On Nov. 29, Damon Livingston of the NMC Esports Varsity team won the NJCAA-E Madden ’24 National Playoff Championship. He defeated Harrisburg Area Community College 3-0 in the best of 5 series. This is the first league or playoff championship for the NMC Esports Varsity program.
Watch a recording of the competition here.
To find these selections and many other new titles, see the NMC library catalog.
TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College is seeking community input to its Master Planning process through mid-January via a survey and public meetings.
Regional community members, neighbors, visitors, current and former employees, current and former students, business partners, and any other guests who observe or interact with NMC’s five Traverse City campuses including Front Street, Aero Park, Great Lakes, University Center and Rogers Observatory are encouraged to take the survey to inform the next steps in the process.
The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete and responses are requested by Jan. 12, 2024. Responses will help the planning team assess needs and opportunities and refine the short and long-term vision for physical campus spaces. In addition,
NMC is hosting two open public forums to gather input on a new Facilities Master Plan.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 13, 2023, 6–7:30 P.M.
Location: NMC Great Lakes Campus, 715 E Front St, Traverse City, MI
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 24, 2024, 6–7:30 P.M.
Location: Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center Room 106/107, NMC Front Street Campus, 1701 E Front St, Traverse City, MI
The survey link and more information are also available on the Facilities Master Plan webpage (nmc.edu/facilities-master-plan).
Cari Noga
Communications Director
cnoga@nmc.edu
(231) 392-1800 (Call or text)
Aby Kowalske
(Download a high-resolution photo) 
Gabby Paryani
(Download a high-resolution photo) TRAVERSE CITY — NMC students Aby Kowalske and Gabby Paryani are among seven Michigan students who will travel to Washington, D.C. for the National Student Leadership Academy as a part of Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates (JMG).
Accompanied by NMC Employment Readiness Specialist Lisa Baldyga, they will join around hundreds of other students from across the country at the Academy Nov. 30–Dec. 2. They will attend leadership training sessions, engage in experiential learning and advocate for their communities and youth.
Students applied and wrote an essay about why they should be chosen, as well as submitted letters of recommendation. In 2021, NMC became the first college in the state of Michigan to offer a Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates program.
NMC students between ages 16–24 are eligible to match with student mentors in their field, get paid work experience or job shadowing opportunities and internships and other beneficial career opportunities Financial assistance with job equipment such as tools or work boots, uniforms, bus passes or gas cards for transportation to work is also available
Cari Noga
Communications Director
cnoga@nmc.edu
(231) 392-1800 (call or text)
Spring textbooks will be available on Dec. 1. Stop by the NMC Campus Bookstore or check them out online at bookstore.nmc.edu. Looking to use financial aid for your books? Spring financial aid will be available Dec. 11–Feb. 1.
Fall textbook rentals are due back by Tuesday, December 19.
Books that have been purchased can be sold back during December 11-15.
New state scholarship dollars could cut tuition in half or more for eight short-course NMC health care programs, all in high hiring demand and some offering signing bonuses at Munson Healthcare.
In January, skills/short term training programs including practical nurse, phlebotomy technician, pharmacy technician, eldercare certificate, medical assistant, hemodialysis technician, medical coding and billing and medical scribe will become eligible for funding from two existing scholarships, Michigan Achievement and Michigan Reconnect.
The Michigan Achievement Skills scholarship offers up to $2,000 per year for two years to 2023 high school graduates. The Michigan Reconnect short-term training program offers $1,500 to students 21 and over who don’t already have a college degree.
Gina Stein, Munson Healthcare manager of talent acquisitions operations, said the region’s largest employer welcomes the new scholarships.
“There’s a lot of competition for the current workforce,” she said. “Anything we can do to provide additional scholarships or tuition reimbursement would be key.” Tuition reimbursement is available for benefited roles at Munson, which start at 20 hours. The Reconnect funds could also help entice former healthcare workers who retired or left during Covid to return in new roles, she said.
Elizabeth Sonnabend, program manager for NMC Extended Education and Training, said enrollments in the programs could increase significantly. State funding has dwindled since 2020–21, when 72 students were enrolled, almost triple current numbers.
