Ulliance offering Mental Health Support in May

May 7, 2021 | HR Corner, Intercom

Ulliance (Employee Assistance Program) – (800) 448-8326 – Mental Health Support

Ulliance offers free confidential support & resources including counseling, coaching and crisis support. During the month of May they are offering resources and tools to support mental well-being.

Check out the links below to help you recognize how stress visits in different areas of your life (emotional, physical and even financial), and how to take steps to manage the stress. You might even try some of the “stress busters” while on the job or at your desk.

 You can do this… Start now and WATCH A RELAXATION VIDEO and set yourself on the path to better mental health!

• 10 Ways to Destress at Your Desk
• Creating an Emergency Fund (3-5 minute read)
• Time Management- Tips & Tricks video

Employee Anniversaries – May

May 7, 2021 | HR Corner, Intercom

The following employees are celebrating an anniversary soon. Please join us in congratulating them! (more…)

Kudos!

May 7, 2021 | HR Corner, Intercom

Kudos to Elizabeth Sonnabend: Thank you for your presentation to the Board of Trustees about experiential learning and how you connect marketing students to real-world opportunities. Your student stories showed that you are providing meaningful educational experiences based on their life situations. It was inspiring to see the excitement, commitment, and creativity you bring to your teaching, and see the real-life connections you help our students make within their communities.

Kudos to Bryce Turner: I appreciate the simplified remote access to our shared departmental drives. Thank you! Kudos for making our work lives a bit smoother in this remote environment. While I realize that you likely made this change as a normal part of your work, it is completely appreciated.

Kudos to Craig Hadley & the Dennos Museum Center: Thank you, Craig, for teaching this impactful EES class called, “On Display: Curating 75 Years of Japanese American Incarceration (Livestream).” Understanding our history helps us to understand one another, and the EES team appreciates you sharing your expertise and knowledge with our community. Thank you to the Dennos team for collaborating with EES in the promotion of this great class.

Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. Please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!

Ulliance offering Mental Health Support in May

Apr 29, 2021 | HR Corner, Intercom

Ulliance (Employee Assistance Program) (800) 448-8326
Mental Health Support

Offers free confidential support & resources including counseling, coaching and crisis support.  During the month of May, they are offering resources and tools to support mental well-being.

Check out the following webinars throughout May:

Living in Harmony with Young Adults
Thursday, May 6, 11:30 a.m.–Noon
REGISTER HERE

Pro Tips to Improve your Mental Health
Tuesday, May 11, Noon–1 p.m.
REGISTER HERE

Letting Go and Forgiving
Thursday, May 27, Noon–12:30 p.m.
REGISTER HERE

Families First Leave for COVID-19 Related Absences FAQ

Apr 23, 2021 | HR Corner, Intercom

1. Who is eligible?
   All NMC Employees

2. How many hours do I have?
   The average hours you work in two weeks.  Full-time employees have 80 hours, and part-time employee hours vary depending on what you normally work.

3. When can I use Families First Leave for my own COVID-19 related absence?
   If you are diagnosed with COVID-19, have COVID-19 symptoms, under quarantine due to exposure of someone who is confirmed positive, receiving a COVID-19 vaccination, or ill due to side effects from the vaccination.

4. What leave policy should I select in ADP when reporting absences for myself?
   Families First Paid Sick Leave- SELF.

5. Why are there three different Families First Leave Policies listed in ADP?
   They cover different reasons related to COVID-19:

• • Families First Paid Sick Leave- SELF– described in #3
  • Families First Paid Sick Leave- FAMILY– If you must care for a family member who is dealing with any COVID-19 related issues (including assistance to receive their vaccination).
    NOTE– this leave only pays at 2/3 wages, so you must report to Hollie DeWalt, in HR, how you would like to cover the other 1/3 of your time (sick, vacation or unpaid).
  • Families First- FMLA– If you must care for your child because their school is closed due to COVID-19.
    NOTE– this leave only pays at 2/3 wages, so you must report to Hollie DeWalt, in HR, how you would like to cover the other 1/3 of your time (sick, vacation or unpaid).

Please let Hollie DeWalt in Human Resources know if you have any questions at (231) 995-1350 or hdewalt@nmc.edu.

Employee Anniversaries – April

Apr 15, 2021 | HR Corner, Intercom

The following employees are celebrating an anniversary soon. Please join us in congratulating them! (more…)

Kudos!

