January 2023 - NECC News

Spring Semester Starts at NECC with Keynote Address from Jay Ash

January 30, 2023/in Events/by mbouse

Haverhill, MA (January 17, 2023)– The 2023 spring semester is officially underway at Northern Essex Community College, following an interactive Spring Convocation on January 17. Special guests from the NECC Board of Trustees, the Massachusetts Association for Community Colleges, The Lawrence Partnership, and nearby community colleges joined NECC faculty and staff to explore the theme of Investing in Community Colleges as an Equitable Workforce Strategy.

Jay Ash, former Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development and current President & CEO of the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership

Keynote Address Featuring Jay Ash
This spring convocation featured a keynote address from Jay Ash, former Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development and current President & CEO of the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership.

In his introduction of Ash, Northern Essex President Lane Glenn noted that the number one reason students attend college is to get a good job. And while NECC effectively gets many students started in their chosen careers, studies show skepticism about the job readiness of community college graduates persists.

“Community colleges, like ours, are the most diverse segments of higher education,” said Glenn. “And when we help more of our first-generation, low-income students succeed by connecting them to their chosen vocation, we’re delivering what they most want and need from us even as we’re putting community colleges at the center of this equitable workforce strategy.”

The Massachusetts Competitive Partnership aims to bridge the gap between some of the Commonwealth’s largest businesses and recent community college graduates eager to start their careers. Ash works with CEOs to collaborate with public officials and business and civic leaders.

“Anytime I sit down with a business, I ask them what their number one issue is. And time and time again, businesses big and small, it’s talent,” said Ash. “Well, it’s no surprise then that if our number one issue is talent, the place we should want to be is a place that produces talent. And your number one product is talent.”

View the entire keynote address here.

Following his address Ash joined Northern Essex President Dr. Lane Glenn for a Q &A session, moderated by NECC Dean of Liberal Arts Amy Callahan.

NECC’s First Open Textbook

picture of the front of text book featuring children running and the title "The Whole Child: Development in the Early Years

NECC’s first open textbook, The Whole Child: Development in the Early Years

Early Childhood Education professors Doris Buckley and Deirdre Budzyna, along with Sue Tashjian, NECC’s coordinator of instructional technology, unveiled NECC’s first open textbook, The Whole Child: Development in the Early Years. Open textbooks are Open Educational Resources (OER). OER is free, openly licensed educational materials that faculty can adopt in lieu of commercially published textbooks. This book would usually cost students $174. “That means Northern Essex students will save $5,300 dollars this spring semester,” said Buckley.

Buckley and Budzyna developed their OER projects through the Remixing Open Textbooks through an Equity Lens (ROTEL) grant– a statewide project funded by the U.S. Department of Education. NECC was an early adopter of the use of OER. Tashjian is co-chair of the Massachusetts OER Advisory Council. She and Dean of Business and Professional Studies, Jody Carson, first introduced free OER to the college back in 2014 with a textbook task force. Since then, Tashjian estimates that using free and low-cost course materials have saved more than 19,000 students $2 million on textbooks.

Healthy Living Fair Returns
NECC Civic Engagement, Service-Learning, & Community Resources Coordinator Janel D’Agata-Lynch shared that the Healthy Living and Sustainability Fair is returning to the Lawrence Campus. The event is slated for April 24 from 10 am- 12 pm in the Dimitry Building and will be open to the public. D’Agata-Lynch encouraged faculty to integrate themes of healthy living and sustainability into their programs this spring. She also seeks classes and clubs whose members wish to participate in the fair with displays and demonstrations. Email jdagatalynch@necc.mess.edu for more information.

Welcomes and Farewells
NECC officially introduces new employees at each convocation and sends a fond farewell to recent retirees. View the complete list of Welcomes and Farewells here.

Fall 2022 Dean’s List

January 30, 2023/in Students/by mbouse

Haverhill and Lawrence, MA (January 30, 2023)– Congratulations to the Northern Essex Community College students on the Fall 2022 Dean’s List!

To be included, students must attain a grade point average of 3.3 or higher within the term, carry six or more credits within the term, and be matriculated in a degree program.

View the Fall 2022 Dean’s List here.