“I expect these numbers will go up for 2024 again, now that students can get the majority of the costs covered,” she said. Tuition for most of the eligible programs ranges between $1,800-$,3800.
The newly-eligible programs also align with NMC’s strategic goal of offering more courses and credentials in short formats as well as online, which both employers and students say they need. The medical coding and billing and medical scribe programs are completely online. Except for Practical Nursing and Eldercare, coursework for the other four programs is offered online, prior to an in-person externship. Most programs are self-paced and require 300–600 hours to complete. Tuition covers access for a year.
Also in 2024, eligible students ages 21-24 will begin receiving reimbursement for a portion of this fall’s tuition and fees. Last month, Michigan Reconnect temporarily expanded its age eligibility to 21 and up. Some 70 NMC students have already applied to take advantage of it. An additional 29 potential new students have applied. The 21- to 24-year-old cohort has until November 15, 2024, to apply for Reconnect before it reverts to its original 25 and older age requirement.
“The money is there, waiting to go to you to support students,” said Sarah Szurpicki of Office of Sixty by 30, urging students to apply. That office oversees Michigan Reconnect and Achievement, which both were created to help reach the goal of 60 percent of Michiganders earning a postsecondary degree or certificate by 2030. It now stands at 50.5 percent.
In fall 2023, NMC disbursed $1.7 million in aid programs administered by the State of Michigan and $1.9 million in federal Pell grants. With the expansion of Reconnect to ages 21–24 expansion, it seems likely that state aid could top Pell grants by the end of the year.
The Audio Tech Club is hosting a fundraiser to raise money for their upcoming road trip to recording studios throughout Michigan.
On November 20–21 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., chili, hot cocoa and baked goods will be available for purchase in the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center. Proceeds benefit the Audio Tech student group’s upcoming trip.
Students interested in transferring to earn a degree in the humanities, natural or social sciences at the University of Michigan can learn more on Monday, November 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center. Learn about Transfer Bridges to Michigan, the Go Blue Guarantee and connect with a university representative on campus.
Transfer Tuesday follows the next day on the November 14 in the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Come meet University Center Representatives from Davenport, Grand Valley State, Ferris State and Central Michigan University to learn about continuing educational opportunities after NMC in the Traverse City area.
TRAVERSE CITY — The community is invited to join NMC students and Goodwill Northern Michigan on the 8th annual Walk for Health and Housing, a guided tour of downtown Traverse City from the perspective of people experiencing homelessness and the providers who serve them, departing from NMC’s Great Lakes campus parking lot at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15.
The walk is a part of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, happening Nov. 11-19, and brings together students and community partners to raise awareness about the increasing affordability crisis in Northwest Michigan. Lasting about two hours, the guided walk through downtown Traverse City illuminates the problems of food insecurity and homelessness. Along the route, participants will stop to hear stories from service providers about their efforts to mitigate these problems in region.
The walk is an example of Experiential Learning at NMC. EL actively engages the learner through relevant and ongoing experiences, critical problem solving and reflective practices. Community partners include the organization National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, Goodwill NM, Northern Michigan Supportive Housing, Jubilee House, Central United Methodist Breakfast program, Food Rescue of Northern Michigan, Traverse City Police Department, Safe Harbor, and the Northwest Michigan Coalition to End Homelessness.
NMC’s Great Lakes campus is located at 715 E. Front St., Traverse City.
Brandon Everest
Faculty, Social Sciences Area
Director, Experiential Learning Institute
beverest@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1985
Do you have an idea or project that needs resources to reach its full potential? If so, the Office of Possibilities wants to hear from you! OOPS seeks to provide resources for education-related projects as well as projects related to community partnerships with NMC.
The first of two upcoming pitch events will be held on December 1, 2023 from 3-4:30 p.m. in the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center, room 104/105.
If you would like a spot on the pitch agenda, please set up a meeting with the OOPs team by emailing oops@nmc.edu or by stopping by either of these locations:
The next pitch event will be held on March 15, 2024.
