These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
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
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!
Kudos to Lynne Moritz and Terri Gustafson! Kudos to Lynne and Terri for co-organizing the Curling Watch Party! What a fun way to celebrate the Olympics and to learn more about curling.
These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
Gather your colleagues and get ready to toss your way to victory!
Compete in the cornhole tournament at 11 a.m. on March 18 in the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center, room 106/107 for a chance to win the trophy and a free one-year membership to the NMC Fitness Center.
Questions? Email bhanbury@nmc.edu
These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
The following employees are celebrating an anniversary soon. Please join us in congratulating them!
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!
These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
The next lunch and learn will be held at noon on Wednesday, February 11. Bring your lunch and join Brittany Hanbury on Zoom to explore the importance of carving out “me time” and getting creative. Together, we’ll discover free and easy ways to try new hobbies and explore the latest trends, including analog bags. There will also be a giveaway for a hobby starter kit—one lucky attendee will get the supplies needed to try three new hobbies including a Woobles crochet kit. This is event is open to all employees.
Questions? Email bhanbury@nmc.edu
Looking for easy, affordable recipes? Our colleague, Brittany Hanbury, has been testing a few crockpot recipes that can be added to your recipe rotation.
The first is a Chickpea Tortilla Soup from LiveEatLearn. When Brittany tested this recipe she used the tip from the original blog post and froze most of the ingredients aside from the broth, cream cheese, cilantro and lime in a ziploc bag and then added the frozen ingredients to the crock pot the day of with the broth and cooked on low for 6 hours before finishing the dish with the cream cheese, cilantro and lime. She also added extra jalapeños because they love a little extra spice. She says that her family are not typically soup people but this has become a staple in their household.
The second recipe is Lentil Sloppy Joes from Thyme and Love. Brittany has been a pescatarian for about 15 years and forgot how much she used to enjoy sloppy joes until she tried this recipe. She used regular Worcestershire sauce instead of vegan and says it still turned out great.
Try these recipes and enjoy!
These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
Kudos to Amy Klei! Amy was responsible for updating a BANNER report that was needed for Financial Aid to complete information for the National Center for Education Statistics. The instructions provided by IPEDS did not include all of the information that was needed for the report. This situation created a great deal of rework. Amy has a great deal of knowledge and experience which helped me find the missing pieces to this project. She was very responsive in working through this cumbersome process so we could meet our submission due date.
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!
These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
Is one of your goals for this year to be more active? Here are some creative ways to stay active during the day!
Also be sure to check out NMC’s fitness center; employees are eligible for a discounted rate, and it’s convenient location makes it easy to squeeze in a quick workout before or after work or even on your lunch break!
These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
Join us for these Embrace the Dream events and activities as we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Black History Month!
Beginning January 17 and continuing throughout the month, we invite you to take part in Embrace the Dream. This series of events and activities honors the legacy and values of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. These experiences center around reflection through learning, service, community, connection, and inclusion.
Join your colleagues and engage with these meaningful opportunities, both on campus and in the community. Below is a list of currently scheduled events and activities, with more to come:
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Walk & Celebration (sponsored by Northern Michigan E3)
January 17
Contact: Marcus Bennett, mbennett@nmc.edu
Dennos Museum “I have a dream” Day
January 19, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Free admission to the Dennos
Contact: Craig Hadley, chadley@nmc.edu
5th Annual Embrace the Dream Read – Aloud and Craft Night
January 29, 4:30 – 6 p.m.
NMC Library
Kids, preschool through 6th grade are invited to the NMC Library to READ, CRAFT and receive a FREE Book!
Volunteers needed. Contact: Kerrey Woughter, kwoughter@nmc.edu
Children’s Literacy
January 30, 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.
Traverse Heights Elementary School
Join us in reading and crafting with local elementary school students at Traverse Heights Elementary School! You will be paired with one or two fourth-grade students to read part of a children’s book and do a related craft. Volunteers needed. Contact Kerrey Woughter, kwoughter@nmc.edu
Food for the Soul
Thursday, February 5, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4:30–6 p.m.
Hawk Owl Café
$6.00/NMC staff & students; $12.00/community members
Food for the Soul
Thursday, February 12, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4:30–6 p.m.
Hawk Owl Café
$6.00/NMC staff & students; $12.00/community members
Food for the Soul
Thursday, February 19, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4:30–6 p.m.
Hawk Owl Café
$6.00/NMC staff & students; $12.00/community members
Food for the Soul
Thursday, February 26, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4:30–6 p.m.
Hawk Owl Café
$6.00/NMC staff & students; $12.00/community members
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 to a new year full of possibilities! As we step into this fresh chapter, it’s the perfect time to embrace new opportunities and make positive changes. Check out the opportunities NMC already has available to help you on this journey below and keep an eye out for even more wellness events and information coming from NMC’s newly revamped wellness program!
Wellness Resources at NMC: