President’s Update for February 16, 2015

Feb 16, 2015 | President Updates

Thank you all for everything you do in pursuit of “Keeping Learning at the Center.”

Activities of Note:  Faculty and Staff

This section recognizes the good work being done and linkages to the Strategic Agenda, Strategic Directions and Goals are provided where possible. (more…)

Fiscal Year 2015 budget update

Jul 11, 2014 | President Updates

The fiscal year 2015 budget was approved by the Board of Trustees at their regular meeting on  June 23, 2014. I thank everyone for their work during the budgeting process and appreciate  those who attended Employee Conversation meetings last spring. Because of your hard work and input, the approved FY15 budget was balanced using a combination of expenditure  reductions, modest tuition increases, and additional sources of revenue. The budget does not rely  on reserves and will assist us in achieving a long-term sustainable business model.

The final FY15 budget included tuition rate changes of 5.3% for all in-state tuition and 7.2%  change for out-of-state tuition. The Dental Assistant program will now be included in Tier I  differential tuition rates and an International rate for fiscal year 2016 was approved by the Board of Trustees. Additional revenue from the Foundation of $68,000 and from Marine Technology  portfolio B projects of $135,000 is included.

Changes in expenses included reductions in the capital outlay (COAT) allocation of $50,000,  professional development of $40,000, general E&G of $187,000, and personnel of $420,000.  These adjustments came as a result of the Planning and Budget Council asking for additional reductions based on the analysis of personnel and other expenses. Also included in the budget is  a placeholder for changes in employee compensation. As you are aware, the recommendation  from Planning and Budget Council was to align the date of compensation changes to January 1 in  conjunction with employee health benefits. This alignment will provide a more complete picture of fall tuition revenue and allow time for the Compensation Study and its implementation to be  reviewed by the Board of Trustees at their September meeting. We acknowledge that there are  still questions regarding the implementation of any compensation changes and we will keep you  informed as recommendations are finalized. I expect implementation will be a multi-year  activity. Please refer to my memo of June 11, 2014 for more on this issue.

As always, I will keep you informed of any changes to the situation. I ask everyone to continue  the good work you are doing in recruiting students and helping them on their completion  pathway.

Thank you.

Timothy J. Nelson, President

FY15 Budget Update

Jun 11, 2014 | President Updates

Below, you will find a Budget Update from Planning and Budget Council that summarizes the progress we have made, since the beginning of the year, towards providing a balanced budget recommendation to the Board of Trustees for final approval.

As part of providing greater stability in future budgets, starting in the next fiscal year, we will recommend in the budget that is presented to the Board of Trustees for approval to award total compensation increases starting on January 1. Shifting to a January 1 annual compensation change will enable shared governance committees to have a more complete picture of the largest drivers in our budget, fall tuition revenue and healthcare costs. This allows us to align all total compensation increases together. The timing of the salary increase determination will be aligned with health benefits enrollment in October. The attached memo explains the rationale for this change. (more…)

Board of Trustees Communications

Apr 15, 2014 | President Updates

Campus Community,

Here’s an update from NMC President Timothy J. Nelson:

As many of you know, at its March 24th Board meeting NMC Trustees approved a videotaping policy in order to archive and record all special and regular meetings of the NMC Board. Trustees began reviewing the benefits and concerns regarding adopting this policy last fall.

(more…)

NMC Accomplishments Fall Semester 2013

Jan 10, 2014 | President Updates

Educational Services

Aviation

• Signed new articulation agreements with West Michigan Aviation Academy and Howell High School.
• In the final stages of completing a service agreement with Hertfordshire University to be the only US flight training school for their pilot studies program.
• Aaron Cook and Steve Ursell attended the graduation of Hertfordshire University
• Established a spring trip to South Africa
• Since the start of our international programming, over 100 students have attended the Aviation program.
• UAV program double enrollment over previous year.
• Flight hours continue with the trend earlier in the year to be the best on over 20 years.
• Aaron Cook received the Michigan Aeronautics Commission Aviation Excellence Award.

