Monthly Archives: November 2014

Features, Lawrence

Meet the new library director

 

By Jessica Freeman

“There’s more paperwork now” jokes, Mike Hearn, the recently appointed Director of Library Services. Hearn said his job is now more administrative, and that he misses being able to work with students directly.

Hearn hopes to “rebrand” the library to be a more focus based experience. Hearn wants the school to have libraries that can help to meet the needs of students of NECC, whether they can spend lots of time on campus, or are more distant learners that need help even when they are off campus.

Hearn started as NECC’s Director of library Services over the summer on July 1. Before this, he worked as a librarian on the Lawrence campus for eight and a half years. When the Lawrence library staff was asked about their former colleague, they spoke fondly of working with Hearn and all agreed it was great that he was the director of library services now. The Haverhill Library staff was also enthusiastic about having a new director in charge of the library.

Hearn has a Bachelor of Arts in American/United States Studies from Washington College in Maryland and a Masters of Library and Information Sciences from the University of South Carolina.

Prior to working at NECC, Hearn also worked in college libraries at Daniel Webster College and University of South Carolina.

In his new role, Hearn recognizes the challenges of working at a community college in terms of being able to reach students, and said he “encourages students to stop in and find out everything [the library] has to offer.”

These services include access to books and DVD’s, online resources, access to research assistances to help students and being able to call or text for help, among other services.

Hearn has also helped staff that teach information literacy courses. Information literacy courses are now a requirement for all NECC students. Hearn and the other librarians have done their part to help by creating the Lib Guides that can be found on the library’s website and can help students research and evaluate sources.

As for new technology being introduced to the campus, Hearn said that students “may know that they can borrow books and DVD, but they might not know that they have access to over 3 million items” from other colleges through the NOBLE group, and that the library, “also provides many electronic sources of information, including almost 40,000 eBooks, hundreds of audiobooks, and streaming videos.”

Although, Hearn is proud of the many eBooks the library has collected, he knows there are still students who will always want a tangible, real book they can use.

Hearn is working with the Lawrence Campus to transform the library from a smaller space located in the basement to a library more accessible to students. Hearn says the college hopes to change the Lawrence library by “opening a new Information Literacy Lab on the Lawrence campus this fall, which includes a library instruction classroom and media viewing center for students.”

Hearn hopes this will help students to be able to get more directed, accessible, one on one services from the library. Hearn also said that, the library would offer the same academic technology assistance to students as in the other library.

In Hearn’s work with the library, he sees that his responsibilities are not only to his typical patrons of both students and teachers, but also that of the greater community. Hearn recognizes that the NECC libraries, play a unique role in the area by being somewhat of a public library to some residents in the communities in which the campuses are located.

It is clear that Hearn is passionate about his job of being the Director of Library Services at NECC, and despite his new projects and paperwork, Hearn is still all about wanting to help students learn and access information in the easiest way possible for them.

Interviews were conducted with Mike Hearn over email, and during an in person interview.

Lawrence

Lawrence has a new testing center

 

Michaud (left) and Bertolino (right) stand in the new Lawrence testing center.
Michaud (left) and Bertolino (right) stand in the new Lawrence testing center. | NECC Observer
Lawrence campus has a new testing center, better equipped to handle students and now offering walk-in testing.

Donna Bertolino, Assistant Dean of Academic Support Services, and Louise Michaud, Assessment officer at the Lawrence Testing Center, were two of the driving forces behind the new testing center.

“I think the biggest thing we want students to know is that we now have walk-in testing [in Lawrence]. All of the time that we’ve had academic assessments in Lawrence, it has been by appointment only. We’ve tried our best. We’ve had one evening per week for all of these years, but appointment based. We’ve only had eight computers, and it’s been very difficult with appointments. So, we now have walk-in testing,” said Bertolino.

The new Lawrence testing center can be found at L-135.

The new testing center offers expanded hours, more staff, walk-in testing, twenty computers and more flexibility on when students can test.

The new testing center is a big improvement over the old center, which only had eight computers and appointment-based testing.

“Sometimes our schedule was so full they’d have to wait a full two weeks. And travelling to the Haverhill campus, a lot of times, was an issue for our students,” said Michaud.

