The Northeast Connecticut Education Foundation (NCEF) has been established to provide scholarships and financial support to local residents pursuing higher education.
The foundation emerged following the merger of Quinebaug Valley Community College with 11 other state community colleges in 2023, according to a community announcement. The college is now known as CT State Quinebaug Valley.
The foundation remains committed to supporting CT State Quinebaug Valley in Danielson and Willimantic. It manages several endowments, including the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center (AMTC) Fund, the Quinebaug Valley Foundation Fund, the Faculty and Staff Fund and the Steven and Marjolaine Scholarship, which supports at least 27 students annually.
The foundation’s board of directors includes president Joseph Adiletta, vice president Peter Deary, treasurer Christian Sarantopoulos, secretary Gail Rooke-Norman and members Marc Archambault, William Brower, Pam Brown, Edward Graff, Rusty Haines, Joseph Markley, Diana Rose, Elle Jordyn Sherman and John Xeller.
Steve Townsend, a former QVCC student, expressed his belief in the foundation’s potential to transform lives.
“As former QVCC students and longtime residents of Northeast CT, my wife and I are proud to continue to offer scholarships at Quinebaug Valley through the NCEF,” Townsend said. “Our hope is that the students who receive our scholarships will one day be able to pay it forward and help others achieve their educational goals.”
Steve Lapointe, director of the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center at Quinebaug Valley, highlighted the impact of the foundation’s support.
“Not only do AMTC students benefit from foundation support, but so do our many business and industry partners,” Lapointe said. “The students at the AMTC are the workforce of our local manufacturing economy. The NCEF is an important resource for our school and the community.”
The foundation’s focus remains on helping more students pursue higher education. For 2025, scholarships are limited to Northeast Connecticut residents attending CT State with Quinebaug Valley as their home campus.
For more information on the Northeast Connecticut Education Foundation, visit necteducationfoundation.org.
This story was created by reporter Beth McDermott, bmcdermott1@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more.