Business

• Secured state funding for Northwest Michigan Developer Consortium implementation project. Partnered with Michigan Works! Agencies to complete initial employer engagement events at Traverse City, West Shore, and Grand Rapids.
• Food for Thought collected 23,000 items- surpassing the previous year by over 2,000.  We worked with 19 local companies and filled 14 pantries for Thanksgiving!
• Our Culinary students roasted 400 pounds of whole turkeys and carved them, along with 22 gallons of gravy for Community Meals.  A couple of student volunteers spent a big part of Thanksgiving day helping to package and deliver food throughout the Traverse City Area.  GLCI has worked with CM for many years collaborating on this event every Fall.
• Culinary participated in Pig Stock 2013.  The Garde Manger classes participated in the slaughter, butchering and processing of several local pigs. Also participated in the Wednesday night dinner – a seven course meal using pig in each course.
• Articulation agreement with Kent County Career Tech Center finalized.  Bob Rodriguez and Fred Laughlin provided demos in October and participated in parents’ night presentation.
• First pastry/baking specific course (CUL 221, Cake and Chocolate Décor) developed for Spring 2014.
• Two business students competed in the semi-finals for Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition in Detroit.  One student moved on to the finals.  NMC was the only community college to compete in the semi-finals

Communications

• NMC faculty members Nancy Gray, Janet Lively, and Ashley Horak, in collaboration with area TCAPS high school/middle school Band, Social Studies, Math, Language Arts, Science, Business and PE teachers, presented a series of Reading Strategies Workshops highlighting reading skills necessary for college success and how to build reading instruction into all high school courses.
• NMC’s Magazine issues from fall 2012 and spring 2013 semesters won first place in the Central Region of a nationwide contest of community college literary/arts magazines, sponsored by the Community College Humanities Association.  There were about 25 to 30 other colleges competing in this annual contest.
• Nancy Gray and Kristen Salathiel have implemented a project entitled We Read! into their ENG 97/107 courses.  Students were asked to choose books that they found interesting and read them every day.  At semester’s end, students read over 25,000 pages with many having never read a complete book!
• One of Judy Chu’s former students, Amanda Wilson of Elk Rapids, was one of 25 writers across the country who won recognition for her poetry in first ArtPrize anthology, hosted in Grand Rapids.
• Janet Lively and Ann Geht worked with English Language Arts teachers from the local area on college readiness and curriculum alignment efforts highlighted by the Common Core.
• Lisa Dohm, in conjunction with Outreach Services, hosted four Brazilian high school students and two chaperones from the U.S./Brasil Connect Program in November.  Students split their time between Central High School and NMC, stayed with local host families, and participated in local area activities with the NMC Fellows who taught them English in Brazil this past July.  The response from the Brazilians was this experience “was a dream come true!”
• The Writing and Reading Center assisted over 30% more students than last fall semester.
• The book, Motorsports and American Culture:  From Demolition Derbies to NASCAR, co-edited by Mark Howell and Dr. John Miller, an assistant professor of English at Longwood University in Virginia, will appear in spring 2014.
• Megan Ward and Victoria Willson presented at the Michigan Writing Center Association Conference in Allendale, Michigan, October 12.  WRC staff member, Elizabeth Sanderson, also attended.
• Victoria Willson attended the 46th Annual College Reading and Learning Association Conference in Boston November 6-9.
• Lisa Dohm, Mary McKeon-Jacob, and Bryn Lynch Lelandais attended the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Convention and World Languages Expo in Orlando November 21-24.

Great Lakes Maritime Academy

• We have 4 cadets who will graduate this January; they should be the first individuals in Michigan to earn a Bachelor’s Degree from a Community College.
• 02-03 Dec:  Interviews and presentation from Military Sealift Command (MSC); MSC is a division of the US Navy.  Their ships are Navy owned, but civilian manned.  Last year they offered employment to 7 GLMA graduates. This year, 10 cadets were interviewed, and all will be (conditionally) offered a position with MSC.
• License Prep is finishing up; we predict 25 deck cadets and 16 engine cadets will sit for the USCG Merchant Marine Officer’s license in January.  This is the largest graduating class in over 20 years.
• Naval Science:  GLMA is authorized Student Incentive Scholarships (SIP) for six cadets.  We were given an additional quota in Sep and received verbal word we’ll receive two additional quotas (for a total of nine).
• 05 Nov:  Capt. Mike Surgalski represented NMC/ GLMA as a member of a group of Great Lakes labor and industry leaders that met with Sen. Stabenow in Washington, DC.  They conveyed the importance of cargo preference laws to Michigan’s agriculture, port and maritime sectors.

