Jun 22, 2017 | Intercom, Student News
TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College will begin construction in 2018 on its new multi-million-dollar 21st Century Innovation Center after receiving final funding approval today in the Michigan legislature’s FY18 Omnibus Budget, which now goes to Governor Snyder for his signature.
Once complete, the center will combine state investments of more than seven million dollars for important renovations and modernizations of the 50-year-old West Hall with NMC-funded investments of more than seven million dollars for a new multi-story library and learning space.
“We are extremely thankful for the support that our state legislative leaders have shown NMC and the 21st Century Innovation Center,” said Timothy J. Nelson, President of Northwestern Michigan College. “Especially the support of Representative Inman and Senator Booher who both serve on the Joint Capital Outlay Committee and Senator Schmidt who has been a strong supporter in the Senate.”
The approved project received input from faculty and staff, including 270 comments during a campus-wide opening conference and 17 user group workshops led by architectural firm Stantec. The new center will encompass an approximately 54,000-square-foot facility, including both state and NMC self-funding portions. It will incorporate innovative and transformative learning environments, a new library and multiple academic and simulation spaces.
“As a result of extensive campus and community input, our program planning team agreed that for the 21st Century Innovation Center to be a success it must complement all NMC facilities, replicate none; be agile in space and technology to meet changing learning needs and encourage users to be curious, experiment, take thoughtful risks and create,” said Nelson. “As a result, once complete, this project will not only help meet our strategic direction of ensuring that NMC learners are prepared for success in a global society and economy, but also will help to enhance our ability to deliver learning through a networked workforce.”
Since 2005, among Michigan’s 28 community colleges, NMC ranks 23rd in capital outlay appropriations, having received only $650,000 in state investment. In addition, the project was one of only five community college projects to receive construction approval by the House and Senate Joint Capital Outlay Committee this year. President Nelson says, “Creating this centralized space on campus is critical for the new community college model of providing competency-based, content-based knowledge application in the pursuit of social, economic and talent development. Over the last six years, we have invested significant time and effort in requesting funding for this project. We are pleased our legislators have recognized our dedication and commitment and are helping to make this investment a reality, for our learners now and into the future.”
“Among my top priorities as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives’ Appropriations Committee and vice-chair of the Joint Capital Outlay Subcommittee on Appropriations was to fight for this capital outlay funding for Northwestern Michigan College,” said State Representative Larry Inman, 104th district, Grand Traverse County. “I am so pleased as a past NMC Outstanding Alumnus of the Year, along with Senator Schmidt and Senator Booher, that we were able to bring this project across the finish line, among the many other capital outlay projects that were considered. This is a huge win for NMC and students in our area, and to attract more students to NMC, having one of the most innovative community college campuses and learning centers in the state. I am so proud I was part of the team to get this project awarded to NMC.”
“As a longstanding supporter of Northwestern Michigan College, I am very pleased to have played a role in helping to secure resources for this significant project,” said State Senator Wayne Schmidt, who represents the 37th State Senate District in Northern Michigan. “This investment by the state will not only benefit learners in my community, but will also support innovative spaces for learners from around the state and world who are attracted to NMC for its diverse educational opportunities. I am proud of NMC for their work on this and am glad I was able to push this project across the finish line.”
State Senator Darwin Booher, representing the 35th State Senate District, said, “The 21st Century Innovation Center project expands the educational opportunities that NMC offers and helps continue to make NMC a leader in higher education in our region. As senate chair of the Capital Outlay Subcommittee, I have reviewed all of the projects submitted and know that this is one of the best projects for equipping people for the jobs of tomorrow.”
Release Date: June 22, 2017
For more information:
Vicki Cook
Vice President of Finance and Administration
vcook@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1144
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE
Northwestern Michigan College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, height, weight, marital status or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. nmc.edu/non-discrimination
Jun 20, 2017 | Intercom, Student News
Summer Hours:
- Mondays and Wednesdays – Noon to 2 p.m.
- Tuesdays and Thursdays – 8 to 10 p.m.
