Nominations open for Staff and Team Excellence Awards

Mar 9, 2026 | HR Corner, Intercom

Every day, we see colleagues who go above and beyond, not for recognition, but because they care deeply about our students, our colleagues, our community, and our mission. Now is our chance to say “thank you.”

Who to nominate?

A staff member or a team who:

    • Consistently embodies NMC’s values?
    • Has made a clear, positive impact on NMC this year?
    • Inspires you with their dedication?

Who is eligible?

  • Staff: Full-time, part-time, or supplemental.
  • Teams: Departments, committees, or project groups (2+ employees).

How to nominate 

Complete and submit the Staff Excellence Nomination Form or the Team Excellence Nomination Form by Thursday, April 2, 2026

Help us highlight the incredible work happening across our campus! Recipients will receive a monetary award and an engraved plaque to be presented at the You Made It Possible Celebration on May 13, 2026.

NMC Employee Recognition Committee: Lori Hodek, Chair, Marcus Bennett, Hollie DeWalt, Les Eckert, Kim Gourlay, Craig Hadley, Taylor Nash, Denny Nguyen, Nancy Parshall and Lisa vonReichbauer.

 
 

Kudos!

Mar 6, 2026 | HR Corner, Intercom

Kudos to Amy Shamroe! Last Friday, the NOMIAC team hosted an Industry Navigator Lunch and Learn. Industry Navigator Amy Shamroe delivered a compelling and informative presentation that clearly outlined the breadth of training opportunities available through Extended Education, workforce training programs, and partner institutions across the 10-county region. Attendees walked away with a deeper understanding of available resources and a renewed appreciation for the collaborative strength behind the NOMIAC and Sixty by 30 initiatives. Thank you, Amy, for leading our industry partners in training with NMC and the NOMIAC!

Kudos to Emily Crull! Emily has recently gone above and beyond in providing support to our department. She laid out an entirely new webpage that was needed for a tight turnaround while her team was short-staffed – and it looks fantastic! She has also created extensive graphic libraries for several different initiatives that our department is involved with, so our materials look professional and polished. We truly appreciate all you do!

Celebrating new chapters

Mar 6, 2026 | HR Corner, Intercom

These colleagues have moved on to a new chapter in their lives. We wish them the very best as they navigate a new adventure, and we thank them for their time and dedication to NMC!

    • Gabriella Baldino, supplemental employee – Food Service Front of House
    • Andre Dean, supplemental employee – Instructional Tech Specialist
    • Jillian Kaley, student employee – Residence Hall Front Desk
    • Steven Miles – Adjunct Math Instructor

Welcome our newest hires!

Mar 6, 2026 | HR Corner, Intercom

These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!

    • Bee Kelly, student employee – Ceramic Studio Lab Assistant
    • Kim Ockert, supplemental employee – Test Proctor
    • Charlotte Davis, supplemental employee – Banquet Server. Hagerty Center
    • Mitchell Gingras, supplemental employee – Tutor

Spring professional development opportunities

Mar 6, 2026 | HR Corner, Intercom

NMC is hosting several upcoming training opportunities for employes. Seats are limited! Register for all courses through NeoEd Training using these instructions. For questions, contact professionaldevelopmentinstitute@nmc.edu

Canva Graphic Design Presentations and Canva AI

Tuesday, March 10, Noon-1 p.m. (Zoom)
Focusing on presentations and the use of AI, you will learn to apply the skills you have learned in Canva Basics to develop graphically pleasing presentations including video and audio, as well as using features such as drawing, resizing designs, magic features, text-to-image features, instant styles, and layouts. You will learn how to use AI to start the development of your presentations and how to upload existing presentations for further development in Canva. This is for use in class, on Instagram, on campus monitors, and more!

Using Headings in Google Workspace for Accessibility

Friday, March 13, 11 a.m.–Noon (Zoom)
This course focuses on mastering document architecture within Google Workspace by moving beyond manual formatting and into the power of semantic styling. You will learn to establish a logical hierarchy by choosing the correct heading levels, utilize the “Update to Match” feature for instant global styling, and determine master heading settings to create a consistent, accessible resource. By the end of this session, you’ll be able to leverage automated Tables of Contents and document outlines to create professional, accessible, and easily navigable content with minimal effort.

