TRAVERSE CITY— Northwestern Michigan College kicks off its 2023 Embrace the Dream programming, a series of events marking Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month, on January 16.
Free admission to the Dennos Museum Center, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Building Bridges with Music presents “Remembering MLK,” a free concert, 7 p.m., City Opera House. NMC Canticum Novum choral group will perform along with other singers, dancers and spoken word artists.
January 18-Feb. 22: Disrupt & Dismantle film series, Dennos Museum Center Dutmers Theater. Free showings at 1 and 2:30 p.m. each Wednesday. From environmental racism to police brutality to the school-to-prison pipeline, host Soledad O’Brien explores inequalities Black communities face and the actions that need to be taken in order achieve lasting change in the U.S. Find out more and reserve seats online.
January 20, 7 p.m.: Dennos Museum Center opening reception for three new exhibitions that feature Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) artists and work that focuses on their experiences.
Teresa Dunn, a Mexican American artist and a professor of Drawing and Painting at Michigan State University. Her solo exhibition titled, Us, is a collection of her recent narrative painting series.
Vitality and Continuity: Art in the Experiences of Anishinaabe, Inuit, and Pueblo Women. The Dennos is the first museum in the state to host this exhibit.
A Rich History: African American Artists from the Muskegon Museum of Art. Features over 75 years of artistic excellence.
Guests of members and the public may attend, but will not receive complimentary drink tickets. Learn more: dennosmuseum.org/opening and RSVP your group.
February 3, 2 p.m.: “The Color of Care film” screening. Milliken Auditorium, The film chronicles how people of color suffer from systemically substandard healthcare. Produced by Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions
February, ongoing: Food for the Soul events — African-American/Black NMC faculty/staff/students will create menus and work with NMC Dining Services to offer authentic soul food in the Hawk Owl Cafe. Menus posted weekly, nmc.edu/embrace-the-dream.
February 15, 7 p.m.: The Spirit of Harriet Tubman, Milliken Auditorium. On a barren stage with only a trunk of costumes, Leslie McCurdy thrills her audience with her passionate portrayal of The Spirit of Harriet Tubman. Free, sponsored by NMC Student Life.
Release Date: January 9, 2023
For More Information:
Diana Fairbanks Associate Vice President of Public Relations, Marketing and 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
Curiosities, the ‘book club’ for those of us who are wary of a cover-to-cover commitment but still want to talk about interesting stuff with fellow lifelong learners, returns with a star-studded cast of guest facilitators and a mix of in-person and virtual programs.
As always, we’ll explore each topic for four consecutive weeks, meeting weekly for a freewheeling discussion on a curated set of articles, podcasts, and videos. We welcome students, staff, faculty, and community participants! Register for multiple topics throughout the year or just the one that interests you most.
Students may be eligible to earn co-curricular credit for participating – ask your instructor or email us at library@nmc.edu to find out more!
Winter Session: Responding to Global Climate Change (w/ Traverse City International Affairs Forum) January 19–February 9, Thursdays, 12–1 p.m. via Zoom
A bonus fifth Curiosities session this year in collaboration with Alex Tank at the Traverse City International Affairs Forum, following last spring’s collaborative Curiosities series on China. This winter we will explore climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts around the world spanning the local to the multinational. Topics will range from carbon use, capture and storage to resilient infrastructure and climate-driven migration.
Spring Session I: Stories of Science February 2–February 23, Thursdays, 3:15–4:15 p.m. @ NMC Library
The scientific world is full of the weird and the wonderful! Join us – along with faculty guest hosts Kristen Salathiel (English) and Nicole Speelman (Chemistry) – to explore lesser known and seldom told stories of science and scientists. From happy accidents to dastardly deeds, marvels in the night sky to phantoms of the deep sea.
Spring Session II: Touring the Senses March 2–March 23, Thursdays, 4–5 p.m. @ Various NMC Locations
Hearing, sight, smell, taste, touch: our senses mediate every moment of our relationships with others and the world around us. And yet, despite their deceptive familiarity, our tools of perception are wondrous and strange! How do they work, exactly? How (in)complete is our understanding of them? Let’s find out! Special interactive series featuring guest hosts Craig Hadley (Dennos Museum), James Morse (Culinary Institute), Leanne Baumeler (Disability Support) & Maria Ulrich (Audio Tech).
