Northampton Community College

Craft fair set for Nov. 1

Northampton Community College will hold its 34th annual fall craft fair from 9 to 3 p.m. Nov. 1, at the Arthur L. Spartan Center, Main Campus.

There will be food, wood crafts, jewelry, glass, flower arrangements, holiday items, and more. There is an admission charge. For information, e-mail alumni@northampton.edu or call 610-861-5088.

Seven to be honored Oct. 22

Northampton Community College will recognize seven alumni and faculty at an Alumni Award Mixer on Oct, 22 in Alumni Hall, Gates Center, Main Campus.

The awards and honorees are: President's Award: Russel Pacala, of Bethlehem, Spillman Farmer Architects, is one of the firm's lead master planners and a LEED- accredited professional for Building, Design and Construction, a designation of the U.S. Green Building Council for proficiency in sustainable design. He has won numerous awards including ones for The Rehearsal Hall, Muhlenberg College, and for the Goodyear Building, Dickinson College.

Professional Achievement Award: Lisa Gotto, of Bethlehem, editor-in-chief of Lehigh Valley Style magazine, was a correspondent for area publications including The Morning Call and The Eastern Pennsylvania Business Journal and a staff writer for Philadelphia Bride magazine.

Distinguished Service to NCC Award: Anna A. Stofko, of Bethlehem, a 21-year alumni board member, was on the NCC council and was a mentor. She was a three-term electee on the Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee and a chair of the delegate selection plan for national rules and affirmative action at the Democratic National Convention. She was a board member of the city Recreation Commission and the League of Women Voters.

Distinguished Service to the Community Award: Donna Acerra, of Bethlehem, is a professor of communication/theatre at NCC. She is the co-founder of New Bethany Ministries' Luminaria Night. She is also the spirit and vision behind NCC's cross cultural program with the Navajo Community Diné College, Tsaile, Ariz. She leads the NCC Veterans' Archival Project.

Educator's Award: Christine K. Armstrong, of Pocono Summit, is an associate professor of communication at the Monroe Campus of Northampton Community College, where she teaches a wide variety of communication courses. Her students and she participated in NCC's first study abroad program. She advises Monroe Student Governance and the Monroe Student Leadership Program and is the chair of the Faculty Senate.

Outstanding Young Alumnus Award: Phil Joly, chief engineer at Electric Lady Studios, built by Jimi Hendrix. An album he worked on, Random Access Memories by Daft Punk, won numerous Grammys including album of the year and best engineered album, non-classical. As a sessions assistant, he worked with The Strokes, John Mayer, The Rolling Stones, Patti Smith and Kanye West. As a chief engineer, he worked with Prince, Lou Reed, Daft Punk and Chick Correa.

Honorary Alumni Award: Diane S. Martin, of Bethlehem, is a former three-term district justice; chair and board member of the NCC Foundation; and has served on the boards of C.F. Martin and the Saucon Valley Community Center. She has been a sponsor and volunteer at the Food and Wine Festival fund raiser for the NCC Foundation, and played a key role in NCC's comprehensive fundraising campaign "Promises to Keep."

Three Federal Grants awarded

NCC has been awarded three federal grants in one week. The first is a $168,000 grant to assist current and former members of the United States Armed Forces and their spouses in becoming employed in the transportation industry as commercial motor vehicle operators with an emphasis on safety.

The second is a $10 million grant that will be shared with Lehigh Carbon and Luzerne County community colleges. It is to develop training programs in high-demand fields in advanced manufacturing, healthcare and logistics/transportation.

The third is a $115,000 grant to support the launch of a new associate of arts degree in global and international studies. The grant will fund the development of courses in Arabic and Chinese, expansion of the college's language lab, the creation of short-term study abroad opportunities in Jordan and China, the development of a model for technology-based classroom-to-classroom interaction with partners in second- and third-world countries, and the creation of internships that will allow students to gain experience with employers who do work internationally.

Northampton Community College's main campus is located at 3835 Green Pond Road. The Fowler Family Southside Center is located at 511 E. Third St. For more information, contact NCC at 610-861-5300 or 1-877-543-0998 or visit www.northampton.edu.