Fees:
- CURRENT NMC Students and Employees = Free
- Adult Community Members = $6.00/play
- Punch card available = $4.00/play
Jun 12, 2017 | Student News
Wednesday, June 28, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
NMC University Center – Room 219
Join us to learn more about how you can attain your Masters in Social Work right here in Traverse City through Grand Valley State University. Chalice Kopacki, LMSW, MPA , Site Coordinator will be on hand to talk to prospective students about the application process, important dates, financial aid opportunities and GVSU’s Master of Social Work program as a whole.
Jun 12, 2017 | Intercom, Student News
NMC had a great showing for Traverse City’s 23rd Annual Smart Commute Week—a record 141 commuters enjoyed breakfast in the beautiful Health & Science Building atrium!
A special thanks to the Wellness Team for providing day-of volunteers as well as sponsoring Sodexo’s beautifully catered breakfast. It was a great success! Thanks, too, to The Dennos and NMC Extended Education for generously donating prizes for Friday’s finale celebration at Oryana.
NMC’s 17-member team included Alan Beer, Ann Geht, Brian Sweeney, Cari Noga, Craig Mulder, Dave Weaver, Dennis Schultz, Hillary Voight, Jason Dake, Judy Druskovich, Lisa Molmen, Lynn Geiger, Mary Beeker, Meg Young, Michele Howard (team captain), Rochelle Hammontree and Shayrrl McCready.
Thanks to TART Trails, and the Smart Commute planning committee, for organizing another great week of events and congratulations to all of the teams involved!
For a complete list of team rankings, visit traversetrails.org/smart-commute/team-rankings. Hope to see you next year!
Jun 10, 2017 | Intercom, Student News
TRAVERSE CITY — Dr. David Shambaugh, director of the China Policy Program at George Washington University will speak at a June 28 International Affairs Forum global hot spot event on the current state of U.S.-China relations.
Shambaugh opened a 2014 conference convened by IAF, bringing together 40 experts on foreign policy, business, education, art and culture to debate what China’s emergence would mean for northern Michigan. Since then, China’s economic, military and political clout has grown enormously. Shambaugh has just returned from an extended study tour of key Asian countries and will discuss how the continuing growth of China’s influence is shifting the dynamics of U.S. and China relations.
In addition, NMC President Tim Nelson will provide an update on connections between northern Michigan and China. What has grown? What has withered? And what are the “next big things” between our region and Asia.
The presentation is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Hagerty Center. Reception begins at 5 p.m. Tickets are $15 for IAF members and $20 for non-members and available at MyNorthTickets.com.
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE
Northwestern Michigan College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, height, weight, marital status or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. nmc.edu/non-discrimination
Jun 8, 2017 | Intercom, Student News
NMC student Taylor McLain’s ten-page one-act play Evilla recently was one of the 5 winning submissions to Oakton Community College’s Playwriting Festival: Play On 2017, in Des Plaine, Ill. The play is currently in production and will be performed July 24, 25 and 26. Taylor hopes to be in attendance and will receive a $200 award at that time. He created the play to fit the requirements for a fractured fairy tale in ENG 210.
Jun 8, 2017 | Intercom, Student News
TRAVERSE CITY — The Les and Anne Biederman Foundation and Ross and Brenda Biederman have announced a $1 million gift commitment to Northwestern Michigan College.
The Biederman Foundation’s $500,000 gift, the largest single grant in its history, will support NMC’s Great Lakes Water Studies Institute, helping ensure that students are prepared for future careers in water-related fields, train industry professionals, and cultivate generations of Great Lakes stewards.
The balance of the gift includes $250,000 toward scholarships for accounting, business, nursing, and maritime students from the foundation, and a $250,000 personal gift from Ross and Brenda Biederman to the NMC Annual Fund, providing unrestricted support to meet the college’s greatest needs. The gift was announced Wednesday at the 2017 NMC Fellows dinner, where the Biedermans were presented with NMC’s highest honor, in recognition of their decades of philanthropy and support of the college.
“Making the gift was an easy decision,” said Ross Biederman. “The college is important to our whole community.”
President Timothy J. Nelson said, “The Biedermans have always been supportive of what’s going on here at the college and in the community, especially when it comes to water. We are grateful for this gift and all that it will make possible for NMC and our students.”
The Biederman family’s connection to Northwestern Michigan College dates back to Ross Biederman’s father Les, a leader in the effort to found the college in 1951 until his retirement from the Board of Trustees in 1981.
