2015 Barbecue projects to share $40,000

TRAVERSE CITY — The NMC Barbecue Board has approved nine projects that will share $40,300 in funds from this year’s 60th annual picnic under the pines, set for May 17.

College employees submit proposals for Barbecue funds to support program and equipment needs, contingent on funds raised that day. A subcommittee reviews and recommends proposals to the Barbecue Board, a group of NMC employees and community volunteers led by new president Gary Carlson. This year’s recipients are:

  • NMC traditional pow-wow
  • Multi-parameter water quality sonde
  • Student Success Center workspace
  • Lean Champion flipped classroom equipment
  • College for Kids scholarships
  • Library laptop loan program
  • ROV student design team tether
  • Scholarship Open sponsorship
  • Side scan sonar for Nautical Archaeology

The late Gerald W. Oleson and his wife Frances, founders of Oleson’s Food Stores in Traverse City, started the annual fund raiser picnic in 1956. Oleson’s Food Stores continues to donate all the food. About 10,000 people attend every year, raising more than $1.5 million for college programs and equipment over the years.

In addition to the traditional menu of buffalo steakettes or hot dog, baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw and beverage and ice cream served from 11 a.m.–5 p.m. on May 17, free live entertainment is provided throughout the day. Children’s games and activities will also be provided. The Barbecue will once again strive toward zero-waste, with composting and recycling services available.

Tickets for the event are $6 in advance and $8 on Barbecue Day and are available online at nmc.edu/bbq or by contacting the NMC Office of Public Relations & Marketing at (231) 995-1020.

Release date: march 13, 2015

For more information:

Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications
dfairbanks@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1019

 

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE

Northwestern Michigan College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, height, weight, marital status or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. nmc.edu/non-discrimination

NMC student is top in the state after overcoming great challenges

TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College student Kathy Tahtinen has been named the “New Century Scholar” for Michigan.

Tahtinen received the highest score in the state on the All-USA Community College Academic Team Application which measures grades, leadership, activities and most importantly, how students extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom.

This honor is especially meaningful for Tahtinen, a returning college student. She graduated from Traverse City Central High School in 1994 but had only one year of college before her life took a different turn, namely becoming a mother to two sons. She joined the workforce, but lost her job in the economic downturn. After two and a half years of unemployment, she decided to enroll at NMC in 2011.

Returning to school was scary, she told her teachers then. Initial placement exams indicated she was underprepared for college and she was now a single mother to teenagers. On top of all the usual demands teenagers impose, Tahtinen’s older son, Dominic, has been challenged by progressive hearing loss since birth.

But once enrolled in NMC’s Bridge program designed for nontraditional students, her confidence and ambition were unveiled. She has a cumulative 3.95 GPA, even while taking honors level courses. She is a member of NMC’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the community college honor society, works full-time for Inland Seas Education Association as well as seasonal part-time jobs and will graduate with three associate degrees this spring.

Tahtinen is considering various options to continue her education, including beginning the process of applying to Harvard University for an extension program.

“It makes me really excited,” she said.

During this last year at NMC she has also shared classes with her son, who’s dual-enrolled as a high school senior. They sit next to each other in science class.

“For me, it’s a proud moment to have my son following in my educational journey,” she said.

Tahtinen will receive a $2,000 scholarship and be recognized March 24 at the Phi Theta Kappa Annual Convention in Lansing, April 20 at the American Association of College Presidents AACC Convention in San Antonio and then May 1 at NMC’s Honors Convocation.

Fifty community college students from the United States and American Samoa were named 2015 New Century Scholars — receiving a total of $100,000 in scholarships. The New Century Scholars Program is sponsored by The Coca-Cola Foundation, Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, Phi Theta Kappa, and the American Association of Community Colleges.

More than 1,700 students were nominated from more than 1,000 community colleges for recognition.

Release date: March 6, 2015

For more information:

Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications
dfairbanks@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1019

 

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE

Northwestern Michigan College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, height, weight, marital status or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. nmc.edu/non-discrimination

Manufacturing Day offers career exploration opportunity

Note to media: Coverage is welcome at participating manufacturers (list below) between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2. Contact Ken Scott for location details: kscott@nmc.edu or (231) 995-2212.

TRAVERSE CITY —  Two dozen local manufacturers will open their doors to 600 area middle and high school students, triple the inaugural 2014 attendance, as Traverse City marks its second annual Manufacturing Day Oct. 2.

Manufacturing Day is an annual national event designed to showcase the career opportunities modern manufacturing technology offers. Last year eight manufacturers in the Traverse City Airport Industrial Park hosted 200 students, with each student visiting three busineses. This year, students will again visit three manufacturers located on eight different bus loops in Grand Traverse and Kalkaska counties. Representing industries including automotive manufacturing, food production, precision tool and screen printing, the event is designed to showcase the diversity and opportunity of manufacturing careers to a future potential workforce.

