Sep 14, 2020 | Hawk Owl Helpers and Heroes, Intercom
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!
Sep 8, 2020 | Hawk Owl Helpers and Heroes, Intercom
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!
Aug 31, 2020 | Hawk Owl Helpers and Heroes, Intercom
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!
Aug 24, 2020 | Hawk Owl Helpers and Heroes, Intercom
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!
Aug 17, 2020 | Hawk Owl Helpers and Heroes, Intercom
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!
Aug 10, 2020 | Hawk Owl Helpers and Heroes, Intercom
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!
Aug 3, 2020 | Hawk Owl Helpers and Heroes, Intercom
Thank you to donors and volunteers for stepping up to support NMC students and our entire campus. Donors made more than 1,300 gifts this spring to support students and programs in need — the second highest donor number ever recorded at the NMC Foundation. This support allowed the Foundation Board to pledge an additional $1 million to the college during this challenging year.
Thank you, also, to the volunteers of the Scholarship Open Committee, who reworked the event to accommodate current health guidelines. The 2020 Scholarship Open, in memory of Jim Beckett, will be held this Thursday, Aug. 6 with more than 200 participants and is one of the college’s most important fundraising events, raising over $100,000. You can still register to golf or support the Scholarship Open today at nmc.edu/golf.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Jul 27, 2020 | Hawk Owl Helpers and Heroes, Intercom
Thank you to Residence Life staff Lisa Eiden, Amari McGee, Charles (CJ) Schneider and paraprofessional (student) staff Keith Kasper, Kishion Bragg and Monte White, who have been working with Associate Dean of Campus and Residence Life Marcus Bennett to help the dozens of students and interns who have called NMC home since early May. Staff has worked to ensure their stay in the residence halls has been an enjoyable one, and are working on plans to ensure that Fall 2020 is a success as well.
East Hall and North Hall are slated to be home to more than 100 students each in Fall 2020, as new and returning NMC students are welcomed back to campus Wednesday, Aug. 19 through Wednesday, Aug. 26 with a series of free socially distanced and virtual events.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Jul 20, 2020 | Hawk Owl Helpers and Heroes, Intercom
Thank you to all of the NMC employees who have worked hard to retool and reopen their programs so students can keep learning while working to keep them safe, including those in Aviation, Culinary, Dental, Maritime, Police Academy and at the Dennos Museum Center.
As one example, Culinary Director Les Eckert noted that Patty Cron-Huhta and Mike Skarupinski set up new COVID-19 safety protocols for the baking lab and dining room for Cafe Lobdell’s. Program staff also worked with Facilities to ensure all sanitizing supplies are available for cleaning during and after Cafe Lobdell’s operating hours. The moves enabled Cafe Operations students to make up a spring lab class and to ensure a timely end of summer graduation.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Jul 13, 2020 | Hawk Owl Helpers and Heroes, Intercom
Thanks to Janet Lively, Scott Powell, Tricia Lincoln, and Sarah Montgomery-Richards, who have been a huge help assisting the Educational Technologies team in delivering the teachingSOLUTIONS virtual boot camp program for teaching online and hybrid courses this summer, due to high demand.
In mid-May the team facilitated the first boot camp since the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” executive order, with over 80 faculty starting the program and many finishing since then. Another virtual boot camp is being offered the week of July 20. To sign up or to ask questions that haven’t been answered here, please reach out to Mark DeLonge (mdelonge@nmc.edu) or Ryan Bernstein (rbernstein@nmc.edu).
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Jun 22, 2020 | Hawk Owl Helpers and Heroes, Intercom
Thanks to the Dennos Museum Center staff for reimagining how to keep the arts alive while the museum’s doors were closed, as it prepares to reopen to the public June 1. Virtual events included a series of Facebook Live concerts that drew hundreds of viewers and raised money for a local artist relief fund, live artist conversations on Facebook and Zoom, and a virtual pet photography exhibit for K-12 students that culminated in a virtual tour and reception. The museum also retooled its collaborative “Draw Northern Michigan” (Draw NoMI) program for online art education delivery, with Education Curator Jason Dake posting a series of instructional videos.
