NCC Athletic Department earns recognition

The Northampton Community College (NCC) 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,” remarked 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.”

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 (NCC) student Xavier Pacheco as a 2025-2026 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 towards 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.

Grant will start in-demand program

Northampton Community College (NCC) recently received a grant from Truist Foundation for $110,000 which will help the college establish a Precision Machining and Tool Design Center to directly address the Lehigh Valley’s critical need for skilled machinists, creating accessible pathways to high-quality, family sustaining careers.

Building upon the success of NCC’s noncredit introduction to machining program, which boasts a 75 percent completion rate and a 98 percent employment placement rate, the college will launch a new, credit-bearing machining program. This program will offer stackable credentials, including a specialized diploma, certificate, and an associate of applied science (A.A.S.) degree.

This grant will allow NCC to provide a steady and increasing pipeline of skilled machinists to meet the Lehigh Valley’s workforce demands. The Tool Design Center will empower diverse populations, including high school students ready to graduate, frontline works and under/unemployed adults, equipping them with the necessary tools and resources to transition into middle-skill jobs that offer economic stability and expanded opportunities.

Professor recognized for leadership

Dr. Cheré Hunter, a professor of practice in Counseling Psychology at Lehigh University’s College of Education, has been honored with the 2025 Percy Hughes Award for Scholarship, Humanity, and Social Change. This prestigious award recognizes members of the Lehigh community committed to implementing transformative ideas both locally and globally, and Dr. Hunter’s leadership embodies these ideals.

As director of the Community Voices Clinic, Dr. Hunter manages innovative school-based mental health services at Donegan Elementary and Broughal Middle School in South Bethlehem. Under her leadership, the clinic has increased access to essential mental health supports for children and families, including those who are uninsured or underinsured. The clinic’s main focus on evidence-based practice, multicultural competence, and social justice guides its efforts—assisting high-risk students and families from diverse backgrounds.

Birchard elected to honor society

Kristin Birchard of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was recently elected to membership into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, at University of Maryland Global Campus.

Birchard is among approximately 20,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

Two residents U of Maryland graduates

University of Maryland Global Campus graduated more than 3,800 students worldwide in the summer 2025 term. Two Bethlehem area residents were among the graduated: David Ryan, master of science in management: human resources, and management, and Sierra Schultz, bachelor of science in psychology.