Traverse City — Northwestern Michigan College congratulates the more than 900 students who made the fall semester Dean’s List, earning a grade point average of 3.5 or above out of a possible 4.0 while taking five or more credits.
Diana Fairbanks Associate Vice President of Public Relations, Marketing and 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
President Nissley recently chatted with Angie Morgan Witkowsk for her “Bet on You” podcast.
Nissley says that the podcast “has many great leadership insights, especially about the importance of risk taking. She reminded me how important ‘guides’ are to us—that successful journeys aren’t completed alone. Rather, we often succeed thanks to the guides who have helped us out along the way.”
Their recent discussion is also available on Apple Podcasts.
NMC Surgical Technology students Natalie Balogh and Courtney Myers were recently featured on an episode of the Scrub Life podcast. Tune in to listen to them talk about dual enrollment, NMC’s Surgical Technology program, their favorite type of surgery and killer surgeons. Both Natalie and Courtney are graduating this month and will be working at Munson Medical Center upon graduation.
The Scrub Life Podcast is a surgical technology podcast hosted by Chris Blevins in partnership with the Association of Surgical Technologists. The podcast started as a senior project for her students in 2018 though it has gained popularity and currently has over 15,000 subscribers.
TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College’s International Affairs Forum continues its 29th season of events on Thursday, February 16, at 11:30 a.m.
IAF resumes its season with a virtual event entitled “India: Asia’s New Superpower” featuring Brahma Chellaney, professor emeritus of strategic studies at the New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research. A specialist in international security and arms control issues, Professor Chellaney has held appointments at Harvard, the Brookings Institution, the School of Advanced International Studies at the Johns Hopkins University, and the Australian National University.
Chellaney has served as a member of the Policy Advisory Group headed by the foreign minister of India. He was an advisor to India’s National Security Council. He is the author of nine books, including Water: Asia’s New Battleground and Asian Juggernaut: The Rise of China, India, and Japan.
The Feb. 16 virtual event will be available to livestream and includes public Q & A. Registration is required.
The spring season continues with the following events:
March 10 (time, venue, event format TBD) Dan Egan, author of New York Times bestseller The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, will discuss his newest book: The Devil’s Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance. Egan has written an essential and eye-opening account that urges us to pay attention to a perilous but little-known environmental issue. Egan investigates the past, present, and future of what has been called “the oil of our time.” He reports that our overreliance on phosphorus, a vital crop nutrient, is today causing toxic algae blooms and “dead zones” in waterways from the coasts of Florida to the Mississippi River basin to the Great Lakes and beyond. Egan also explores the alarming reality that diminishing access to phosphorus poses a threat to the food system worldwide—which risks rising conflict and even war. Egan is a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. This event is a joint event co-presented by the National Writers Series of Traverse City and the Northwestern Michigan College International Affairs Forum.
April 20, 6:30 p.m. (in-person + livestream) “Arabian Peninsula: Evolving Dynamics” with Ambassador Greta Holtz, chancellor of the College of International Security Affairs at the National Defense University. Amb. Holtz served 35 years as a career diplomat with extensive experience in the Middle East region, including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Tunisia, Syria, and Turkey. She was the U.S Ambassador to Oman from 2012 – 2015. She served as Senior United States Coordinator for Operation Allies Refuge in Qatar in 2021 and as Chargé d’affaires in Qatar from 2020 – 2021. She was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, and she was the Senior Foreign Policy Advisor (POLAD) to the Commanding General of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) from 2017-2019.
May 10, 6:30 p.m. (in-person + livestream) “World Press Freedom” with Joyce Barnathan, former president of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ). Prior to her leadership at ICFJ, Barnathan served at BusinessWeek as the executive editor of global franchise, the Asia regional editor, and Hong Kong bureau manager. Prior to BusinessWeek, Barnathan served at Newsweek as the U.S. State Department correspondent, Moscow bureau chief, and special projects correspondent covering presidential elections. Barnathan is committed to strengthening the news media to ensure that all enjoy vibrant, democratic societies.
