Nov 16, 2020 | Intercom, Student News
TRAVERSE CITY — Last night Governor Whitmer announced new restrictions designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 in Michigan. The new epidemic order from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services will have the following impact at Northwestern Michigan College from Wednesday, November 18 through Tuesday, December 8.
- All classes, meetings, testing and student services must be delivered virtually (with the exception of some law enforcement and health occupations courses).
- The Testing Center will be closed to in person testing.
- All employee work that can be done remotely, must be done remotely.
- Lobdell’s restaurant will be closed.
- The Hawk Owl Cafe will offer food for take out only.
- The bookstore and Health Services will have limited service.
- The library will offer virtual services.
- Building access will be limited.
- Residence hall students will have the option of staying in NMC housing. Further communication will come from the Office of Residence Life.
This is an evolving situation. We will continue to monitor it and communicate with you. Students, please contact your instructors if you have questions about your coursework. You may also use the feedback form for other questions related to the college’s response to the pandemic.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, NMC has remained committed to keeping our students and employees safe, while limiting the disruption to learning as much as possible. We appreciate your commitment to those goals. Please stay safe and continue your work to limit the spread of COVID-19 on our campuses, within our community and with your family. For the latest information on NMC’s response to the pandemic, including resources for students and employees, please visit nmc.edu/coronavirus.
Release date: November 16, 2020
For more information:
Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director of Public Relations, Marketing and 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
Nov 13, 2020 | Intercom, Student News
Thursday, November 19 from 11 a.m. to 6p.m.
Cost of the meal is $3.99
The meal includes roasted turkey breast, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, tossed salad, dinner roll and gravy!
*This meal is provided by Sodexo and sponsored by Student Life, Student Government Association and The Student Success Center*
Nov 12, 2020 | Intercom, Student News
The video of NMC’s November 11 virtual Veterans Day ceremony is online here. The ceremony featured opening remarks by Alex Swainston, president of the NMC chapter of Student Veterans of America, and remarks by Northwestern Michigan College President Nick Nissley, Ed.D., and Scott Herzberg, POC, Military & Veteran Services.
Serving those who have served the nation is a year-round priority at NMC, where about 5 percent of students are veterans or active duty military. This year, for the third year in a row, NMC is ranked as the No. 2 community college in the country for veterans by Military Times magazine in its annual Best for Vets list.
Nov 10, 2020 | Intercom, Student News
Shop with the NMC Bookstore for the holidays!
Get free shipping on all online orders over $49 November 23–30.
All your favorite Hawk Owl gear is available at bookstore.nmc.edu.
Nov 5, 2020 | Intercom, Student News
NMC Library is excited to announce the launch of our updated website!
The new site design is intended to provide smooth, intuitive access to all the library’s services and collections from anywhere our users are. Read some highlights of the refreshed site below:
- Streamlined structure = fewer clicks to get where you’re going
- Top services and features are now easily accessible directly from the homepage (cross-collection search, managing your library account, scheduling a research appointment, checking availability of textbooks for checkout, requesting equipment such as Chromebooks and wireless hotspots)
- New News & Announcements section at the bottom of the homepage
- Revised, user-centered organization scheme:
- Collections & Services: access print and digital collections, the NMC Archives, government documents
- Research: services and tools for student, faculty and community researchers
- Teaching & Learning: services supporting faculty instruction and student learning
- Events: programming for library users
- About the Library: updated mission and vision, history, and facilities information
- Our updated Policies page is your one-stop hub for all frequently asked policy questions
- Clearer and cleaner visual layout and design
- More responsive, mobile-friendly
Nov 4, 2020 | Intercom, Student News
TRAVERSE CITY — NMC invites the community to attend its annual Veterans Day ceremonies virtually beginning at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, via Zoom: https://nmc.zoom.us/j/93088013765
The schedule is as follows:
9 a.m.: Opening Remarks by Student Veterans of America President, Alex Swainston and Northwestern Michigan College President, Nick Nissley, Ed.D.
9:15: Posting the colors, playing of “Taps” and three volleys by VFW Cherryland Post 2780
9:20: Coining Ceremony for VFW Veterans
9:25: Closing remarks by POC, Military & Veteran Services/Advisor, Scott Herzberg
Serving those who have served the nation is a year-round priority at NMC, where about 5 percent of students are veterans or active duty military. This year, for the third year in a row, NMC is ranked as the No. 2 community college in the country for veterans by Military Times magazine in its annual Best for Vets list.