Northern Essex Community College, the first Federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution in New England, is an education leader for the Merrimack Valley. Through a supportive learning environment and cultural inclusion, NECC embraces all identities and inspires initiative and excellence through top-notch, affordable certificate and associate degree programs online and at campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence. NECC offers many bachelor’s degree transfer options, workforce development, and community education classes and is host to the NECC Police Academy, MassHire Merrimack Valley, and Gallaudet University’s Regional Center for the deaf and hard of hearing. Visit Northern Essex online at necc.edu.

Honors Students Awarded $1,000 Scholarships

January 26, 2023/in Spotlight, Students/by mbouse

Haverhill, MA (January 25, 2023)– Northern Essex Community College is proud to recognize the accomplishments of five honors students. Emily Ellis, Scotty Silva, Wildalis Tejada, Elvis Soto, and Soiri Rosario each earned a $1,000 scholarship from the NECC Foundation, Inc. These students completed at least one honors course in the fall semester and maintained an overall GPA of 3.2 or higher.

Scotty Silva, Emily Ellis, Wildalis Tejada, Elvis Soto, and Soiri Rosario (not pictured) were each awarded $1,000 scholarships.

“I’m very thankful for the opportunity to have the help with tuition,” said Haverhill’s Scotty Silva, who took Honors American Literature I in the fall and is currently enrolled in the Honors Seminar: Dinosaurs! “I like that we can have in-depth discussions in a small setting.”

The number of honors classes offered at NECC was doubled for the 2022 Fall Semester. Classes are now available on the Haverhill and Lawrence Campuses, and one meets online. “It is our hope that we can double our honors offerings again in the future,” remarked NECC Provost Paul Beaudin. “We want to ensure that every local student knows we’re the community’s college. We serve all students: those who need support and those who already excel academically.”

Emily Ellis, of Malden, is a psychology major who plans to study neuroscience at a four-year institution after graduating from NECC. She says taking honors courses allowed her to discover new interests. “I took American Literature last semester, and I found myself really enjoying reading 200-year-old texts!”

Any student can register and take honors classes regardless of GPA. However, students who take three honors classes and maintain a GPA of at least 3.2 will be designated as members of the Commonwealth Honors Program. That means if they transfer to a state university, they’re automatically enrolled in the Commonwealth Honors program there, and their honors courses transfer easily. “MA is the only state that has this seamless transition from the community colleges to the state universities,” says Honors Program Coordinator Ginger Hurajt.

Learn more about the honors program and class options here. Anyone with questions should contact Commonwealth Honors Program Coordinator Ginger Hurajt at ghurajt@necc.mass.edu.

New Department of Higher Education Commissioner Visits NECC

January 26, 2023/in Community/by mbouse

Lawrence, MA (January 24, 2023)– Leaders from the city of Lawrence and Northern Essex Community College gathered on Tuesday morning to welcome the Commonwealth’s new Commissioner of Higher Education, Noe Ortega. The visit included a roundtable discussion at the El Hefni Allied Health and Technology Center. NECC President Lane Glenn presented a brief history of the development of the Lawrence Campus and shared how public and private partnerships made much of it possible.

Four men sit in a row listening to student stories

NECC President Lane Glenn, DHE Commissioner Noe Ortega, SUCCESS Senior Project Director, Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges (MACC) Lutful Khan, Associate Commissioner of Research and Planning at the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education Mario Delci

Following the presentation, Glenn and Ortega fielded various questions from the group on topics affecting higher education, including enrollment, equity, affordability, and the role of Northern Essex in the community of Lawrence.

“One thing that has always been important to me is affordability,” said Ortega. “I want to make sure that every student who’s being prepared and recruited to go to college thinks about the choices they have. We live in a time where the cost limits that choice. Anything we can do as a state to advocate for affordability, we need to do.”

Interim Dean of Health Services Kathy Hudson then led Ortega and a small group on a tour of the classrooms and labs in the El Hefni building. Stops included the maternity simulation room, with blinking and breathing mother and child teaching mannequins, and the fully operational ambulance embedded in the building’s first floor.

Following the tour, Ortega met with students in NECC’s SOAR Program. The program provides wraparound support for vulnerable students, such as advising, career counseling, and community-building events. Students shared stories of how they struggled early in their college careers and how SOAR helped them find their footing.

