Built for What’s Next: New England College’s 2025 Highlights and 2026 Outlook

In 2025, New England College (NEC) strengthened its foundation while accelerating toward what’s next. Across academics, student experience, athletics, and community partnership, NEC advanced innovation, expanded access, celebrated national-level achievements, and invested in programs and facilities designed to meet the evolving needs of students and the workforce. Together, these milestones reflect a campus that is on the move but grounded in its mission to foster student success through transformative education, critical thinking, civic engagement, and career development. New England College is built for what comes next.

“2025 was a year of meaningful momentum for New England College, said Dr. Wayne F. Lesperance, Jr., President of New England College. “Every investment we made, from new academic pathways and experiential learning opportunities to athletics and facilities, reflects our mission to prepare students not just for their first job, but for lifelong success in a rapidly changing world.”

Academic Strength and New Pathways
NEC continues to align academic offerings with emerging workforce demands, including the expansion of learning opportunities in artificial intelligence (AI). Building on the launch of the online Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence, the College advanced AI-focused curriculum and career-aligned pathways designed for graduate students and working professionals seeking relevance, flexibility and impact.

Career readiness has strengthened across disciplines. NEC enhanced its online MS in Accounting program with tools and coursework designed to better prepare students for the CPA exam, reinforcing the College’s focus on practical outcomes and professional advancement.

STEM Investment and Campus Pride, Made Visible
A defining moment of 2025 was the renaming of the College’s science building as the Austin and Betty Ann Kovacs Science Center, honoring transformational generosity that supports expanded STEM learning and research. The renamed facility represents a long-term investment in science education and innovation, reinforcing NEC’s commitment to hands-on learning in high-demand fields, including AI, health sciences and biomedical research.

Innovation on Campus: NEC-TV Launches
Experiential learning took a major step forward with the launch of NEC-TV, a student-run television station that provides real-world opportunities in broadcasting, production, journalism and storytelling. The initiative creates a living laboratory for students interested in media, communications and creative industries, while enriching campus life through original programming. That momentum was reinforced by individual student achievements, including Kenray Emadamerho’s receipt of the Al Sprague Memorial Scholarship, awarded by the New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters in recognition of excellence and promise in the field.

Additionally, in April, NEC’s student-run newspaper, The NewEnglander, secured first place in the Opinion Page category at the 2024 New England Better Newspaper Competition. This prestigious award, presented by the New England Newspaper & Press Association (NENPA), highlights the exceptional work and dedication of NEC’s student journalists.

Access and Affordability: Stronger Partnerships Close to Home
NEC expanded its High School Partnership Program, adding several schools to its growing high school partnership network. This program offers a locked-in tuition rate of $10,000 per year to eligible students from partner high schools, further underscoring NEC’s commitment to affordability and access while maintaining the benefits of a private college education.

Student Success and Recognition
NEC celebrated the Class of 2025, awarding degrees to more than 1,300 graduates across undergraduate and graduate programs. The ceremony marked both personal milestones for students and continued progress toward institutional growth and student success.

The College also earned recognition as a top college for athletics by niche.com, reflecting a campus culture where academic achievement and competitive excellence go hand in hand.

Investing in Athletics and Student Experience
In 2025, NEC continued to invest in athletics facilities that support student success, health and competitive excellence across all programs. Progress on the Athletics Center expansion advanced shared resources for strength and conditioning, athletic training, and student-athlete support, reinforcing NEC’s commitment to providing modern, high-quality facilities for its entire student community.

As part of this broader investment, NEC also completed enhancements to the football field, adding a dedicated venue that contributes to campus energy, game-day experience and community engagement. Together, these improvements strengthen recruitment, elevate competition and support a vibrant residential campus experience for student-athletes across all sports.

Competitive Excellence: Championships, All-Americans, and Program Growth
Athletics remained a point of pride throughout 2025, highlighted by major competitive achievements:

• Men’s Golf captured its third straight GNAC championship, completing a program-defining three-peat.
• Jaclyn Dehney earned All-American honors at the NCWWC National Championships, marking a historic achievement for NEC Wrestling.
• Zach Emerson returned to NEC to lead Cross Country and Track & Field, strengthening leadership continuity and long-term program development.
• Esports also continued its rapid rise, with NEC’s Rainbow Six team claiming the NECC Division VI championship, adding another title to the College’s growing list of competitive successes.

