alumnecc Spring 2014 Volume 6

Message from the President

dear friends of nECC,

With new facilities and expanded programs, we certainly have a lot to celebrate this year, and in this issue of alumnecc, we are focusing on our growing lawrence Campus.

in January, we opened the new dr. ibrahim El-Hefni Allied Health & Technology Center on Common Street, a truly spectacular building and learning space. As one of our students recently tweeted, “Anyone considering a health career seriously look into @northernessex our new building is amazing and the technology surreal.”

But that’s not all. We have also opened the newly renovated 420 Common Street building which offers, among many things, community space on the first floor with a bank, a restaurant, and our new bookstore — the Hub. it also features high-tech computer labs, and, as a result, we’ve expanded our computer science programs in the city.

lawrence is a city filled with young, hardworking people who are eager to prepare for jobs in high-growth fields such as health care and technology. our goal is to deliver the programs that will help them — and all merrimack Valley residents — achieve their goals.

While this issue focuses on lawrence, we have a lot of exciting activity going on in Haverhill as well. This past year, we welcomed umass lowell to our Haverhill Campus; we celebrated the completion of a $6.2 million energy upgrade which will reduce our energy costs by one third; and we began a full renovation of all of our science labs with the help of a $1.3 million grant from the life Sciences Center.

none of this good news would be possible without the help of our private and public donors and our partnerships with state and local government and business and community leaders. Thank you for your continued support of the college!

lane A. glenn president

Editor: maureen o’leary

Contributing Editors: Sarah Comiskey, Ellen Small davis, Ernie greenslade, Wendy Shaffer

Graphic Designer: Susan Stehfest

Writers: Ellen Small davis, Ernie greenslade, lindsey mayo, maureen o’leary

“This is exciting for the college and the city of lawrence and its residents. With its sleek, contemporary design, this building will help revitalize downtown lawrence, and prepare more lawrence and merrimack Valley residents for high-demand jobs in health care fields.” - president lane glenn

Dr. Ibrahim El-Hefni Allied Health & Technology Center Revitalizes Lawrence Campus

When you walk into the new dr. ibrahim El-Hefni Allied Health & Technology Center, chances are your reaction will be the same as what most students, faculty, and staff have expressed: wow!

“The building is wonderful. The tall ceilings, the airiness … there is a feeling of excitement as you walk in. it has reenergized the students and the faculty. Everyone is very enthusiastic,” exclaims mary farrell, dean, division of Health professions. president lane glenn agrees. “This is exciting for the college and the city of lawrence and its residents. With its sleek, contemporary design, this building will help revitalize downtown lawrence, and prepare more lawrence and merrimack Valley residents for high-demand jobs in health care fields.”

The 44,000 square-foot facility features a Health Education Simulation Center, where health care students will 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. The building also includes a Career planning and Advising Center, state-of-the-art classrooms and computer labs, offices, and a multi-purpose room for large meetings.

“The building was well-planned and is very conducive to learning. The high-performance simulation rooms are very much like the actual environments students will find themselves working in,” says farrell.

- continued on following page

Dr. Ibrahim El-Hefni: Providing Opportunity Through Education

An Egyptian immigrant and longtime North Andover resident, Dr. Ibrahim El-Hefni was a self-made man who believed that access to higher education provided the opportunity for personal and economic advancement.

Dr. El-Hefni came to this country in 1959, and after working at Bell Labs and Lincoln Labs, he started his own engineering company in the early 1970s in the basement of his North Andover home. For the next 30 years, he grew his business and employed hundreds of people.

When his business became successful, he turned his sights on the plight of the working poor in Lawrence, providing scholarship money for students. In the decades that followed, thousands of needy youth, both in Lawrence and around the world, were given the opportunity to succeed through education.

Since his death in 2005, his family has continued to support Dr. El-Hefni’s commitment to the Lawrence community through his foundation, the El-Hefni Technical Training Foundation.

Students will also be able to interact with “patients” in a real way. The high-performance mannequins can be programmed to replicate different health scenarios, or can be operated from a control room. “Students can see the high-performance mannequin breathing, they can detect a pulse, and, through the voice from the control room, they will be able to hear the ‘patient’ describe symptoms,” adds farrell.