A 1959 NMC alumnus, Ross Biederman has continued that support both with his wife Brenda and through the family’s namesake foundation. The Biederman family has helped establish a culture of generosity in the Grand Traverse region—particularly in support of natural resources and higher education. The Water Studies portion of the gift combines those passions. In recognition, the Water Studies labs, both inside the Great Lakes Campus and aboard the research vessel Northwestern, will be named for the Biederman Family Foundation.
Release date: June 8, 2017
For more information:
Rebecca Teahen
NMC Foundation
(231) 995-1855
rteahen@nmc.edu
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE
Northwestern Michigan College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, height, weight, marital status or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. nmc.edu/non-discrimination
Jun 7, 2017 | Intercom, Student News
June 7, 2017
NMC officials tour the Yellow River Conservancy Technical Institute campus in 2014NMC instructors will pioneer NMC courses in Chinese classrooms next week, the culmination of a partnership five years in the making.
They’ll teach two Water Studies courses and two basic construction courses to about 40 students at the Yellow River Conservancy Technical Institute in Kaifeng, China. The two-week courses are the first in a sequence to be completed later this year. Scott Swan and Brian Sweeney will teach in English with interpreter support.
“We are delivering our courses there for the ability to augment their training with our coursework,” said Hans Van Sumeren, director of NMC’s Great Lakes Water Studies Institute, who’s traveled to China twice since 2015 as NMC has nurtured the partnership with the three-year technical school. Van Sumeren and Construction Technology director Dan Goodchild will round out the NMC contingent to plan delivery of the second part of the sequence, set for late fall or early winter.
“They’re very well positioned to do the terrestrial mapping,” Van Sumeren said. “We bring the competencies needed to work in and under the water.”
The June courses are Blueprint Reading, basic carpentry, Underwater Acoustics and Sonar and Great Lakes Research Technologies. Besides connecting with a school with a growing enrollment – Yellow River’s surveying program enrolls about 1,800 students – Van Sumeren said the partnership could afford NMC students both a study abroad opportunity and a chance to apply their coursework in a completely different geographic environment.
China’s large, fast-flowing rivers flood frequently and catastrophically, Van Sumeren said. The Yellow River alone has flooded 1,500 times in last 2,500 years, wiping out millions of people. NMC students could study what the Chinese have done to turn floodplains into protected cities.
“Those are things we can’t show students in Grand Traverse Bay or other Great Lakes waters,” Van Sumeren said.
Both instructors, who are making their first trip to China, said they’re looking forward to the teaching experience.
“It’s going to be incredibly different,” Sweeney said. “I thought it’d be a fun adventure.”
“It’s an opportunity that not only can further the goals of the college, but for me to expand as an instructor, branch out beyond the comfort zone,” Swan said.
Jun 7, 2017 | Intercom, Student News
June 7, 2017
NMC officials tour the Yellow River Conservancy Technical Institute campus in 2014NMC instructors will pioneer NMC courses in Chinese classrooms next week, the culmination of a partnership five years in the making.
They’ll teach two Water Studies courses and two basic construction courses to about 40 students at the Yellow River Conservancy Technical Institute in Kaifeng, China. The two-week courses are the first in a sequence to be completed later this year. Scott Swan and Brian Sweeney will teach in English with interpreter support.
“We are delivering our courses there for the ability to augment their training with our coursework,” said Hans Van Sumeren, director of NMC’s Great Lakes Water Studies Institute, who’s traveled to China twice since 2015 as NMC has nurtured the partnership with the three-year technical school. Van Sumeren and Construction Technology director Dan Goodchild will round out the NMC contingent to plan delivery of the second part of the sequence, set for late fall or early winter.
“They’re very well positioned to do the terrestrial mapping,” Van Sumeren said. “We bring the competencies needed to work in and under the water.”
The June courses are Blueprint Reading, basic carpentry, Underwater Acoustics and Sonar and Great Lakes Research Technologies. Besides connecting with a school with a growing enrollment – Yellow River’s surveying program enrolls about 1,800 students – Van Sumeren said the partnership could afford NMC students both a study abroad opportunity and a chance to apply their coursework in a completely different geographic environment.
China’s large, fast-flowing rivers flood frequently and catastrophically, Van Sumeren said. The Yellow River alone has flooded 1,500 times in last 2,500 years, wiping out millions of people. NMC students could study what the Chinese have done to turn floodplains into protected cities.