Release date: November 5, 2020
For more information:
Scott Herzberg
POC, Military & Veteran Services
sherzberg@nmc.edu
(231) 995-2526
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
Nov 4, 2020 | Student News
Fall rentals are due back to the NMC Bookstore by December 11.
Also, Spring books will be available starting November 23, both in store and online. Financial aid for Spring will be available December 7-January 26, both in store and online.
Nov 4, 2020 | Student News
Book buyback will be available at the NMC Bookstore both in store and online from November 9 through December 11.
Either bring your books to the bookstore, or check out the virtual option at bookstore.nmc.edu.
Learn more about the bookstore’s buyback policies here.
Nov 4, 2020 | Intercom, Student News
TRAVERSE CITY — Rachel Johnson, Laura Oblinger and Ken Warner were elected to six-year terms on the Northwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees Tuesday, in an election that attracted the largest slate of candidates in 30 years.
Rachel Johnson
(click for high-resolution version)
Laura Oblinger
(click for high-resolution version)Current board vice-chair Johnson was re-elected, and first-time candidates Oblinger and Warner received the three highest vote totals from Grand Traverse County voters. Oblinger and Warner will succeed K. Ross Childs and Jane T. McNabb, who did not seek re-election. All three will be sworn in Jan. 1, 2021, for six-year terms expiring in 2026.
“We are excited to welcome these new trustees, and appreciate the interest in the college shown by all the candidates,” said NMC President Nick Nissley. “We’re also grateful for the service of Trustees Childs and McNabb, and wish them well.”
Johnson was appointed to fill a vacancy in 2016 and first elected in 2018 to fill the remainder of her current term. She serves on the NMC Audit Committee, the Policy Committee and the Presidential Performance & Compensation Committee and is the member relations manager at Cherryland Electric Cooperative.
Oblinger, an NMC alumna, is a Traverse City native. The past executive director of the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce, she now is director of client services and business development for Rehmann.
Ken Warner
(click for high-resolution version)
Warner is retired from the University of Michigan, where he spent 45 years as a professor, including 15 as a department chair and School of Public Health dean.
Childs was one of NMC’s longest-serving trustees, appointed to the board in 2001 and first elected in 2002. McNabb was appointed in 2017 and elected in 2018 to fill the remainder of a term that expires Dec. 31.
Release date: November 4. 2020
For more information:
Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director, NMC Public Relations, Marketing & Communications
(231) 995-1019
dfairbanks@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
Oct 30, 2020 | Intercom, Student News
TRAVERSE CITY — The Traverse City region and the state have recently set new record highs in cumulative coronavirus cases, new daily cases and active cases. In an effort to curb this increase, and the health impact on the people in our communities, the state has moved our region from phase 5 to phase 4 and increased restrictions across Michigan on gathering size and masks. Please note NMC remains at stage 2 of its reopening plan and continues all safety protocols including requiring masks and social distancing on all campuses.
Since the start of the pandemic we have remained committed to two main goals: keeping our students and employees safe and limiting the disruption to learning. With the increase of cases in the region and on our campuses, it is critical that each of us continues to do everything we can to keep the virus from spreading at NMC, at home and in the community. In addition to wearing face masks and practicing social distancing and good hygiene, please make sure you do the daily health self-screening and please stay home if you believe you might be sick with any illness or have been in close contact with a positive case. Instructors and supervisors are ready and willing to work with you on this and know it will take all of us together to limit the spread of the disease.
We only have 3 ½ weeks to go before Thanksgiving break where we will pivot to remote learning as planned. We will continue to monitor the spread of the virus and will adjust our response as needed to work to keep you safe. Our hope is that we can continue to deliver learning and services as we are now without increasing restrictions.
We will also continue to communicate with you about cases on campus. You can find more information on NMC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, resources, safety guidelines and feedback form at nmc.edu/covid-19.
Release date: October 30, 2020
For more information:
Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director of Public Relations, Marketing and 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
Oct 30, 2020 | Intercom, Student News
TRAVERSE CITY — The Traverse City region and the state have recently set new record highs in cumulative coronavirus cases, new daily cases and active cases. In an effort to curb this increase, and the health impact on the people in our communities, the state has moved our region from phase 5 to phase 4 and increased restrictions across Michigan on gathering size and masks. Please note NMC remains at stage 2 of its reopening plan and continues all safety protocols including requiring masks and social distancing on all campuses.