Health Occupations

• The ACEN site visit occurred as planned. The final results will be announced in April.

Humanities

History Department:

• The HST Department under Mindy Morton’s leadership continues to strengthen our ties with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.

Art/Visual Communications:

• Both Knorr Marketing and Paperworks studio arranged with the VCA department to have students apply directly through the Department Head for open positions, and each hired a recent NMC VCA graduate this Fall. Visual Communications continues to provide capable designers for our local design community.
• The NMC Magazine advisers partnered with the Global Opportunities Fund to take 10 students from the Art Department, Visual Communications and Communications to the Netherlands for a 4 day design immersion experience at the Cobbenhagen Hendriksen Studio in Amsterdam and the conference of Association Typographique Internationale.
• Visual Communications partnered with UpNorth Media to certify the Time Based Media film students as Studio Producers as part of the VCA 250 class.

Music Department:

• The NMC Audio Tech Program began its second full-year with two sections of a new-start cohort! The program started at over-capacity and it already growing by leaps and bounds. We are also very excited to be adding “Live Sound” to our curriculum. Students will now have the opportunity for hands-on training in NMC’s own Milliken Auditorium.
• The NMC Audio Tech Program is proud to announce the addition of several key and important adjunct faculty to our staff. We welcome Jack Conners, David Chown, Randy Nash, and Patrick Niemisto.
• The NMC Music Department also welcome several new staff to our department – please join us in welcoming Laurie Sears (Applied Sax, Clarinet, Flute) and Susan Steele (Applied Voice).
• The NMC Music Department is excited to be offering new introductory level Theory and Sight Singing & Ear Training courses. (MUS 100a, MUS 100b, MUS 105a, and MUS 105b) These introductory courses will provide a greater chance of success for our Music Majors and our Audio Tech majors.
• The NMC Music Department is thrilled to be adding another choral group to our ensembles. Canticum Novum, which enjoyed a successful trial-run last Spring, is now included in our list of ensemble offerings. This audition-only group provides a rewarding challenge for the area’s most experienced singers.
• The NMC Concert Band played to a standing-room only crowd for their Fall Concert featuring new music for concert band under the baton of new Concert Band Director – Pat Brumbaugh. Pat comes to NMC with many years of experience conducting at the secondary and collegiate level. We are thrilled to have Pat on our team!
• The NMC Chamber Singers were invited to take part in the Michigan Two-Year College Choral Festival in Grand Rapids. Singers from colleges around the state took part in this day-long festival of collaboration and music-making.
• The NMC Choirs took part in a beautiful and moving performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Dona Nobis Pacem.” The performance, in collaboration with the Traverse Symphony Orchestra, was powerful and thought provoking.
• The NMC Jazz Ensembles showcased their talents at their December performance in Milliken Auditorium. The concert featured the two jazz bands, as well as the Vocal Jazz Ensemble.
• The NMC Chamber Singers and Canticum Novum joined forces for a powerful December concert of holiday music. The singers were joined on stage by a brass octet, performing works of Gabrieli, Mendelssohn, Tavener, and others.
• The NMC Choirs were the featured choir at the 35th annual Messiah Sing. Our singers helped lead the community singers as well as were featured on two movements with the orchestra.
• The NMC Grand Traverse Chorale and the NMC Children’s Choirs were special guests at the Traverse Symphony Orchestra’s “Home for the Holidays” performances. Our singers were the highlight of this special Traverse City musical tradition.

