| Northampton Community College | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Where are YOU going? |
| Established | 1967 |
| Type | Community College |
| Endowment | $19,838,000 |
| President | Dr. Arthur L. Scott |
| Admin. staff | 1,300 |
| Students | 36,000 |
| Location | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Newspaper | NCC Commuter |
| Colors |
School: White and Blue Sports: Orange and Black |
| Athletics |
Member NJCAA Intercollegiate, Club and Intramural Sports |
| Mascot | Sam Spartan |
| Website | www.northampton.edu |
Northampton Community College is a community college in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania, USA, just outside the city of Bethlehem. The college, founded in 1967, also has a second campus in Pocono Township in neighboring Monroe County. Additionally, there are satellite locations in the south side of Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley Industrial Park, Bartonsville, Mount Pocono, and Hawley[1].
Northampton grants associate degrees, certificates and diplomas in over 100 fields including arts and humanities, business and technology, education and allied health. It is one of the largest employers in the Lehigh Valley and a major educator of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, emergency medical technicians, emergency medical responders, fire fighters, HAZMAT technicians, Incident Commanders, OSHA certifications, radiologic technologists, dental hygienists, veterinary technologists, funeral service directors, chefs and early childhood educators for the region[2].
The college is also one of the largest providers of workforce training, adult literacy programs, and non-credit classes in a four-county region[3] and the only community college in Pennsylvania to offer on-campus housing.
Although the college now serves more than 36,000 students a year in credit and non-credit programs, it has maintained a low student/faculty ratio (24/1). An online learning program makes it possible for students to earn degrees at Northampton from anywhere in the world. International students also study on campus, and the college offers students and faculty the opportunity to study abroad.
One in four graduates of public high schools in Northampton County and one in six graduates of public high schools in Monroe County choose to begin their higher education at NCC[4], or "NACC" (pronounced 'Nack'), as some students call it in reference to the college's original name, Northampton Area Community College. The student body is diverse in terms of age, ethnicity, income and academic interest.
Approximately 35% of students continue their education immediately after graduation. The rest enter the workforce. The college's placement rate consistently tops 90%[5].
Tuition and fees for residents of Northampton County are $109 per credit hour in 2010-11[6]. The college awards more than $22 million in financial aid each year and disburses more private scholarship aid than any other community college in Pennsylvania[7][8].
Northampton Community College's participation in the national Achieving the Dream initiative reflects the College's commitment not only to improve access to higher education for first-generation college students, but also to improve college completion rates[9]. In the summer of 2010, NCC was named one of seven Achieving the Dream "leader colleges" nationwide [10][11][12].
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The seeds for what became Northampton Community College were planted in the 1960s by business leaders and educators from Northampton County who saw the need for a college that could provide a well-trained workforce for local employers and give area residents an opportunity to get an affordable college education without leaving the area. Early advocates for the community college included Dr. Glenn Christensen, provost and vice-president of Lehigh University; Charles Fuller, president of Fuller Paper Company and a member of the Easton Area School Board; and State Senator Jeanette Reibman[13].
The college took root on 165 acres (0.67 km2) of farmland in Bethlehem Township in eight modular classrooms that affectionately came to be known as "the barracks." Credit classes began on October 2, 1967. Four hundred and fifty students were expected. Eight hundred and forty six showed up[14]. By the following year enrollment had grown to 1,442. In 1969-70 the College earned accreditation from the Middle States Association[15] and broke ground for five permanent buildings, which were completed in 1972. These included the College Center, a Science and Technology Center (Penn Hall), a classroom building (Founders Hall), a Business and Engineering Center (Richardson Hall) and an Arts Center (Kopecek Hall) which housed the College Theatre. In 1977, the Funeral Service and Radiologic Technologies Building opened on South Campus, which is now Commonwealth Hall. An extensive renovation project occurred between 1986-1988, expanding the amount of classrooms and renaming all of the buildings on the South Campus. In 1992, The Child Development Center opened and was named in honor of Senator Jeanette Reibman. Also in 1992 Communications Hall was built, merging the departments of Radio/TV, Art, Photography and Communications/Theatre.
