Northhampton Community College Reception
January 2005

Northampton Community College (NCC) hosted a reception last month at its new site in the Shohola Business Center. Close to 70 community leaders and college officials attended. An open house for the community will follow in the spring.

NCC began offering adult literacy programs and continuing education classes in Pike County several years ago and has since added two degree programs - one in early childhood education and another in criminal justice, as well as courses leading to a specialized diploma in real estate. Many of the core courses in early childhood education and criminal justice can be applied to other majors and are transferable to other colleges. An initial $85,000 grant from Pennsylvania's Department of Community and Economic Development enabled the College to determine what programs would be most useful to the community. A second grant of $100,000 will help the College continue to work with employers and school districts to address other economic and workforce development needs and to respond to infrastructure challenges in the area.

Response has been positive according to John Drake of Tafton, the site administrator. The College has outgrown the space it previously rented on Broad Street in Milford. The facility in Shohola is brand new and includes 3 classrooms, a computer lab, and a testing room. GED, adult basic education, family literacy, computer literacy and English as a Second Language classes are already meeting there. Spring semester credit classes will begin in January and will include courses in English, psychology, early childhood education and real estate. In the coming months Drake says NCC also hopes to expand the selection of short non-credit courses available to adults interested in personal enrichment and/or career development and to add more youth programs. Founded in 1967, Northampton Community College serves close to 30,000 students each year in a four-county region. You can contact them at 570-296-4042.