A heartfelt thank you to the record number of Giving Tuesday donors who raised a total of $26,760 to support the greatest needs of NMC students and the college, including wifi hotspots and laptops.
The total surpassed the NMC Foundation’s original goal by more than $11,000!
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
As of fall 2020, NMC instructors have saved students an estimated $2 million by switching to open educational resources — free, open and low-cost textbooks beginning in 2015. The amount saved and number of courses taught by these textbook heroes has risen each fall and spring semester. And now, more than 50 NMC classes have no accompanying textbook costs.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, NMC’s Educational Technologies team has been increasing its knowledgebase of online teaching tips and tools. New statistics show just how heavily their expertise is recognized and utilized. Between July 1 and Nov. 15, 2019, the teaching@nmc.edu page had 3,000 users. The same period this year saw 266,000 users — an 8,792% increase.
Page views rose from just over 17,000 in the 2019 period to more than 1 million in 2020. The top three pages visited were changing your name in a Zoom meeting (NMC’s explainer even ranks near the top in Google searches), downloading and setting up the Moodle mobile app and the teaching.nmc.edu homepage.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Kudos to Dean of Students Lisa Thomas and Marcus Bennett, Associate Dean of Campus & Residence Life, and other college staff at NMC who work to ease the transition for students coming out of the foster care system. As detailed in a recent Traverse City Record-Eagle story, their efforts — from waiving fees to providing emotional support — help assure that the students find success in their college careers.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Great Lakes Culinary Institute staff and students reimagined a fall fundraiser that complied with COVID-19 restrictions and created Charcuterie to Go, providing a final practical exam for garde manger students while promoting the culinary program to the community.
The charcuterie boxes created for the inaugural event quickly sold out, and orders were picked up last week. And all proceeds from the event go to support scholarships for culinary students.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
For the third year in a row, Military & Veterans Services POC Scott Herzberg has led NMC to its rank as the No. 2 community college in the country for veterans by Military Times magazine in its annual Best for Vets list.
Serving those who have served the nation is a year-round priority at NMC, where about 5 percent of students are veterans or active duty military. NMC will hold virtual Veterans Day ceremonies from 9-9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11. Attend via Zoom here.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
A sincere thank you to:
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Congratulations to NMC’s Academic & Career Advising Center for successfully reimagining the college’s annual transfer fair as a week-long virtual event. Students were able to choose from over 50 interactive sessions between October 12 and 15, including 25 major-specific sessions focused on specialty transfer areas like Business, Cybersecurity, Engineering, Nursing and Pre-Med.
The event also cross-promoted High School College Night, retooled as two nights of virtual sessions, for students unable to attend the virtual transfer fair. And new transfer sessions hosted by other colleges and universities continue to be added to the virtual event page, which also promotes weekly Virtual Transfer Tuesday sessions featuring NMC University Center partners.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Thank you to Boy Scout Troop 34, led by Scoutmaster and NMC biology instructor Nick Roster (left), which tackled an invasive patch of phragmites near the Cherry parking lot on main campus earlier this month.
It’s part of what Roster, whose two sons are in the troop, expects to be a three-year conservation and service project eradicating invasive species on college property.
Invasive phragmites “creates tall, dense stands which degrade wetlands and coastal areas by crowding out native plants and animals, blocking shoreline views, reducing access for swimming, fishing, and hunting and can create fire hazards from dry plant material,” according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Culinary student Elyce Newcomb (right, on the right) found many helpers and heroes in her first month at NMC, from Chef Les Eckert at the Great Lakes Culinary Institute to the Office of Student Life.
Newcomb, 19, needed short-term temporary housing in September. After an arrangement with a friend fell through, she feared she might have to leave her classes or live in her vehicle until her apartment was available. Eckert and and the Student Life office got her gas cards to go home to Sault Ste Marie for Labor Day weekend. When Newcomb returned, they had found a room at the Sierra Motel, a stone’s throw from main campus. Tom’s gift cards helped with groceries.
Newcomb stayed there for 18 days. As a thank-you, she brought lunch from her classes to the motel owners. (Motel co-owner Conie Duimstra, with Elyce in the photo, asked if she could come to Elyce’s graduation.) Now settled in her apartment, Newcomb is focused on her goal of graduating and working as a cook aboard a ship.
“I’m really thankful for NMC and my chefs, and the Student Life Center; they’ve literally changed my life,” Newcomb said.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Congratulations to NMC’s J.H. Rogers Observatory and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society for hosting a wildly successful virtual astronomical viewing session Friday, Sept. 25, in celebration of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s 50th anniversary.
