Dear Friends,
I am continually inspired by our students, and what impresses me most is how hard they work to get an education.
At Northern Essex, over 80 percent of our students have jobs to support themselves while in college and a third of our students have children at home who they are caring for as well. Juggling college, family, and financial obligations isn’t easy, and it makes the commitment our students have to their education that much more remarkable.
Chemistry Professor Mike Cross wanted to understand the challenges his students deal with so he could better help them succeed. The full-time professor and father of three young children decided to experience first-hand what our students face, and enrolled as a liberal arts student at Northern Essex.
In this issue of alumnecc, you’ll find out how Mike, who has a Ph.D. in organic chemistry, is faring as a community college student; learn how Northern Essex is growing its study abroad program; and hear about the college’s participation in #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving.
We are pleased to share these stories and more with you, and thank you for your continued support of the college and our students.
Lane A. Glenn President
Editor: Maureen O’Leary
Contributing Editors: Sarah Comiskey, Ellen Small Davis, Ernie Greenslade, Wendy Shaffer
Art Director: Marty Lapham
Writers: Sarah Comiskey, Ellen Small Davis, Ernie Greenslade, Lindsey Mayo, Maureen O’Leary
This quote by Winston Churchill represents the spirit of the #GivingTuesday movement, which Northern Essex participated in for the first time on december 1, 2015.
In its fourth year, #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, following Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. It is intended to kick off the charitable season and promote giving. Started by the 92nd Street Y in New York City, it was bolstered by social media and is now an international day of giving, with over 30,000 participating organizations. According to the #GivingTuesday website, there has been an estimated 470% increase in online donations on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving since the program’s inception in 2012.
Northern Essex’s Institutional Advancement Office decided to participate in #GivingTuesday for the first time in December of 2015, viewing it as an opportunity to encourage giving and to promote donor support and the impact it has on the students. “We really wanted to raise awareness of how vital donor support is to our students,” said Lindsey Mayo, director of alumni and community relations.
The initial effort was a success, and over the course of 24 hours the college brought in more than 140 gifts and pledges. Many donors took to social media to share their support, while others visited one of the #GivingTuesday tables situated around campus or answered phone calls from NECC’s great team of phonathon students. Funds collected from the inaugural giving campaign will benefit student scholarships and academic programs.
Jessica Dick, a 2011 graduate of the college who currently teaches at UMass Boston and Wheelock College, was one of the alumni donors who saw #GivingTuesday as an opportunity to give back to the college. “It was the very least I could do as a thank you. NECC helped guide me along my path toward professionalism, and to me, Giving Tuesday represents helping others as they begin their’s.”
Employee Richard Haskell, director of fiscal services, agrees that helping NECC students succeed is important. “I think it was a great idea to bring everyone together to give around a common theme on a common day. I was happy to donate to help our students.”
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
It was the first day of First-Year Seminar class Cross’s secret was uncovered by Justin, another student in the class. Justin was giving Cross a funny look before class began. Finally, he asked “Don’t I know you from somewhere?”
Cross, a chemistry professor at Northern Essex and chair of the Natural Sciences Department, was slow to respond. He knew he had met with Justin earlier in his role as faculty advisor, but today he was trying to blend in as just another NECC student.
After he was recognized, Cross quietly confessed, sharing his story, a remarkable example of how far a faculty member will go to truly understand the student experience. Cross, who has a Ph.D. in organic chemistry, has taught at Northern Essex for the past six years. He decided to pursue a liberal arts degree at Northern Essex last spring after attending the annual Awards Convocation.
“I was clapping for my students and I started thinking about how much our students overcome,” he said. “I wondered what it was really like to have kids and a full-time job while getting an associate degree. I wanted to understand where our students are coming from so I know better how to help them.”
Cross figured the best way to do that would be to become a student himself. With three children—ages 6, 9, and 11—and a full-time teaching job, he enrolled at Northern Essex.
He took his first course—Literature: The Novel—online last summer, two courses in the fall, and he is scheduled to take five courses in the spring semester. If all goes well, he’ll walk across the commencement stage in May and receive his associate degree from Northern Essex President Lane Glenn.
Cross readily admits that his experiment has been “humbling.” He’s up until midnight every night doing homework and in his office at the college by 7:30 a.m. “As a professor you worry that students overestimate how much work they do, but I’ve found that’s not the case. Our students have a lot going on and they just quietly soldier on and make it through. How hard they really do work has been surprising.”
After earning his degree, Cross will share his ideas on how the student experience can be improved at Northern Essex, especially for adult learners. “Overall I’m finding that we have a lot to brag about here at NECC and now I can say that from a student perspective as well as from a faculty
At NECC, learning takes place in many different settings. Sometimes it’s in the traditional brick-andmortar classroom, where whiteboards, desks, and books provide the tools for learning. Other times, and increasingly, it’s in the heart of the Andes, by the doors of ancient cathedrals, or high above the bustle of London streets – and it’s all thanks to the study abroad program.
