2024 - Page 12 of 12

Chris Sicuranza Joins NECC President’s Office

January 23, 2024/in Press Releases, Faculty and Staff/by mbouse

A familiar face in local government is now a key part of the President’s Office at Northern Essex Community College. Chris Sicuranza joined NECC in December as the new Chief of Staff. Former Chief of Staff Cheryl Goodwin is now the college’s Director of Operations. Goodwin plans to retire in January of 2025 after 15 years with the college and will spend the next year working closely with Sicuranza.

Chris Sicuranza is the new Chief of Staff for the NECC President’s Office

“I’m honored to join the NECC team while helping support a fantastic leader in President Lane Glenn,” said Sicuranza. “Across my professional and personal career, I have developed terrific connections, relationships and memories across the Merrimack Valley, allowing me to hit the ground running to support the innovative and exciting work happening across our campuses.”

Most recently, Sicuranza worked as the Chief of Staff for the Acting Salem Mayor Bob McCarthy, and prior to that, as Chief of Staff for Haverhill Mayor Jim Fiorentini and Chief Administrative Officer to former Gloucester Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken. He also worked within the Massachusetts Comptroller Office working on a business transformation program (BEST). Prior to his work within public administration, he helped co-found Go Out Loud, an organization that focuses on LGBT support through targeted events celebrating modern equality.

“Northern Essex is thrilled to welcome Chris to our team,” said President Lane Glenn. “Thanks to his strong government affairs and public administration background, Chris has already been a wonderful and friendly asset to the President’s team.”

Here at NECC, Sicuranza will play a pivotal role in providing leadership and operational oversight to the Office of the President, contributing to the achievement of NECC’s mission and goals. Additionally, Sicuranza will help with internal and external relations, communications strategies, and community outreach and oversee activities related to the President’s Office.

Sicuranza holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations/Communications from Salem State University and a Master Equivalent Certificate in Public Administration from Suffolk University. Chris lives in Gloucester with his husband and is currently renovating a historic home.

“Hurricane Diane” Named Finalist for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival

January 23, 2024/in Students, Events, Faculty and Staff/by mbouse

student with short cropped hair sits on a zebra print chair grinning at the audience

Mirrorajah Metcalfe as Diane

Haverhill, MA (January 23, 2024) – The spring semester started with a bang for Northern Essex Community College theater students and professor Brianne Beatrice. They went right back into the theater to start re-rehearsing last spring’s production, Hurricane Diane. Beatrice learned just before the holiday break that representatives from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) selected the production as a finalist for the Region 1 Festival, taking place from January 30 to February 3.

“We have to remount the entire production to perform at festival,” says Beatrice. “All the students, everyone got right back into it. By next Monday, we’ll be good to go. We get there on a Tuesday, load in Wednesday, and perform Thursday.”

“Festival,” as it’s called, brings together hundreds of college theater students, professors, and professionals from New England and New York to showcase their work and share their expertise. Hurricane Diane was one of just six finalists chosen out of 60 productions, including shows from many prestigious, four-year schools.

“It’s crazy our work is being honored like this. They’re looking for good art, and our art is being recognized,” Beatrice remarks. This is the second show Beatrice has produced at NECC to be chosen for festival. The first was Stupid F*cking Bird in 2019.

The title role in Hurricane Diane is played by Liberal Arts: Writing major Mirrorajah Metcalfe of Haverhill. AmericanTheater.org describes the character as “a permaculture gardener dripping with butch charm.” In reality, Diane is the Greek god Dionysus. She’s returned to the modern world to gather mortal followers and restore the Earth to its natural state. Where better to begin than with four housewives in a suburban New Jersey cul-de-sac? The comedy serves as a commentary on the blind eye we all turn to climate change and “the bacchanalian catharsis that awaits us, even in our own backyards.”

student in striped shirt goes over script with student in a beanie cap

Mirrorajah Metcalfe and Gwynnethe Glickman during rehearsal

Four more Northern Essex students round out the cast: Olivia Barberian, Gwynnethe Glickman, Jessica Newey, and Ana Barrera. Metcalfe and Barberian were also selected to compete for Irene Ryan Acting Scholarships. Each will perform two monologues and a scene. Newey, meanwhile, is nominated for The LMDA/KCACTF Student Dramaturgy Award.

Winners in each award category, including the production, will move on to the national festival later this spring in Washington, D.C. Regardless of the outcome, it won’t be the final curtain call for Diane. NECC Theater is restaging the production on the Haverhill Campus from February 23 to 25. Ticket sales for the revival will start soon.

