Northern Essex Community College

Northern Essex Community College opened its doors in 1961 to a mere 186 students. Since then, this Haverhill, Massachusetts school has expanded to 106 acres and seven campus buildings. It's located in Merrimack Valley, a collection of small towns along the Merrimack River which divides Massachusetts and New Hampshire. NECC serves students from both states who choose their major from 12 different major areas of study.

This popular community college offers more than 70 associate degrees. Some of its locations, including the Louise Haffner Fournier Education Center, the Dimitry Building, NECC Riverwalk, and the new iHealth building, are located in the nearby city of Lawrence, Massachusetts, where NECC continues to expand, with plans for a new Health and Technology Center in the works for downtown Lawrence. The small city of 80,000 rests at the foot of Prospect Hill and was home to a young Robert Frost.

Perhaps it's no surprise, then, that NECC is known for its prestigious and nationally-recognized literary magazine, Parnassus. In 2011, Parnassus won the Pacemaker Award from the Associated College Press, naming it the best community college literary magazine in the country. Founded in 1965, the magazine has been published annually since 2008 and often features famous guest writers from the New England area, including Gregory Maguire and Stephen King. It's run entirely by NECC students.

But NECC is not only known for its artistic bent. The iHealth building, which opened its doors in 2011, is directly addressing the shortage in qualified healthcare workers and partnering with local healthcare facilities to help train new workers. The school offers 19 different accelerated medical programs, from nursing to phlebotomy, many of which require only one or two nights a week of classes. There are also plans to open a program to train eye technicians - the only certified ophthalmology training available in Massachusetts.

NECC offers a large variety of coursework for a two-year institution, including a redesigned and expanded art program and even a Deaf Studies major. It's now home to over 6,500 students and 480 full-time faculty working across Haverhill and Lawrence. It also boasts several notable alumni, including actor Tom Bergeron, Newsweek columnist Dan Lyons, and Dr. John Santos, founder of the nonprofit environmental education program Nature's Classroom. With its diverse programs, progressive approach to learning, and commitment to growth, Northern Essex Community College remains one of the most prestigious two-year institutions in America.