{"id":28097,"date":"2018-11-19T19:58:55","date_gmt":"2018-11-20T00:58:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/2018\/11\/20\/cis-professor-nominated-for-award\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T16:27:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T20:27:04","slug":"cis-professor-nominated-for-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2018\/11\/19\/cis-professor-nominated-for-award\/","title":{"rendered":"CIS Professor Nominated for Award"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_19240\" style=\"width: 284px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/media-old\/2018\/11\/9092753809_dce33b1a1e_b.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19240\" class=\"wp-image-19240\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/media-old\/2018\/11\/9092753809_dce33b1a1e_b-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"274\" height=\"410\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-19240\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Penta, Computer Information Sciences professor, was recently nominated for Haverhill Educator of the Year.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.necc.mass.edu\">Northern Essex Community College<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.necc.mass.edu\/learn\/credit-programs\/computer-information-science\/computer-information-sciences-information-technology-option\/\">Computer Information Sciences<\/a> Professor Michael Penta of Lowell, was recently one of 16 educators nominated for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.northshoreymca.org\/locations\/haverhill-ymca\">Haverhill YMCA<\/a> Educator of the Year Award.<\/p>\n<p>Tracy Fuller, executive director of the Haverhill YMCA, said a committee reviewed every nomination on a variety of criteria, including youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility, which she said are the &#8220;key driving factors of the Y.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He was nominated for the award by Carolyn Knoepfler, PhD, assistant dean of Northern Essex\u2019s STEM Program. In her nomination she wrote, \u201cMichael has been in our Computer Information Sciences Department since 2012 and from the moment he arrived, he has brought with him a level of enthusiasm like no other.\u00a0 Michael is student centered in every aspect of his work here at the college. Every project he works on, he thinks of our students first and if it will benefit them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A stickler for curriculum design, she noted, that he makes sure his students receive the most up-to-date trends in a rapidly changing field.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis classroom is lively and engaging even at 8 am.\u00a0 His students hang on every word and the rapport he has with them is impressive.\u00a0 Computer science is challenging to learn and his courses are rigorous, but he will attempt to meet the needs of all his students so they can learn,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n<p>His scope goes beyond the classroom. He applied for and received a grant to fund a panel discussion of CIS professionals and NECC alumni. A portion of the evening\u2019s discussion revolved around \u201cbalancing\u201d work and life. An issue he believes is important for individuals in this field.<\/p>\n<p>He is also involved with NECC\u2019s summer STEM Academy. He has taught in this summer program and consistently receives positive reviews from the rising 7th through 10th graders who enroll in his courses.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt does not matter if the student is 12 or 52, they will learn computer science in his classroom.\u00a0 Michael\u2019s passion is limitless and infectious and his involvement in any project or course benefits everyone.\u00a0 \u00a0In summary, Michael Penta is the consummate educator.\u00a0 He brings his excellence to every facet of his work: from the classroom, to his department, to the college community and the people of Haverhill,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Penta earned an associate degree in computer science from Middlesex Community College and both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.<\/p>\n<p>Northern Essex offers associate degrees\/certificates in computer science transfer, information technology, networking and security, technology and business, computer networking, computer security, and wed page design and development.<\/p>\n<p>The programs prepare students for career in computer information science or for transfer into a four-year program.<\/p>\n<p>For additional information of the Northern Essex CIS programs contact Penta, at <a href=\"mailto:mpenta@necc.mass.edu\">mpenta@necc.mass.edu<\/a> or call 978-556-3892.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Northern Essex Community College Computer Information Sciences Professor Michael Penta of Lowell, was recently one of 16 educators nominated for the Haverhill YMCA Educator of the Year Award. Tracy Fuller, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":28099,"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-28097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archive"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>CIS Professor Nominated for Award - 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\/2018\/11\/19\/cis-professor-nominated-for-award\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CIS Professor Nominated for Award - NECC News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Northern Essex Community College Computer Information Sciences Professor Michael Penta of Lowell, was recently one of 16 educators nominated for the Haverhill YMCA Educator of the Year Award. 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