June 8 (time, venue, event format TBD) “Foreign Policy Panel” For a third consecutive year, IAF will invite expert commentary on and analysis of U.S. foreign policy to close its 29th season. All IAF events include the opportunity for public Q & A. Stay updated via the IAF e-newsletter. Subscribe at TCIAF.com.
Unless otherwise noted, IAF in-person events are held at the Dennos Museum Center Milliken Auditorium. View event details and updates at TCIAF.com.
All IAF regular season events are open to the public. Tickets are required and available for purchase online or at the door. In-person admission is $15 per person. Current students and educators receive free admission.
Events are also livestreamed. Registration is required with a suggested donation of $10. For in-person tickets, livestream registration, and all event details, visit TCIAF.com.
IAF welcomes new members and sponsors for the remainder of its season February June 2023. Learn more about IAF membership, event sponsorship, and student outreach at TCIAF.com or email iaf@nmc.edu.
The International Affairs Forum is a program of Northwestern Michigan College and an affiliate member of the World Affairs Councils of America.
Release date: December 13, 2022
For more information:
Alex Tank Communications & Production Coordinator International Affairs Forum at Northwestern Michigan College (231)995-1844 atank@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
TRAVERSE CITY — NMC’s Visual Communications department invites area non-profit groups to submit graphic design, art direction and new media projects for consideration as pro bono class projects during the spring semester.
Part of the Visual Communications curriculum, the class project is free to the non-profits selected. The goal is a real-world assignment that allows students to interact with clients and exposes them to the commercial printing and production worlds, including film and new media production, creative advertising, graphic design and packaging. Projects will be completed by the end of the spring semester in April 2023.
Potential projects could include logos, brochures, ad campaigns, packaging, graphic design, branding, posters, infographics, announcements, invitations, film, motion graphics, animations, exhibition design, TV commercials or anything relating to visual communications, commercial art, illustration and film or web design. The department is especially interested in conceptually-driven projects that will offer the students substantial opportunity for interaction with the client and process.
Please include the following in your submission:
Description, tone and purpose of the design work requested, as well as the targeted audience you identify being associated with this work / your organization.
List out EACH piece (logo / brochure / short film, etc.) that make up the ideal whole of your project. Other pieces may be identified by your student team or elements may be excluded based on their contracted plan or suggested in place of ones on this list.
Ideal completion date between February 28 and April 25. All projects will be completed by April 26. Feel free to stagger dates individual elements might be due.
Ideal time for mid-way progress check meeting in March.
Budget: While there is no fee for the services students will provide, organizations must provide funds for printing / production expenses. NMC is happy to coordinate printing / production and get quotes under all budgets, and the students should be included in this step as it gains them experience in obtaining production quotes.
Please submit project consideration requests to instructor Caroline Schaefer-Hills at cschaefer@nmc.edu by January 6.
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
Do you find citing sources or references tedious? Google Docs now has a built-in feature that can help you with consistent and detailed citations in your papers. Watch this video to get started with the Google Docs Citations tool and learn how to make citations easy.
A new associate degree in water quality environmental technology coming next fall will expand NMC’s leadership in water-related career preparation as well as meet the needs of the new blue economy.
The new Wet Tech degree will be the only one of its kind in Michigan. It will utilize existing core and surveying and unmanned aerial systems courses, as well as create new courses in environmental site assessment, aquifer sampling, and groundwater monitoring. An internship is also required. NMC’s Board of Trustees approved it unanimously last week.
“This program will focus on training a workforce supporting the direct monitoring and cleanup of waters within the Great Lakes watershed and focusing on the direct impact to the quality of our water resources,” said Great Lakes Water Studies Institute Executive Director Hans Van Sumeren (above).
He said that nationwide, the U.S. EPA has documented 294,000 waste sites. Cleanup of those sites will generate more than $200 billion in economic activity, meaning graduates will find a strong job market.
“The water quality/environmental technician program intends to provide training for a skilled workforce that will be ready to respond to this growing need,” Van Sumeren said.