Science and Math

• The Engineering Club’s outreach to area high schools is noteworthy. This year’s group is particularly civic minded. More evidence to support that is their visit yesterday to Founders Hall where they chose names off the Giving Tree and are using their private funds to buy gifts for the needy. One of the Club members works at Menards and Club members plan to meet there Saturday to shop for the people they “adopted.” Members are also acting as mentors to several high school science and engineering clubs. Engineering club adviser is Jim Coughlin.
• BIOLOGY 110 instructors Bill Stott and Lindsey Gielda are working with their students in Bio 110 to see if we can make the NMC BBQ Carbon Neutral.
• Developmental math class “Redesign” by Deb Pharo and Mark Nelson allows students to work at their own pace. We have several students that will get through MTH 23 and MTH 111 in one semester.  Helping students reach college level math is a major determinant in student success.
• Adjunct physics instructor Taoufik Nadji:

1. Was invited to present at the International Conference on Technology in Collegiate Mathematics in San Antonio (onMarch 12, 2014) on repurposed physics labs using mobile devices.
2. His students in PHY 105 participated in Princeton University’s Plasma Camp.  They were involved in twitter chats with experts in the field and were introduced to plasma physics.
3. Completed 2 MOOC courses during this semester (one through Stanford and one through UC Irvine).
4. His physics students collaborated on submitting one of their lab reports as groups using GoogleDocs for the first time ever.

• Jeff Cobb and Nick Roster worked with our A&P students to present their “Body of Music pieces” to the general public.  This is the first-ever collaboration between students of Anatomy & Physiology and our Audio Tech program. Our students are working to explain the human body (A&P) and then creating a musical interpretation of that explanation. Special thanks to Jack Conners and Steve Quick for loads of help with the Audio Tech students.

Social Sciences

• Had a very successful advising open house
• We continue to gain experience with the 21st century classroom in our building
• Social work students did a warm clothing drive that benefited the Women’s Resource Center, Pete’s Place, Street Outreach as well as Father Fred.
• Brandon Everest made a presentation about poverty to the PRI Poverty Summit, to several hundred people and serves on the PRI Steering Committee.
• Diane Emling gave a presentation on poverty to the Grand Traverse Band “Section 3” staff (human services), and also a presentation on the changing acceptance of gay rights at Central United Methodist Church.

Psychology 225   Human Sexuality

• Class contributed to the writing of an article for the December NMC Magazine
• Class gave written feedback to the NMC Business class per the “Red Bin/Food for Thought” project
• Class Skyped with students in London, England
• Class wrote culture papers which included interviews with students from other countries—via our International students and students via Interpals
• Class gave written feedback to the NMC Student Health Services

Technical

Aero Park Professional Testing Center (APPTC)

• The Aero Park Professional Testing Center (APPTC) administered 468 tests through November in FY 2014, this represents a 70 percent increase in testing over the same period last fiscal year, where 275 tests were administered.
• Starting in December the APPTC will be administering the TD tests, which is used primarily by the United States Postal Service.

Automotive Service Technology

• Received a grant in conjunction with Grand Valley State University to develop curriculum around the application of hybrid battery technology.
• Purchased on new program vehicle, which is to be jointly used by the automotive program and the Law Enforcement program.
• Started the first internship program between the automotive department and the Grand Traverse Road Commission.

Construction Technology / Renewable Energy

• Completed the installation of a 3.4KW solar array which is used by students in the program.
• In the process of developing a Level I Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) certificate. The new certificate is in direct response to industry demand for students with these skill sets.
• Revamped the HVACR curriculum under the leadership of the new HVACR instructor. The new curriculum now aligns with industry expectations.

Engineering Technology

•  Fall 2013 new enrollment was 45 students, which represents a doubling of the planned fall enrollment.
• 16 Engineering Technology, Unmanned Aerial Systems students attended a national conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The focus of the conference was on the commercial application of UAS’s and the issues associated with the FAA and the national air space.
• Chris Schmidt an Engineering Technology, Unmanned Aerial Systems student was one of 30 finalists in the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition. The student presented his business concept to a large group of investors and judges in Detroit Michigan on November 14.

Welding Technology

• Twenty students passed the American Welding Society (AWS) welding certification. The AWS is recognized as the international standard in the welding industry

President’s Update — December 5

Dec 5, 2013 | President Updates

Thank you all for everything you do in pursuit of “Keeping Learning at the Center.” 

(more…)