The El-Hefni Center is a gem not only for northern Essex, but also for the community. “i hope we will form more partnerships with area health care providers, delivering training for their employees and offering additional clinical placements for our students,” says farrell.

Architects miller dyer Spears — who also designed the Hartleb Technology Center on the college’s Haverhill Campus — designed the building. it is a silver lEEd (leadership in Energy and Environmental design) project. lEEd is an internationally recognized green building program.

The building is named in memory of dr. ibrahim El-Hefni, an engineer and philanthropist who supported many educational endeavors throughout the merrimack Valley. His family oversees the El-Hefni Technical Training foundation which provided a $1 million donation that enabled the college to purchase equipment for the new building (see related story, page 5).

TrinityEMS: Committed to the College and the Community

Thanks to TrinityEMS, NECC students can prepare for careers in emergency medicine by training in a fully-equipped ambulance with state-of-the-art emergency medical equipment. The donated ambulance is embedded in the Dr. Ibrahim El-Hefni Allied Health & Technology Center.

Additionally, TrinityEMS has pledged $100,000 to purchase equipment for the Paramedic Technology Program as well as other health professions programs at Northern Essex. John Chemaly, president of TrinityEMS, was instrumental in the development of the NECC Paramedic Technology Program. The program launched its first class in the fall of 2006 to address the shortage of paramedics in the community and to provide a local, affordable, and high-quality training program.

“I’m committed to doing anything I can to help this college continue its good work,” says Chemaly. “Our partnership with the college has benefited our company and the delivery of emergency medical care in the region.”

Above, the fully-equipped ambulance donated by TrinityEMS inside the Dr. Ibrahim El-Hefni Allied Health & Technology Center

Above, left, second floor of the atrium; right, a computer lab; below, left, nurses’ station; right, an acute care room

420 Common Street Offers an Uncommon Experience

Where can you go to take a computer course in a state-of-the art computer lab, shop at a bookstore, grab lunch, and do your banking? 420 Common Street, one of the new additions to the lawrence Campus.

The newly-renovated 420 Common Street currently features the nECC bookstore, The Hub, on the first floor with a café and an Eastern Bank branch soon to follow. “We envision the first floor as space that will be used by the community, not just our faculty, staff, and students,” says nECC president lane glenn.

The second and third floors of the building feature modern classrooms and computer labs, a conference room, offices, and space for a four-year college partner. The high-tech computer labs will allow for expansion of computer courses and programs on the lawrence Campus, including higher-level computer courses like data management, information Security, and introduction to operating Systems.

“Before this semester, we’ve only been able to offer a limited number of introductory computer courses in lawrence,” says Shar Wolff, assistant dean of arts, business, communication, and technology.

With the addition of 420 Common Street and the new dr. ibrahim El-Hefni Allied Health & Technology Center next door at 414 Common Street, nECC’s lawrence Campus is growing into a fully-developed urban campus.

Grant Funds Alleyways Connecting College with Downtown

The alleyways linking northern Essex’s lawrence Campus locations with the downtown Essex Street district will be undergoing a facelift, thanks to a recent massWorks grant that was awarded to the city.

governor deval patrick visited the merrimack Valley last november to announce that the city would receive $900,000 to spruce up these alleyways which are currently poorly lit, cluttered with litter and graffiti, and in disrepair.

“We want to create a beautiful walking campus which connects our lawrence locations and the downtown business area,” said lane glenn, president of northern Essex. “These walkways will be used by our students, faculty, staff, and members of the community.”

The project will fund wall screening, lighting, landscaping, benches, and resurfacing in three locations: the connector that runs from the dr. ibrahim El-Hefni Allied Health & Technology Center on Common Street to Essex Street; an alley between Amesbury and Hampshire streets connecting parking and the El-Hefni Center; and an alley running from Hampshire Street to college parking.

it is anticipated that work on the alleyways will begin early this summer and will be completed by the spring of 2015.

in addition to these improvements, the city, northern Essex, and massdevelopment will work with the Boston planning firm, utile, to look at ways to best integrate northern Essex’s expanding campus with the downtown area. This work is funded through a planning grant from mass development.