It joins four other NMC water-related degrees and programs:
The Marine Center – professional development and training in marine systems, geospatial technologies and land surveying.
Great Lakes Maritime Academy – Trains deck and engineering officers for the commercial shipping industry. Bachelor’s degree offered since 2012; program founded in 1969.
NMC also partners with Western Michigan University to allow Freshwater Studies students to earn a bachelor’s degree in freshwater science and sustainability, and with Lake Superior State University for Fisheries and Wildlife Management and Conservation Biology.
Creation of the new degree is also part of NMC Next, NMC’s strategic plan. The Huckle Family Foundation will provide $100,000 over two years for equipment and other program support.
TRAVERSE CITY — A new associate degree in water quality environmental technology coming next fall will further expand NMC’s leadership in water-related degrees and programs as well as serve industry demand in the new blue economy.
The new Wet Tech degree will be the only one of its kind in Michigan. It will utilize existing courses from surveying and unmanned aerial systems programs as well as create new courses in environmental site assessment, aquifer sampling, and groundwater monitoring. An internship is also required. NMC’s Board of Trustees approved it unanimously last week.
“This program will focus on training a workforce supporting the direct monitoring and cleanup of waters within the Great Lakes watershed and focusing on the direct impact to the quality of our water resources,” said Great Lakes Water Studies Institute Executive Director Hans VanSumeren.
He said that nationwide, the U.S. EPA has documented 294,000 waste sites. Cleanup of those sites will generate more than $200 billion in economic activity, meaning graduates will find a strong job market.
“The water quality/environmental Technician program intends to provide training for a skilled workforce that will be ready to respond to this growing need,” Van Sumeren said.
It joins four other NMC water-related degrees and programs:
An associate and a bachelor’s degree in Marine Technology, the only one in the world, created in 2012 and 2018, respectively
An associate degree in Freshwater Studies, the first in the nation when it was created in 2009.
The Marine Center — professional development and training in marine systems, geospatial technologies and land surveying.
Great Lakes Maritime Academy — Trains deck and engineering officers for the commercial shipping industry. Bachelor’s degree first granted in 2014; program founded in 1969.
Creation of the new degree is also part of NMC Next, NMC’s strategic plan. The Huckle Family Foundation will provide $100,000 over two years for equipment and other program support.
Release date: NOVEMBER 30, 2022
For more information:
Hans Van Sumeren NMC Great Lakes Water Studies Institute Executive Director (231) 995-1793 hvansumeren@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
Sereta Fager (Download a high-resolution photo)Kayla Wittkop (Download a high-resolution photo) TRAVERSE CITY — NMC students Sereta Fager and Kayla Wittkop are among eight 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).
They will join around 600 other students from across the country at the academy Nov. 30–Dec. 4.They will attend leadership training sessions each day and participate in other activities, such as laying a JMG wreath at Arlington National Cemetery.
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 and only the third college in the country.
Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates equips young people with the skills to overcome barriers and succeed in education, employment and life. It is the leading program of Youth Solutions, Inc., a youth opportunity organization delivering employability and education services to young people across the state.
The program helps set up students for initial career success. Financial assistance with job equipment such as tools or work boots, uniforms, bus passes or gas cards for transportation to work is also available.
Release date: November 29, 2022
For more information:
Diana Fairbanks
Associate Vice President 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
Ten years ago, Traverse City started Restaurant Week with 18 restaurants offering special menus.
Fifteen years ago, NMC’s Great Lakes Culinary Institute moved to brand-new bayfront facilities, including Lobdell’s Teaching Restaurant.
Ten years before that, in the mid-1990s, NMC’s culinary program made a distinct shift to focus on the art and craft of cooking.
Those culinary ripple effects will crest next week, when Traverse City’s tenth annual Restaurant Week takes place with more than doubled restaurant participation. Fully one-quarter of those 40 restaurants count GLCI alumni as owners or in kitchen leadership roles. At other restaurants, current GLCI students and other alumni can be found as line cooks, sous chefs and managers, all collectively contributing to Traverse City’s stellar reputation as a food and wine destination
“Just the fact that we have so many incredible restaurants, (GLCI) is one of the sources behind it,” said Colleen Paveglio, marketing director at the Traverse City Downtown Development Authority.