“Those are things we can’t show students in Grand Traverse Bay or other Great Lakes waters,” Van Sumeren said.
Both instructors, who are making their first trip to China, said they’re looking forward to the teaching experience.
“It’s going to be incredibly different,” Sweeney said. “I thought it’d be a fun adventure.”
“It’s an opportunity that not only can further the goals of the college, but for me to expand as an instructor, branch out beyond the comfort zone,” Swan said.
Jun 5, 2017 | Intercom, Student News
TRAVERSE CITY — The Board of Trustees from Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) is beginning the process of replacing Trustee Marilyn Gordon Dresser after she resigned from her position late last week.
Gordon Dresser submitted a written resignation to the Board June 1, 2017, citing personal reasons.
Board Chair Kennard Weaver said, “We at NMC are appreciative of the service of Ms.Gordon Dresser, and we wish her well.”
Marilyn Gordon Dresser was elected to a six-year term to the NMC Board of Trustees in 2014. She served on several board committees during her tenure including the Barbecue Board, Policy Committee, Fellows Nomination Committee, and the Presidential Performance & Compensation Committee.
Trustees will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, June 6, 2017, at 12:00 p.m. to decide the next steps to fill the vacancy until the next NMC Board of Trustees election in November 2018, where voters will choose a candidate to serve the remainder of the term held by Marilyn Gordon Dresser which expires December 31, 2020.
Michigan law gives the college 30 days to fill this position.
Release date: June 5, 2017
For more information:
Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director of Public Relations, Marketing & Communications
dfairbanks@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1019
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE
Northwestern Michigan College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, height, weight, marital status or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. nmc.edu/non-discrimination
Jun 1, 2017 | Intercom, Student News
Dear NMC Campus Community:
After reading the article in the Record Eagle on Sunday, May 28, regarding our proposed retirement incentive program I need to comment on certain statements that do not reflect my or NMC’s position. The article reported that the vice president of the NMC faculty union asserted by not replacing full-time faculty, or replacing them with adjunct faculty, a decline in quality would occur at NMC. I believe this reported assertion is patently false. While I hope this was misreported, I still am compelled to comment.
I have consistently stated publicly, and on campus, my belief that every individual that works at and volunteers at NMC is a member of a team committed to learner success. I want to specifically recognize all of NMC’s adjunct, part-time faculty, and teaching staff and administrators for all you do for our learners and our college. Your dedication to your discipline and commitment to student success at NMC is critical to our future.
Rhetoric of the type reported can feed into a perception that the way to enhance one’s own value is to diminish the value of others. This path is not the path that we should expect or accept at NMC. Our collective task is to find ways to celebrate the value each of us bring to our efforts in pursuit of learner success.
Our most innovative employees include people from all employee classifications. Many in our full-time faculty started their NMC careers as adjunct faculty or staff members. Our adjunct faculty and teaching staff include retired generals, retired university faculty, national authors and presenters, nationally known staff members, and more. What they add to our campus and our student experience is significant and cannot be discounted.
I value each individual who works for this college – full-time faculty, adjunct faculty, part-time faculty, staff, administrators, maintenance, custodial, supplemental, executive, and volunteers. It takes all of us to make NMC a great place for learning. We do not live in a zero sum world. We are all responsible to show respect for each other and value everyone’s contributions.
Thank you all for everything you do to help our learners succeed.
Tim
Timothy J. Nelson, President
1701 E. Front Street
Traverse City, MI
Phone: (231) 995-1010
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE
Northwestern Michigan College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, height, weight, marital status or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. nmc.edu/non-discrimination
May 31, 2017 | Intercom, Student News
TRAVERSE CITY — NMC’s choral ensemble, Canticum Novum, and the NMC Concert Band will get your summer off to a toe-tapping start with a series of three concerts each.
Canticum Novum presents choral music featuring masters old and new: Mozart, Brahms, Fauré, Lauridsen, Whitacre, Paulus, and Swingle. The varied cultural program includes the music of Germany, Latvia, India, Russia, France, and American spirituals and hymn tunes. Jeffrey Cobb directs. Suggested donations: $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors taken at the door. Donations will offset the costs of the choir’s trip to Carnegie Hall in New York City.
