{"id":26607,"date":"2020-02-10T17:13:34","date_gmt":"2020-02-10T22:13:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/2020\/02\/10\/board-of-trustees-update-feb-2020\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T09:47:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T13:47:02","slug":"board-of-trustees-update-feb-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2020\/02\/10\/board-of-trustees-update-feb-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Board of Trustees Update: Feb, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

Education Report:<\/strong><\/h4>\n

STEM Division<\/strong><\/h4>\n

At Northern Essex, 15 percent of our students\u2014721 students in the fall of 2019\u2014 are enrolled in one of the college\u2019s \u00a0STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cTechnology is changing everything we do.\u00a0\u00a0 There is great demand for people trained in these fields,\u201d Bill Heineman, vice president of academic and student affairs, told trustees.<\/p>\n

While the demand is high, STEM classes are challenging, which is why the college is focused on providing the support STEM students need to succeed.<\/p>\n

Carolyn Knoepfler, dean of the STEM Division, shared initiatives her faculty and staff have created to help students gain the confidence, skills, and knowledge to be successful in STEM programs.<\/p>\n

Every October, the college celebrates STEM Week,<\/a> which was created by Governor Baker, with career panels, speakers, Google meet-ups, and, for the first time last October, a Math Olympics.<\/p>\n

The division also honors outstanding students by presenting Knights of the STEM table awards each fall.\u00a0\u00a0 This award recognizes hard work and overcoming adversity with a focus on students who are succeeding despite facing obstacles.<\/p>\n

The college\u2019s fairly new STEM Center<\/a>, located in Room 219 in the Hartleb Technology Center on the Haverhill Campus, has created a community gathering place for STEM students, where they can tackle homework problems together, connect with faculty and advisors, and meet for programs and guest speakers.<\/p>\n

Another focus has been on expanding boot camp opportunities for students who are planning to enroll in some of the more difficulty gateway courses such as physics, anatomy and physiology, and math.\u00a0 These free, noncredit courses give students the skills they will need to succeed in the college level courses.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to take students who often don\u2019t believe in themselves and turn them into someone who does,\u201d said Knoepfler.<\/p>\n

The STEM Division\u2019s Early College classes, which are available to local high school students, who are earning high school and college credits, have also grown to include introduction to chemistry and general chemistry along with a selection of math courses.<\/p>\n

In February, thanks to a grant from National Grid, the college will host a Robotics Competition.\u00a0\u00a0 Student teams have been busy building robots and on Feb 21 from 10 am to 2 pm, the teams will compete in the technology center.\u00a0\u00a0 The winners will be selected by a panel of judges based on which robot is best able to complete a series of tasks.<\/p>\n

Northern Essex offers 15 associate degree and certificate programs in STEM including biology<\/a>, computer science,\u00a0engineering<\/a>,\u00a0laboratory science<\/a>, and\u00a0chemistry, physics, and environmental science<\/a>.<\/p>\n

New Certificate Program Addresses<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Growing Need in Children\u2019s Behavioral Health<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Trustees unanimously approved a new 19-credit certificate in Human Services which will be available in the fall of 2020.<\/p>\n

The Children\u2019s Behavioral Health Specialist certificate will give students the skills to work with children and families who are suffering from stress related to issues such as family violence, divorce\/separation, parental incarceration, mental health issues, substance use, poverty, bullying, or physical, mental, or sexual abuse.<\/p>\n

Completing the certificate will prepare students to work as therapeutic mentors and family partners, according to Brian McKenna-Rice, coordinator of the college\u2019s Human Services Programs.<\/p>\n

Trustee Shalimar Quiles, who is principal of a Lawrence elementary school, was \u201cthrilled\u201d to hear the news.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe see how disruptive behavior resulting from trauma can be, and positions, such as paraprofessionals, are being added to address these issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Public Safety Update<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Northern Essex\u2019s approach to public safety is focused on three principles: truth, respect, and community, according to Deb Crafts, director of public safety.<\/p>\n

Crafts shared changes that have taken place since she was hired in 2018, including creating one emergency line; finding additional parking in Lawrence; implementing a digital log system that replaces handwritten reports; and faculty, staff, and student training in areas such as active shooter.<\/p>\n