The DDA originally organized Restaurant Week to be a shot in the arm to business during the lull of midwinter. To say it worked is an understatement, said 2014 Culinary Institute graduate Fletcher Gross (above), a chef partner in HM Group. Their five restaurants — Slate, Sorellina, McGee’s 72, McGee’s 31 and Harrington’s by the Bay — all participate.
“Restaurant Week is literally like pulling a week out of the middle of July and putting it in February,” Gross said. “It’s one of my favorite weeks of the year, because we can showcase what we do best.”
Gross credits GLCI for giving him the skills not only to become a chef, but to build a career in the restaurant industry. He joined HM Group in 2011 and bought into the ownership group in 2018.
“I learned how to be a better manager,” said Gross, 26, who handles all the purchasing for the five restaurants and trains the head chef for each kitchen. Between them, the five restaurants employ around 100 people this time of year, a figure that will double in the summer.
“I’m very grateful for my restaurant career,” Gross said.
He also pitches into whichever kitchen is expecting the highest volume in a given week.
Next week, that may be a tough call, as reservations pour in.
“People look forward to it,” Paveglio said.
Besides the HM Group restaurants, the others participating in Restaurant Week with GLCI alumni connections are Minervas, PepeNero, Smoke & Porter, The Good Bowl and Towne Plaza.
Edris Fana speaks at the 2016 NMC CommencementLast month, 2016 NMC graduate Edris Fana expected to see his parents for the first time in eight years, when they were to travel from Kabul, Afghanistan to Traverse City for his wedding to fellow alumna Emma Smith.
Instead, their wedding date, Aug. 15, became the day that Fana’s home country officially fell back to the Taliban, the Islamic military regime that resumed control of Afghanistan amid the final withdrawal of U.S./NATO troops after a 20-year presence.
“Everything just went downhill,” Fana said, adding that his parents have visas to travel to the United States, but cannot get a flight. (Very limited air travel resumed last week.) “To see it fall like this, it’s crazy to think about it.”
As the first international student to lead NMC’s Student Government Association, Fana, now 27, once aspired to apply that experience back home, and work in the government of the fledgling democratic republic.
“That was my all-time goal,” said Fana, who studied aviation. As the SGA president, he spoke at both the 2015 and 2016 commencement ceremonies.
“Coming from a place that I didn’t have the opportunity to practice leadership, or to have any experience of what I was capable of, it was NMC that presented me with opportunities to grow,” Fana told the audience in 2016.
Fana reciprocated those opportunities, contributing significantly to international understanding on campus, said Jim Bensley, NMC’s director of International Services and Service Learning.
“His interactions with fellow students helped many students gain a more intimate understanding of Afghan culture,” said Bensley, who invited Fana to speak to his World Cultures classes as well as wider campus audiences.
Fana’s 2013 departure to attend NMC was his second exodus from Afghanistan. In 1994 he was 11 days old when his parents fled with him and his brother to Pakistan as the Taliban began its first takeover of the country. The family returned to Afghanistan in 2003, when Fana was 10.
By then, the American invasion had ousted the Taliban from power and Afghanistan was heading into its first democratic elections. Despite attending an American school in Kabul and having parents who were educated and professional — his father runs a non-governmental organization called Partners in Aviation and Technology — Fana found his options for higher education limited. He wanted to study aviation.
As a young, Afghan man in a post-9/11 world, it wasn’t easy getting the acceptances and documents he needed to study in the United States. But Fana finally succeeded, following his brother, a pre-med student, to Michigan.
“NMC provided a path to me, not just out of Afghanistan, but to study more, to study what I really love, and get involved in the community,” said Fana. In addition to the SGA, at NMC he joined the International Club, also serving as its president, was a resident assistant and worked in the library. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business from Ferris State University through NMC’s University Center in December 2020.
NMC Dean of Students Lisa Thomas is the adviser to the SGA and knew Fana well.
“His own life experiences and journey from across the world to NMC gave him a deep sense of appreciation for the education and opportunities at NMC,” Thomas said.