- June 9: 7:30 p.m., First Congregational Church, Traverse City
- June 10: 7 p.m., St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Beulah
- June 30, 7:30 p.m., Immaculate Conception Church, Traverse City
NMC Summer Concert Band presents the following free concerts featuring marches and highlights from your favorite musicals. Pat Brumbaugh directs.
- June 21, 7:30 p.m., Traverse City Senior Center
- June 24, 7:30 p.m., Milliken Auditorium – with Northport Community Band
- July 4, 6 p.m., Northport Marina, Northport – with the Northport Community Band
Release date: June 1, 2017
For more information:
Jeffrey Cobb
NMC Director of Music Programs
jecobb@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1338
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE
Northwestern Michigan College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, height, weight, marital status or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. nmc.edu/non-discrimination
May 24, 2017 | Intercom, Student News
May 24, 2017
Brandon Krohn of Bad Axe was one of eight students to take part in unmanned aerial systems in agriculture training at NMC’s facility in Yuba.Future farmers from around the state converged in Traverse City this month for the culmination of a first-of-its-kind training in unmanned aerial systems applications for agriculture.
Eight students co-enrolled in Michigan State University agriculture certificate programs and partner community colleges participated in a two-week training taught by NMC UAS instructors. Using four different drones, they conducted flights over a range of crops, collected aerial imagery and integrated sensor data, and then analyzed it for potential applications in the agriculture industry
It was the finale of an innovative, semester-long course that met in Muskegon, Traverse City and online and offered students elective MSU credit, remote pilot certification from the FAA, and a certificate in UAS in agriculture.
Currently, regulations limit most of the applications to imagery. Drones can’t yet be used to spray or treat crops. But the students, who came from farms that raised everything from dairy and beef cattle to row crops like corn and wheat to specialty crops like asparagus and Christmas trees, said they learned plenty to take home.
“It’ll be useful for counting trees, seeing which ones are ready for harvest,” said Micah Woller of Montague, who works on a Christmas tree farm in winter.
Nathan Beyerlein of Frankenmuth works for Star of the West Milling Co. in addition to his family’s corn, sugar beet and cucumber farm. He foresees using aerial imaging as a scouting tool, using imaging data to make traditional crop protection — on-the-ground spraying and fertilizing — more effective.
“For crop health, and getting a visual of the whole field, being able to pinpoint where a disease is, or water damage,” Beyerlein said.
Brian Matchett, coordinator of NMC’s plant science and viticulture programs, which partners with MSU’s Institute of Agriculture Technology, said he foresees huge demand for the training. This first course was only open to students enrolled in two-year MSU partner schools including NMC, Delta College, Muskegon Community College and Southwest Michigan Community College.
“We’re just scratching the surface,” Matchett said.
The course was taught in three parts: A five-day UAS build and flight training course in January at Muskegon Community College, a 12-week online training in remote piloting, and the two-week hands-on training in Traverse City earlier this month, at sites including apple and cherry orchards, vineyards, and hops, corn, soybeans and wheat fields.
Visit nmc.edu/uas for more information.
May 24, 2017 | Intercom, Student News
May 24, 2017
Brandon Krohn of Bad Axe was one of eight students to take part in unmanned aerial systems in agriculture training at NMC’s facility in Yuba.Future farmers from around the state converged in Traverse City this month for the culmination of a first-of-its-kind training in unmanned aerial systems applications for agriculture.
Eight students co-enrolled in Michigan State University agriculture certificate programs and partner community colleges participated in a two-week training taught by NMC UAS instructors. Using four different drones, they conducted flights over a range of crops, collected aerial imagery and integrated sensor data, and then analyzed it for potential applications in the agriculture industry
It was the finale of an innovative, semester-long course that met in Muskegon, Traverse City and online and offered students elective MSU credit, remote pilot certification from the FAA, and a certificate in UAS in agriculture.
Currently, regulations limit most of the applications to imagery. Drones can’t yet be used to spray or treat crops. But the students, who came from farms that raised everything from dairy and beef cattle to row crops like corn and wheat to specialty crops like asparagus and Christmas trees, said they learned plenty to take home.
“It’ll be useful for counting trees, seeing which ones are ready for harvest,” said Micah Woller of Montague, who works on a Christmas tree farm in winter.