Over the course of the past few years, NECC has enhanced its study abroad program to increase the short-term trips, which now run twice a year. All trips are approximately 10 days and count as program electives.
Recent trips have included Ecuador, England, Turkey, and Belize, with each country offering students a unique perspective on a specified topic. In Ecuador, for instance, students learned about the diverse makeup of South American subtropical ecosystems, exploring the hot springs at Termas Papallacta, the Napo River, and the slopes of Cotopaxi (one of the world’s tallest active volcanoes) in the process.
Such trips were made possible largely through the support of the NECC Foundation, Inc., which provides financial support to the college.
“The college support has allowed us to create new programs and continue to offer them at the lowest possible price, regardless of location or rising costs internationally,” says Marcy Yeager, executive director, Quarrybrook Outdoor Learning Center and NECC’s international programing. The affordable cost, coupled with the increase in shorter-term study abroad courses, has enabled a greater number of students to participate in the program college-wide.
The importance of international programs has become a growing topic of interest on the national stage. At a December 2014 Study Abroad and Global Citizenship Summit at the White House, research was cited that stated that students who take part in such programs are more likely to graduate on time, learn a second language, and develop multicultural awareness. Such research has helped boost the prospects for NECC’s own program.
“The national excitement for international programs has helped drive our growth, specifically through the increased aid offered,” adds Yeager.
But this news, she adds, is nothing new to NECC’s dedicated study abroad faculty. “They have known all along that these experiences are transformative. When the students return home they have a new drive!”
Lizzie Casanave is always smiling. So it’s no surprise that her philosophy courses include a workshop titled “The Science of Happiness.” She encourages her students to look at happiness through the lens of positive psychology. Lizzie’s teaching style includes exploring the importance of self-knowledge and an understanding that true happiness is attained through changing how one thinks. She asks her students to envision the kind of world in which they want to live and imagine their role in creating that world. Now that’s something to smile about.
Arlington Profession: Adjunct Professor and Study Abroad Short-Course Coordinator
Yoga, running, walking her dog, reading, and painting
Last book read: Ethics:AHistoryofMoralThought, by Peter Kreeft
“A person experiences life as something separated from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. Our task must be to free ourselves from this self-imposed prison, and through compassion, to find the reality of Oneness.”
— Albert EinsteinWhy I do what I do: I am driven, in part, by a desire to live a meaningful life. I love to teach because I find such a sense of purpose in inspiring students to use critical and creative thinking to improve their thought processes, the quality of their lives, and subsequently, the pressing issues of the world … I know that to live authentically requires being a positive force for change. I believe through teaching individuals to think and to foster sustainable motivation, we can (as Gandhi puts it) “be the change we wish to see in the world.”
Earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing, public health, or health sciences is a lot more convenient for area residents now that Northern Essex Community College is offering bachelor degree completion programs through Regis College on the Lawrence Campus.
Aspiring poets are invited to participate in Northern Essex Community College’s Eighth Annual Peace Poetry Contest and Reading.
Children and adults from the NECC area (K-12 classrooms, both public and private, and those adults affiliated with these schools) are welcome to create and submit original poems on the subject of peace.
Regis College, a leading university, now offers bachelor completion programs in these subjects for NECC graduates who want to transfer their credits as well as others who want to continue their education. The program, which is called Regis North, is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
Regis plans to expand degree offerings to include a variety of health professions degrees as student demand increases. In addition to earning 100 percent of their credits toward a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Regis, they will receive a minor in public health. Regis North reflects the college’s strong commitment to education in health care, not just for the individual, but for the entire community as well.
“Northern Essex has hundreds of students enrolled in health care programs,” said NECC President Lane Glenn. “Now, these students can continue their education close to home.”
The contest is coordinated by NECC English Professor Dr. Paul Saint-Amand, a Vietnam era veteran who is committed to peace. “As an educator, I want to fuel children’s imaginations toward peace,” he says. “A lot more has been written about war than about peace.”
The deadline for submission is Tuesday, March 15. Some 80 poems and accompanying artwork will be selected for publication in a small book of poetry to be published later in the spring. In addition, selected entrants will be invited to take part in a poetry reading from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, May 6, in the Hartleb Technology Center on Northern Essex’s Haverhill Campus.
For more information, and submission guidelines, visit www.necc.mass.edu/peace-poetry.
For nearly twenty years, the Women of NECC have devoted considerable time and energy to making a difference at Northern Essex Community College. The group, established in 1997, has raised over $260,000 in scholarship funds since its inception, helping hundreds of students further their educational paths and achieve their goals.
The organization consists entirely of volunteers who assist the college through various annual fundraisers. They have long acted as ambassadors in the community, spreading the word about the college’s efforts and encouraging a culture of giving.
