NoteWorthy - 5/21/17 | Merrimack Valley Magazine

NoteWorthy is your weekly news roundup of happenings, movers and shakers, and community events in the Merrimack Valley.

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AROUND THE VALLEY

UMass Lowell Awards Record 3,970 Degrees at Commencement

UMass Lowell held commencement exercises on Saturday, May 13 at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, awarding 3,970 bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees, a record number for the 10th year in a row. Civil-rights advocate and educator Freeman Hrabowski III and political correspondent Steve Kornacki delivered Commencement addresses and received honorary degrees at two ceremonies.

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L-r: Joanna Dowling, Bob Baker and Phil Vyhanek.

Lawrence Partnership Holds Event for Merrimack Valley Manufacturers

Manufacturing leaders from across the region came together in Lawrence to discuss a prominent issue to their current and long-term competitiveness: workforce. With a tightening labor market and new developments in technology and production, the ability for the regional labor pool to keep pace with the skill needs of employers represents a priority for an industry is one of the largest in the region.

“The state is invested in supporting the innovating and pipelining in manufacturing so we can continue to lead like we do in so many other industries,” mentioned Katie Stebbins, the assistant secretary of innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship for the Commonwealth and co-chair of the Massachusetts Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative.

The event was convened by a large group of regional stakeholders, each of which plays a different role in the large and complex ecosystem in which new and incumbent workers are trained for the manufacturing industry, with employers and other national and state partners driving the dialogue from a series of panel conversations.

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NECC graduate Yanina Vasquez received her bachelor’s in public health from Regis earlier this month, having taken all of her bachelor’s courses on NECC’s Lawrence campus. Yanina (left) is shown with Antoinette Hays, president of Regis (center), and Noemi Custodia Lora, vice president of the Lawrence campus and community relations, NECC.

First Students Receive Bachelor’s Degrees from NECC/Regis Partnership in Lawrence

Regis, a leading Catholic university in Greater Boston, announced the first group of students earned bachelor’s degrees from its satellite campus at Northern Essex Community College (NECC) in Lawrence. The students participated in commencement at the university’s main campus in Weston.

“These students represent our efforts to provide an educational ladder to reach better opportunities for them and their families,” said Regis President Antoinette Hays. “We’re thrilled with their achievements and look forward to seeing where their future endeavors take them.”

Yanina Vasquez holds an associate’s degree from NECC and will graduate with a bachelor’s in public health from Regis. She plans to enter graduate school at Regis in the fall to earn her master’s in Health Administration. Originally from the Dominican Republic, her goal is to help the Spanish-speaking community through health care.

In 2015, Regis opened its campus in Lawrence to bring new educational and professional opportunities in the high-demand health care industry to Lawrence and area residents. Students are required to earn an associate’s degree from NECC before admission to Regis.

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Students Learn About Budgeting at at Haverhill Bank-Sponsored Credit for Life Fair

A student has only so much money, faces monthly expenses, needs a car and is worried about credit scores. That was the kind of dilemma placed before Haverhill High School juniors and seniors during the recent Fourth Annual Credit for Life Fair at Northern Essex Community College, sponsored by Haverhill Bank.

For those students enrolled in the school’s Financial Literacy Program, the Credit for Life Fair required them to make real-life financial decisions based on fixed salary and credit score. Budgeting decisions made throughout the course of the day included whether to live alone or have roommates, buy or lease a car, how to save for short- and long-term goals and balancing monthly expenses such as phone, cable and internet plans.

After all budgeting decisions had been made, counselors from Haverhill Bank met with the students to review their final budget one-on-one to ensure solvency or to help students learn how to live within their means.

In addition to Haverhill Bank, many local organizations donated their time and expertise to the Fair, including Cedardale, Salon Riza, Emmaus, Men’s Wearhouse and Coldwell Banker.

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Members of Creative Haverhill and Essex Heritage pose for a photo after being selected as one of the latter organization’s partnership grant recipients.

Essex Heritage Announces 2017 Partnership Grant Recipients

The Essex National Heritage Commission (also known as Essex Heritage), in keeping with its long tradition of supporting the region’s unique cultural heritage, announced the 2017 Essex Heritage Partnership Grant Program recipients at the Commission’s spring meeting in Methuen on May 18. Over the next year, the 20 grant recipients will be working to implement a diverse range of educational, interpretive, and preservation projects throughout Boston’s North Shore and the Merrimack Valley.

“We recognize the importance of supporting local organizations and we are proud that we are able to award twenty partnership grants again this year,” said Annie Harris, Essex Heritage CEO. “Over the 19-year life of the program, we have provided grants to every community in Essex County – and we know that this seed money greatly impacts the region by leveraging more investments in the Essex National Heritage Area.”

The Merrimack Valley recipients of partnership grants include: the Whittier Home Association, the town of Andover, Creative Haverhill, Rocks Village Memorial Association, John Greenleaf Whittier Birthplace, Lawrence History Center and the Clean River Project.

Anna Jaques Hospital Signs Letter of Intent to Join Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

The Board of Trustees for Anna Jaques Hospital has signed a Letter of Intent to explore joining the proposed combined system of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Lahey Health and New England Baptist Hospital. As such, Anna Jaques Hospital would become a part of an integrated health care delivery system that will extend across Eastern Massachusetts. Anna Jaques Hospital already has a clinical affiliation with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and is a member of the Beth Israel Deaconess Care Organization network.

Anna Jaques Hospital and BIDMC have had a clinical affiliation in place since 2010. The clinical affiliation has brought highly specialized care to the greater Newburyport community, including establishing co-branded services such as the Anna Jaques Cancer Center affiliated with BIDMC, Gerrish Breast Care Center, Thoracic Clinic, and the Maternal-Fetal Medicine program for high-risk pregnancies.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Nannu Nobis of Bow, N.H., founder and CEO of Nobis Engineering, has assumed the position of Board Chair at Granite United Way. Nobis came to the United States in 1978 from his native India with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science in India. He earned his master’s in geotechnical engineering in 1979 from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor then went on to complete several executive management programs at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business in Hanover, N.H. Nobis was recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as the 2012 New Hampshire Small Business Person of the Year.

Stuart Cady, head golf professional at Renaissance Golf Club in Haverhill, has been awarded “Best Merchandiser of the Year – Private” by the New England Professional Golfers’ Association. The Merchandiser of the Year Award recognizes a PGA professional who has demonstrated superior skills as a merchandiser in the promotion of golf. Cady will be honored during the annual Special Awards Dinner on Sept. 30 at Nashawtuc Country Club.