Currently working as a hotel manager, with a return to Afghanistan off the table, Fana is accruing flight hours in order to earn his flight instructor license.
Daily life in Kabul is “somewhat regular” now, as the Taliban seeks international recognition of its regime, and his parents are safe, Fana said, but they are still seeking a way to leave. It’s stunning to think the country is back where it was when he was an infant.
“I don’t think anybody expected an overnight takeover. Within two weeks, the whole country just fell in.”
NMC Aviation, already celebrating its 50th anniversary, notched another notable accomplishment this fall – the largest number of new female students ever.
The six women, from Michigan to Indiana to Alaska, more than double Aviation’s total female enrollment. They took various paths to the Aero Park campus – from a sight-unseen enrollment after a relative’s recommendation to a cold-hard calculation of cost to value. But after only a few weeks of class, they share a sentiment of satisfaction with the small, welcoming program that gets students into the pilot’s seat ASAP.
“It was amazing. The second week of school we were up in the air,” said Kate Hauch, 29 (above), the Alaskan who enrolled upon the recommendation of her brother-in-law, a former student. She never set foot on campus until she arrived from Juneau a couple days before classes, but has felt welcomed.
“You’re a new student, you don’t know how to fly, let’s learn,” is the attitude she found.
“Being able to fly the first week of school at NMC really made a big difference,” agreed Regan Lezotte, 18, of Howell. She had wanted to go to Western Michigan University and spent months agonizing over her choice. A cost analysis showing she’d save six figures by attending NMC tipped the scales.
“There are some smaller houses that I could buy with this money I’d be saving,” Lezotte said.
At Western she wouldn’t have been flying until summer 2018, and would have been among 800-900 students instead of 50.
“It’s more intimate. My instructor knows me, he knows my name,” said Lezotte, whose goal is to fly in corporate aviation. She’s also already found an internship for next semester, working in the Airport Operations and management offices at Cherry Capital Airport.
Hauch plans to return to Alaska and work in either the aerial survey industry or flying medical evacuation flights. Meanwhile, the Saginaw native is enjoying the warmer weather and the local scenery, like her “gorgeous” first flight up the Leelanau peninsula.
“I love the northern area,” she said.
NMC Aviation will celebrate its first half-century with a symposium and gala dinner at the Grand Traverse Resort Thursday. More details are available at nmc.edu/aviation50.
Asked to name notable Black Americans, and a few relatively contemporary figures usually come to mind: Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey.
The Voices Project, a new experiential learning project in conjunction with NMC’s Embrace the Dream Martin Luther King/Black History Month programming, aims to elevate the recognition of lesser-known individuals throughout history, like Capt. Hugh Mulzac, journalist Ida B. Wells-Barnett and nurse Mary Eliza Mahoney.
Taking place in campus hallways through the end of the month, the Voices Project is part open-access history lesson, part diversity and inclusion showcase and is aligned with the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion area of NMC Next, the college’s new strategic plan. The poster-size portraits of Black Americans hang in the academic buildings corresponding to their subject’s field – from the first Black registered nurse (Mahoney) to the first Black merchant marine naval officer to command an integrated crew during World War II (Mulzac) to journalist and NAACP co-founder (Wells-Barnett) who was born into slavery.
The posters were designed by Fine Arts student Gavin Bebb.
“I think there’s a strong connection between art and social issues. I felt honored to be a part of the project and helping to bring awareness to others,” said Bebb, 21, of Traverse City. “These are unsung individuals who really changed how we progress in our world today.”
Fine arts instructor Glenn Wolff (right, with Bebb, far right) approached Bebb about the experiential learning project at the end of 2021. From a faculty-curated list of potential subjects, Wolff obtained images in the public domain or permission to use them. Bebb then created the Voices Project logo and edited the images into portraits, cropping, magnifying and manipulating small original files into the 30 x 40 posters.
“All the things I learned over the fall semester I put into these posters,” he said.
Each also includes short biographical text researched by NMC faculty, and a QR code that a viewer can scan for the complete list of poster subjects.