“If I had this when I first started in 2009, I would have finished a long time ago,” said Eudania Chucha Aquino, a Human Services major who now works for the SOAR program. “It really pushed me and showed me how to grow.”

“It takes a lot to ask for help. In some cases, it takes a lot to accept that help,” responded Ortega. “Because each of your stories begins with an intention that didn’t work out, but you got help in a judge-free zone with people who have no interest in making you further carry the weight of your story. They’re making sure that from this point on, you’re moving forward and succeeding.”

The program is part of a statewide SUCCESS initiative, which is modeled after Northern Essex’s Pathways to Academic and Career Excellence (PACE) Program, a federally-funded student support services program. President Glenn was instrumental in lobbying for the creation of the SUCCESS Fund (Supporting Urgent Community College Equity through Student Services). Thanks to support from state legislators, funding was included in this last year’s state budget to provide similar services across the Commonwealth’s 15 community colleges.

A native of Corpus Christi, Texas, Ortega comes to Massachusetts from Pennsylvania, where he served as the Secretary of Education since 2020. He spent the eight years prior at the University of Michigan, where he held several roles, including Assistant Director and Senior Research Associate at the National Center for Institutional Diversity and as the Managing Director for the National Forum on Higher Education for the Public Good. He replaces Carlos Santiago, who stepped down from the role last year. Ortega was sworn in this past November.

New Testing Site and Course to Enhance Job Readiness for Nurse Assistants

January 25, 2023/in Community, Programs/by mbouse

Lawrence, MA (January 18, 2023)– Northern Essex Community College continues work to address the growing job needs of the healthcare industry with two new offerings for Certified Nurse Assistants (CNA). Students preparing to take the Massachusetts CNA exam can now take a refresher course at NECC, and when they’re ready, they can take the skills-based state exam right on the Lawrence Campus.

“CNAs are in high demand in our community, and ensuring we are doing our part in educating, supporting, and contributing to the growth of our CNA community is a top priority,” says Program Coordinator Heather Waniga, RN.

The CNA Lab in the Dimitry Building is a new state exam testing site.

The Certified Nurse Assistant program at Northern Essex is a four-week accelerated training. It prepares students to work in a variety of healthcare settings, including long-term care, acute care, and rehabilitation facilities, as well as home care settings. Students can begin working as nurse assistants immediately after completing their CNA training; however, many employers require state certification as a term of employment. This month, the CNA laboratory in the Dimitry Building became a certified testing site, increasing accessibility for Northern Essex students by giving them more options on when and how to take the exam.

“Students had limited options for local test sites, and they had difficulty accessing dates and times that worked for them,” says Suzzette Turnbull, Ph.D., program manager for Community Education. “By opening this new site, we can bring them full circle in their career journey.” The goal of each testing session is to accommodate 14 students. Northern Essex students get priority for scheduling in each session; the remaining seats are open to students from other programs.

“We are proud to have our facility open to students in the community who can take the exam in an organized and student-centered environment,” Waniga points out.

Northern Essex also offers a CNA refresher course for students who may have completed their program but want to brush up on their skills before attempting the test. The first two sessions ran in the fall, with more scheduled this spring.

The CNA program, the refresher course, and the testing are all free to students, thanks to grant and state funding. Testing takes place twice a month at the new site in Lawrence, with refresher courses scheduled every other month. Students who complete the program and pass the Massachusetts CNA exam may also earn six credits applicable toward the NECC Healthcare Technician Certificate Program.

Enrollment is open for the four-week CNA training program in March, April, May, and June.

For more information, visit the webpage or contact Program Coordinator Heather Waniga, RN, by calling 603-489-8907 or emailing hwaniga@necc.mass.edu. To learn more about job-ready certifications and trainings available at Northern Essex, contact communityeducation@necc.mass.edu.