Apr 15, 2021 | HR Corner, Intercom

Kudos to Katie Sommer-Ford:  A student injured their hand and needed assistance drawing charts for an exam being proctored in the Student Success Center. Katie stepped in and helped by holding an instrument for the student, while wearing PPE and sitting with a plexiglass shield, so they could complete their exam. Katie is always willing to step in and help wherever needed, and we’re so grateful to have her as a part of our team!

Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. Please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!

Kudos!

Apr 5, 2021 | HR Corner, Intercom

Kudos to Kelsey Wright: Kelsey is one of our 7 Supplemental Success Coaches. A student nominated her for the faculty excellence award. Since she isn’t faculty, she won’t be recognized in that way. But we wanted to make sure she was recognized! Great job Kelsey, you are here to support student success and make our team proud!

“Kelsey has truly been inspirational this semester to me. I can’t speak for the other students but she has really pushed me to do my best. Every time we have a conversation I’m so inspired it’s awesome, it was like being in boot camp all over again. The first time we met we went over my schedule and planned out what I should expect from each class. In the proceeding meetings, we went over what is working and what is not working. For example, we went over my study habits and set up a study plan for the week. I remember during the third or fourth meeting the topic of dropping classes was brought up and I was like “no way, with you as my success coach I could climb Mt. Everest.” More recently during midterms and such, I was struggling with my English paper, having a mean case of writer’s block, and it just so happens that Kelsey emailed me asking me if I needed anything. I told her about it and she shared a story she saw on The Weather Channel (believe it or not the weather channel cleared my writer’s block). It was her help that gave me the push needed to finish my paper. Kelsey’s positive attitude is another reason why I don’t want to give up on anything. I look forward to showing her my grades at the end of the semester and thanking her in person for her support.”

Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. Please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!

Kudos!

Mar 26, 2021 | HR Corner, Intercom

Kudos to Becca Richardson: Becca completed EL 101 and successfully created an excellent new EL assignment for her online course! Thank you for being an awesome educator and looking for effective and innovative ways to engage and teach your students!

Kudos to Jacob Wheeler: Thank you for presenting during the faculty showcase portion of the Board of Trustees meeting. The presentation showed your commitment to your students, the White Pine Press, and experiential learning. During this challenging year, you provided a rich learning experience that not only taught your students journalism but also invaluable interpersonal skills. Thank you for including your student’s voice in your presentation, it was awesome to hear about her experience with the WPP!

Kudos to Sarah Montgomery-Richards: Sarah offered her students extra credit to experience an Indian Cooking class on Zoom while they were studying Hinduism. She provided them with the recipes ahead of time and made suggestions where they could find ingredients. They all cooked together on Zoom! Sarah said, “It was great seeing them all in their kitchens, asking questions not only about the food but about topics from class.”

Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. Please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!

2021 Retirees

Mar 15, 2021 | HR Corner, Intercom

Retirees

• Jackie Cobb
• Vicki Cook
• Bob Cooney
• Mike Davis
• Jo Gallegos
• Mike Gillett **
• Holly Gorton**
• Rhonda Greiner**
• Mike Jacobson**
• Carol McKee
• Donna Palmer**
• John Pflughoeft**

** Emeritus

2021 Service Awards

Mar 15, 2021 | HR Corner, Intercom

Employee Anniversaries – March

Mar 15, 2021 | HR Corner, Intercom

The following employees are celebrating an anniversary soon. Please join us in congratulating them! (more…)

Kudos!

Mar 15, 2021 | HR Corner, Intercom

Kudos to Tom Gordon: Thank you for presenting the Faculty Report at the NMC’s Board of Trustees meeting! You put together a thoughtful presentation that showcased your sabbatical work around teaching history and competency-based learning. Your passion for teaching and innovation was the perfect example of faculty excellence here at NMC.

Kudos to the NMC Community: I wanted to thank our NMC Community for rising to the call for professional clothing donations as a part of the NMC Virtual Career Fair. The response has been larger than we imagined and we will continue to offer this for students as long as it is needed with the help of the NMC Food Pantry. Your overwhelming support for this project has helped our students with something as simple as an outfit to wear to an interview.

Kudos to Steve Kellman: Steve is always so efficient in getting website updates posted. And I really appreciate his patience and kindness, correcting my errors and directing me back to the style manual (probably hoping I’ll learn more!).