“To me a desired outcome is that students, when they view the posters in their various areas at NMC, discover these Black contributors and are inspired to learn more about, and reflect on, the importance of their stories, and the reasons for their relative absence,” Wolff said.
Wolff was able to obtain permission for 17 images. Other portrait subjects are research chemist Percy Julian, mathematician Gladys West and artist and illustrator Aaron Douglas. Wolff’s drawing students are now working on sketches for another five subjects for whom permission could not be obtained.
“It’s morphing into student artwork,” he said.
The Voices Project posters will be on display at least through February. Wolff envisions it becoming an annual event.
Kyle Korson gets food at the Hawk Owl CaféMasked students, faculty and staff members returned to a campus transformed in response to the coronavirus pandemic, as completely overhauled fall classes began last week in new instruction formats, with safety and learner success top-of-mind.
“We know some parts of the college experience will be different,” NMC President Nick Nissley said in a welcome video message to students. “Our faculty and staff are still here for you, in more new ways than ever before, to help you reach your goals.”
NMC’s fall learning plan is safety first, offering most classes remotely. It’s the reverse of 2019, when 83 percent of courses were offered in traditional face-to-face lecture format. This fall, only 13 percent are. Livestream debuts as a brand-new format. More than a third of classes are offered livestream, with an instructor teaching online at established days and times.
“Our instructors spent the summer learning how to make virtual learning even better,” Nissley said.
Classes are also offered in on-demand online format, hybrid, and in person where required for accreditation, such as nursing.
Nursing student Kendall McNitt had planned to transfer to NMC from Saginaw Valley State University pre-pandemic, but the safety and flexibility NMC is offering students in this unique semester has affirmed she made a good decision. She’s closer to her East Jordan home, in smaller classes and paying more affordable tuition. Her classes are a mix of all the formats.
“So far, everyone’s been very on top of the guidelines,” McNitt said of safety requirements like mandatory masks and social distancing in classrooms. “All of the nursing professors, they’re super willing to help.”
First-year student Kyle Korson, an East Hall resident, is taking all his classes online, but is grateful to be living on campus for the reliable wireless Internet connection. He lives in Leelanau County near Northport and said connectivity from his home is poor, and wouldn’t allow for livestreamed classes.
“It’s good to get away,” added the engineering student.
On-campus housing occupancy is at about 50 percent of capacity, to allow for social distancing. Fellow East Hall resident Lukus Herblet is glad to be living on campus and that some of his audio technology classes are in hybrid format, combining online and face-to-face instruction.
“I feel it’s part of the college experience,” he said.
New to this year’s college experience: Hand sanitizer stations in all building entrances, with complimentary face masks available to help visitors comply.
Also, the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center is now open after almost two years of construction. The first-floor Hawk Owl Cafe and the new second-floor library are open to students, faculty and staff, with occupancy limited to about 50 percent of capacity. Public seating areas have also been marked so that visitors maintain a minimum six feet of separation.
“It’s pretty nice to have everything in one place,” Herblet said.
McNitt, settled into one of the booths by the cafeteria, agreed.
“It’s definitely not a normal experience, but so far, it’s been good,” she said.
Amid abundant challenges, bright spots and silver linings are still plentiful as NMC’s first full academic year under COVID-19 restrictions draws to a close.
Recapping the challenges: For safety, about 85 percent of NMC’s classes were offered remotely in both fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters, a complete flip of the usual proportions. College and student events both pivoted to virtual, changing the feel of the campus community. Two brand-new state workforce investment programs, Futures for Frontliners and Michigan Reconnect, were built and unveiled, and COVID safety precautions kept Dennos volunteers at home.
Classes and student events
Due to their accreditation requirements, health programs like dental assisting and nursing were among the few holding face to face classes in 2020–21.
“We had a great group of students who realized there might be a few bumps in the road, but were always grateful to be face-to-face,” said Dental Assistant Program Director Deb Kaser.
There were no cases of COVID-19 among her students, thanks to social distancing and triple precautions: masks, face shields, and eye protection. Just two students had to quarantine due to household members’ illness, but they were able to keep up thanks to online instruction and proctored testing.
