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Northampton Community College is a community college with campuses in Bethlehem Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, USA, just outside the city of Bethlehem in the Lehigh Valley region of the state, and in Tannersville, Pennsylvania in neighboring Monroe County. The college, founded in 1967, also has satellite locations in the south side of Bethlehem and Hawley.〔(Maps and Directions ) Retrieved December 16, 2014〕 Northampton grants associate degrees, certificates and diplomas in more than 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 responders, radiologic technologists, dental hygienists, veterinary technologists, funeral service directors, chefs and early childhood educators for the region.〔(Fact Sheet ) Retrieved December 16, 2014〕 The college is also one of the largest providers of workforce training, adult literacy programs, and non-credit classes in a four-county region〔 and the only community college in Pennsylvania to offer on-campus housing. Although the college now serves more than 34,000 students a year in credit and non-credit programs, it has maintained a low student/faculty ratio (21/1). 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,〔 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 65% of students continue their education immediately after graduation. The rest enter the workforce. The college's placement rate almost always tops 90%.〔 Full-time students taking between 12 to 18 credit hours are charged a flat rate for tuition and fees ($1995 for residents of Northampton County.) Students registered for fewer than 12 credit hours are charged a per-credit hour rate ($133 for residents of Northampton County.)〔(Tuition and Fees ) Retrieved December 16, 2014〕 The college awards more than $36 million in financial aid each year and disburses more private scholarship aid than any other community college in Pennsylvania.〔(Office of the President ) Retrieved December 16, 2014〕〔 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.〔(Achieving the Dream Initiative ) Retrieved May 12, 2010〕 NCC is proud to be among the "leader colleges" in Achieving the Dream.〔(NCC Hailed as Leader in Helping Students Succeed ) Retrieved September 13, 2010〕〔(Seven Community Colleges Emerge as Leaders in the National Student Completion Movement ) Retrieved September 13, 2010〕〔(Achieving the Dream Leader Colleges ) Retrieved September 13, 2010〕 NCC is also recognized as a leader in the workplace. In March 2013 Northampton was ranked as the (top workplace ) among large employers in the Lehigh Valley based on results of employee surveys conducted by the national research firm (WorkplaceDynamics ). NCC was ranked among the top ten community colleges in the country in advances in the use of technology (2014) by the (Center for Digital Education (2014, 2015) ) NCC was also one of 150 community colleges (out of a field of 1200) nominated for the (2014) (Aspen Prize ) ==History== 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.〔A COMMEMORATIVE BOOKLET, 1967-1987 by Dan Larimer〕 The college took root on 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.〔(NCC History ) Retrieved February 18, 2010〕 By the following year enrollment had grown to 1,442. In 1969-70 the College earned accreditation from the Middle States Association〔The Express-Times, Easton, Pennsylvania - December 28, 2006 - "College building legacy of learning"〕 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. It is now called 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 State Senator Jeanette Reibman. Also in 1992 Communications Hall was built to house the departments of Radio/TV, Art, Photography and Communications/Theatre. In its history, Northampton has had only four 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.〔The Morning Call, Allentown, Pennsylvania - October 31, 2002 - "NCC president to retire next year"〕 When Dr. Kopecek retired, the trustees chose Dr. Arthur Scott, an administrator who had been on the staff for over 25 years, as the College's next leader.〔The Morning Call, Allentown, Pennsylvania - October 3, 2003 - "Arthur Scott lauded at NCC inauguration"〕 During Scott's nine years as president, Northampton opened a site on the southside of Bethlehem, broke ground for a new campus in Monroe County and became known for a collaborative student-centered culture affectionately described as "The Northampton Way. His successor, Dr. Mark Erickson, has strong ties to the region the College serves, having served on the staff of Lehigh University before becoming president of Wittenberg University from 2005 through June of 2012. Erickson has adopted a strategic initiative called (Trek to the Top ) that will focus on student outreach, a completion agenda, diversity and global engagement, community engagement and leadership in technology. Although different in leadership styles, all of Northampton's presidents have shared an entrepreneurial spirit and a fervent commitment to open access to education.〔40 Years, published by the NCC Foundation in 2007, written by Jim Johnson〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Northampton Community College」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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