Top left, the alleyway that connects Essex Street to the Dr. Ibrahim El-Hefni Allied Health & Technology Center (shown in background) on Common Street; top right, architectural rendering of the completed alleyway. Bottom left, alleyway between Amesbury Street and Hampshire Street; bottom right, architectural rendering of the completed alleyway behind the El-Hefni Center (shown at left).

NECC PROFILE

Josh Abreu

Home: Lawrence Age: 27

Profession: Retention specialist in the Student Success Center (SSC)

Hobbies: Triathlons, traveling, music purist

Last book read: This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz

Latest accomplishment: Presenting at the Achieving the Dream “Dream” Conference and presenting the work I’ve done at the SSC as chair of NECC’s Culture and Equity Committee.

Quote: “The fight is won far away from witnesses, long before I dance under those lights.” Muhammad Ali

Profile: Born and raised in Lawrence to a single mother from the Dominican Republic, I earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UMASS Lowell. I took advantage of many opportunities including becoming a part-time New Hampshire police officer and attending a semester-long internship at the Department of Justice where I met students and professionals from different backgrounds. By establishing a solid academic foundation, I am now able to address social justice through higher education.

I research retention strategies, work with students, and help with the development of new programs that target the barriers that hinder progress. We work to identify “at-risk” students, particularly Latinos, and connect them to college and community resources to help them complete their studies.

Why I do what I do: Growing up in a poor neighborhood you learn that education is a necessity if you wish to climb the socioeconomic ladder and provide your family with the resources needed to live a fruitful and sustainable life. Lawrence is the poorest city in the state. I saw friends and relatives with the skills to complete school, but not the guidance. As first-generation college students, it is difficult to navigate higher education. I take pride in creating a Student Success Center that addresses those gaps.

New Certificate Trains Electronic Record Keepers

Area doctors’ offices and hospitals are moving from paper to electronic records and northern Essex is prepared to meet this shift head on.

Beginning this fall, iHealth@nECC will offer an Electronic Health records Specialist Certificate created in direct response to the needs voiced by local hospital representatives. up to 20 students will be enrolled in the first class. This program is designed to prepare students for entry-level positions in the field.

Students in the program will learn medical record content and format; standard techniques for filing, maintenance, and storage of health information; and compliance with privacy and security guidelines.

All sectors of the medical industry — including doctors’ offices, hospitals, outpatient centers, nursing care facilities, and home health care services — will benefit from the expertise of an individual with a background in electronic health records.

Put me in, Coach! Women’s Softball Returns to NECC

Softball is returning to nECC after a nearly 20-year hiatus. Strong interest from nECC women athletes in the past few years prompted the revival of the sport.

robert gillespie was recently hired as nECC’s new softball coach. Coach gillespie brings 25 years of coaching — 20 in softball — to northern Essex. He is in the process of building a team with plans for the team to start competing next spring. “Softball is a great game. i t is important to me that the athletes have fun, but i also want them to play the game correctly. They are at nECC for academics, but playing on the team will enhance their time here,” he says.

Home games will be played at the newly renovated softball field behind the Haverhill Campus Sport & fitness Center. The addition of women’s softball will augment nECC’s athletic program, which also includes baseball, basketball, track and field, and volleyball.

Campus Energy Systems are Upgraded

NECC recently completed improvements to the energy systems on the Haverhill and Lawrence Campuses, which will result in energy cost savings of approximately $400,000 a year plus a 28 percent reduction in greenhouse emissions.

Improvements included installing energy efficient interior and exterior lighting, converting the Haverhill Campus from electric to gas heat, upgrading the energy management system, and implementing new digital controls for monitoring and setting energy systems.

“Being environmentally aware is a priority for Northern Essex, which is why we’re so pleased with the results of this project,” says Lane Glenn, president of Northern Essex.

The $6.2 million project was funded with support from the state, the college, National Grid, and a state bond that NECC will repay.