Two NECC Athletic Programs Ranked Nationally

January 25, 2023/in Students/by mbouse

By Dan Blair, Director of Athletics

Haverhill, MA (January 23, 2023) – For the first time, the Northern Essex Community College athletic department has two programs ranked in the top 10 simultaneously in the national polls. Following a 2-0 week and 15 consecutive wins, men’s basketball is up to the fourth position in the Week Ten poll with 84 points, while baseball sits seventh in the preseason poll release.

basketball player wearing the number 23 runs in between teammates with outstreteched arms

Mehmet Asik is in his second year at NECC

On the hardwood, NECC picked up a win Tuesday night at home over Gateway Community College to run their overall record to 19-1 and a perfect 14-0 in conference play. As a team, NECC ranks second in the nation in total rebounding at 50.9 per game while leading the country on offensive rebounding at 18.7 per game. While controlling the glass, the Knights also ranked in the country in opponents field goal percentage at 39.1%.

Luis Reynoso (Lawrence) continues to lead the Knights as he is averaging a double-double of 19.6 points and 13.6 rebounds per game, while Darlin Santiago (Salem, MA) is shooting 50% from behind the three-point arc in the month of January. Ten games remain on the regular season schedule.

View upcoming games here.

On the diamond, the Knights are fresh off the program’s eighth World Series appearance, where they finished fifth last season and grabbed the number six spot in the preseason rankings. The first regular-season poll of the season is slated to be released on March 13th.

In 2022, the Knights broke several program records over the season, which included both Region 21 and Northeast District Championships. With an overall record of 42-4, NECC broke the program record for wins in a season and established a program-record win streak of 33 games.

With 15 members of the 2022 team set to return to the roster in 2023, the Knights will have their eyes set on another deep run. Weather permitting, the NECC Knights will open their 2023 campaign with a four game home stand on March 4-5 at Haverhill stadium before departing for a 10 game trip to central Florida which includes five games against teams ranked in the preseason poll.

Northern Essex Community College competes as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and sponsors 13 varsity intercollegiate sports. For more information, please visit the official website of Northern Essex Athletics or email Athletics Director Dan Blair.

New Noncredit Courses Now Available for Winter and Spring

January 10, 2023/in Programs/by mbouse

Haverhill and Lawrence, MA (January 10, 2023)— Registration is open now for the Winter/Spring session of noncredit programs at Northern Essex Community College. These courses are ideal for personal and professional development. Offerings range from fun cooking classes, professional certifications, skill refreshers, and even a workshop for those curious about the paranormal.

“This semester we have a really diverse set of exciting offerings that cater to a variety of personal interests,” says Ethan Dean, Northern Essex assistant program manager, Community Education.

A new course in this session, Effective Management Skills for Today’s Workplace, addresses the changing role of managers in a “nearly-post-pandemic world.” This 10-week certificate program will show current and prospective managers how to develop more profound empathy, increased self-awareness, and an energy level that brings employees together for a common purpose.

“As skills-based hiring increases, we remain committed to expanding offerings that will equip students to start new careers or advance in their careers,” says Program Manager, Community Education, Suzzette Turnbull, Ph.D.

Two additional new courses deal with both dying and what happens next. End of Life Specialist is an online, self-paced certificate program that will give students practical application of end-of-life care skills and a working knowledge of the issues surrounding death, dying, grief and loss. “It deals not only with how to prepare for death logistically but also mentally,” says Turnbull. The certification is ideal for personal or professional caregivers or healthcare staff wishing to enhance their skills and credentials.

Meanwhile, Paranormal Living: Navigating the Spiritual Plane in the Modern World is a discussion-based workshop. It delves into the theories behind what occurs once the soul leaves the physical body and discusses the different perspectives throughout history and of other cultures and how the entertainment industry presents the paranormal.

Noncredit classes meet at a variety of times. Many are entirely online, while others meet in person. These classes are open to the public; participants do not need to enroll in Northern Essex to take part. Registration is open now. View a complete list of offerings here.

For more details, please contact the Center for Corporate and Community Education by phone at 978-556-3060 or by emailing communityeducation@necc.mass.edu.

Public Health Student Lands Competitive Internship

January 9, 2023/in Students/by mbouse

Haverhill, MA (January 9, 2023)– Northern Essex Community College Public Health student Erin Archambault just turned 24, but she’s already spent years working in health care. The Haverhill native was trained as a Certified Nurse Assistant while attending Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School and started working in a nursing home at the age of 17. After high school, she studied biology at UMass Boston and UMass Lowell. While she liked both schools, something wasn’t clicking. “I wasn’t feeling campus life, and I didn’t like commuting. So, I took a break during the beginning of the pandemic,” remembers Archambault.