In its 40+ year history, Northampton has had only three presidents. Dr. Richard C. Richardson was only 33 years old when he was tapped to become the College's first president. He guided the College's growth for the first ten years. He was succeeded by Dr. Robert Kopecek in 1977. The College's academic programs, enrollment and facilities grew dramatically during Dr. Kopecek's 26-year tenure[16]. When Dr. Kopecek retired in 2003, the trustees chose Dr. Arthur Scott, an administrator who had been on the staff for over 25 years, as the College's next leader[17]. Although different in leadership styles, all three of Northampton's presidents have shared an entrepreneurial spirit and a fervent commitment to open access to education[18].
Named for the family of a well-known local philanthropist, Marlene ("Linny") Fowler, the building that now houses Northampton's educational center on the south side of Bethlehem was once the plant offices for The Bethlehem Steel Corporation, one of the nation's largest steel producers. The College purchased the building and began renovating it in 2005, four years after the company went bankrupt. Since then more than 17,000 people have taken classes and attended meetings, seminars, conferences, performances, exhibits, public hearings and other events in the facility.
In addition to traditional and high tech classrooms, science and computer labs, art and dance studios, media resource centers, athletic facilities, meeting space and offices, Northampton Community College is also home to applied research facilities like the Emerging Technologies Application Center (ETAC), the National Center for Microelectronics, the Coating & Ink Research Institute, a "Fab Lab," an Apple Authorized Training Center, a demo kitchen, a television studio, nationally accredited child care centers, a children's reading room, and a restaurant that showcases the talents of the College's culinary arts students called "Hampton Winds."
In 1988 at the request of local citizens, Northampton Community College began offering classes in neighboring Monroe County. The first classes were taught in space provided by the Monroe County Vocational-Technical School. In 1992 the College moved to its current location on Mill Road in Tannersville, “recycling” a 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) building that had previously been a garment factory[19]. It was also in 1992 that the site gained “branch campus” status from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Rapid growth in enrollment necessitated the addition of two modular buildings in 1996 and additional expansions in 2000 and 2003, as well as utilization of supplemental space at Fountain Court, Pocono Corporate Center East, the Monroe County Vocational-Technical School, Pocono Mountain West High School, and Pocono Medical Center to meet the demand for education and workforce training[20].
With enrollment nearing 2000 students and no room for significant additions on Mill Road, in February 2006 the College purchased 72 acres (290,000 m2) of land suitable for the creation of a new full-service campus close to Routes 80, 715 and 611 in the geographic center of Monroe County[21][22].
Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2011. In addition to classrooms, the facilities will include state-of-the-art science and computer labs, a full-service library, a child care center, public meeting rooms, a food court, and athletic fields[23]. All buildings will be designed to meet LEED silver standards as models of green construction[24]
NCC has a strong commitment to civic engagement and encourages, faculty, staff, and students to become involved in the community. Funding for student clubs and organizations at NCC is based in part on their community service record. A growing number of faculty members incorporate service learning in their classes, encouraging students to participate in service projects that meet community needs in areas related to course content[25]. Sociology students assisting residents of New Orleans in rebuilding their homes after Hurricane Katrina, and biology students planting and harvesting crops at the Cherry Valley Community Supported Agriculture Project in Monroe County are two examples of service learning projects NCC students have undertaken[26][27]. The College is consistently listed on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll[28].
NCC's community service initiatives have also been recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for The Advancement of Teaching and by the Jenzabar Foundation and by State Farm[29][30][31].
Northampton Community College athletics is affiliated with the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA)[32], Region XIX[33], and the Eastern Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference (EPCC)[34].
Intercollegiate sports include men’s soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball, golf and tennis. Club sports and intramurals are also popular.[35].
In 2008 Northampton Community College was chosen by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to receive the largest grant awarded in a highly selective national grant competition. The College’s NEH grant was also given “We the People” designation, placing it among an elite group of projects associated with an NEH initiative aimed at strengthening the teaching, study and understanding of American history and culture[36][37].
The $800,000 award is a challenge grant. It requires the College to raise an additional $1.6 million from other donors[38]. The funds will create an endowment that will enable public school students, college students, and the community at large to explore a different humanities-related theme each year. Exploration of the themes will include credit and non-credit course offerings, as well as public programming such as a film festival, a “one-community-one-book” series, panels, podcasts, webcasts, and visits by nationally known speakers[39][40].
Since 2005 Northampton Community College has also received grants from the U.S. Department of State, the National Science Foundation, and from the U.S. departments of education, labor and energy, as well as from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania[41][42].
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