Front row,

Lane Glenn, president, NECC; Bruce Edwards, manager of commercial sales, National Grid, Massachusetts North; Peter Dulchinos, NECC board of trustees; Mark Sylvia, commissioner, Department of Energy Resources; Bill Moynihan, chair, NECC board of trustees, and Carole Cornelison, commissioner, Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance. They’re standing in front of one of the new energy efficient boilers that was installed as part of the project.

left to right:

Coach Robert Gillespie

SAVE DATE THE

Saturday, September 20, 2014

relive the days of the r at pack with “The r at pack is Back,” a touring tribute-version of las Vegas’ famous entertainers: frank Sinatra, Sammy davis Jr., dean martin, and Joey Bishop. Enjoy this legendary lounge act along with their live big band at our 10th Annual Signature fundraising Event.

The event is presented by the nECC foundation, i nc., the Women of nECC, and the nECC Alumni Association. proceeds benefit nECC’s Endowment fund. for more information, visit www.necc.mass.edu/signature-event or contact nECC’s Events line at 978-556-3870.

Ways to Give

> Gifts of Cash

gifts of cash enable funds to be made available for immediate use by nECC and are fully tax deductible. please make your check payable to the nECC Foundation, Inc. and forward it to the Institutional Advancement Office. masterCard and visa are accepted by phone, mail, or online.

> Securities

gifts of appreciated securities offer significant tax advantages to the donor. please call Institutional Advancement for further information and instructions for their transfer.

> Matching Gifts

many companies match contributions made by a current or retired employee or spouse. Contact your Human Resources Department if your employer has such a program and, if so, obtain the proper forms and forward them to Institutional Advancement.

> Life Income Gifts

you may make a charitable contribution to nECC and also receive income for life while obtaining significant tax advantages.

> Bequests

Any asset may be transferred to nECC by bequest. The gift may be made under your will, through a trust, or by designating nECC as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy or retirement plan.

> Gifts of Real Estate

you may make gifts of real estate and gifts of future interests in real estate and obtain tax savings.

nECC’s Institutional Advancement Office can provide you with additional information about the many ways of giving to nECC. Call or email Jean poth, vice president of institutional advancement, at 978-556-3624 or jpoth@necc.mass.edu.

Astronaut, Pulitzer-Prize

Winner, and Inaugural Poet Inspire NECC Students and Community

for over 150 years the White fund has been providing a free lecture series for the people of greater lawrence. for the past 10 years, nECC has been partnering with the White fund on the series. And for the last few years, the focus of the presentations has been on speakers who can engage nECC’s latino student population, complement the academic curriculum, and appeal to members of the community.

Thanks in part to an nECC Annual fund program grant, the series at the college has been able to present such speakers as dr. franklin Chang-diaz, the first latino nASA astronaut, pulitzer prize-winning author Junot diaz, and poet richard Blanco, who wrote and read the poem One Today at president obama’s second inauguration.

In addition to funding much-needed scholarships, the NECC Annual Fund provides faculty and staff with program grants to enrich the educational experience for students by creating new academic initiatives and experiential learning opportunities.

These Young Adults are Tops!

Ten students in the Transition Opportunities Program (TOPS) recently completed a semester-long endeavor that allowed them to experience college life.

TOPS, a joint venture between Andover Public Schools, North Andover Public Schools, and Northern Essex, is designed to serve young adults with disabilities to help them reach their full potential through the development of daily living skills, social skills, and occupational skills.

Students learned customer service and computer skills, attended a freshman or campus life seminar, and visited the Sport & Fitness Center where they participated in recreation activities and exercise. This is the fourth semester that TOPS students have been attending NECC.

Front row, left to right: Sam Girard and Jen Cha of North Andover, Katie Garofoli of Andover. Middle row: Maria Savord of Andover, Andrew Rollins and Kevin Mange of North Andover. Last Row: Amber Oja, Peter Tsoukalas, and Rebecca Raza of North Andover and Ben Jansson of Newburyport

Below, from left to right: Richard Blanco, Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz, and Junot Diaz

Alumni News

S USAN B ONENFANT is now the vice president of compliance at Salem Cooperative Bank. She was previously employed as the vice president of compliance at Pentucket Bank.

