Student Support Helping to Achieve Goals

Willy Gomez

LIBERAL ARTS ASSOCIATE DEGREE

LYNN ENGLISH HIGH SCHOOL,

CLASS OF 2017 Through the MALES program, I have been blessed with amazing opportunities “ and friendships that have turned into a brotherhood. The MALES program provides support, gives you advice on how to stay on track with your academic work, helps you to strive to reach your goals and teaches you how to stay determined even when you feel that there is no energy left. As a result of my involvement, I have been inspired to do better in school, at work, and just in my everyday life. I will forever be grateful for the brotherhood, for the love and for the support of the MALES Program.”

Maleek Byrd

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

ASSOCIATE DEGREE

LYNN TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL,

CLASS OF 2018 “ My professor challenged us to think about what our “WHY” was – why we were in college and who we were doing it for. I realized that just because we’re marginalized minority students, doesn’t mean that we can’t be just as successful as our non-minority peers. I won’t be another statistic for the population of men of color who don’t successfully complete college; I want to be one of the many who persist and work in a career that I am passionate about!”

HERE TO HELP

I remember making a leap of faith to go to nursing school. I had to significantly decrease my work hours to make the commitment to NSCC’s nursing program. Two weeks into my first semester, I received a shut-off notice from the electric company. I was overwhelmed and afraid I had made a mistake.” Sybil Darcy Sybil discovered NSCC’s Here to Help program on STUDENT the college’s website and applied for assistance. NSCC’s M.A.L.E.S. program develops and transforms educated and engaged individuals through mentorship, brotherhood, service learning, social capital and professional growth. “Very quickly, my request was approved. I didn’t need to prove anything; they just simply helped me so I could continue going to college. As a single parent, I am forever grateful for the

MEN ACHIEVING LEADERSHIP, EXCELLENCE AND SUCCESS

Here to Help program! Thank you so much!” Many determined students find themselves just one hardship away from having to stop their college education. Financial emergencies, housing instability, food insecurity, transportation needs, and dependent care are just some of the obstacles that students may encounter. In response, NSCC launched Here to Help in 2018, an innovative program designed to prevent hardships from becoming barriers to higher education. Offering flexible financial assistance, meal vouchers, a mobile food market, and transportation assistance, Here to Help addresses essential student needs to boost college retention and completion. NSCC students in good academic standing are eligible to apply confidentially for assistance.

Support for Single Mothers – a groundbreaking partnership between The Women’s Fund of Essex County and NSCC, provides flexible financial assistance through Here to Help to single mothers like Sybil, who are pursuing higher education to build a better future for their families. In its first three years, 77 students received assistance from this program, with a median grant award of $725. The result: a 12% higher retention rate for recipients compared to the general student body! In 2020, The Women’s Fund of Essex County renewed this partnership with a $75,000 grant over the next three years.

SPOTLIGHT

HERE TO HELP

Stats for 2019-2020:

Average financial assistance:

$530

Meal Voucher:

$8 per voucher; 2,759 vouchers distributed

Mobile Food Market:

61,683 lbs. of food distributed

PATTON VETERANS PROJECT

I am someone who has tried every kind of therapy, and this workshop worked the best for me by far. The collaboration between the student veterans and the filmmakers is key. I’m very grateful for this initiative.”

Derek Brennan

STUDENT VETERAN

Derek Brennan and other NSCC student veterans turned short filmmakers by working with the Patton Veterans Project. Founded by Benjamin Patton to help veterans coping with post-traumatic stress reduce social isolation and strengthen family, community, and professional bonds, the Project utilizes intensive filmmaking workshops to help veterans collaborate with peers and process their service experiences. The short films created and produced by veterans are shown at screening events that validate veterans’ experiences, advance community dialogue, and educate the public about the mental health challenges facing veterans and military families. NSCC, in partnership with the NSCC Foundation, hosted two film screenings at its Danvers campus for the college and greater North Shore communities.

The NSCC Foundation sponsored a screening of student veteran produced films, part of the Patton Veteran’s Project, led by Ben Patton, far right, with the enthusiastic support of his mother Joanne Patton, far left. Also shown are student filmmakers, Kristine Babcock, NSCC Veterans Service Coordinator and Pat Gentile, NSCC President Emerita.

SCHOLARSHIPS – THE CORNERSTONE OF SUCCESS

“Thank you for trusting me with this opportunity. I won’t let any of us down!” – 2020 NSCCScholarship Recipient

Thanks to the generosity of NSCC Foundation scholarship donors, more than $4M has been awarded to NSCC students since 1985. Scholarships are essential to ensuring higher education access and affordability, helping to cover tuition and fees, books, technology and more. In celebration of both new and longstanding scholarship donors, the NSCC Foundation has instituted a new, commemorative pin for lead donors to named annual and endowed scholarships. In addition, the Traicoff Award was established in 2019 in honor of George Traicoff, Ed.D., NSCC President Emeritus, who partnered with the founding members of the NSCC Foundation to establish the scholarship program during his tenure. The award will be given annually beginning in 2021 to an exemplary NSCC scholarship program supporter whose commitment inspires student achievement and the philanthropic engagement of others.

COVID-19 PANDEMIC PROMPTS MAJOR SHIFT TO VIRTUAL LEARNING & WORK

With the health and safety of students and employees of primary concern, NSCC moved at lightning speed to ensure that its students could effectively achieve their academic and completion goals when the corona virus hit. The process to shift classroom-based academic courses to remote platforms took every working moment of the college’s faculty and staff. NSCC made a considerable investment to ensure: faculty had the training needed to develop online, hybrid and videoconference courses and labs; students had the technology needed to succeed such as Chromebooks, Hot Spots, and virtual resource access; and emergency student funding if needed.

In the fall of 2020, the vast majority of NSCC students began the semester in a predominantly virtual environment. Only five percent of classes were offered in person on campus, most of which required face-to-face labs and simulations. Staff able to perform their duties from home did so.

This pandemic will change public higher education and our world in ways we can’t even imagine. All of us at NSCC remain steadfast in our commitment to the health and safety of our students and staff and to student success. We will continue to adjust and adapt to the changes brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Dr. Nate Bryant

INTERIM PRESIDENT