Northern Essex will host a special event on Saturday, June 11, at 6:30 p.m. on the Haverhill Campus to honor the Women of NECC.
For additional information on the organization, please contact Jean Poth, vice president of institutional advancement; executive director, NECC Foundation, Inc. at jpoth@necc.mass.edu.
Gifts of cash enable funds to be made available for immediate use by NECC and are fully tax deductible. To make your gift, simply complete and return the enclosed envelope with your check made payable to NECC foundation, Inc. or give online at www.necc.mass.edu/giving.
Gifts of appreciated securities offer significant tax advantages to the donor. Please call Institutional Advancement for further information and instructions for their transfer.
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.
You may make a charitable contribution to NECC and also receive income for life while obtaining significant tax advantages.
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.
You may make gifts of real estate and gifts of future interests in real estate and obtain tax savings.
NECC’s Institutional Advancement o ffice can provide you with additional information about the many ways of giving to NECC. Call or email Jean Poth, vice president of institutional advancement; executive director, NECC foundation, Inc. at 978-556-3624 or jpoth@necc.mass.edu.
Jeff Linehan, president and owner of Diversified Business Systems of Haverhill, has been appointed chairperson of the Northern Essex Community College Board of Trustees by Governor Charlie Baker.
A resident of Boxford and 1977 alumnus of NECC’s business program, Linehan has been a member of the Board of Trustees for five years, and was the vice chair prior to this appointment. He is a current member of the NECC Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors. Linehan has also served for various organizations throughout the Merrimack Valley, including the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce, the Exchange Club, and the Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board.
Linda J. Hotchkiss ’80
Retired CEO, Rochester District VNA
“NECC has helped mold me into the person I am today and I give because I want others to have the same positive experience. Growing up in a low-income family has made me understand that there are many people who need assistance. Giving back to NECC means that other students will be able to benefit from the wonderful faculty and staff like I did.
Elfie Grusing, NECC Class of 2015
Current student at Fitchburg State College
Mr. James J. Accursio ‘64
Ms. Billie Ferrick ‘75
Ms. Lee P. Privitera ‘77
Mr. Louis R. Ambrosino, Sr. ‘79
Ms. Marion G. Clay ‘85
Ms. Sylvie T. Rivera ‘90
Ms. Edith Ross ‘92
Ms. Laura J. Krikau ‘92
Ms. Muriel D. Knight ‘93
Ms. Noelle J. Learned-Jemiolo ‘10
Mr. Michael Cipoletta ‘13
L O u S CHWECHHEIMER ‘78 was re cently featured in The New York Times for his ongoing work in reintroducing minor league baseball to Cuba.
M ARY B ETH T RAYNOR ‘85 once again served as co-chair of the annual Out of Darkness Suicide Prevention Walk in Lowell, sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).
S AMARIA H ASHEM ‘86 has been hired as principal for the William A. Welch Elementary School in Peabody. Hashem, who holds a Ph.D. in education, will be taking over for retiring principal Monique Nappi.
K E v IN G ELINEAu ‘00 has been promoted to the position of acting sergeant for the Seabrook Police Department. Gelineau previously worked as a law enforcement officer for both Seabrook and the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office.
K ATRINA H OBBS Ev ERETT ‘05, co-founder and CEO of Power of Self Education (POSE) Inc., has been named to the Haverhill Council on Youth Needs Board. Hobbs Everett was a first-time candidate for City Council in last November’s election.
K IARA P ICHARDO ‘15 recently received a special honorary citation from the Lawrence City Council for her outstanding academic achievements and leadership abilities. The award was presented last summer by Councilor Marc Laplante.
Join Alumni and Friends for a Celtics Game and Shootaround at the TD Garden
On Wednesday, March 9, the Alumni Office will sponsor a special trip to see the Boston Celtics take on the Memphis Grizzlies at the TD Garden. Gather your friends and gear up for a fun evening cheering on the home team! All Northern Essex alumni and friends will have the chance to take part in a post-game shootaround on the famed parquet floor. You won’t want to miss this opportunity!
The game starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available for $60 each and will cover the cost of a loge section seat and post-game shootaround. Seats are limited – reserve yours today so you don’t miss out!
Please visit www.necc.mass.edu/alumni-celtics to complete your reservation form. All tickets must be purchased in advance.
Campus Classic
Saturday, may 7, 10 a.m.
Haverhill Campus
NECC Networking Night
Thursday, may 19, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Hartleb Technology Center, Haverhill Campus
54th Annual Commencement
ay 21, 11 a.m. Quadrangle, Haverhill Campus
NECC Golf Tournament
monday, June 27, 1:30 p.m. Renaissance Golf Club, Haverhill
for more information on any of the above events, please contact lindsay mayo, director of alumni and community relations, at 978-556-3621 or lmayo@necc.mass.edu.