Service, Leadership, And Institutional Strength
In 2025, NEC was designated a Purple Heart College, joining a national network of institutions committed to honoring and supporting Purple Heart recipients and military-connected students. The designation reflects NEC’s longstanding commitment to service, access and student support.

The College also achieved full reaccreditation from the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), reaffirming institutional quality, academic rigor, and long-term stability for students and families.

Two members of the CNN news team visited NEC last year. Mark Preston, CNN’s Senior Political Analyst and Vice President of Political and Special Events Programming, led a thought-provoking discussion on the state of U.S. politics as part of the College’s President’s Speaker Series on March 26. Dana Bash, anchor of Inside Politics with Dana Bash and co-anchor of State of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, addressed graduates and received an honorary doctorate from NEC at the May 2 Commencement ceremony.

Research and Faculty Excellence That Reach Beyond Campus
NEC students and faculty advanced undergraduate research and scholarly collaboration in 2025 through presentations at the annual meetings of New Hampshire IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (NH-INBRE) and NH Long-Term Investment to Fuel Transformative Research (NH-LIFT). These projects, supported through competitive federal funding, highlight NEC’s commitment to hands-on research experiences that strengthen critical thinking skills and prepare students for graduate study and scientific careers.

Faculty and student scholarship continued to elevate NEC’s academic profile. Dr. Sarah Gunnery, Associate Professor of Psychology and Community Mental Health, received a landmark NIH grant to advance Parkinson’s disease research, placing NEC at the center of nationally significant scientific work and offering students the opportunity to engage in funded research alongside faculty mentors.

NEC also celebrated national recognition for creative excellence, as Jennifer Militello, Program Director for NEC’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and current Poet Laureate of New Hampshire, received a fellowship from the Academy of American Poets in support of community-based poetry initiatives. The honor reflects NEC’s strength in the arts and its commitment to public-facing scholarship.

NEC faculty impact also reached the global stage in 2025, as Nicole Decoteau, Associate Professor of ESL and Director of First-Year Writing and ESOL, was selected for a prestigious U.S. Department of State fellowship. Through the Virtual English Language Educator Program, she will teach virtual English as a Foreign Language (EFL) courses to provide academic and professional development at Sumy State University in northern Ukraine, bringing globally informed perspectives back to NEC classrooms.

Institute of Art and Design’s Ryan O’Rourke, Professor of Illustration, illustrated children’s book Parker Panda’s Perfect Day. The book was created in partnership with Eversana and Horizon Therapeutics and is specifically tailored for distribution to children living with Urea Cycle Disorder (UCD), a rare genetic condition that affects the body’s ability to remove waste nitrogen.

Affectionately known as “Dr. C” on campus, Dr. Carrie Colbert, Professor of Business Administration, was selected to be the feature faculty member in the November 2025 issue of Private University Products and News magazine. The article details how Dr. C.’s signature teaching and mentoring style is driven by the formation of genuine relationships with her students.

Looking Ahead to 2026
Guided by its mission, New England College will continue to focus on student success, purposeful learning and career-aligned outcomes that help graduates build a strong foundation for meaningful lives. In 2026, NEC will continue expanding AI-focused academic offerings, deepening experiential learning opportunities and launching a new online Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) designed for experienced professionals seeking advanced leadership and applied research credentials.

In 2026, NEC proudly marks its 80th anniversary, a milestone that honors eight decades of transformative education, meaningful community and unwavering commitment to shaping the future. NEC kicked off its year-long celebration on January 14 during its annual Founders Day celebration and will continue to celebrate this milestone throughout the year.

“Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, New England College is entering its next chapter with confidence, clarity and purpose,” Dr. Lesperance added. “As we celebrate our 80th anniversary, we are building on a strong foundation by expanding career-aligned programs, deepening experiential learning, and investing in people and partnerships that position our students—and the institution—for lasting success in an evolving global landscape.”

With continued investment in programs, people and partnerships, New England College remains focused on preparing students not just for today’s challenges but also for what’s next.