Nathan Beyerlein of Frankenmuth works for Star of the West Milling Co. in addition to his family’s corn, sugar beet and cucumber farm. He foresees using aerial imaging as a scouting tool, using imaging data to make traditional crop protection — on-the-ground spraying and fertilizing — more effective.
“For crop health, and getting a visual of the whole field, being able to pinpoint where a disease is, or water damage,” Beyerlein said.
Brian Matchett, coordinator of NMC’s plant science and viticulture programs, which partners with MSU’s Institute of Agriculture Technology, said he foresees huge demand for the training. This first course was only open to students enrolled in two-year MSU partner schools including NMC, Delta College, Muskegon Community College and Southwest Michigan Community College.
“We’re just scratching the surface,” Matchett said.
The course was taught in three parts: A five-day UAS build and flight training course in January at Muskegon Community College, a 12-week online training in remote piloting, and the two-week hands-on training in Traverse City earlier this month, at sites including apple and cherry orchards, vineyards, and hops, corn, soybeans and wheat fields.
Visit nmc.edu/uas for more information.
May 16, 2017 | Intercom, Student News
TRAVERSE CITY — Great Lakes Maritime Academy instructor Capt. Michael Horn received the Merchant Marine Medal for Outstanding Service from the U.S. Maritime Administration on May 6.
Horn, of Rogers City, is a 1976 graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in King’s Point, N.Y. Upon graduation he began a 36-year career as a merchant marine officer. He spent 24 years as master of large, ocean-going hopper dredges operated by Great Lakes Dredge and Dock. Additionally, Capt. Horn earned First Class Pilotage for the Great Lakes.
In 2012 Horn came ashore and joined the faculty of the Great Lakes Maritime Academy at Northwestern Michigan College. He also routinely sails as a watch officer on the MARAD-owned training ship State of Michigan. His passion for development of future merchant marine officers and radio technology was a near perfect combination for the needs of the Academy, said GLMA Superintendent Jerry Achenbach.
The Merchant Marine Medal for Outstanding Achievement is awarded in recognition of merchant mariners who have dedicated years of service, and have made an extraordinary valuable contribution to the U.S. maritime industry. This medal requires the Maritime Administrator’s personal approval. It was presented at the Academy’s graduation dinner by Rand Pixa, MARAD acting chief counsel.
Release Date: May 18, 2017
For more information:
Great Lakes Maritime Academy
(231) 995-1200
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE
Northwestern Michigan College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, height, weight, marital status or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. nmc.edu/non-discrimination
May 16, 2017 | Intercom, Student News
TRAVERSE CITY — Alpha Rho Pi, Northwestern Michigan College’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the international community college honor society, has been named the top chapter in the state of Michigan for the second time since 2012.
The group received the top honor at the regional Phi Theta Kappa conference held in Livonia May 12-14. In addition, NMC student Alexandra (Alex) Briggs was elected to the position of Michigan Regional Secretary/Treasurer for 2017-18. Along with the three other regional board officers, Briggs will be responsible for goal and budget development for the region, help coordinate three Regional Conferences and represent the region at induction ceremonies and other events held on community college campuses around Michigan.
At Phi Theta Kappa’s national conference in Nashville, Tenn., last month, Alpha Rho Pi was also recognized as a Top 100 chapter (out of approximately 1,300 chapters) and as a Distinguished Chapter (among the top 45 internationally) for the combined score on two projects completed during the 2016-17 academic year.
The first, Honors in Action, was created around the topic How the World Works: Global Perspectives, chapter adviser Kari Kahler said. Alpha Rho Pi focused on the theme “Rights and Responsibilities” and researched water both as a right and their responsibility to protect it. In December, they brought five environmental agencies to Milliken Auditorium and hosted a screening of the documentary, “Great Lakes, Bad Lines” as well as engaged the agencies in a panel discussion on Pipeline 5. They also shared a video recorded message from U.S. Senator Gary Peters acknowledging their work and its importance to the region.
For the second, College Project, they helped put a student face on the work of the NMC Foundation, helping students understand how even small donations add up, to consider giving to the Foundation as students and alumni, and writing thank you notes to donors.
Phi Theta Kappa members must have an overall 3.5 GPA, and be enrolled in at least 12 college level credits.
