NSCC conducts a course in collaboration

LYNN – Patricia Gentile said she went on a 100-day listening tour after her January inauguration as the fourth president of North Shore Community College and repeatedly heard the same question: What is the college doing in Lynn?Her staff’s answer was an inch-thick book detailing 47 different initiatives involving various educational, social-service and government partnerships.”It was kind of like there were a thousand points of light, but people weren’t seeing that,” Gentile said. “So I thought how can we put that together for the citizens and City of Lynn.”The solution is a new collaboration among the college, Salem State University, the City of Lynn, Lynn Public Schools, state Sen. Thomas M. McGee, Lynn Community Health Center and the North Shore Workforce Investment Board. The partners have a vision to provide effective and affordable “birth-to-career” educational pathways and programs to benefit the City of Lynn. To emphasize the collaborations necessary for this to be successful, the initiative is called the CommUniverCity at Lynn.Gentile explained this name emphasizes several important aspects of the program. The “comm” – stands for North Shore Community College as well as the community of Lynn.With the growing expense of a college tuition and fees, community colleges are no longer the “second choice” of students, Gentile said. Rather, they offer an affordable place for students of all ages to earn some credits before completing a bachelor’s degree at a public or private college or university.Community colleges can also offer career training to help area residents raise their earning potential and provide classes that benefit a community as a whole, such as financial literacy and English as a Second Language.With the majority of NSCC students who later attend a public university headed to Salem State, the university seemed a logical partner in the initiative, Gentile said, especially if some university classes could be held in Lynn and the degrees offered could align with the economic opportunities and economic development supported by the Workforce Investment Board and City of Lynn.The “city” aspect of the CommUniverCity resulted from the realization that NSCC students needed to be prepared for college and life before, during and after they take classes at the Broad Street campus, Gentile explained; thus, a collaboration involving Lynn Public Schools, the City of Lynn and Lynn Community Health Center, which can provide support and health services for students.”(The CommUniverCity) talks about education from birth – and certainly, we’re a big chunk of that before students get to the college level,” said Lynn Superintendent of Schools Dr. Catherine C. Latham. “We also want to encourage our students to carry on with career paths, not just end education in 12th grade. I think NSCC has programs that are a great option for students.”So, the collaborators are in place and they share a vision. Monday, they are gathering at the college for a summit to begin making that vision a reality.”We’re just at the beginning, but I think it’s exciting because we have a vision and a commitment to each other,” Gentile said. “We can take that to build momentum.”