Lupoli Family Makes Pledge to Northern Essex Community College
Helping students while improving workforce development for Massachusetts’ thriving hospitality and culinary arts industry
One of the first major contributors to the multi-million-dollar gifts campaign, the Lupoli Family’s $500,000 pledge will jump start an anticipated $1 million endowment for the Lupoli Family School of Hospitality & Culinary Arts in honor of Sal Lupoi’s parents, Nicholas and Jeannette Lupoli and brother James.
Like other community colleges and state universities, NECC has struggled with decreased state funding. Massachusetts has cut higher education by 31% since 2001. “It’s an incredible gift that will help us do something that no community college in New England has done before,” says NECC President Lane Glenn. “We will be able to create a permanent endowed chair for an academic program that will become a regional provider of skilled workers for an industry that is booming in the Commonwealth.”
The program will occupy two floors of The Heights in downtown Haverhill. This 10-story luxury, mixed-use development project built by Lupoli Companies is scheduled to open in 2019. It will feature classrooms, laboratories, a test kitchen and a restaurant where aspiring chefs can begin honing their skills.
Having started his career in hospitality, Sal Lupoli recognizes the importance of this unique program and the benefits it brings to the area. “We encourage other businesses to join us in our commitment to support higher education because when you invest in a community college, you invest in the future of our local neighborhoods and our state as a whole.”