Since the start of the pandemic we have remained committed to two main goals: keeping our students and employees safe and limiting the disruption to learning. With the increase of cases in the region and on our campuses, it is critical that each of us continues to do everything we can to keep the virus from spreading at NMC, at home and in the community. In addition to wearing face masks and practicing social distancing and good hygiene, please make sure you do the daily health self-screening and please stay home if you believe you might be sick with any illness or have been in close contact with a positive case. Instructors and supervisors are ready and willing to work with you on this and know it will take all of us together to limit the spread of the disease.
We only have 3 ½ weeks to go before Thanksgiving break where we will pivot to remote learning as planned. We will continue to monitor the spread of the virus and will adjust our response as needed to work to keep you safe. Our hope is that we can continue to deliver learning and services as we are now without increasing restrictions.
We will also continue to communicate with you about cases on campus. You can find more information on NMC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, resources, safety guidelines and feedback form at nmc.edu/covid-19.
Release date: October 30, 2020
For more information:
Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director of Public Relations, Marketing and 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
Oct 30, 2020 | Intercom, Student News
Robert Giles wrote his 2020 book “When Truth Mattered” about his experiences as a journalist covering the Kent State shootings. Fifty years later, when journalists are under attack from the very highest levels of government, the book is a reminder of why journalism — especially local journalism — is one of the last great guarantors of our democracy.
Giles (left) will be at the National Writers Series Tuesday, Nov. 10, for a free, virtual event starting at 7 p.m. ET. To register, go to the National Writers Series website via bit.ly/BobGiles or register at TCIAF.com.
The event is presented in partnership with the International Affairs Forum of Traverse City. The conversation will be simulcast on Interlochen Public Radio, 91.5 FM in Traverse City; 90.1 FM in Harbor Springs and 89.7 FM in Manistee and Ludington.
Giles was the young managing editor of the Akron Beacon Journal on May 4, 1970. His staff, writing stories that ran counter to most others, won a Pulitzer Prize for their coverage. Giles’ writing is absorbing and meticulous; he writes eloquently not just about the Kent State coverage, but of reporters and editors passionate about the truth and its importance to democracy and an informed nation. “When Truth Mattered” takes you inside the turmoil and drama of the newsroom. Join us on Nov. 10.
Guest host for the event is Cynthia Canty (right), an Emmy award-winning radio and TV journalist, anchor, and morning personality in Detroit. Now retired, she was host of WUOM’s program “Stateside” from 2012-2019.
Oct 28, 2020 | Intercom, Student News
October 28, 2020
Emergency temporary housing for three NMC students. Steel-toed boots that enabled a welding student to stay enrolled. Internet hotspots for students who suddenly needed to attend classes virtually. All were made possible this year through the NMC Foundation’s Be What’s Possible $35 million fundraising campaign.
Such direct, crisis relief funding was possible because of the campaign’s comprehensive design, a decision made in 2016. Back then, launching Be What’s Possible seemed ambitious: It’s 10 times the size of any previous NMC campaign, and aimed at multiple priorities simultaneously, instead of a specific capital project.
Then the coronavirus hit just six months after the final, public phase was announced in October 2019. The ambitious, comprehensive campaign proved to be exactly the solution for students weathering the pandemic.
One of the campaign’s four priorities, The Fund for NMC, is dedicated to the college’s most urgent needs. That fund immediately pivoted to crisis relief. Dollars directed to the Office of Student Life paid for the three students’ short-term hotel stays, until more permanent solutions were found.
“I was going to be staying in my truck, sleeping in my vehicle,” said Elyce Newcomb, a culinary student from Sault Ste. Marie who received housing assistance in September. “I didn’t want to leave my college classes.”
“(The pandemic) shifted the priority message to student support,” said campaign coordinator Carly McCall (left). “It really shifted the attention onto general, unrestricted support.”
NMC’s Office of Financial Aid was another vehicle to route assistance.
“We were able to take those dollars raised, and transfer them, through financial aid, directly to the students,” said Rebecca Teahen, associate vice president of resource development.
That opportunity to directly support students resonated with donors like Bob and Kathy Garvey of Williamsburg, new NMC donors this year.