The Student Veterans of America NMC chapter is hosting weekly coffee hours for NMC veterans to have an opportunity to connect with one another and get a jumpstart to their day.
The meetups will be held on Wednesdays throughout the fall semester from 9–10 a.m. at the Veterans Lounge in the Osterlin Building.
Free coffee and baked goods will be provided.
Dear NMC Students, Faculty and Staff:
I hope you are having a successful fall semester! As we welcome November, I hope you are looking forward to Thanksgiving as much as I am. To make sure we can all share in this important tradition I am asking for your help.
For the tenth annual year, Kristy McDonald’s Professional Communications class is partnering with the NMC Food Pantry and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Michigan to donate to 125 families in the Traverse City community. Boxes–each of which feeding approximately six people–will be distributed at the NMC gym on November 20.
If you are enrolled at NMC as a student (part-time or full-time), you can apply to receive a full Thanksgiving meal for you and your family. The process will be confidential and convenient. The boxes also supplement for the days after the holiday itself, easing any uncertainty families might have.
Any monetary contributions that are collected in our month-long drive results in donors having the chance to win prizes like a weekend stay at the Delamar Hotel, an Elev8 family climbing package, a wine tasting for six at Chateau Chantal, and other prizes by donating $10 or more at nmc.edu/give. (Choose the amount, select “designate my gift to other,” and type in “Thanks For Giving.”) Donors can only enter the prize drawing once. Winners will be announced after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Community members also have the option to donate at a glow skate event hosted by our class on November 3 between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at the Howe Ice Arena in the Traverse City Civic Center. Admission will be $10 to enter and $5 to rent ice skates.
The final option to assist is to donate pop cans in their marked bins, found in NMC’s North Hall, East Hall, Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center and Parsons-Stulen Building. The bins will be collected twice a week from now until November 13. If any departments are interested in donating items, please contact Meredith Kilbourn at kilbou14@mail.nmc.edu.
Thank you for your help. Together we can ensure all Hawk Owls have a memorable Thanksgiving!
Nick
Esports correspondent Michael Stevens
By offering new credentials in Esports, NMC, Ferris State University and a handful of others now stand where giant, influential powerhouses like the NFL and NBA stood 70 to 100 years ago.
That’s what Michael Stevens (right), Esports correspondent and meteorologist for TV 9&10 thinks. With eight years of experience in the still-fledgling Esports field, he’s in a better position to know than almost anyone else in northern Michigan. And as NMC prepares to launch its Esports Management Certificate, which feeds into a business associate degree or a bachelor’s degree at Ferris, Stevens believes the enrollment will follow.
“We continue to see programs like NMC and Ferris run with it, making examples for colleges to follow,” said Stevens. “Michigan has a Mecca of great collegiate Esports programs.”
NMC started offering varsity Esports in 2021. That led to the creation of the certificate. Careers in Esports include coaching, event casting and streaming, event security, marketing, management, content creation and design, and more. None of those jobs existed even in 2008, when STevens graduated from college with a meteorology degree.
“Things have really changed,” said Stevens, 37, whose gaming handle is Flake of Wrath. “My job now is weather man and video games.”
Stevens forged that second career path due to his love of gaming, which dates to high school. He started streaming in 2015. He recruited four students who won a $4.5 million prize in the Fortnite world cup in 2019. At 9&10, he created a show, the OneUp XP Show.
“There was never a career path in video games, otherwise I would have probably pursued that,” said Stevens. “I made it my job.”
What NMC’s certificate will do is create that career path for students like he was. Professional playing opportunities will be reserved for elite players. But a wide range of careers will develop around them, just like it has around football, basketball, hockey, soccer and others.
“One thing that’s super special about esports is you’re getting the first generation of kids who are pros, and now they’re stepping out and doing the education,” Stevens said.
NMC is developing five new courses for the certificate. Those plus three existing classes in public speaking, management and digital imaging constitute the certificate.
“So many potential students or current students are gamers. This will be a different path for them, to take something they love doing and make it into a career.”
To find these selections and many other new titles, see the NMC library catalog.
