Monroe Campus Overview

History

The Northampton Community College began serving students in Monroe County in 1988. In 1992, the College purchased a 10,000 square foot former blouse factory on Old Mill Road in Tannersville and converted it into 5 classrooms, a seminar room and 2 computer labs. One year later, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania granted the Monroe Center branch campus status. Since then, the campus has been expanded three times to its current 40,000 square feet. Because it is filled to capacity, the College also has classes and offices in Fountain Court (on Route 611) and at the Pocono Corporate Center East. At this point, the campus is overcrowded, out of space and landlocked.

Proposed New Campus

• 72 acres off Route 715 in Pocono Township
• NCC purchased for $2M in December 2005
• 200,000 square foot facility
• Estimated cost of $72M

Enrollment

Enrollment of Monroe county residents has more than doubled since Fall 2000 (1,121 to 6,694, or 168%).

At the Monroe Campus, enrollment has grown from 92 students in Fall 1988 to 2,377 in Fall 2010.

Seventeen percent of all public high school graduates come directly to the Monroe Campus after graduation.

A total of 42,832 residents of Monroe County have been served since Fall 1967

Program

Programming at the current Monroe Campus is comprehensive, with associate degrees, certificates and specialized diplomas available for study in 15 majors at the Monroe Campus. In addition, over 100 community education courses are offered at sites throughout Monroe County. As the only provider of adult literacy services in Monroe County, a total of 850 students were served through these literacy and workforce programs.

The College’s Workforce Development program for employers and employees offers customized basic skills to meet specific job and company needs improving morale and performance. Beyond the traditional academic arena, Northampton also is a significant training resource for area businesses and organizations. Over the last four years, more than 500 employees have been served by NCC technical training in Monroe.

Funding and Support

• NCC purchased land - $2M
• Monroe County has contributed $800,000 for design and engineering
• Pennsylvania Department of Education Commitment - $36M
• Monroe County/Gaming Host Fee/Federal - $31M
• NCC Private Development Fundraising - $5 - $11M
• The new Monroe Campus is both Monroe County and Northeast PA’s #1 economic development priority of Monroe County

Economic Impact and Benefits

• 1,000 new, incumbent, and displaced workers trained over the first five years.
• $12.8M in new economic activity
• $1.5M in new taxes generated
• Shovel-ready major infrastructure project
• Linked with WIRED, ESU, KIZ, K-12 – computer security and biotechnology
• Flexible center focusing on regional needs – keeping youth here and stopping the brain drain
• Linked with sanofi pasteur, Tobyhanna Army Depot, Weiler Corporation, Mt. Airy and other recreation & entertainment sites.