“It shows students that there’s another avenue after high school,” said Dan Oberski, principal at Traverse City West High School, which will send students to the event.  “It’s been something that’s been overlooked for so long.”

Overlooked because manufacturing today is a far cry from the Industrial Revolution-era images students might see in their textbooks, of dirty, gritty, largely urban factories.

“Manufacturing Day illustrates we have some real booming, bustling businesses right here in town,” Oberski said.

NMC Training Specialist Kennith Scott said engaging students is key to local manufacturers, who face the dilemma of growing markets but an aging skilled workforce.

“It’s just putting energy into the problem and getting the community to see the opportunities,” in skilled trades like machining, fabrication and welding, Scott said.

Northwestern Michigan College is coordinating the event in collaboration with the Grand Traverse Area Manufacturing Council. Participating manufacturers include Kennametal, RM Young Co., Clark MFG, SMI Aerospace, National Vacuum Equipment, CPM Extrusion, Tool North, Tran Tek, Forkardt, Microline, Plascon, United Engineering Tooling, Britten Studios, TentCraft, Bay Motor Products, SMI Automotive, Cone Drive, Strata Design, Cherry Capitol Foods, RJG , Kalkaska Screw, Coding Products and Hayes Manufacturing

Established in 2012, Manufacturing Day seeks to expand knowledge about and improve the general public’s perception of manufacturing careers and the industry’s value to the U.S. economy. The Traverse City event is one of more than 1,000 planned around the nation.

RELEASE DATE: September 23, 2015

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Kennith Scott 
NMC Training Specialist
kscott@nmc.edu
(
231) 995-2212

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE

Northwestern Michigan College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, height, weight, marital status or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. nmc.edu/non-discrimination

The Syrian Refugee Crisis: A First-Hand View

TRAVERSE CITY — NMC’s International Affairs Forum and the Utopia Foundation will present a global hot spot conversation and an opportunity to donate to the Syrian refugee crisis at 7 p.m. Oct. 21 in Milliken Auditorium. 

Speaker Dr. Curt Rhodes comes to Milliken directly from working at refugee camps in Jordan. Rhodes is the founder and international director of Questscope,  an NGO founded in that country that works with individuals, communities, local organizations and international partners to produce social, educational, and entrepreneurial opportunities for marginalized youth in the Middle East.

The Syria conflict has fueled the worst humanitarian crisis of modern times. Before fighting broke out in 2011, Syria’s population was 22 million. Today, half those Syrians have been forced to flee their homes. More than 7 million are now displaced within Syria and 4 million have become refugees in neighboring countries of Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon. These countries are now overwhelmed and, as resources have begun to run out, conditions have sharply deteriorated.

Rhodes began his career in the Middle East in the early 1980s as assistant dean in the School of Public Health at the American University of Beirut. During the 1982 invasion of (west) Beirut, he volunteered in a community-based clinic alongside students and friends, doing around-the-clock triage for wounded and ill civilians. That experience formed the seed of Questscope, and Rhodes has now spent more than 30 years working with and on behalf of marginalized communities and young people across the Middle East.

Tickets are $10 and free to students and educators. Half of  each ticket price will go to Questscope’s emergency fund for Syrian refugees in Jordan. The Utopia Foundation will also match the first $1,000 of donations made during the evening. 

Release date: October 8, 2015

For more information:

Karen Segal
International Affairs Forum co-chair
(231) 715-6064
jsegal_kpuschel@yahoo.com

Dr. Dave Zehnder
Questscope board
(231) 526-2981

 

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE

Northwestern Michigan College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, height, weight, marital status or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. nmc.edu/non-discrimination

Bond refinancing saves taxpayers $1.2 million

TRAVERSE CITY — Grand Traverse County taxpayers will save $1.2 million in interest over five years following a refinancing of $12.2 million in general obligation bonds earlier this month.

Bids were sought in December 2014. Standard and Poor’s awarded NMC its AA long-term rating, signifying the college’s “very strong capacity” to meet its obligations. Chemical Bank submitted the lowest interest rate of 1.38902 percent and was awarded the refinancing. 

This is the third time NMC has refinanced bonds originally issued in 1999, when voters approved $34.7 million for capital and equipment projects, including construction of a new technology education building (Parsons-Stulen Building), and demolition  and construction of the Great Lakes Campus. The first refinancing was in 2005 and the second in 2009. Collectively, taxpayers will save $3.2 million as the result of the three refinancings. 

“This outcome is a result of NMC fulfilling its duty to be a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars,” said NMC President Timothy J. Nelson. “Both the actual interest savings and the very strong bond rating should give Grand Traverse County residents confidence in the college’s fiscal management going forward.” 

Release date: January 26, 2015

For more information:

Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications 
dfairbanks@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1019

 

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE

Northwestern Michigan College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, height, weight, marital status or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. nmc.edu/non-discrimination