Northampton Community College

Athletic Department earns recognition

The Northampton Community College Athletic Department was recently recognized by Region 19 as a 2025 Champions of Character Award winner. Instituted in 2009, the Region 19 Champions of Character Award recognizes the athletic program that clearly demonstrates outstanding results in character development of its student-athletes and coaches by embracing the true spirit of competition through the five core values of respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership, and sportsmanship. In addition, the institution must demonstrate outstanding involvement in the community, which results in positive character development through sport.

The 2025 Champions of Character Award is the 10th for NCC, which is the most for any institution in Region 19 since the inception of the award. “The Champions of Character Award has become something we strive for each year,” said Director of Athletics, Troy Tucker, “Our student-athletes and coaches understand the importance of community service, sportsmanship and servant leadership. It is ingrained from day one that our culture is based on success in competition the classroom, and the community.”

Grant to launch Tools of Trade program

Northampton Community College has recently received a $20,000 Empowerment Grant from The Provident Bank Foundation. This is the inaugural year for the grant, and NCC is the first community college to be awarded the grant.

The prestigious grant will allow NCC to launch the Tools of the Trade program. The program provides emergency funding for students who need assistance purchasing equipment, supplies and tools required by their programs of study that are not covered in tuition.

The Empowerment Grant program, PBF’s core funding opportunity, is designed to strengthen the capacity and sustainability of high-impact nonprofits serving communities across New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Grant partners are selected for two years of flexible funding support based on their proven ability to deliver meaningful, measurable change within the Foundation’s priority areas: Education, Human Services and Workforce Development.

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 information, call 610-861-5000 or visit www.northampton.edu.

Student named Newman Civic Fellow

Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges and universities working to advance the public purposes of higher education, has named Northampton Community College student Xavier Pacheco as a 2025-26 Newman Civic Fellow. The Newman Civic Fellowship is a yearlong program that recognizes students who stand out for their leadership potential and commitment to creating positive change in communities.

The fellowship is named for the late Frank Newman, one of Campus Compact’s founders, who was a tireless advocate for civic engagement in higher education. In the spirit of Dr. Newman’s leadership, each fellow is nominated by their campus president or chancellor, who is invited to select one exemplary community-committed student from their campus each year.

Pacheco is currently working toward his sociology degree at NCC. He serves as an NCC Votes Ambassador at the college through the nonpartisan NCC Votes initiative. Through this role, he also works with the Andrew Goodman Foundation as a Vote Everywhere Ambassador on campus.