“Right now, Lawrence is testing about 1300 in a year,” said Bertolino.

Hours for Lawrence campus testing can be found at http://www.necc.mass.edu/academics/testing/assessment/test-dates/.

Features, Sports

Taylor Robin has her eyes on the prize

 

By Nicholas Mazzone

People hate working out, and can never keep up with it. They start working out and then quit a week after. What if the key to working out was social media? One fitness fanatic who uses social media to push her to keep working out and keep her eyes on the prize is Taylor Robin, a student at NECC. Taylor is fitness fanatic. She loves to working out and helping inspire people to do the same.

Robin grew up in Massachusetts her whole life. She was born on June 23, 1994 in Lawrence General with her two parents, Charlene and Tim Traynor from Methuen, Mass. She attended Timony Grammar School in Methuen, Mass.

While she was in middle school, she played softball, basketball, cross country, and she was also a cheerleader. She also did many other activities in middle school such as chorus and theater.

Robin graduated from middle school in 2008 and then attended Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Mass. While she was there, she enjoyed making new friends and also played multiple sports. She was a three year varsity cheerleader for the Raiders. She then graduated from there in 2012 and started her transition from high school to college.

After high school, Robin decided to attend NECC to help her figure out what she wanted to do in life. She is currently a student studying multimedia and hoping one day to become a big time movie producer.

While attending NECC, Robin became a fitness fanatic and has fallen in love with working out. Working out makes her feel good and helps her motivate herself to become a better person.

“I work out to become a better person, and make myself grow and become a better individual,” said Robin.

Robin looks to friends and social media for motivation. The biggest part that helps her go to the gym every day is social media. Social media plays in a big role for Robin. She has been following fitness blogs for pretty much her whole life and has always thought it would be cool to have one of her own. So one day she decided to create one, to help her achieve her workout goals.

Robin started her blog to help her motivate herself and push her to workout. She posts pictures of her daily workout, the calories she burned and her time. She does this every day to help her motivate herself and show that people can do it if they put the work into it.

Chelsea Flanagan, a student at NECC, is Taylor’s best friend and always pushes Robin to go the gym. Robin works out every day with her friends Flanagan and Nodine Webster, another student at NECC. They run and do all their workouts together.

Flanagan loves how Robin posts her workouts to social media all the time. She feels inspired by her. Flanagan said, “by posting pictures on social media it helps inspire others and also helps you stay on track and finish your workout every day, social media is great for the fitness world.”

Social media has been benefiting fitness world for many years now. Many people now have blogs to help motivate people and push them to work out. Many people struggle with trying to work out every day, but if you log onto a social media site, there is plenty of inspiration all around.

“Seeing others post pictures helped me motivate myself to do the same,” said Robin.

Robin saw all her social media friends posting work out videos and pictures of all of them getting into shape and she thought, that can be her one day. She then decided to create an account on Instagram, in which people can follow her progress, and watch her workout.

Students can follow her progress on Instagram at @trobinfitness.

NECC student Connor Emo is impressed with Robin’s progress. He sees her in the gym an said, “she’s a hard worker, and she’s in the gym all the time.”

Social media is key to working out, according to Robin.

Arts and Entertainment

A look at the work of educator Lance Hidy

 

A retrospective exhibit of the work of NECC professor of art, Lance Hidy, will soon be on display at the Museum of Printing, 800 Massachusetts Ave. North Andover, MA.

The display will open with a slide lecture given by Hidy himself on Friday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. and the work will continue to be on display in the museums exhibition rooms through December 27. Viewing hours are Sat. 10-4 or by appointment.

Hidy’s diverse range of work includes etching and wood engraving, silkscreen, photography and photoshop. This talk will highlight his adaptation of the Penumbra typeface, his creation of three U.S. postage stamps and his collaboration with Ansel Adams.

Admission is free but a $5 donation to the museum is welcome.

More information is available at the museum’s website www.museumofprinting.org.

Features, Lawrence

NECC alum Lisa Morelli is now C.E.O. of a multi-million dollar credit union

 

By Rachael Sarcione

This is a photo of Morelli smiling
Morelli is a successful NECC alum Rachel Sarcione

NECC alum Lisa Morelli, 48, became the C.E.O. of a $25 million dollar credit union.
Like many NECC students, Morelli juggled a full-time job and a family while taking classes at night, a schedule that would put stress on any family. A strong support network was crucial to her academic and professional careers.

