President's Message

In this
section:

Welcome to Our College!

It is a joy to welcome you to Naugatuck Valley Community College, a caring and dynamic institution where students always come first. Surrounded by splendid gardens and grounds and served by talented and credentialed faculty, staff and administrators at our Waterbury and Danbury Campuses, the College offers comprehensive educational opportunities for those who are just beginning their education and those who are continuing their personal journey to a better future.

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Our catalog presents prospective students with a rich and diverse array of career and academic programs, including allied health, aviation, dance, digital arts, early childhood education, engineering technology, manufacturing, horticulture, hospitality management, human services, liberal arts and sciences and many more. In addition, we participate in multiple transfer and articulation agreements designed to facilitate student transfers to the Connecticut State Universities and beyond.

Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC) takes pride in its historic role as an engine for change in the lives of our students and in the communities we serve through strong relationships with Connecticut agencies that promote educational, labor, economic and community development initiatives. To that end, we offer programs designed to inspire and promote engagement both on campus and in our communities. Our students benefit from the evening bus service which their predecessors helped bring to the citizens of Waterbury, the federal GEAR UP grant funding for college preparation and the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center which supports local workforce needs.

Our varied degree, certificate and non-credit program offerings make Naugatuck Valley Community College the place to be. A new academic year brings the promise of exciting new opportunities for students. In Waterbury, our learning commons along the 5th floor afford students quiet places to study or socialize. Our Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) offers tutoring services for all students and the Center for Academic Planning & Student Success (CAPSS) provides mentoring, academic advisement and counseling. These services are replicated on a smaller scale at our growing Danbury Campus. Whether on our Waterbury or Danbury Campus, NVCC is alive with cultural activities for students, their families and the communities we serve.

I am joined by the entire NVCC family in welcoming you to what will surely be a challenging and rewarding experience.

Sincerely,

Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D.

President

About the president

About Dr. De Filippis

Dr. De Filippis has been the President of NVCC since 2008. The hallmark of her presidency is a shared vision of community, student-centeredness, collaboration and civic engagement. Under her guidance, student retention has steadily risen and 1,080 total awards were presented during the 2017-2018 academic year. During her presidency, NVCC has been nationally recognized for many achievements. In September 2017, NVCC was selected as one of only 150 community colleges nationally invited to apply for the fifth biennial $1-million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the signature recognition of high achievement and performance in America’s community colleges. In November 2017, NVCC was ranked #38 nationwide in Washington Monthly’s “Best Colleges for Adult Learners--2 Year Colleges.” The ranking, part of a larger college guide, is based on the contribution to the public good that colleges make in three broad categories: social mobility, research and service.

Prior to coming to NVCC, Dr. De Filippis served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College of the City University of New York (CUNY). She holds a Ph.D. in Spanish Language and a M. Phil. in Spanish Literature from the Graduate School and University Center of CUNY, an M.A. in Spanish Literature and a B.A. in Spanish and English Literatures from Queens College, CUNY. A published author and literary critic, her scholarly work is recognized internationally as pioneering the field of Dominican women studies and Dominican authors in the U.S. On October 6, 2016, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in the Humanities by the University of Santo Domingo, the oldest university in the Americas in recognition of her contributions to Dominican, Caribbean and Dominican Diaspora literature. In May of 2017, President De Filippis was honored by Eugenio María de Hostos Community College as the Educator of the Year at their annual Scholarship Benefit. In 2018, De Filippis was inducted into the Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame for her contributions, as a first-generation immigrant, to the country and State of Connecticut. She also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Connecticut Association of Latinos in Higher Education (CALAHE) for her work and commitment to the advancement of the Latino community and underrepresented populations.

President De Filippis serves on the Connecticut Technical High School System Board, the Prospect Waterbury Local Advisory Board, the Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board, the Advisory Board of the Dominican Studies Institute at the City College, CUNY and on the Board of the Dominican Studies Association. She is a regular panelist at the spring Higher Education Resource Services (HERS) Wellesley Conference where she provides leadership and career advice to approximately 60 women. President De Filippis recently completed nine-year terms of service on the Board of Directors for the Waterbury Regional Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Greater Waterbury.