JAMES FITzPATRICK was named the interim chief of police in Lawrence in September 2013. He replaced John Romero, who retired. Fitzpatrick is a 20-year veteran of the Lawrence Police Department.

zOILA G OME z was appointed to Mayor Daniel Rivera’s transition team in Lawrence. Gomez owns her own law office in Lawrence, which specializes in immigration law.

R ON G UILMETTE and his nephew, Jay, recently signed a book agreement with Acclaim Press. The book, entitled The Islands of Winnipesaukee, will be released early this spring.

B ETH K ITSOS has been named interim principal of Haverhill High School. She will replace longtime principal Bernard Nangle, who retired in December. Kitsos formerly served as principal of Whittier Middle School and later as the associate principal of Haverhill High School.

T ERRY PALARDY has just published her eighth book and first fiction book, The Quilter’s Quarters. The novel is the first in the Quilt Shop Mysteries series and features a retired couple’s journey through life, linked tangentially to a collection of hand-made quilts. The book is available for order on Amazon.com.

In Memoriam

Ms. Eleanor T. Daigle, ‘75

Mr. Dennis M. Whitmore, ‘77

Mr. Howard J. Daigle, ‘78

Ms. Mary Alice Norrine Brown, ‘79

Ms. Diana M. McMahon, ‘80

Ms. Susan M. Dennett, ‘81

Ms. Maureen F. Annese-Picard, ‘81

Mr. Michael L. Rowinski, ‘81

Ms. Elizabeth A. Lawlor, ‘82

Mr. Mark K. Speer, ‘85

Mr. Robert A. Dore, ‘86

Ms. Bonnie Lee Brennan, ‘87

Ms. Roberta M. Davis, ‘88

Mrs. Kathleen E. Proietti, ‘88

Ms. Marie A. Hurd, ‘89

Ms. Diane Paglia, ‘92

Ms. Lourdes Montero, ‘95

Ms. Sharon K. Boutin, ‘97

Ms. Dolores A. Welch, ‘97

Mr. Charles A. Krick, Jr., ‘99

Ms. Katherine R. Murphy, ‘11

Get Engaged!

become part of the conversation on what is happening at nECC. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, join us on LinkedIn, check us out on youTube, and subscribe to our alumni e-newsletter. And if you are engaged to be married, or you just landed a new job, share your good news with us by contacting Lindsey mayo, director of alumni and donor relations, at lmayo@necc.mass.edu or 978-556-3621.

Why I Give

facebook.com/northernessexalumni

facebook.com/northernessex

twitter.com/northernessex

youtube.com/user/northernessexcc

linkedin.com/groups?gid=2057768

“northern Essex helped me define the path for my career and i

Mary Corsetto ’95, Health Information Technology

am grateful i had the opportunity to attend. i support northern Essex as a way to give back for what i received and hope my contribution will assist current students as they work towards their future careers.“

bRI ng O n THE Sp RI ng!

Hit the ground running and enter the Second Annual Campus Classic 5k and Fun Run on Saturday, may 3. The 5k , which begins on the Haverhill Campus and winds through the adjoining neighborhood, begins at 10 a.m. The Fun Run for children begins at 9 a.m. and takes place on the college track. walkers are welcome, too! Last year, over 180 people participated in this fun event — don’t miss out!

NECC A LUMNI A SS o CIATI o N Go LF To URNAMENT J UNE 23

Join us for the nECC Alumni Association golf Tournament on monday, June 23 at the Renaissance golf Club in Haverhill. This private course was recently named “Course of the year” for all of new England by the new England Chapter of the national golf Course Owners of America (nEgCOA). The day includes: 18 holes of golf (with a cart), lunch, an awards dinner, and a gift bag. you also have the opportunity to win a free car donated by Regan Ford for a Hole-in-One!

proceeds for both events benefit the nECC Annual Fund. For more information, visit www.necc.mass.edu/alumni or contact Lindsey relations, at 978-556-3621 or lmayo@necc.mass.edu.