This report details our evaluation of the Northeast Resiliency Consortium, composed of seven community colleges in the Northeast region, as they built together toward a stronger future after man-made and natural disasters.
In 2012, seven community colleges in the Northeast region of the United States came together to discuss the acute need for resilience in their communities in the wake of several natural and man-made disasters, including the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School and two hurricanes. These seven colleges formed the Northeast Resiliency Consortium (NRC), led by Passaic County Community College, to develop and implement programming and services that would help build resilience in students and communities, and generate a highly skilled workforce.
As a recipient of a Round Three U.S. Department of Labor Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant, the NRC prioritized efforts around credential completion and employment, and focused on building a resilient workforce in sectors that are critical to the healthy functioning of communities: healthcare, information technology, and environmental/utility.
The report is structured as follows:
- Section I provides a summary of recent research in the area of support services and student success in community colleges.
- Section II provides a description of the ways in which NRC colleges deliver resiliency support services to participants.
- Section III identifies best practices in NRC colleges’ approaches to resiliency support