Stop by the Hawk Owl Café on Wednesday, November 15 for a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
Featured menu items include:
The complete meal is $9.00 and will be available during 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. and 4:30–6:30 pm.
11/1/23 UPDATE: NMC’s pitch won $5,000 with another $35,000 pending completion of a feasibility study by March 2024.
TRAVERSE CITY — An NMC team is competing today for a prize that would allow the college to update its construction technology curriculum to include potentially revolutionary 3D wall printing capability.
NMC’s team is among six finalists at today’s National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship Pitch for the Trades competition in Nashville, Tenn. Construction Coordinator Carolyn Andrews and two members of NMC’s Office of Possibilities (OOPS)are seeking the maximum $50,000 prize for a 3D printer and supporting materials to make building homes more affordable, sustainable and faster.
“We are asking for that money to help us introduce 3D printing homes into our curriculum,” Andrews said. “We need to do whatever we can to solve some of this housing crisis and labor shortage.”
Through 2027, the Grand Traverse region has a housing gap of more than 31,000 units according to Housing North, a nonprofit housing advocate. More than 22,000 for sale units are needed and 8,800 rental units. In both categories, lower-priced housing is in the highest demand.
3D printing accomplishes this by using a robotic arm to build a programmed wall from a single material like concrete. Andrews said a single-story home could be printed in a day with three people. A traditional stick frame home would require a bigger crew and take multiple days or weeks, which increases the cost.
“You’re getting something done a lot more efficiently with less people,” she said.
In addition, materials like concrete are much less vulnerable to threats like hurricanes, flooding, and fires, which are becoming increasingly common with climate change.
“It’s actually a better home than your traditionally-framed home,” Andrews said.
NMC students will get their first chance to try the technology this fall when they join pitch team member Al Everett’s private company, Thrive TC, to build the region’s first 3D-printed home. It will break ground in November, Andrews said.
“We want students out there,” Andrews said. “We’ve been building the same way we have been since the 50s. Change is scary, and we haven’t embraced technology like we should.”
To advance to today’s finals, Andrews, Everett and Will Kitchen, also of OOPS, delivered a virtual pitch earlier this month. The idea is backed by leaders from both the Michigan and Grand Traverse area Home Builders Association, Andrews said.
“They are in strong support of it,” she said.
Andrews also thinks it will boost NMC enrollment.
“The fact that we’re embracing technology and giving students a unique opportunity for a specific skill, that’s going to set them apart for higher paying jobs,” she said.
NMC has budgeted $35,000 for a printer that utilizes a 3D robotic arm to create panelized walls, $10,000 for curriculum development and faculty training, and $5,000 for innovation mindset credential development and ecosystem support
Pitch results are expected Tuesday morning. The judges have discretion on how to divide a $150,000 prize pot among the six finalists.
“As an optimist, I believe we will make a positive impression and have a good chance of coming back with something,” said Kitchen, a founder of OOPS.
Cari Noga
NMC Communications Director
cnoga@nmc.edu
(231) 392-1800 (call or text)
The Dennos welcomes visitors to kick off the 2023 holiday gift shopping season at the 24th annual Holiday Artist Market on Friday, Nov. 3 and Saturday, Nov. 4 from 9 a.m.–4 p.m.. Visitors will discover a unique variety of artful gifts in a lively and festive marketplace.
30 artists will have work on display in the museum’s sculpture Court and Milliken Auditorium lobby as well as sweet treats for purchase from Le Macaron.
The museum’s beloved raffle returns this year to support K–12 tours to the museum with prizes generously donated by artists and local businesses! Be sure to bring cash for ticket purchases.
NMC staff and students receive 10% off regularly priced items in the Museum Store.
Admission is free to all.
Thanksgiving Break is coming soon, don’t forget to protect yourself and your family by getting your shot! This time of year it’s especially important to keep yourself healthy so that you can enjoy the holidays with family and friends.
Student Health Services has flu shots available. The cost is $15/student and $20/staff (for those without NMC health insurance).
Walk-ins are welcome. Appointments can be made by calling (231) 995-1255.
Don’t miss your opportunity to prevent catching the flu and protecting those around you as well.