AVIRT (Active Violence Immediate Response Training)

Monday, March 16, 4–6 p.m.
Osterlin Building, room 205
Instructor: Eric Darling, Fife Lake Fire Chief

When acts of violence occur, you can’t always wait for EMS to arrive. AVIRT Training was developed with law enforcement and medical experts to empower everyone to become an immediate responder. This course is designed to equip individuals with the skills and knowledge to respond effectively to active violence and emergency situations. AVIRT teaches both active shooter response skills and emergency bleeding techniques. Certification period: 2 years. For questions, contact Garrett Croon at gcroon@nmc.edu or (231) 995-1747.

AI Prompting

Tuesday, March 17, 3–4 p.m. (Zoom)
Are you curious about AI and how it can help you? Learn about working with the AI Large Language Models (LLM’s like Gemini, ChatGPT, and Perplexity.ai) to brainstorm, summarize, explain topics, find information on the web, and respond to complex prompts. Come to this session where you will see a demonstration and get hands-on practice in AI Prompting!

Advanced AI Prompting

Wednesday, March 25, from 3–4 p.m. (Zoom)
Elevate your prompt engineering skills with this focus on advanced skills designed to teach you five distinct prompting styles. You will move beyond simple queries to master the RODE framework for structured role-based output and the Ask Gemini dialogue method for iterative refinement, while also learning industry standards like Chain-of-Thought, Few-Shot, and Prompt Chaining. After briefly reviewing these AI prompt engineering skills, there will be dedicated time for hands-on practice.

Exploring the Evolving AI Landscape

Tuesday, March 31, 3–4 p.m. (Zoom)
This advanced workshop is designed for faculty and staff who are already familiar with AI LLM’s and basic AI prompting but want to deepen their understanding of the newest developments in AI. Participants will explore powerful new tools and features—including Gemini Nano Banana, ChatGPT-5, Study and Learn, Agent Mode, storybooks, and real-world applications that are reshaping education and productivity. (Please be familiar with AI Prompting before signing up for this class. Please email athornton@nmc.edu if you have questions.)

Crucial Conversations for Accountability

Friday, May 15 AND Friday, May 22, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. (on campus)
This course is strongly recommended for all supervisors, academic chairs and program coordinators, but all regular employees are welcome with supervisor approval. While Crucial Conversations for Accountability may sound like a “gotcha” approach, it is exactly the opposite. The training provides practical tools grounded in mutual respect, active listening and collaborative problem-solving. During this two-day training, learn how to have difficult conversations in a way that solves problems while improving relationships. Attendance is required both days for course completion.

For questions, email professionaldevelopmentinstitute@nmc.edu

Embrace Creativity and Focus: Craft Your Own Analog Bag

Mar 2, 2026 | HR Corner, Intercom

In today’s digital age, it’s easy to get lost in screen time. The “analog bag” offers a simple way to step back and enjoy offline activities.

Picture a bag filled with hobbies that bring you joy. Whether it’s a sketchbook, novel, knitting supplies, or a puzzle, your analog bag is limited only by your imagination. The goal: provide a tangible alternative to mindless scrolling.

Creating your own analog bag is fun and rewarding. Here’s why every employee should try it:

  1. Boost Creativity and Productivity
    Hands-on activities stimulate creativity and problem-solving. Doodling, writing, or crafting can spark new ideas that benefit your work.

  2. Enhance Focus and Mindfulness
    Analog activities require focus, making you more present and reducing stress—improving effectiveness both at work and personally.

  3. Encourage Work-Life Balance
    An analog bag helps set boundaries between work and personal time, improving mental health and refreshing your mind.

  4. Personalize Your Downtime
    Your bag reflects your interests. Fill it with items that resonate with you, creating a personalized escape from the digital world.

To start, consider hobbies you’d like to explore. Gather materials and keep your analog bag near where you often use your phone. This way, when tempted to reach for your device, you’ll have an enticing alternative.

