Northampton Community College

Grant helps small rural businesses

Northampton Community College (NCC) is proud to announce that it has been awarded a $499,900 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). This grant, part of the USDA’s initiative to invest in Pennsylvania rural communities, will enable NCC to offer technical assistance to stakeholders interested in energy efficiency improvement opportunities for rural small businesses and agricultural producers throughout the state.

The REAP Technical Assistance Grant will support NCC in providing crucial services such as energy audits and assessments to applicants seeking REAP funds. NCC will focus on projects requesting up to $20,000 in grant funds involving agricultural producers and small businesses located in distressed or disadvantaged communities.

Northampton Community College’s main campus is located at 3835 Green Pond Road. The Fowler Family Southside Center is located at 511 E. Third St. For information, call 610-861-5000 or visit www.northampton.edu.

Jefferson partnership lowers tuition

Northampton Community College (NCC) has partnered with Thomas Jefferson University to provide the NCC community with reduced tuition for a wide range of degree and certificate programs. The agreement covers tuition discounts for NCC staff, faculty, graduates, and active members of the Board of Trustees.

The Community College Educational Alliance Program increases educational options for the NCC community by offering high caliber academic programs that also are financially attainable. The program provides up to a 50 percent tuition reduction on select undergraduate programs and a 10 percent tuition reduction on select graduate degree, certificate, and doctoral programs at Jefferson.

The tuition discount program helps remove financial barriers to further education for those seeking to complete a bachelor’s degree or pursue graduate or doctoral study. Participants may choose from nearly 200 programs at Jefferson that cover fields including architecture, business, design, engineering, fashion and textiles, health, medicine, nursing, science, and social science. Eligible programs include on campus, online, and hybrid undergraduate and graduate options.

The program extends to immediate family members of staff, faculty and members of the Board of Trustees. Part-time staff and faculty also may participate.

For more information on available programs or to get started, visit Jefferson.edu/Northampton.

New healthcare center opens

On Sept. 3, a grand opening and ribbon cutting was held to introduce an educational center that will help provide extensive training for individuals to fill much-needed positions in the healthcare workforce across the Lehigh Valley.

With the support of Congresswoman Susan Wild, Northampton Community College (NCC) received a $2,729,288 federal earmark grant that fully funded the creation of the Interdisciplinary Healthcare Education and Workforce Development Center on the college’s Bethlehem campus located in Penn Hall. The funding has also enabled the college to expand healthcare education offerings with two new accredited programs in cardiac sonography and respiratory therapy.

The center is meant to foster collaboration among NCC’s nursing, respiratory therapy, and sonography programs—ensuring students graduate with the skills they need to thrive in today’s healthcare environment.

Partnership to improve student outcomes

Northampton Community College (NCC) has joined the Complete College Accelerator, a groundbreaking nationwide initiative to increase student success and close gaps in college access and completion. NCC is among over 80 institutions across 11 states to participate in the initiative led by Complete College America (CCA), with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Through the Complete College Accelerator, NCC will implement research-based strategies to improve student outcomes, particularly for students from historically underrepresented groups. The initiative focuses on scaling proven methods to ensure more students complete their degrees, further positioning NCC as a leader in educational equity and student success.

NCC will work with CCA to assess current student performance, build data capacity, and implement new strategies to improve retention and graduation rates. As part of the national network, NCC also will share its successes and collaborate with other institutions to strengthen student outcomes nationwide.