Dr. Paul Beaudin, NECC’s new VP of Academic Affairs

Haverhill and Lawrence, MA (July 22, 2021)-After a nationwide search, involving many highly qualified candidates, Dr. Paul Beaudin has been selected as the next vice president of academic affairs for Northern Essex Community College.

Beaudin comes to NECC from Suffolk County Community College, part of The State University of New York (SUNY), where he is the vice president for academic affairs and interim vice president for student affairs.

NECC President Lane Glenn notes that, throughout his career, Beaudin “has been intensely focused on serving the underserved, closing equity gaps, and ensuring everyone has access to a quality education, and the support needed to succeed.”

His previous roles include superintendent of a school district in the Bronx and principal and teacher at a school in Spanish Harlem in New York City.

Beaudin says his experience working in diverse communities has prepared him to address NECC’s mission of closing the student success gap between Latino and White students and helping prepare more citizens of Massachusetts for a prosperous future.

“From the teachers, my students, and their parents, I learned that meaningful education must be society’s mandate for all…I learned that leadership is never solely about me; it is always about us: the students, their families, the community, and the faculty who choose to be engaged in society’s great work.”

Before joining Suffolk Community College in 2015, Beaudin was at his alma mater, Iona College in New Rochelle, NY, serving in roles that include associate dean, School of Arts & Science; director of graduate studies, Education; and associate professor of education.

Although he has spent his professional career in New York, the move to NECC will be a homecoming of sorts for Beaudin. His parents were the children of mill workers in the Merrimack Valley and both graduated from Lawrence High School.

Beaudin himself is a first-generation college graduate. He earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science in Education from Iona College and a Professional School Administration and Supervision and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education from Fordham University. He will officially join the NECC community at its September 7th Convocation.

Beaudin indicated, “I am humbled to be selected by the NECC Search Committee for this role.  I applied for this position because of the reputation for innovation and student success that the college enjoys not only in Massachusetts, but throughout the country.  To work with the NECC faculty and administrators in the implementation of a vision that cares and supports every student is so aligned with my own personal sense of mission forged at the beginning of my career working in the South Bronx and Harlem.  To be able to do this work in both Lawrence and Haverhill, where my family lived and worked, allows me to honor my family who walked the same streets and shared the same dreams as our current students.”

Beaudin replaces Dr. Bill Heineman, who left the college on July 1 to become president of North Shore Community College.

The Vice President of Academic Affairs is the chief academic officer of the college and is responsible for the quality and administration of all certificate and degree instructional programs at all college locations. This position reports to the president, and is a member of the president’s leadership cabinet.

Northern Essex Community College has campuses in both Haverhill and Lawrence. It offers approximately 60 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth.  Each year, 6,000 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 2,000 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley.  For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu or call 978-556-3700.