Release Date: May 16, 2017
For more information:
Kari Kahler, Associate Dean
NMC Department of Learning Services
(231) 995-1228 phone
kkahler@nmc.edu
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE
Northwestern Michigan College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, height, weight, marital status or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. nmc.edu/non-discrimination
May 13, 2017 | Intercom, Student News
TRAVERSE CITY — NMC alumnus Ross and Brenda Biederman have been named the 2017 recipients of the NMC Fellow award, the highest honor bestowed by Northwestern Michigan College.
The couple has been a philanthropic and business force in northern Michigan for decades, winning the 2013 Distinguished Service Award from the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce. Virtually every sector of the community has benefited from their support, including healthcare, arts and culture, and education.
Ross Biederman graduated from NMC in 1959, only a few years after the college was founded by a group including his father, Les. He was named an Outstanding Alumnus in 2010. Under his leadership, Midwestern Broadcasting Co. expanded to include nine radio stations. Ross Biederman also developed the Radio Centre complex, which includes downtown Traverse City’s first parking structure. As the head of the joint Garfield Township-Traverse City Recreational Authority, he helped develop the former state hospital grounds into the thriving residential/retail/commercial destination it is today.
In the words of President Timothy J. Nelson, the Biedermans are an “empowering couple.” Ross and Brenda have continued the Biederman family legacy of philanthropy. They have supported NMC personally and through the namesake family foundation for 30 years. Biederman scholarship funds currently support more than two dozen students annually and have transformed hundreds of lives. Most recently, the Biederman Foundation provided critical support for a simulator for the Great Lakes Maritime Academy. Ross is currently serving as a member of the NMC Foundation’s Campaign Steering Committee.
Brenda Biederman, a Buckley native, is an equally wholehearted supporter of education in general and NMC in particular. She helped launch the Women’s Resource Center and the Maidens of Michigan and is a past director for the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.
A fourth generation of Biedermans now has an NMC connection — one granddaughter is currently enrolled in the nursing program.
The NMC Board of Trustees has named Fellows each year since 1964 as a way of recognizing and thanking those individuals who have made special contributions to the college.
Release Date: May 16, 2017
For more information:
Rebecca Teahen
Executive Director for Resource Development and NMC Foundation
rteahen@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1855
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE
Northwestern Michigan College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, height, weight, marital status or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. nmc.edu/non-discrimination
May 12, 2017 | Intercom, Student News
TRAVERSE CITY — A nursing and a culinary instructor were named the 2017 winners of NMC’s annual Faculty Excellence awards at commencement ceremonies May 6.
Nursing instructor Mac Beeker is the Imogene Wise Faculty Excellence Award winner. Culinary instructor Robert George is the Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award winner. Chosen by a student selection committee, criteria for both awards include teaching excellence, rapport with students, innovation in the classroom and a sense of dedication.
Beeker began his career at NMC in 2015. He is also an NMC alumnus, graduating from the nursing program in 2010. In their nominations students said:
- “Every day after class I walk away knowing more than I ever thought I would.”
- “The instructor is truly a passionate teacher, who cares how each and every one of the students are doing, and wants all of them to succeed.”
- “This instructor is number one in my book. I have never had a more dedicated teacher.”
Read more about Mac Beeker here.
George began his career at NMC in 2006. In their nominations, students said:
- “I cannot say enough about how fortunate I feel to be in a class with this instructor. This is hard stuff to teach, yet this instructor does so cheerfully and seriously, and always with respect and 100 percent effort.”
- “By making the effort to have a personal connection to each and every student, the instructor helps everyone to feel calm and competent in a fairly stressful environment.”
- “The teacher also has many methods of teaching styles that help us learn the overwhelming amount of material.”
Both winners, coincidentally, are married to NMC employees. Beeker’s wife Mary Beeker is an NMC librarian. George’s wife Judy Chu is a communications faculty member.
The Faculty Excellence award was initiated by a contribution from longtime NMC benefactors Harold and Imogene Wise in 1970 and first awarded to a full-time faculty member in 1971. The Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award was created in 1999 as a companion.
Release Date: May 12, 2017
For more information:
Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director, NMC Public Relations and Marketing
(231) 995-1019
dfairbanks@nmc.edu
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