Create your own analog bag and enrich your personal and professional life by fostering a more balanced, focused, and creative mindset. Let’s embrace the power of analog and make room for meaningful moments.

Kudos!

Mar 2, 2026 | HR Corner, Intercom

Kudos to Megan Bylsma, Ryan Deering, Carl Shangraw, Dan Goodchild, Shelly VanderMeulen, Jeff Fouch, Michael Nachazel, and Georgenia Hromada! This is the “it takes a village” kudos! NMC’s surveying program was honored for winning the NCEES Surveying Education Award grand prize in the two-year program category. The program was recognized last night at the Michigan Society of Professional Surveyors conference. In addition to winning this program award, Ryan Deering also won the Ralph Moore Berry recognizing a non-licensed individual giving back to the profession. Couple this with our own graduates earning their professional surveying license and a scholarship recipient and it was a fulfilling event!

But what makes it special? This doesn’t happen without the support of the Foundation finding funding to support program growth, the college leveraging these funds for recruitment, a strong advisory board advocating to the State that this program is needed, strong faculty developing a 2-year program from scratch and industrial professionals continuing to teach these classes. And none of this happens without the support from the division to keep the program running, scheduled and available to students.

Great job!!!

Kudos to Katie Sommer-Ford, Hannah Rodriguez, Maggie Miron, Tait Ricks, and Tali Morrison! Hats off to the Student Success & Retention team who pulled together NMC’s first ever “Fail Forward” week, meant to normalize setbacks, reduce fear of failure, and build resilience. Events and promotion for Fail Forward week helped students to reframe mistakes as learning opportunities through a series of events including an adaptability workshop, offered by Tait Ricks from Student Life, and a session on asking for help offered by Hannah Rodriguez and Maggie Miron, from the coaching and success team. Throughout the week students could contribute to “fail boards” to share times they failed but learned from their experience and moved forward. Faculty and staff shared their own testimonials via the NMC Student Success social media. The week of events culminated in a Success Fair where students could learn about the many help resources available at NMC. Kudos to Katie Sommer-Ford and Tali Morrison for organizing, supporting, and leading the charge.

Kudos to Stephanie Liss! The Ed Tech department is giving Stephanie heartfelt kudos for the work she does to keep all the areas of the TJNIC building sparkling clean. Every morning, we enter the basement to the sound of a vacuum or the wooshing of the tables or whiteboards being cleaned in a learning or study space. We appreciate her dedication to keeping TJNIC a welcoming, clean environment! Thank you, Stephanie, for modeling NMC’s values of stewardship and excellence.

Welcome our newest hires!

Mar 2, 2026 | HR Corner, Intercom

These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!

    • Kelsey Tornga, supplemental employee – Hagerty Center Banquet Server
    • Harrison Willow, student employee – Tutor
    • Evelyn Harden, student employee – Maritime Assistant
    • Colin Burris – Supplemental Aviation Maintenance Technician

Food for the Soul

Feb 20, 2026 | HR Corner, Intercom, Student Events

Bring your team and join us in February for these Food For The Soul events as we continue to Embrace the Dream and celebrate Black History Month.

Thursday, February 26, 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. and  4:30–6 p.m.
Hawk Owl Café
$6.00/NMC staff & students; $12.00/community members

  • Shrimp and Grits or blackened tofu (vegetarian)
  • Collard Greens (with and without ham)
  • Corn bread (Jiffy)
  • Cherry cheesecake
  • Drink option (sweet tea)

For full details, to add events to your Google Calendar, or to watch for new opportunities, visit the NMC Embrace the Dream calendar.

If you have an event or activities to add, please contact lhodek@nmc.edu. Thank you for supporting inclusion and community at NMC!

Welcome our newest hires!

Feb 20, 2026 | HR Corner, Intercom

These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!

    • Redick Powell, student employee – Aviation Line Crew
    • Amanda Sanchez, student employee – Tutor
    • Gracie Gross, student employee – Residence Hall Front Desk

Welcome our newest hires!

Feb 13, 2026 | HR Corner, Intercom

These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!