Kudos to Amy Trouslot: Amy Trouslot has taken on the added responsibilities of coordinating and overseeing the NMC Nursing Student participation in the COVID Vaccination Clinic in Traverse City. This is a great thing she’s done in providing this service to the community and also giving students the opportunity to serve. Thank you Amy for your heart for nursing.

Kudos to Fourth Semester Nursing Students: Participation in the COVID vaccination clinics! Their willingness to serve the community in such an important way!

Kudos to Mac Beeker: Mac has led the efforts to initiate the use of an Admissions Assessment for the NMC Nursing Program. His efforts will help us to ensure that the students have the foundational knowledge and skills necessary to set them up for success in the nursing programs.

Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. Please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!

Kudos!

Feb 22, 2021 | HR Corner, Intercom

Reason for Kudos to Madelyn Ek: Maddie completed Experiential Learning 101 and met with the Experiential Learning Institute to work on her capstone Experiential Learning project! Maddie, thank you for your dedication to engaging your students in high-impact learning! We look forward to working with you as you “ELize” your course! Thank you for being a part of our outstanding education team at NMC!

Reason for Kudos to Mary Beeker, Dave Gates, and Dan Wasson: Mary Beeker had the idea to pilot a Wi-Fi hotspot checkout program in the library back in the summer of 2019. Little did we know that demand for these would skyrocket less than a year later due to COVID-19. I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge Mary’s foresight in researching and implementing a process for providing this much needed service, with 165 circulations in the past year providing internet service to students learning from home. Thanks to her work, the library already had the necessary infrastructure in place in March 2020 to meet increasing demand for these devices, and we were able to simply boost our inventory. Dave Gates and Dan Wasson have also been instrumental in quickly increasing our fleet and providing continued support for the library’s Wi-Fi hotspots.

Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. During our “Stay Home, Stay Safe” directive, please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!

Employee Anniversaries – February

Feb 5, 2021 | HR Corner, Intercom

The following employees are celebrating an anniversary soon. Please join us in congratulating them! (more…)

Wellness Opportunities

Feb 5, 2021 | HR Corner, Intercom

Read the Being on Time in 2021- Wellbeing Newsletter HERE.

Wellness Tip- Receiving Graciously

“To graciously receive is an expression of the dignity of giving.” – Deepak Chopra

When we wholeheartedly receive a gift of any kind, we show gratitude, but there’s more to it. A simple ‘thank you’ is nice but learning to cultivate the art of receiving graciously is an emotional paycheck to the giver. Expressing your appreciation in a unique and personal way might look like this: “I have the perfect spot for this picture!”, or “This mug will remind me of you every morning when I drink my coffee”, or “Your hospitality made me feel right at home.” A genuine and meaningful reflection has an energy that uplifts both the giver and the receiver.

Daily Practice: Observe the gift givers and receivers in your life. What do you notice?

Wellness Lunch & Learn- Beating the Winter Blues

Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Noon–12:30 p.m.

Please join Wellbeing Coordinator Chrissie Gonzales for this virtual discussion.

HERE is the link to the call. You should have received a calendar invite as well!

Kudos!

Feb 5, 2021 | HR Corner, Intercom

Honorees’ Names: Constanza Hazelwood & Marguerite Cotto
Honorees’ Dept./Division: Great Lakes Water Studies Institute
Reason for Kudos: Thank you for presenting the Faculty Report at the NMC’s Board of Trustees meeting! Thank you for taking the time to put together a thoughtful presentation that showcased how you use teaching excellence and experiential learning to engage students in experiences that connect students to the real-world work of Freshwater Studies! Your leadership and program pivots during the pandemic are examples of how NMC Faculty, Staff, and Administrators serve our students, community, and environment!

Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. During our “Stay Home, Stay Safe” directive, please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!

Wellness Tip- Receiving Without Obligation

Jan 19, 2021 | HR Corner, Intercom

“Until we can receive with an open heart, we can never really give with an open heart.” – Brene Brown

Isn’t it interesting that when we receive a gift, sometimes we react by feeling like we have to pay the giver back rather than to simply say ‘thank you’? For example, you have a friend who is recovering from surgery, so you take them a home-made dinner. If you get your casserole pan returned with lemon bars and a gift card to Starbucks, your dinner gift feels smaller and insignificant. You gave for the giving’s sake and did not expect anything in return, yet your generous gesture was diminished. Learning to receive without obligation is the true gift to the giver.

Daily Practice: Think about a time when you received a gift, and you were simply thrilled. How did you say ‘thank you’?