Erin Archambault smiles at the camera wearing grey, v neck shirt

Erin Archambault, Public Health Major

In the fall of 2021, Archambault decided she was ready to give college another try and enrolled as a General Studies: Health Specialization major at NECC. It was then, she says, that everything finally started to click. “I had been thinking about it for a while. Seeing the pandemic and the role that public health had in educating people and making sure that the correct information was out in the community. I realized I wanted to do public health.”

Archambault hit her stride quickly, and with a 3.9 GPA, her professors urged her to apply for a competitive internship with The Academic Public Health Corps (APHC). “Luckily, I had updated my resume in a course I took, so I was good to go,” says Archambault. After a lengthy application and an interview, Archambault was among the group of students from the state’s top public health schools selected to take part in the spring cohort.

The Academic Public Health Corps was created during the pandemic to support local COVID-19 efforts. The group enlisted students to help with contact tracing, health communications, health equity efforts, data analysis, and more. In 2021, the program was awarded a three-year grant to continue this work. Student interns complete 160 hours of work on assigned public health projects, learn about local public health in Massachusetts, build their resumes and real-world experience, and are paid a $2,400 stipend.

“I’m very open to where this might take me- I’m very interested in patient advocating,” says Archambault of the opportunity. “It’s very important to help patients know their rights. It comes naturally to advocate for people.” She will complete her internship this spring while working as a pharmacy technician and continuing her coursework at NECC. She’s on track to graduate in December of this year and looks forward to starting her career in public health.

About Health Care Careers at NECC

A third of the students at Northern Essex are enrolled in one of the college’s 22 associate degree and certificate programs in high-demand health care fields, ranging from nursing to respiratory care to sleep technology. Most programs are located at the El-Hefni Allied Health & Technology Center on Common St in Lawrence. The 44,000-square-foot facility features a Health Education Simulation Center, where health care students receive hands-on experience in simulated environments such as a hospital intensive care unit, a trauma room, an acute care hospital room, an apartment, an ambulance, and a doctor’s office. For more information, visit the website or contact interim Dean of Health Services Kathy Hudson to learn more.

Catching up with CJay: NECC Alumnus Featured on ABC World News Tonight and WCVB

January 9, 2023/in Alumni/by mbouse

CJay DiPrima ’16 is no stranger to beating the odds. The Windham, NH, resident was diagnosed with a rare form of NonHodgkins Lymphoma, called “gray zone” in the fall of 2012. The news was devastating for DiPrima and his family. There are approximately 500 diagnosed cases of gray zone in the United States.

DiPrima, who was a student at Franklin Pierce University at the time he was diagnosed, took the spring of 2013 off and underwent intensive chemotherapy and radiation. He later resumed his studies at Northern Essex Community College. He graduated with his Associate in Arts General Studies: Art in 2016 and transferred to Southern New Hampshire University.

Now, DiPrima is tackling a new challenge. He’s training to run the Boston Marathon with the team he credits with saving his life back in 2013. ABC World News Tonight recently featured DiPrima for its “America Strong” segment.

View CJay’s story on ABC World News Tonight here and watch WCVB’s story below:

One and Done Express Registration Day

January 6, 2023/in Events/by mbouse

Haverhill, MA (January 6, 2023) – Northern Essex Community College is making registering for spring classes easier than ever. On January 11, 2023, the Office of Enrollment Services is offering a “One and Done Express Registration Day.” Students and prospective students can visit the Behrakis Student Center on the Haverhill Campus anytime between 9 am and 7 pm. The goal is for students to enroll in spring classes just by making one stop.

“Express Registration Day offers a convenient way for new and continuing students to register for spring classes without having to wait for an appointment,” says NECC Dean of Enrollment Services, Donna Bertolino. “They can walk in at a time that works best for their schedule. Enrollment and Advising staff will be on hand to answer questions and get students registered quickly.”

Classes for the spring semester begin on January 18. View the course catalog here and current student COVID-19 vaccination requirements here. For more information, contact the Office of Enrollment Services by calling 978-556-3700 or emailing enrollmentservices@necc.mass.edu.