    • Aiden Short, supplemental employee – Tutor
    • Elle Scollard, supplemental employee – Tutor

       

Kudos!

Feb 9, 2026 | HR Corner, Intercom

Kudos to Shannah Vergote! Shannah expertly represented NMC Extended Education & Training in a live interview on Good Day Northern Michigan on Wednesday, January 28. Watch the interview here. Thank you, Shannah, for stepping in to showcase all of the fun summer learning that awaits our youngest Hawk Owls this year!

Kudos to the Facilities Grounds Team! For all of the hard work they do to maintain our roads and sidewalks.

Kudos to Anna Bachman and Lisa Boike! Lisa Boike and Anna Bachman finalized a report that they have been working on for Human Resources for some time. Thank you!

Kudos to Kristy Jackson! College for Kids registration for the 2026 season opened yesterday, February 2. Kristy Jackson, Program Manager with Extended Education & Training, has put together over 90 classes from “Bucket Drumming With the Archipelago Project,” to “Taylor Swift Bracelet Making Party,” to “Power Up! Hydraulics & Circuits,” to so much more! Kristy has collaborated with over 35 instructors—NMC staff, faculty and community members, including area K-12 teachers. Kristy worked with each instructor to extend the learning day to 3 hours per class for Grades 1-6 (camps run from 9-noon or 1-4 p.m.) Thank you, Kristy, for providing such high-interest, enriching summer camps here at NMC for our community’s youth.

Kudos to Krista McCarty! Krista McCarty, Marketing Coordinator under the Sixty by 30 initiative, developed and is now implementing the Work & Career Marketing Plan. She has put into motion several key strategies to reach the adult learner and industry partners. Information about the NoMI Attainment Collaborative, as well as entry points for students and industry partners seeking training opportunities, can now be found on a new website: www.NOMIAC.com. In addition to the website, regular E-newsletters are now reaching adult learners in our region. These promotional emails highlight learning pathways that build upon a person’s previous experience (when applicable), offer an affordable “next step” to upskilling, and lead to higher-paying, living-wage jobs in our region. LinkedIn and social media campaigns will continue to gain momentum and bring potential students to the next step in their learning and career pathways. The goals of the initiative are to promote the following: Pathways for high-wage fields, identify employers for upskilling opportunities, industry-informed educational programming and funnel students into the best fit for them: NMC, Extended Ed & Training or other education partners in the 10-county region. Thank you, Krista, for your dedication to this life-changing Sixty by 30 initiative!

Kudos to Heather VanStratt! Last month, Heather VanStratt, Grant Manager & Community Coordinator through the Sixty by 30 initiative, hosted a quarterly NoMI Attainment Collaborative (NOMIAC) meeting at the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center. Thirty-six new and existing partners from the educational, community, and industry sectors engaged with recent metrics, event updates and unveiled prioritized strategic career pathways. Partners include Keen, War Bird, West Shore Community College, North Central Michigan College and more. Strategic Pathways include: Manufacturing; Business/Information Services, Healthcare; Energy, Transportation & Construction. Agriculture & Natural Resources and Education & Public Service. The collaborative is optimistic about current and future collaborations and events such as the Industry Navigator Lunch and Learn on Feb. 27 and participation in the Career & Majors Fair on April 10. The next NOMIAC in-person meeting is scheduled for April 23 at Baker College of Cadillac. Thank you, Heather, for your leadership and organization of the NoMI Attainment Collaborative and its initiatives!

Kudos to Emma Dyer, Chase Childers and Noah Thomas! I would like to express my gratitude for Emma Dyer, Chase Childers and Noah Thomas, all Flight Instructors for NMC, for their help with hosting the Cherry Festival’s Junior Royalty group! This event was to expose the children participating in Junior Royalty to aviation. Emma and Chase did a fantastic job demonstrating to these children how an airplane flies when each one had an opportunity to fly one of our flight simulators. Noah was demonstrating to these children how to preflight an airplane and showing them what all of the buttons and switches do in the cockpit. I wouldn’t have been able to host this group without the help of these three Flight Instructors so Kudos to you each!

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!