Northern Essex Community College

Strategic Plan 2004-2006 First Year Report

Student Success

Highlights of what was accomplished during year one:

Goal: 

Caring College-

Northern Essex Community College will continue to be, and improve upon being, a caring college.

Accomplishments:

• Improved communication with faculty and staff by implementing Microsoft Exchange, a new college e-mail system (e-mail usage increased by 30 percent) and the Banner “Recruit Model” which enhances communication with prospective students

• Created new websites for the Career Development and Learning Accommodations units and enhanced the college’s Home Website, adding many new features

• Awarded $115,076 in scholarships

• Raised $127,778 from private foundations and $3 million from public grants to fund programs that enhance the learning environment at the college

• Raised the percentage of minority full-time faculty from 2.1 percent in the fall of 2001 to 10.0 percent in the fall of 2004

• Increased the number of online courses by 130 percent from 20 in the spring of 2003 to 46 in the spring of 2004

• Continued to reach out to under-prepared students by partnering with local literacy groups to offer adult basic education, GED testing and preparation, and transition to college programs

• Outfitted all smart classrooms that have DVD/VCR players with closed captioning devices for deaf and hard of hearing students

• Facilitated transfer after Northern Essex by developing and updating 31 articulation agreements in the past two years

• Partnered with Salem State College to offer three bachelor degree completion programs at Northern Essex. Third and fourth year nursing courses will be offered on the Lawrence Campus
  and third and fourth year business management and social work courses will be offered in Haverhill, beginning fall 04

• Presented 1184 career workshops and training sessions through the Career Development Center for students, alumni, and members of the community, surpassing the goal of 634 by 215 percent

• Served 900 students in the newly opened CPAC (Career Planning and Advising Center) on the Lawrence Campus. Funded by a $2 million Title V grant, CPAC gives students access to a number of services including career and academic advising, financial aid and learning accommodations in one place

• Promoted tolerance and understanding of differences through Office of Faculty and Staff Development Programs, including Project Access (deaf and hard of hearing) and National Coalition Building Institute training

• Secured the grant for the Entrepreneurial Training Program through the Department of Workforce Development, allowing us to deliver this valuable training to displaced workers and aspiring entrepreneurs in partnership with the Career Centers in Lowell, Lynn, and Lawrence.

• Partnered with the Merrimack Valley WIB on the Youth at Risk Financial Service Program and on the Lawrence Ambiente Training Initiative, enabling both the college and the WIB to better serve the population of Greater Lawrence.

Goal: 

Accountable College-

Northern Essex Community College will be accountable.

Accomplishments:

• Completed successful external program reviews for Criminal Justice (one of only 22 programs in state that received approval for Quinn Bill), Nursing, Respiratory Care and Radiologic Technology

• Focused on retention rates in nursing and allied health programs to meet national standards and achieved excellent results ranging from 79 to 94 percent

• Conducted an independent image and marketing survey to measure the success of communications efforts and learned that the college’s image in the community is outstanding and has improved in recent years

• Implemented the Ability to Benefit assessment and referral system, allowing us to provide access for 15 recent high school graduates that did not pass the MCAS (27 students were assessed)

• Installed Raiser’s Edge software in the Institutional Advancement Office and imported 11,500 records

• Partnered with U.Mass and four other community colleges to purchase computers, saving $30,000

• Joined the National Clearinghouse which will allow the college to access data on transfer students

• Piloted web-based grade entry

• Implemented the Banner CAPP (Programs of Study) module and successfully piloted the Degree Audit module as part of a multi-year effort to offer web-based advising and registration

• Piloted C-Print services for students who require learning accommodations

• Installed the technology necessary to make the Lawrence Campus fully wireless

• Created two new programs in response to need, a multimedia option in the general studies program and a polysomnography certificate

• Completed Institutional Effectiveness Report which includes nine goals to help college address student success

• Began construction of the new Technology Center on the Haverhill Campus and completed architectural design and construction documents for the new One-Stop Center in the Behrakis Student Center

• Installed new roofs on the B and E Buildings and a gas fired boiler in the Wellness & Fitness Center, all on the Haverhill Campus

• Increased the attendance to the Life Long Learning Program by 45% from the previous year, enabling us to strengthen this community program and enrich the experience for the participants.

Goal: 

Student Learning Outcomes

NECC will ensure that graduating students can demonstrate a set of student learning outcomes.

Accomplishments:

• Formed the Program Outcomes and Assessment Group (POAG) to develop program outcomes goals and assessment methods

• Completed a “Programs Outcomes and Assessment Manual” and prepared 45 program coordinators, department heads and academic administrators to develop outcomes goals and assessment tools for each of the college’s programs

• Defined and adopted three college-wide student outcomes, including writing proficiency, critical thinking and computer fluency, that will be requirements for all associate degree graduates

• Continued to conduct the annual Graduate Follow-up Survey which is given to all graduates 12 months after their graduation date

Goal: 

Student Goal Achievement-

NECC will empower students to discover, articulate and achieve their goals.

Accomplishments:

• Conducted goal setting workshops for 2000 students through the Career Development Center

• Developed and administered a questionnaire requesting goals to 650 incoming students. This baseline data will be used to track these students

• Developed and piloted a student responsibility survey designed to measure the success of student learning communities

• Established or updated six Tech-Prep agreements with local technical high schools, allowing students to earn college credit for high school coursework

• Offered workshops titled “Exploring Diversity to Enhance Teaching” to 26 college faculty. The is to increase student success and retention

Goal: 

Student Contribution to the Larger World

NECC will foster student participation in and contribution the larger world.

Accomplishments:

• Offered a variety of programs to help students learn and appreciate the value of diversity. These programs included Hispanic Heritage Month, World AIDS Day, Black History Month, International Festival, Dominican Republic Independence Day, Chinese New Year, and more

• Developed new community partnerships, including an internship program with local government offices for History and Government students; choreography and dance lessons taught by dance students in local elementary schools; a preventive dental program for 29 elementary school students sponsored by the Dental Assisting program; and a World Asthma Day presented in Lawrence by the Respiratory Care program

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Northern Essex Community College

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