NECC hires new vice president of academic affairs

Mike LaBella, The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
·3 min read

Aug. 5—HAVERHILL — Northern Essex Community College has named Dr. Paul Beaudin as its new vice president of academic affairs.

He replaces Dr. Bill Heineman, who left NECC on July 1 to become president of North Shore Community College.

College officials said they conducted a nationwide search involving many highly qualified candidates that resulted in the selection of Beaudin, who comes to NECC from Suffolk County Community College, part of the State University of New York (SUNY), where he served as vice president for academic affairs and interim vice president for student affairs.

At NECC, the vice president of academic affairs is responsible for the quality and administration of all certificate and degree instructional programs at all college locations. Beaudin, who will officially join the NECC community at its Sept. 7 convocation, will report to the president and is a member of the president's leadership cabinet.

NECC President Lane Glenn noted 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."

Beaudin's 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.

"I am humbled to be selected by the NECC search committee for this role," Beaudin said. "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 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, New York, serving in roles that included associate dean, School of Arts & Science; director of graduate studies, Education, and associate professor of education.

The move to NECC will be a homecoming of sorts for Beaudin, a first generation college graduate whose parents were the children of mill workers in the Merrimack Valley and both graduated from Lawrence High School.

Beaudin 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.