Northern Essex offers a variety of theater and acting courses. Additionally, they stage several full productions and readings throughout the year. Anyone interested in learning more about NECC Theater or the audition process should email Professor Beatrice at bbeatrice@necc.mass.edu.

The KCACTF is a national theater program involving 18,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide, which has served as a catalyst for improving the quality of college theater in the United States. More than 600 academic institutions participate in state, regional, and national Kennedy Center American College Theater Festivals. The National Festival will be held in April in Washington, D.C.

NECC Faculty Nationally Recognized with NISOD Awards

January 22, 2024/in Faculty and Staff, Headlines/by mbouse

Two members of the Northern Essex Community College faculty were recently named recipients of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Awards for Excellence. This national honor recognizes outstanding faculty and staff at the country’s community colleges.

Dean of STEM Carolyn Knoepfler, Liberal Arts Dean Amy Callahan, President Lane Glenn, Professor Kristi Arford, Professor Doug Leaffer, Provost Paul Beaudin

Kristi Arford, Professor of Anthropology, is the longtime chair of the Behavioral Sciences Department. She designed and taught a study abroad course, Archaeological Site Explorations, which included traveling with students to Turkey. In 2019, Professor Arford published an anthropology textbook, Coming Full Circle: Rediscovering Ancient Wisdom for the Modern World through Cultural Anthropology. The textbook covers gender, spirituality, and belief systems through a theme of sustainability, and 100 percent of the proceeds are donated to NECC’s Study Abroad Program. In the words of one faculty peer: “Kristi shows passion and knowledge in her field and teaching and is committed to student success and learning.”

Engineering Professor Doug Leaffer came to the college seven years ago from Framingham State University. Since his arrival, he has been involved in running a summer STEM academy, a robotics project with CIS, many grant opportunities, is active in Engineering Week, and most importantly, has been creating a relationship between Northern Essex Community College Department of Engineering and the University of Massachusetts Lowell Department of Engineering. STEM Dean Carolyn Knoepfler wrote in his nomination, “This relationship is vital for our aspiring engineers to learn about what UML has to offer in terms of their programs as well as meeting and getting to know their faculty and students. UML benefits by learning about our program, our students and Northern Essex as a whole. Doug has led this initiative and is instrumental in its success.”

Since 1978, NISOD has been dedicated to the professional development of faculty, administrators, and staff, and to the continued improvement of teaching and learning, with the ultimate goal of student success. NISOD’s Excellence Awards recognize college employees each year who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment and contribution to students and colleagues. Excellence Award recipients are recognized during NISOD’s annual international conference, which will be held in Austin, Texas, May 25-28.

Convocation Marks the Start of the Spring 2024 Semester

January 19, 2024/in Headlines, Students, Featured/by mbouse

Haverhill, MA (January 18, 2024) – Despite the freezing temperatures outside, inside the Tech Center at Northern Essex Community College, spring was on everyone’s mind. The Convocation ceremony marked the official start of the spring 2024 semester.

Spring Convocation marks the start of the new semester.

This Convocation’s theme centered around Northern Essex’s designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). NECC became the first federally designated HSI in New England in 2001.

While enrollment determines that federal classification, being an HSI is much more than the numbers. Various members of NECC faculty and staff shared how they’re facilitating access to higher education and ensuring the success of all students.

Tuition Equity
The year 2023 was historic for higher education- in particular community colleges- in Massachusetts, thanks to a variety of initiatives from the Healey-Driscoll administration. “They see our students, they see you and they see how valuable community colleges are to the Commonwealth,” said NECC President Lane Glenn.

The Tuition Equity Law was one of those historic initiatives. It allows many undocumented students to access in-state tuition and financial aid to attend public colleges and universities in Massachusetts. Director of International Student Support and Special Populations Maria Hernandez shared at Convocation how she serves not only as a resource to undocumented students at NECC, but also to local high schools.

“I am a resource for families, and I will go where they’re most comfortable. I’m there to navigate them through a process that can be scary and confusing,” she said.

MassReconnect
Interim Director of Student Recruitment Loreen Tirrell is NECC’s go-to resource for local students interested in the MassReconnect Program. This program rolled out in the summer of 2023. It provides free community college for adults over the age of 25 who have not already obtained a degree. Tirrell shared statistics showing the program is already having a big impact on the communities NECC serves, including the local Hispanic community, which accounts for 57% of students receiving MassReconnect awards at Northern Essex.

“I visit with rooms full of families, and I meet many adults who never thought college was for them,” Tirrell remarked.

The college has distributed nearly $800,000 in MassReconnect awards.

Community Outreach
While serving students is at the heart of being an HSI, connecting the work done at NECC with the surrounding communities is essential for success. Vice President of the Lawrence Campus and Community Relations Noemi Custodia-Lora works with local businesses, community organizations, and international communities to understand how the college can help them, and vice versa, especially in Lawrence. With a Hispanic population of 80%, many of whom come from the Dominican Republic, she said that raising cultural competency is critical.

One piece of that work is a bi-annual cultural immersion trip to the Dominican Republic. Custodia-Lora said those who attend come back with a new understanding of the students the college serves.

“When you return, there can be a change in how you perceive our students,” said Custodia-Lora. “And the students also feel a different type of connection because they feel you can relate to them.”

The next trip is planned for mid-March. Past visits have garnered the attention of the Dominican press, and Custodia-Lora said, as a result, Dominican students from across New England and New York seek out Northern Essex in their college searches.

English Language Learners
Changes are in the works to the Academic English as a Second Language (ESL) program at NECC, with the goal of giving those students credit for their time spent in those classes and expediting their journeys to courses in their desired major or certificate programs.

“Language is learned best in context,” said Amy Cameron, chair of Academic ESL, who presented alongside Professor Paula Richards. “The language development will happen more quickly in courses.”

Associate Professor of Spanish Arnaldo Robles-Reyes provided a deep dive into how language is learned and processed to show that providing students access to academic content sooner is correlated with higher success rates. The new ESL curriculum will be in place for the fall 2024 semester.

About HSI Designation
The U.S. Department of Education defines an institution of higher education as eligible for HSI designation if its enrollment of undergraduate, full-time equivalent students is at least 25% Hispanic at the end of the award year immediately preceding the date of application.

In 2023, the NECC student population reached 46% Hispanic – most of whom are from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

Since 2001, Hispanic student enrollment at NECC has nearly doubled; the success “gap” between Hispanic students and majority students has closed considerably. The proportion of Hispanic graduates at the college tripled from 10% of the graduating class in 2001 to more than 34% in 2020.

To learn more about HSI and services at NECC by visiting the webpage.

State Financial Aid Form Advances Tuition Equity in MA

January 9, 2024/in Headlines/by mbouse

Boston, MA (January 9, 2024) — Today, the Healey-Driscoll Administration took a significant step forward in expanding access to higher education for all Massachusetts residents by launching the new Massachusetts Application for State Financial Aid (MASFA). The Department of Higher Education released the form on its website today, which will allow currently enrolled undocumented college students in Massachusetts to apply for state need-based financial aid for the first time. Students can access the application at mass.edu/MASFA.

The MASFA is an alternative form that provides students who cannot complete the Free Application for State Financial Aid (FAFSA) due to their immigration status a way to apply for state need-based financial aid. The application launch follows the August 2023 passage of Massachusetts’ Tuition Equity Law, which allows students who have completed at least three years of high school in Massachusetts and received a high school diploma or its equivalent in the Commonwealth to access in-state tuition and be eligible for financial aid, regardless of immigration status.

Celebration for the Tuition Equity Law on the NECC Lawrence Campus

Governor Healey and state and local leaders celebrated the passage of the law with an event on the Northern Essex Community College Lawrence Campus. NECC President Lane Glenn was a key advocate for the law’s passage, an effort that was 20 years in the making. The event featured a moving speech from NECC General Studies: Health Professions major Joan S. She came to the United States when she was ten years old and didn’t find out she was undocumented until she was 16. “It took me years [to take prerequisite classes] because I had to take one or two classes at a time. Because of my status, these classes cost three times the amount an in-state student pays for tuition,” Joan shared.

Eligible students like Joan began receiving the in-state tuition rate in Fall 2023. The MASFA released today is for additional need-based financial aid opportunities. It is based on the FAFSA for the 2023-2024 academic year and should be completed by students who are beginning college in Spring 2024 or were enrolled in the Fall 2023 semester and may qualify for financial aid. To receive financial aid for the 2023-2024 school year, students are encouraged to apply by May 1, and no later than June 30, 2024.

Students who apply for need-based state financial aid under the new “High School Completer” pathway created by the Tuition Equity Law must meet the existing eligibility criteria for each financial aid program for which they are seeking access.

“Quality higher education should be accessible to all Massachusetts high school graduates,” said Governor Healey. “Students who have long been part of our communities in Massachusetts should be eligible for the historic financial aid programs we have launched this year, and they should have every opportunity to grow their careers and be part of building our state’s workforce. We’re grateful to the Legislature for their partnership in passing this historic policy, and we’re proud to be launching this application so that students can start accessing financial aid.”