The Dennos is now planning a limited reopening June 1 with reduced hours and capacity, following a June 23-25 “Membership Appreciation Week” to thank museum members and supporters for their generosity during this challenging time. Learn more at the museum’s Planning Your Visit page and via its Facebook announcement.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Jun 15, 2020 | Hawk Owl Helpers and Heroes, Intercom
Thanks to the three dozen NMC faculty and staff members of the Reimagining Fall Opening Committee who have been meeting regularly since May 7 to create the fall semester plan. While the most complex of the three strategies under consideration, the plan to offer face-to-face classes where required and a mix of hybrid, livestream and online courses otherwise will provide the most flexibility to our students while maintaining the safety of students, employees and the community. It will also allow the college to adjust quickly as the pandemic situation evolves.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Jun 8, 2020 | Hawk Owl Helpers and Heroes, Intercom
Thanks to librarian Joelle Hannert for sharing the library’s anti-racist reading list at Friday’s town hall meeting. You can read the list here.
The list follow’s last week’s announcement by President Nick Nissley that the college is forming a committee to address inequities and injustices faced by students, employees and the community, in the wake of global protests over the police killing of George Floyd. The committee will be led by Mark Liebling, associate vice president of human resources, and Lisa Thomas, dean of students. “We’ve had a great number of staff and instructors volunteer,” Lisa said Monday. People interested in the initiative or with questions about it can email Mark.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Jun 1, 2020 | Hawk Owl Helpers and Heroes, Intercom
Police Academy Director Gail Kurowski and Health Occupations Academic Chair and Dental Assisting Instructor Beckie Wooters oversaw the first face-to-face instruction on NMC’s campus since mid-March.
Following strict health and safety protocols, police academy and dental assisting students resumed face-to-face training at Northwestern Michigan College May 18 in accordance with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s latest executive order, which amends the scope of previous orders to allow training for first responders and healthcare workers. (Police Academy recruit Monte White, right, is shown taking a defensive driving course at Camp Grayling as part of the academy training.)
Some class days stretched 11 or 12 hours in order to compress necessary training into efficient delivery. Read more.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
May 26, 2020 | Hawk Owl Helpers and Heroes, Intercom
Dennos Museum Center Director Craig Hadley responded to a call from the Michigan Museum Association to assist museums in Midland, Mich, damaged by the massive flooding that occurred there last week.
According to the MMA, widespread damage was done to collections and buildings in the city, including the Midland Center for the Arts/Midland Historical Society. It put out a call for volunteers with Collections/Curatorial training to lead small teams of volunteers with the removal of artifacts.
Hadley volunteered on Saturday, May 23. He de-framed waterlogged works on paper and packed oversize works on paper for transport to an offsite facility for further assessment and care.
“It was a challenge trying to do salvage work amidst a pandemic,” he said.
Volunteers worked in small, socially-distanced groups.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
May 18, 2020 | Hawk Owl Helpers and Heroes, Intercom
Linda Berlin and the Student Financial Services staff have moved quickly to distribute federal CARES Act dollars as well as scholarship dollars to students affected by COVID-19. As of May 15, they had distributed $168,175 in federal emergency relief funding and $47,600 in scholarship funds to 355 students. Awards averaged $608 per student. Some students commented it was the first income they had received since mid-March, when Michigan’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order forced many businesses to close.
“The emergency aid from NMC came just in time,” said visual communications student Randi Upton, 33.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
May 11, 2020 | Hawk Owl Helpers and Heroes, Intercom
Director of Residence Life Marcus Bennett oversaw the mid-semester move of East Hall residents to North Hall, where about 50 remained quarantined until the end of the semester. As a resident of campus himself, Bennett was a constant reassurance for students and their families.
As one parent said, “He’s been an absolute blessing, even meeting my son on campus to retrieve his belongings when it was a holiday and campus was closed. Living hundreds of miles away makes things extremely difficult and I’m not sure we would’ve made it through this tough time without Marcus.”
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
May 4, 2020 | Hawk Owl Helpers and Heroes, Intercom
My team, the Educational Media Technology rock stars, have gone above and beyond to support instructors, staff and students since the work-from-home order loomed over campus in mid-March. From answering tickets on evenings/weekends to being online for live Zoom support every weekday to managing the Virtual Town Hall or the virtual International Affairs Forum, my team has been one of the bedrocks for our NMC family to lean on. Between March 16th and April 17th, my team has answered 273 tickets with an average open ticket time just over 40 minutes. They have also averaged 30+ hours a week on Zoom. I feel incredibly fortunate to work with such dedicated professionals, many who are juggling young children as well as work/family responsibilities and spouses/partners sharing bandwidth for their jobs too. If you happen to be on a Zoom meeting with Ryan Bernstein, Justin Guillard, Ben Post, Sherry Trier, Mark DeLonge, Kyle Morrison, Chris Hanna, or Dennis Schultz, please say thank you.
– Terri Gustafson
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