NMC science and math instructor Jerry Dobek, who hosted the viewing session, reports that 348 people and families logged into the Zoom event over its two hours, with some from as far as Bethel, Alaska and Nashville, Tennessee, as well as Canada. Dobek and eight panelists including Astronomical Society members and National Park Service staff fielded questions from the audience while viewing live images of the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars through the observatory’s telescope, and images of deep space objects that Dobek had captured in the weeks leading up to the event. One retired couple unable to attend similar events in person due to physical limitations emailed Dobek after the event in gratitude for the virtual presentation.
The response has been so positive that Dobek is now looking into reopening the observatory’s public viewing nights, albeit in a virtual format like Friday’s event rather than in person. A close approach of Mars in mid-October may provide a good opportunity, he said, depending on the weather.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Thank you to NMC’s Admissions team for fielding a series of open Q&A sessions via Zoom about the state’s new Futures for Frontliners program to provide tuition assistance to Michigan’s front-line workers. Admissions Director Cathryn Claerhout reports that the program has generated “tons of emails” from interested students, many of whom have applied for the program. Over 100 sessions are available through December for people to get their questions about the program answered.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Thank you to the International Affairs Forum for reengaging with its audiences for a new season dedicated to Finding Solutions to Global Crises, and for reimagining how that engagement happens in the midst of a pandemic.
The IAF kicks off its 27th season this Wednesday at 5 p.m. with a timely discussion on Grappling With Pandemics: Global Public Health Policy In The 21st Century, hosted by global health expert Dr. Julio Frenk and moderated by IAF board member Kenneth Warner, former dean of the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Anyone can register for the virtual event here and pay what they can to attend, and all are invited to submit questions for the discussion to iaf@nmc.edu.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Thank you to the Dennos Museum Center for launching a virtual, pay-what-you-can version of its The Art Of: _ programming. This series of programs helps connect the visual arts to broader topics in our busy lives.
The next installment, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, features The Art Of: Sally Rogers, an NMC alumna whose sculpture, Nexus, is located on main campus. Join the conversation here.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
We want to say a huge thank you to YOU in this week’s NMC Helpers and Heroes post! Our college kicked off the new fall semester last week and we could not have done it without each and every one of our faculty and staff rising to meet the challenges and opportunities presented during this time — from retooling courses and procedures to reminding students to wear face masks and practice social distancing. You continue to demonstrate our NMC values in meeting the needs of our students and college community. Thank you for all you do to help our learners succeed and make NMC such a great place to work!
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Thank you to the dozens of NMC volunteers who helped move over 200 students into North and East halls over the past weekend and who continue helping with NMC Welcome Week events and handing out maps and masks!
They include: Marcus Bennett, Linda Berlin, Kishion Bragg, Kevin D’Alessandro, Cindy Deemer, Lisa Eiden, Cheri Garvin, David Gates, Dan Gentry, Amy Gordon, Brittany Hanbury, Roger Heeres, Lydia Henion, Scott Herzberg, Patrick Hill, Jackson Hollocker, Jennifer Hricick, Jessica Johnson, Camille Johnson, Jackie Jorgensen, Kari Kahler, Keith Kasper, Rita Kucera, Rachel LaLonde, Amy Loeb, Amari McGee, Sean McKay, Kyle Morrison, Todd Neibauer, Nick Nissley, Michelle Poertner, Alexis Reid, Shayenna Rossell, CJ Schneider, Shannon Schultz, Sally Smarsty, Jen Strauss, Alison Thornton, Amanda Van Oordt, Alex Walsh, and Meg Young.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Congratulations to Bobbi Garner (right), Office Manager of the Science & Math Academic Area, for winning this year’s Staff Excellence Award. During the spring semester, she worked late into the night and over a weekend to get 70 students rescheduled in their classes after an instructor had to cancel classes due to an emergency. Her work helped 23 of those students graduate on time in the spring.
Congratulations also to the Educational Technologies (EMT) team (left), who were integral in the transition to virtual learning this past spring. They held daily Zoom office hours and fielded five times as many help desk tickets this past March as the previous March due to the shift. This summer, they provided their teaching solutions course to over 90 instructors rather than the typical 12 to 15.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Thank you to the Academic & Career Advising Center, including Deb Maison, Taylor Nash, Kim Schultz and Lindsey Dickinson, who have conducted more than 950 appointments with new and continuing NMC students since the end of April, and to the faculty advisors who have met with more than 300 students during the same period. The Advising Center lets students schedule virtual assistance appointments through NMC’s MySuccess service and chat live via nmc.edu/advising.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!