“This has been a banner year for educational access in Massachusetts, following the passage of MassReconnect, MASSGrant Plus Expansion, and Tuition Equity,” said Lieutenant Governor Driscoll. “The MASFA will open doors to need-based financial aid for students looking to attend any public or private Massachusetts college or university.”

Who is Eligible
Filling out the MASFA does not commit any student to enrolling in a college or university, but it is the essential first step to applying for the financial assistance for which they may qualify to make college a reality.

To be eligible, Massachusetts residents must meet the following criteria:

Was admitted to a public or private institution of higher education within the Massachusetts system of public higher education.
Have attended at least three academic years at a high school in Massachusetts. Have graduated from high school in
Massachusetts or have received the equivalent of a high school diploma (for example, a GED) in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Have applied for military selective service, if eligible.
If the individual is not a citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States, that person must provide a completed the DHE Affidavit stating that the individual will file an application to become a citizen or legal permanent resident within 120 days after the individual becomes eligible to do so.
An updated MASFA for the 2024-2025 academic year will be available in late winter/early spring and will be based on the 2024-2025 FAFSA, which is due to be released by the federal government on December 31, 2023.

The MASFA ensures that all students who qualify can access the significant investments made into higher education by the Healey-Driscoll administration this year, including MassReconnect, which made community college free for Commonwealth residents ages 25 and older regardless of income, and MASSGrant Plus Expansion, which covers the cost of tuition and fees for low-income students and reduces out-of-pocket costs for middle-income students.

Watch Live: NECC Knights Look to Remain Unbeaten

January 8, 2024/in Events, Programs, Students/by mbouse

The Northern Essex Community College men’s basketball team is preparing to pick up where they left off before the break. The Knights have a perfect 13-0 record and are ranked number two in the country in the first NJCAA Basketball weekly poll of the new year.

coach kneels in front of seated players, talking to them about plays

Darren Stratton picked up 300th win as Head Coach

Also, in the first part of the season, HoopDirt.com named head coach Darren Stratton the Week 4 JUCO National Coach of the Week, which makes him eligible for consideration at the end of the season for JUCO National Coach of the Year honors. He also picked up his 300th win as head coach– spanning 21 seasons.

On the court, Lawrence’s Luis Reynoso leads the team, averaging a double-double per game with 17.8 points and 13.7 rebounds per game, which currently ranks fourth in the NJCAA. Freshman center Karl Wolfgang (Douala, Cameroon) was named the NJCAA Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week ending November 26th.

Karl Wolfgang was named the NJCAA Men’s Basketball Player of the Week

The Knights are hoping to build on their success last season, in which they placed 5th in the NJCAA National Tournament.

Though the spring semester starts on January 22, the Knights will resume play this Friday, January 12, at Westchester Community College in Valhalla, NY.

The Knights will play their first home game of the year on Tuesday, January 16, versus the University of Connecticut at Avery Point. All home games are live-streamed on the NECC YouTube Channel.

Learn more about athletics at NECC by visiting the webpage or by contacting the Director of Athletics, Dan Blair.

The Legacy of Dr. John Santos: One Million Students Impacted

January 8, 2024/in Alumni, Faculty and Staff, Featured, Stories/by mbouse

Dr. John Santos’ passion for experiential learning, sparked at NECC, led to the creation of a unique wilderness education program.

This article originally appeared in the fall 2023 edition of alumnecc, NECC’s bi-annual magazine for alumni and friends.

Each year, thousands of grade school children throughout New England pack their bags, board big yellow buses, and head off to the wilderness. They’re trading their school classrooms for Nature’s Classroom. When they return, parents say they seem to walk a little taller, with a newfound sense of independence.

Dr. John Santos ’68

Nature’s Classroom is a beloved experiential learning program founded by Northern Essex Community College alumnus, the late Dr. John Santos ’68. His idea was simple: give students an opportunity to learn outside of a traditional classroom setting. By utilizing summer camps in the off-season, he and a team of wilderness educators could host schools for up to five days of learning through nature. Along the way, students would build a sense of community, develop trust in each other, and bring a spirit of cooperation back to their home life.

It’s the kind of program Dr. Santos wished he had growing up. As a self-described late bloomer, he struggled through classes in Billerica Public Schools.

“He joked that he joined the military senior year because he was about to fail out,” remembers son John “Jay” Santos. “He didn’t do well in high school; it wasn’t the way he learned and thrived.”

Dr. Santos earned his GED while serving in the military during the Vietnam War. Once back home, he decided to give education another try. He enrolled in Northern Essex Community College and discovered there was much more to learning than what happened inside the classroom.

