College Hosts Community Leaders, Showcases New Facilities

Oct. 11, 2023

SARANAC LAKE – North Country Community College welcomed local leaders and elected officials to its Saranac Lake campus today to thank them for their support and to highlight the college’s enrollment growth, new programs and community impact. 

Community Leaders Day, held in the Connector, also included a sneak preview of the college’s nearly completed $3.3 million science and nursing lab upgrades. 

“It is the support of our elected leaders – local, state and federal -- and community partners that make North Country Community College what it is and allows us to deliver on our mission and on the promise of community college to the region,” college President Joe Keegan told the audience. “When we go to you for support, you have been there, and we are incredibly grateful.” 

This is the first Community Leaders Day the college has been able to hold in-person since before the Covid-19 pandemic. Keegan noted that it comes as North Country entered the fall semester with a 5-percent increase in enrollment, an announcement that drew applause from the crowd. 

Sarah Maroun, the college’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, outlined a series of new academic offerings the college has launched over the past year, including one-year certificates in Digital Advertising and Design, Entrepreneurship, Teaching Assistant, and Advanced EMT. Workforce training opportunities like the Child Development Associate program, Wastewater Management training, and a Software Engineering bootcamp have also been added. The college’s Human Services programs are now all offered online, and North Country will expand its nursing program in January by providing online classes in the evenings and weekend clinical placements, Maroun said. 

Community Leaders Day also focused on two major projects that have been taking place across the college’s campuses since late spring: the transformation of nursing labs on the Saranac Lake, Malone and Ticonderoga campuses into state-of-the-art simulation spaces, and the modernization of science labs on the Saranac Lake and Malone campuses.  

“The updated science and nursing labs are examples of the school’s commitment to provide high quality affordable education here in the North Country,” said Franklin County Legislator Lindy Ellis of Saranac Lake. “You should be extremely proud of what you’ve done.” 

“I think this is a gem for the North Country, what we have here,” said town of Lewis Supervisor James Monty, vice chairman of the Essex County Board of Supervisors.  

State Assemblyman Billy Jones, who secured $250,000 for the Malone science lab upgrades, noted that having new facilities will help the college recruit new students.  

“To see these labs come to fruition is just a joy for me,” he said. “I know how important it is for these campuses to continue to meet the needs of the community.” 

“This is an investment in the future,” said State Senator Dan Stec, who helped the college re-purpose $1.1 million in state funding for the science labs. “You can’t get students in the door if they’re getting a better deal or a better experience somewhere else. This is going to be a good thing for the community and for North Country Community College.”  

Following the program in the Connector, the elected officials and community leaders in attendance toured the new spaces, which are in the final stages of construction. The college plans to host ribbon cuttings for the renovated facilities on each campus once they are complete.