Director of Advising Lindsey Dickinson said that virtual options have been a silver lining for her office, too, especially for students who are parents or have transportation issues.
“It has leveled the playing field in terms of access. Sometimes, getting people to campus was the biggest barrier,” Dickinson said. “We can still build relationships with our students.”
She is especially proud of the fact that the annual Career Fair — one of the last in-person college events in March 2020— carried on in a virtual format in March 2021.
“We had 12 students who got interviews off the back of that Career Fair,” Dickinson said.
Financial aid
2021 opened with three immediate priorities: Distributing $1 million in federal emergency student aid approved in 2020; awarding aid for the state’s Futures for Frontliners program, and aid for Michigan Reconnect. Both Frontliners and Reconnect cover in-district tuition for students who worked during the initial pandemic shutdown in spring 2020 (Frontliners) or are age 25 and lack a college degree (Reconnect.)
The two programs were the first new aid in decades, said NMC Financial Aid Director Linda Berlin. In addition, Frontliners drew a much larger response than expected— more than 1,800 students, according to admissions director Cathryn Claerhout. For spring, 529 enrolled at NMC.
“We had no system set up to handle it,” Berlin said. But NMC’s Information Technology Services stepped up.
“NMC is better positioned than a lot of schools. Our IT, they rocked,” Berlin said. Using the new systems, NMC has awarded $403,000 in Frontliners scholarships with another $83,000 pending for fall.
Awards for Michigan Reconnect start this summer. Also coming up for Berlin’s team: Awarding another $2 million in emergency student aid through the federal American Rescue Plan.
After an initial shutdown, since August 2020 the museum has remained mostly open to the public, albeit with limited hours. Events like concerts and artist workshops are still virtual, however.
“We’ve gotten really good at Zoom programs,” said Executive Director Craig Hadley, noting the Dennos has virtually presented artists from as far away as Iceland.
A silver lining has been new partnerships. The Dennos recently pooled grants funds with Manistee’s Ramsdell Center for the Arts to present Windy City Blues, a virtual concert featuring two Chicago artists neither could have afforded on their own. Offered free online, it led to about 35 new subscribers to the Dennos YouTube channel.
“We definitely are reaching new audiences,” Hadley said. “It’s been an opportunity to expand our reach, and who we’ve been able to engage.”
Volunteers have begun to return to the museum, and Hadley looks forward to increasing their numbers, which will allow the museum to expand hours beyond the current Sunday–Thursday.
“That’s going to get us weekend coverage,” Hadley said.
“It was amazing. It was a sort of out of body experience,” said chapter president Amber Marsh of the countdown at the PTK conference where the No. 7 rank was revealed.
On the heels of the rank, Marsh also learned that the NMC chapter’s honors in action project, Deconstructing the Binary Complex in Racism, was selected to be published in Civic Scholar, PTK’s journal of undergraduate research, this summer. She’s thrilled that “the work that we became so passionate about” as the nation began to reckon with racial justice last summer will now reach a wider audience.
“You have a great chance to change minds,” she said.
The classes of 2020 and 2021 will both graduate in a modified, COVID-compliant walk-through commencement ceremony on May 1.
Curiosities, the ‘book club’ for those of us who are wary of a cover-to-cover commitment but still want to talk about interesting stuff with fellow lifelong learners, returns with a star-studded cast of guest facilitators and a mix of in-person and virtual programs.
NMC Surgical Technology students Natalie Balogh and Courtney Myers were recently featured on an episode of the Scrub Life podcast. Tune in to listen to them talk about dual enrollment, NMC’s Surgical Technology program, their favorite type of surgery and killer surgeons. Both Natalie and Courtney are graduating this month and will be working at Munson Medical Center upon graduation.
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Ten years ago, Traverse City started Restaurant Week with 18 restaurants offering special menus.
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Wolff was able to obtain permission for 17 images. Other portrait subjects are research chemist Percy Julian, mathematician Gladys West and artist and illustrator Aaron Douglas. Wolff’s drawing students are now working on sketches for another five subjects for whom permission could not be obtained.
Due to their accreditation requirements, health programs like 
Despite a mostly virtual year,