“He started to enjoy more self-directed learning, getting to pick and choose what he studied. It was as much about the classroom-based lessons as it was the conversations in the hallways and the connections with professors,” says Jay Santos.

He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from Amherst College, a master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a Ph.D. in Education from Boston College. Dr. Santos taught elementary school for two years before deciding to pursue his passion for experiential learning. He opened the first Nature’s Classroom location in Potters Place, New Hampshire in 1973. A few years later, he moved his young family to Charlton, Massachusetts, which serves as the base of operations for Nature’s Classroom to this day. The program grew to operate in more than a dozen locations throughout New England and New York and has now served more than a million students.

Santos, far left, with outdoor educators in the early years of Nature’s Classroom

“I always remember, at the beginning of each school year, they’d bring all the educators from all the sites to Charlton. Before the official site opened there, it was my house. So, there would be 60 to 70 counselors in the backyard.”

Jay Santos says his father always credited those educators for bringing his idea to life through nature and creating a one-of-a-kind community along the way. Dr. John Santos passed away this summer, not long after celebrating the 50th anniversary of Nature’s Classroom.

“At the funeral, one thing that stood out was the community of educators and how much that community meant to them. People started their careers there; they met their partners. At one point, we counted, and we got up to 15 to 20 Nature’s Classroom babies.”

Continuing the Legacy
Jay Santos and his brother Kenneth “Kip” Santos currently serve on the board of directors of Nature’s Classroom. They look forward to continuing to build on their father’s legacy. That includes helping students at Northern Essex. Their father donated his time and supported many initiatives at the college through the years. In 2010, he established The Dr. John G. Santos Environmental Education Scholarship Fund. Each year, the scholarship is awarded to students enrolled in one of NECC’s Natural Science Associate Degree programs.

“He’s always wanted to support the causes that meant a lot to him,” says Jay of his father’s philanthropy. “Northern Essex gave him that opportunity to do something with his life that I don’t think he ever envisioned growing up. I’m glad he was able to leave the legacy to Northern Essex students.”

Santos reunited with dozens of Nature’s Classroom “alumni” in May 2023 to celebrate its 50th anniversary

You can read the full issue of alumnecc, and back editions, by visiting the website.

Fall 2023 Dean’s List

January 5, 2024/in Students/by mbouse

Congratulations to the Northern Essex Community College students on the Fall 2023 Dean’s List!

students seen walking toward the student center building

Students on the Haverhill Campus for start of fall semester

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 2023 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.

At the Cutting Edge: One Alum’s Journey from Construction to AI

January 4, 2024/in Students, Alumni, Spotlight, Stories/by scomiskey

Joseph Robinson ’10

Growing up, Salisbury resident Joseph Robinson ’10 envisioned a future of building homes and digging for clams. Both were occupations that he had been engaged with from an early age, and both seemed like viable career options that could be pursued without much additional training after high school.

“I had no intention of pursuing academia,” he says.

This is an ironic statement coming from Robinson, who now holds a PhD and works dually as a machine learning expert at Northeastern University and Lead AI Engineer at BitHuman, an interactive AI agent platform. The change of plans, he says, ultimately came about due to a physical injury, which in an instant wiped away the possibility of a physically intensive career.

It was a turning point moment that Robinson considers “the best-worst day” of his life, and one that ultimately led him to Northern Essex Community College, and to an entirely new world of possibilities.

He started at NECC in 2007 with a range of math and engineering courses.

“NECC highly inspired me on fundamental mathematics, such as trig and calculus,” he says. “Professors such as Habib [Maagoul] and Paul Chanley had an unparalleled influence on my career path.”

After taking several classes, Robinson developed a keen interest in mechanical engineering, which eventually led him to several opportunities working with smart technologies. It was here, in the smart technology realm, that he found his footing.

“It was the visual data that grabbed my attention,” he says.

Upon receiving a certificate in Computer Aided Drafting from NECC, Robinson transferred to Northeastern University, where he switched his focus from mechanical to computer engineering and completed several co-ops in the visual domain, in addition to a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in microscopy. Eventually, Robinson’s studies led him to the computer vision and machine learning field and, by the time he started graduate school, he received funding from the Department of Homeland Security for a PhD.

Since then, Robinson has published over 35 peer-reviewed papers. He now splits his time between Northeastern, where he supports the university’s machine learning capabilities, and BitHuman, where he serves as a Lead AI Engineer to deliver interactive AI models for a wide range of industries.

Asked about what he loves most about his work, he says it’s the ability to be at the forefront of a constantly evolving field.

“I enjoy working on cutting-edge tech and deriving knowledge on a topic before it’s even covered in textbooks… I like wearing multiple hats and having endless things to learn.”