that will help us do something that no community college in New England has done before,” says NECC President Lane Glenn. “We will be able to create a permanent endowed chair for an academic program that will become a regional provider of skilled workers for an industry that is booming in the Commonwealth.”

“Massachusetts community colleges are critical to our region’s competitiveness,” said Paul S. Grogan, president and CEO, The Boston Foundation. “With his pledge, Sal Lupoli sets an important example for business leaders who recognize the important role community colleges play in the community – educating students, fueling the local and regional economy, and providing life-changing opportunities for graduates.”

The NECC Lupoli Family Institute of Culinary Arts will occupy two floors of The Heights, a 10-story luxury, mixed-use development project built by Lupoli Companies, scheduled to open in 2019. It will feature classrooms, laboratories, a test kitchen, and a restaurant where aspiring chefs can begin honing their skills. Up to 200 students, from across the region, will enroll in programs ranging from certificates and associate degrees, to eventually bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

NECC currently offers an Associate of Science Degree in Business Management: Hospitality Option and is planning to offer a Culinary Arts Certificate program.

President Glenn points to the long and successful partnership he and NECC have had with Lupoli Companies with pride. “We have operated a satellite campus at Riverwalk’s thriving mixed-use development in Lawrence for 10 years,” notes Glenn. “Sal and I helped launch the Lawrence Partnership, a private-public economic development group of leaders in the city; and Lupoli Companies built, donated, and helps us manage the Revolving Test Kitchen, a golden ticket opportunity for restaurant entrepreneurs.”

Having started his career in hospitality, Sal Lupoli recognizes the importance of this unique program and the benefits it brings to the area. “We encourage other businesses to join us in our commitment to support higher education because when you invest in a community college, you invest in the future of our local neighborhoods and our state as a whole.”

“At the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, we want to make the Commonwealth one of the leading states for business investment and job creation,” says Dan O’Connell, President and CEO. “Collaborations with civic leaders, like Sal Lupoli, and community colleges, like NECC, generate growth which will ultimately contribute to our success as a region.”

To learn more about the college’s plans, contact Kelly Sullivan, Dean, Business and Professional Studies, ksullivan@necc.mass.edu or 978 556-3873.

 

Students in Northern Essex Community College Professor Jacqueline Dick’s Introduction to Public Health course addressed food insecurity in the Merrimack Valley this semester, collecting close to 100 new crockpots to donate to needy local residents along with a crockpot cookbook the class created.

The project was a service-learning project, designed to connect community service with the course curriculum.

“This is the first time we did this project, and I’m thrilled with the results,” said Dick.  “The students were truly engaged.”

Students in this course study assessment, policy development, and assurance, said Dick.  They were asked to research food insecurity in the Merrimack Valley; create an answer (access to crockpots and healthy, affordable recipes); and develop assurances (collecting crockpot donations and screening recipes).

The 31 students reached out to family, friends, and employers and raised $1,500 plus donated crockpots.  Many of the recipes in the cookbook were their own family favorites, including Spanish and Asian recipes, and they were all screened for affordability and nutritional value.  Some of the favorites include Crockpot-Honey Garlic Chicken and Veggies, Crockpot-Spanish Chicken, and Crockpot-Beef and Broccoli.

Student Jennifer Lucena of Chelmsford, a public health major, said “I liked being part of a grassroots movement.  I’m hoping these crockpots will benefit families who work long hours and can now come home to a home-cooked meal.”

The crockpots and recipe books will be distributed to 10 nonprofits from across the Merrimack Valley who will make sure they get in the hands of those who need them.

Somebody Cares, a nonprofit in Haverhill, will give 10 of the crockpots to students in a “tween” cooking class.  The tweens will learn how to cook a meal and then bring it home to their families in their new crockpot.  Students from the class have been invited to assist in that event in January.

Northern Essex offers a community health worker certificate which transfers to the associate degree in public health.  Both programs are convenient for students who are working or have other responsibilities and appreciate the hybrid format.  Students come to class one or two evenings a week and complete additional work online.  Both the certificate and the associate degree require an internship during the spring semester of one day a week for 15 weeks.

For more information, contact Dick at jdick@necc.mass.edu or 978 655-5875.

 

 

 

 

Northern Essex Community College has launched a new computer and information sciences: networking and security associate degree designed to prepare individuals for immediate entry into that high demand field.

“There are literally hundreds of thousands of computer networking and security jobs that are going unfilled,” said Adrianna Holden-Gouveia, a computer information sciences (CIS) professor at Northern Essex. “There aren’t enough trained workers to fill the jobs.”

What type of jobs will graduates be prepared to fill? Junior network administrators, system administrators, and anything in disaster recovery or computer security incident response team are a few of the career options.

The computer networking and security needs are only expected to grow. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics network administrators in the computer systems design and related services industry is projected to grow by nearly 30 percent by 2026, which is much faster than the average of all occupations.

Demand is expected to be high, as computer hacking becomes more sophisticated. Creative problem solvers will be needed to prevent hackers from stealing critical information, said Holden-Gouveia.

While NECC has offered a networking certificate (which it will continue to offer) and a security certificate (which is being phased out) the associate degree is new (fall 2018). The old networking certificate overlaps with the degree for students who start in that program and want to continue.

CIS students are taking notice. Already there are nearly two dozen students enrolled in the inaugural class, according to Jason Termini, (CIS) professor and department chair. Junior De Los Santos Galan is one of these students. “I am interested in networking and security so that I can get a good job, help people, and make sure they never go through the fear I had when my credit card was lost,” he said.

Like most of the students in the program Galan is encouraged (though not mandated) to participate in a semester-long internship. He has several prospects and is currently interviewing for a spring internship.

While the two-year degree program was created to train individuals for immediate entry into the workforce, some students, like Galan, are already thinking ahead and plan on enrolling in a four-year computer information program.

For those graduates ready to launch their careers, Termini said that conservatively they can expect salaries between $40,000 and $60,000 and in some cases depending upon experience, much higher. According to the Labor Board the median pay for an information security analyst is more than $95,000.

The degree was created with input from the CIS advisory board members and local employers, said Holden-Gouveia. “This is tailored specifically to fulfill the job requirements sought by employers,” she added.

This degree is also in keeping with Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s initiative to strengthen the Commonwealth’s cybersecurity ecosystem and support cyber workforce development.

“The MassCyberCenter and Cybersecurity Strategy Council were created to ensure the state serves as a valuable partner with businesses, colleges and universities, and the public sector to grow Massachusetts’ cybersecurity industry and continue developing a talented workforce,” said Gov. Baker during the 2018 Massachusetts Cybersecurity Forum.

For additional information on the CIS networking and security degree visit the program page.

Northern Essex offers associate degrees in computer science transfer, information technology, networking and security and technology in business. For additional information go to the program page at https://www.necc.mass.edu/learn/credit-programs/computer-information-science/

NECC is enrolling now for the spring semester, which starts January 23.  To learn more, visit the website, necc.mass.edu, or contact enrollment services, admissions@necc.mass.edu or 978 556-3700.