NSCC Has $1.7 Million in Federal Money for Students Impacted by COVID-19
North Shore Community College students who have experienced financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic and disruption of NSCC operations and face-to-face learning may be eligible for a federal CARES Act grant, which provides emergency funding for college students. NSCC has received $1,723,366 from the federal Department of Education for student Emergency Financial Aid Grants.
To date, NSCC has received 663 applications and approved 564 or 79% and awarded $247,286. “We want to make sure that students know about this important resource available to them. We have a lot of federal funding to distribute and our students need it now when they are experiencing the very real impacts of COVID-19,” said NSCC President Patricia A. Gentile. The college estimates that approximately 2,957 NSCC students are eligible for a grant.
Students who submit a CARES application must be registered for the spring and/or summer courses. Amounts granted are determined based on enrolled credits. Applicants must provide an explanation of expenses related to the disruption of NSCC operations and face-to-face classroom instruction due to COVID-19.
Examples of qualifying expenses include: if a laptop was needed because the college moved to remote learning courses; if monthly utility bills increased because the college moved to remote learning courses; if internet service needed to be added or enhanced in order to participate in remote learning courses; if students rely on SHOC food vouchers or the college’s monthly mobile market.
Students must complete the CARES Act Covid-19 Emergency Grant application to obtain funding from the program. Applications and more information are available at: https://www.northshore.edu/cares-act/index.html
If a student has filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) then the student has demonstrated eligibility to participate.
Gentile noted requests are reviewed within seven to ten business days from their completed submission. Awarding of funds will be made on a case-by-case, “first come, first served” basis, to NSCC students enrolled in a degree or certificate program for the Spring 2020 and/or Summer 2020 semester who meet the criteria.
Students can re-apply for funding each semester (if they continue to face the same or similar hardships) for the duration of the program. Funds received through this program are emergency grant funds and do not have to be repaid. In addition, this funding does not reduce or change student financial aid awards.
The following NSCC students are not eligible for CARES Act Emergency Funding: International students, Early College students, Gateway to College students, any other dual enrollment students, any student taking courses towards a high school degree, and those students who are not enrolled in a degree or eligible certificate program.
Since all services are remote for the time being, please contact the Student Financial Services team at [email protected] or call 978-762-4189.
Five NSCC grads awarded UMass Amherst Transfer Scholarships
Five North Shore Community College 2020 graduates have each been awarded $6,000/year in UMass Transfer scholarships, the highest dollar amount in transfer scholarships given to incoming students.
Four of the students will receive the Flagship Award, which recognizes first-generation or low-income college students graduating from a Massachusetts community college with strong academic records who have contributed in a positive way within their community or family. One of the students will receive the Honors-to-Honors scholarship, intended for first-generation or low-income students completing a Commonwealth Honors Program and enrolling in the UMass Amherst Commonwealth Honors College.
All five students are considered first-generation or low-income.
The students are: Taurick Bautista and Zachary Richards, Liberal Arts, both from Nahant; Tien Thi Le, Business Administration Transfer, Lynn; Claudia Mazariegos, Liberal Arts, Swampscott; and Christine Waswa, Engineering Science Transfer, Newburyport.
“We are tremendously proud of and thrilled for our very bright, talented, students,” said Dr. Patricia A. Gentile, NSCC president. “It’s wonderful that transfer programs and partnerships like this one with UMASS Amherst make these opportunities available for our deserving graduates.”
NSCC Receives 10-Year NECHE Reaccreditation
The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) has renewed North Shore Community College’s accreditation for another decade. The decision follows nearly two years of review, analysis, preparation, site visits and a formal vote of the NECHE board.
Accreditation of an institution of higher education by the Commission indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality periodically applied though a peer review process. An accredited college or university is one which has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation.
The notification letter to the college, from Board Chair David Quigley of Boston College, stated, “The Commission commends NSCC on a thoughtful and comprehensive self-study. We concur with the visiting team report that “NSCC is filled with caring, competent professionals who are passionately committed to student and community success.” NSCC has an excellent history of strategic planning which has been commended by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education and held up as an exemplar to other colleges. This tradition has continued under the leadership of President Gentile who has made data-driven decision making a cornerstone of her administration.
“We appreciate the successful community outreach programs to integrate the Lynn community, including the CommUniverCity initiative, as well as the continuous improvement of the Lynn Campus as evidenced by the McGee building expansion. The Commission is gratified to learn of the College’s success in building and leveraging community partnerships while enhancing operations with grants and donations. The recently awarded Title III Pathways to Success shows great potential to support enrollment and retention activities with evidence-based assessment of student learning outcomes at the course and program level.
“By systematically examining the persistence and retention of various groups of students, NSCC has incrementally increased its retention rates from 56% in 2014 to 64% in 2019. We appreciate the College’s efforts and success in maintaining financial stability; as noted in the report of the visiting team, the College’s unrestricted net assets increased “dramatically,” from $11.9 million on June 30, 2018 to $15.2 million on June 30, 2019. With strong leadership and committed faculty and staff, North Shore Community College is well positioned to build on its accomplishments and fulfill its mission to inspire “students to become engaged citizens and to achieve their personal, academic, and career goals through accessible, affordable, [and] rigorous educational opportunities.”
Commission policy requires updates on progress as well as an interim (fifth-year) report of all institutions on a decennial evaluation cycle. Chair Quigley noted, “The Commission hopes that the evaluation process has contributed to institutional improvement. It appreciates your cooperation with the effort to provide public assurance of the quality of higher education in New England.”
NSCC President Patricia A. Gentile said, “I am very grateful to the over 100 people from across the college who devoted nearly two years of their time, attention and expertise to working together effectively to create the accreditation self-study report. It is no surprise that the college received reaccreditation given the talent and dedication to our students demonstrated daily at NSCC.”
NSCC Offering Free Virtual Info Session on Health Care Training
Looking for career training in health care? Attend a free virtual Info Session hosted by North Shore Community College’s Corporate & Professional Education Division on Wednesday, May 27 at 2:00 PM. Many programs are approved for funding through MassHire. Go to http://www.northshore.edu for the info session!