Crafts\u2019 goal is to create a campus police force and her plan is to hire a captain this winter and begin recruiting police officers and communications officers in the summer.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The college has been contracting with Eagle Securities for public safety coverage.<\/p>\n

Report of the Administration<\/strong><\/h4>\n
NECHE Accreditation Update<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Northern Essex is up for its 10-year accreditation from the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) in 2020.\u00a0\u00a0 Glenn reported that the chair of our site visit team will be coming to campus in March for a preliminary visit.\u00a0\u00a0 The full team will be on campus October 4-7, 2020.<\/p>\n

The accreditation process requires the college to complete a comprehensive self-study, led by co-chairs Kim Burns, dean of academic innovations and professional development; Mike Hearn, director of libraries, and Scott Lancaster, assistant dean of health professions.<\/p>\n

The Heights of Haverhill<\/strong><\/h5>\n

The college has been hoping to begin offering noncredit culinary courses at The Heights, the new Lupoli Companies building on Merrimack Street in Haverhill and the future site of the college\u2019s Hospitality and Culinary Arts Institute, in early March, though the timeline may need to be pushed back to accommodate construction needs.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBig projects like this come with unexpected bumps in the road,\u201d said Glenn.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe will be in the building sometime this spring.\u201d<\/p>\n

Revolving Test Kitchen in Lawrence<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Northern Essex, along with the Lawrence Partnership, is the recipient of a $125,000 grant from Mass Development to renovate\/reoutfit the Revolving Test Kitchen, located in Northern Essex\u2019s 420 Common Street Building in Lawrence.<\/p>\n

The space, currently set up for one food provider, will be reconfigured like a food court to accommodate three food entrepreneurs.\u00a0 Space in the lower level of the building will also be renovated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatching the Lawrence entrepreneurial ecosystem, we\u2019re seeing a lot of food entrepreneurs,\u201d said Trustee Marianne Paley Nadel.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThis approach will allow us to better utilize the space and will connect with our new Culinary and Hospitality Center in Haverhill.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eight New Positions Affirmed<\/strong><\/h4>\n

New state-appropriated appointments to the college faculty and staff include:\u00a0\u00a0Esther Peralta, academic counselor; Sharline Del Rosario, special programs coordinator, Division of Business and Professional Studies; Kelly Fisher and Kristi Spheekas, nursing educators for associate degree in nursing and practical nursing; Kirsten Kortz, director of academic policy, curriculum and assessment; and Betania Villa, EDP entry operator IV, Student Financial Services.<\/p>\n

Non-state appropriated appointments include: Wendy Luzon, staff assistant, MassHire Career Center; and Luisanna Crespo, staff associate, PK12 and International Studies.<\/p>\n

These eight new positions were appointed since the trustees last met in December of 2019.\u00a0\u00a0Trustees had given NECC President Lane Glenn the power to approve positions over the winter intercession, and trustees gave those appointments their unanimous affirmation at the February meeting.<\/p>\n

\"President<\/a>

President Lane Glenn launched a new tradition for all new hires at the Feb trustees meeting. He is shown with Nancy Sleger.<\/p><\/div>\n

New Tradition with New Hires<\/strong><\/h4>\n

For many years, new hires have been asked to come to a trustee meeting to meet trustees the month after their appointment.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0This month, President Lane Glenn launched a new tradition, designed \u201cto welcome them into the family a bit more warmly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nancy Sleger, a newly hired instructor for the Essex County Sheriff\u2019s Department inmate education program, attended the February meeting and was the first new employee to be recognized in this way.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Glenn invited her to the front of the room where he presented her with Northern Essex swag, including a lapel pin, a case to hold business cards, and an insulated lunch bag.<\/p>\n

This will be a \u201cnew ritual\u201d that will take place at the start of each trustee meeting.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Education Report: STEM Division At Northern Essex, 15 percent of our students\u2014721 students in the fall of 2019\u2014 are enrolled in one of the college\u2019s \u00a0STEM (science, technology, engineering, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":26609,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archive"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBoard of Trustees Update: Feb, 2020 - NECC News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2020\/02\/10\/board-of-trustees-update-feb-2020\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Board of Trustees Update: Feb, 2020 - 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