Hard to believe it’s the end of the fall term. As students are completing final exams and projects, there’s much to celebrate! Over the past few months, we’ve had so many opportunities to build community, starting with a 3% increase in student enrollment creating a vibrant campus.
Our students are at the heart of our mission. We are so proud of their accomplishments, including 164 students who were awarded a scholarship thanks to the generosity of our donors and community partners. Graphic design student Oyin Omole’s T-shirt design was selected by KAXE Radio for its annual membership drive. Nearly 100 students put their artistic talents on display performing in theatre, orchestra, concert band, jazz ensemble, and vocal ensembles. Kareem Dangerfield was selected as one of 12 students nationwide to be part of the Pell Institute’s Student Advisory Board.
Behind the success of our students are the efforts of our dedicated and talented faculty and staff! Did you know we have an instructor who teaches Aikido, a Japanese martial art, at NHCC and around the world? Or that our English department is thriving with published works of art, including poetry, essays, and novels? Biology professors are conducting and publishing their research. In the spirit of lifelong learning, a faculty earned her doctorate degree from Harvard University Department of the Classics. Visit nhcc.edu/accomplishments to read more about these and others!
As our name suggests, “community” is the backbone of our institution, and it was very present this fall semester.
NHCC, YMCA Camp Northern Lights, and Three Rivers Park District joined forces to offer an environmental justice and nature immersion course, culminating in a documentary screening in October that will also be featured in the Ely Film Festival Feb. 8-11.
Dozens of business and community organizations connected with students at the STEM Career & Internship Fair and CARE Resource Fair.
On Nov. 14, in recognition of American Indian Heritage Month, Dr. Cori Bazemore-James, Seneca Nation of Western New York, serving as assistant vice provost of the Graduate School Diversity Office at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, shared a keynote, “Are We Colonizers? Decolonization, Indigenization, and Allyship in Higher Education.”
At NHCC’s first annual “Celebration of Generosity” event, Mains’l Services accepted the Presidential Medallion Award, and Flavio Abreu received the Distinguished Alumni Award. Speaking of NHCC alumni, designs by Ameen Taahir were featured on tech accessories at Target.
Luis Fitch’s “Deconstructing the Minnesota Flag” exhibition at NHCC garnered nearly 700 visitors and captured media interest.
The Farmers Market, a collaboration between the city of Brooklyn Park and NHCC, ran July 12 through Oct. 11 bringing nearly 7,000 people to sell, shop, and connect with each other. Lucky for NHCC, a new relationship blossomed with Murphy Micro Roast who now has a home on campus serving its specialty drinks.
The Holiday Makers Market featured 15 vendors from campus and the greater community selling baked goods, jewelry, home décor, body butter, lip glosses and more. In the first hour, more than 80 shoppers attended!
NHCC’s Thanks-a-Ton Food Drive on Nov. 21 generated 3,340 lbs. of donations for the college’s Food Cupboard! A big thank you to our campus community and friends of NHCC for making this a success!
This is not an exhaustive list, but hopefully it illustrates North Hennepin Community College – who we are, what we do, and more importantly, how we build community. Stay tuned for many more opportunities coming spring semester starting Jan. 8!