LYNN — North Shore Community College (NSCC) and the North Shore Latino Business Association (NSLBA) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the theme, “Welcoming President Heineman: Fostering a stronger sense of community,” on Tuesday afternoon.
The event introduced NSCC President William Heineman to NSLBA and celebrated the renewed partnership between the college and Latino business members.
Elected officials, local business owners, and community partners attended.
“I am the new president here, that’s the part that is new,” said Heineman. “With the pandemic and so much of society being shut down we just think it is really important to have an event that connects everyone here again and kind of reminds us of the partnership.”
He emphasized NSCC’s value as a great resource in the community, both for employers and for the “people trying to move ahead in their life.”
NSCC is deeply embedded in the community, Heineman said, adding that he wants to strengthen that connection to the point where the work of one organization begins where the work of another one ends.
Fostering deeper community ties is also important in the light of a new NSCC strategic plan, said Heineman.
“We are working on a new strategic plan at the college this spring, and a huge priority for me is deepening our community ties,” he said.
The main components of the plan include increasing the amount of academic programming offered in Lynn to support economic development in the city and expanding an already-broad partnership with the Lynn Public Schools.
“We are very excited to be here to welcome newly-appointed president Will Heineman to lead the North Shore Community College into the next phase of its growth,” said state Rep. Daniel Cahill (D-Lynn).
Cahill said the college’s community-enrichment program continues a long-standing tradition of NSCC investing in campus communities.
Mayor Jared Nicholson said that he could not think of a better partnership than the one forged between the city and college.
“North Shore Community College is the pillar of our community. We see North Shore Community College as a true beacon of opportunity, and it is really our pleasure to have this level of collaboration,” Nicholson said.
Colin Codner, executive director at the Greater Lynn Chamber of Commerce, said he was excited to welcome Heineman to the community.
“President Heineman as the leader of the college is positioned to be that strong voice for the community,” he said.
A new community liaison at NSCC is working to further develop the college connections within the community.
Dulce Gonzalez, who has only been in this position for a month, said the Heineman welcoming event was a chance to “show that we wanted to be supportive of what everybody here in Lynn had to offer” and “to create that sense of community.”
Sean Reid, director of communications for state Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn), said NSCC helped him build his first community connections, his first political campaign, and his first internship.
“I know how important it is to have these strong connections,” said Reid.
“It’s all part of the college’s mission to become more deeply connected to the community, especially the Spanish-speaking community, but really all communities,” said NSCC Strategic Partnerships Dean Adam Cutler.
Executive Director of NSLBA Frances Martinez said her organization was doing this event to get the community more engaged. She also mentioned that they wanted the students of NSCC to be able to be part of any interesting and fun projects in the community.
“We want to spotlight what the college has to offer,” said Martinez.
Sarah Mirza, a freshman at NSCC, said the college has supported its students with everything they needed.
“North Shore is a very good college to all students from all over the world,” said Mirza. “Everyone is kind; everyone can help you.”