“My parents set a great example through determination and sacrifice,” said Morelli. “I watched them overcome some pretty big obstacles.”

At the age of nine, Lisa saw her parent’s American dream slip away when their family owned grocery store burned to the ground. With four of their own children and a foster child to feed, they didn’t know how they would survive.

Lisa’s parents worked hard to keep life going forward for their children and were able to send her to Our Lady of Nazareth Academy, an all-girl high school in Wakefield, Mass.

“The nuns helped me get a hardship driver’s license at 15 years old because they stopped sending a school bus to all the way to Lawrence,” said Morelli.

After graduating high school in 1984, Lisa began working for First Essex Bank and was doing well on the teller line. With a promising career in her sights, she was ready to settle down and marry her high school sweetheart, Pete, in 1987 and started a family soon after.
Lisa was on a steady climb up the ladder of success from the teller line to assistant manager and bank manager. She also worked in the loan and business development offices.

“Somewhere around 1991, my career was at a stand-still,” said Morelli. “I knew there was something standing in the way of my next promotion: a college degree.”
After weeks of discussion, Lisa and Pete Morelli decided that they would find a way for her to go back to school. By this time they had two children and a mortgage to pay. Although Lisa had a steady income and Pete had a secure job as a police officer, they knew that it would be difficult to pay the tuition and buying books would be out of the question.

“I was a nervous wreck going to meet the advisors at NECC for the first time,” said Morelli. Much to her surprise, she was greeted John Peroni, Dean of Continuing Education. “He told me all about CLEP Exams and credits for life experience,” said Morelli.

September 5 came quickly, and after working at the bank all day, Lisa jumped in the car with nothing but a sleeve of Ritz Crackers, a brand new notebook and the anxiety of a new adventure, the first-generation college student was on her way to class.

“It was hard being the mommy and the daddy on the nights that she was in class,” said Peter Morelli. “I was so proud of her though.”

They had a lot of support from family and friends.

Throughout her time at NECC, Lisa was impressed by the devotion of her mentor, John Peroni who took a great interest in helping working people succeed as students.

“He kept me on track,” said Morelli.

In 1994 she received an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration and a Banking certificate and eventually transferred to a bachelor’s program at Hesser College. “It’s a shame NECC doesn’t offer a four year degree,” said Morelli. “The campus was so convenient and I really liked the instructors.”

Around the time of receiving her bachelor degree, she left First Essex Bank to take a management job with Lawrence Firefighters Federal Credit Union but it didn’t take long for her name to be recognized by other institutions for her outstanding achievements.

“I was getting calls from banks asking me to work for them,” said Morelli. “Each call was a better offer than the last.”

And then in 2009 the call came asking if she would be interesting in the C.E.O. position of Andover Federal Credit Union. She called her husband to tell him about the offer and how both branches of the credit union are closed on Saturdays.

“Take the job!” he begged his wife. “I haven’t seen you on a Saturday in years,” said Morelli.

Besides overseeing operations at the branch on Lupine Road, the credit union has a smaller branch within Greater Lawrence Technical High School. Collectively generating $17 million.

In 2013, Morelli closed a merger with North Andover Municipal Federal Credit Union with $2.2 million in assets and has since grown Andover Federal Credit Union to a $25 million institution with three locations and over 3,000 members.

Melissa Ferriera, 41, has been a member of the credit union since 2010. “I love the atmosphere here,” said Ferriera. “They seem like a happy little family.”

Morelli has enjoyed working with and mentoring so many great people. Willmarie Rodriquez who works as a teller in the Lupine Road branch is a fellow Lawrence citizen and also a first-generation college student often feels the pressure of juggling work and school. “Lisa was the one who encouraged me to go back to school,” said Rodriguez. “She tells me stories about her academic struggles and they keep me going.”

“I’m so proud of Willmarie for going to college,” said Morelli. “I try to cheer her on whenever I can because I do know how hard it is to study after working all day.”

“I wish all the success in the world for all of the young people who go after their dreams,” said Morelli.