“After COVID it was health, food, education. Those things sort of came to the forefront in terms of our giving,” said Bob Garvey. A newspaper story he read on student needs propelled the semi-retired lawyer to donate to support NMC scholarships.
“A lot of students are in service jobs, and I thought, ‘Man, these kids are between a rock and a hard place.’ ” Garvey said.
Many other donors thought the same thing. April 2020 became the Foundation’s fifth highest donor month ever. The second quarter of 2020, with more than 1,300 donors, was its second-highest quarter ever. Teahen said the “significant participation” was a silver lining to the pandemic.
“We know that philanthropy and giving is a way to connect, connect with your community and connect neighbors,” she said.
It’s never been more critical. The three housing requests are an indicator of how dire community need is due to COVID. Prior to 2020, Dean of Student Life Lisa Thomas said she’s housed just one student. But community programs and agencies she would normally rely on are pinched for funds, volunteers and time.
Now the ambitious Be What’s Possible campaign, co-chaired by NMC alumni Bruce Byl and Susie Janis (right), is looking eminently doable, with just $3 million left to raise. That makes all kinds of things possible for NMC in the future.
“It changes the nature of how we can operate, to know that this community can support on that level,” McCall said.
Be What’s Possible expects to achieve its goal and conclude in the first half of 2021. In addition to the college’s most urgent needs, supported by The Fund for NMC, and scholarships, which the Garveys donated to, the priorities include:
- Innovative Facilities – To create places where students and the community can connect to resources and with each other. Focused on the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center and the expansion of the Dennos Museum, gifts for other facilities are also welcome.
- Strong Programs – To stay at the forefront of educational innovation and drive economic growth through top-notch learning opportunities in all areas, from language arts to engineering technology.
“It allows donors to give in the way that makes sense for them,” Teahen said. “People want to help. Even when times are tough, they want to have a way to help their community.”
Oct 26, 2020 | Intercom, Student News
Caroline Heldman, Ph.D., Chair of the Critical Theory and Social Justice Department and Gender, Women, & Sexuality Studies at Occidental College, is the featured speaker at a 7 p.m. Nov. 12 presentation on “A Century of Gender Justice Activism”. Dr. Heidman will draw a timeline of the last century of gender justice activism with a focus on progress and pitfalls, and analyze the current status of women in the U.S. after a century of pushing for gender justice. The event will be hosted by NMC Psychology instructor Shilo Smith, MS. Join via Zoom here: nmc.zoom.us/j/94968308718.
The presentation is part of “100 Years of the 19th Amendment: Observing the Past and Looking Toward the Future,” NMC’s series of events exploring the amendment that gave U.S. women the right to vote.
Oct 26, 2020 | Announcements & News, Intercom, Student News
The Health & Science Building’s first-floor atrium on NMC’s main campus will be used as a city polling place for Precinct 9 voters again this year, including on Tuesday, Nov. 3 between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Some parking in the Cedar lot will be set aside for voters at those times.
Voters are asked but not required to wear masks at the polling place. Masks will be provided for people who don’t have them but would like one, sneeze guards will be in place within the polling place where voters and election workers most interact, items will be sanitized and social distancing signs will be in place. Those not voting are asked to avoid the polling place during voting. (NMC’s Keep Safe plan requires that face masks be worn and social distancing practiced – staying at least six feet apart – in all other NMC common areas, hallways and classrooms.)
The NMC Bookstore will be closed Nov. 3 as well, and will reopen with normal hours Wednesday, Nov. 4.
Oct 19, 2020 | Intercom, Student News
Please take a few short minutes to watch this video message to our NMC community from President Nick Nissley.
Thank you for all you do to keep safe and keep learning!
Oct 19, 2020 | Intercom, Student News
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 5:30 p.m. Zoom Meeting
Education & Outreach Coordinator Constanza Hazelwood of NMC’s Great Lakes Water Studies Institute will discuss the state of freshwater and how students in our area are learning about this valuable resource.
This event is free and open to the public, and presented by the American Association of University Women.
Register for the event here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqcuyuqjMrGtJjV2PbIMU82wJ7HKAMay-3
Oct 19, 2020 | HR Corner, Intercom, Student News
Kudos to all of our NMC students for following COVID-19 safety measures. We can see it all over campus with mask-wearing and social distancing keeping everyone healthy. Thank you!
