Success Story: Textbook heroes save students six figures in a single semester

Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News

October 28, 2015

NMC students pocketed an extra $137,000 this semester thanks to instructors using free and low-cost textbooks.

Led by Osterlin Library director Tina Ulrich, NMC is piloting an experiment in Open Educational Resources this semester. Ten instructors were selected to receive a stipend of either $500 or an iPad — provided by an NMC Foundation innovation grant — as an incentive to redesign their courses using free textbooks and other resources, often found online.

In the process, Ulrich discovered other instructors already using OERs or low-cost textbooks. In total, NMC has 17 instructors she calls “textbook heroes” teaching 880 students in subjects ranging from math to English to history to social work.

The hero label is no exaggeration for students in Brian Sweeney’s physics class, who each saved $198 thanks to his choice of an OER.

“I wouldn’t have bought it,” physics student Eli Seal, 31, said of the $198 textbook.

Pre-med student Alyson Bunker of Gaylord calls textbook prices “ridiculous.” One online book cost her $110, she said.

“It’s extortion,” said student Tripp Coleman, 25, of Traverse City. He’s attending school on the GI Bill^® and has a book allowance of only $509 per semester. That’s barely two-thirds of the $750 NMC recommends students budget, which amounts to 15 percent of tuition costs, Ulrich said.

Students said prices for online books and book rentals are still inflated and rigged with late fees, and end-of-semester book buy backs don’t offer enough return. Many said they like the online nature of OERs like the one Sweeney chose, which can easily be searched for specific content and linked to supplementary material.

“My course is organized better than ever and the students like the extra videos and interactive supplements for the class,” said math instructor Deb Menchaca.

Students who prefer printed materials can download and print OER materials, Ulrich noted.

Besides the cost savings, instructors said going off-book allowed them to reinvigorate their courses with newer material.

“Our computers are outdated as soon as we buy them. Our textbooks are, too,” said social work instructor Lisa Blackford. Now she’s consciously choosing materials as varied as TED talks and podcasts and believes students are more engaged.

Sociology instructor Brandon Everest agreed. He uses a $30 textbook published through OpenStax College, a nonprofit initiative of Rice University. The book’s content is not as thorough as the one he previously used, but that creates an opportunity to customize the course.

“It is more skeletal, so we were allowed to hang the flesh wherever we saw fit,” he said.

In terms of student performance, most instructors said students did as well or better on tests as they did with traditional textbooks. Sweeney said every test and lab score is better this fall.

The pilot project also aligns NMC with national trends. Earlier this month two U.S. senators introduced the Affordable College Textbook Act, which would expand the use of OERs.

Learn more about the Open Textbooks movement »

Read more from NMC’s textbook heroes »

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

Success story: Hawk Owls soaring

Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News

September 11, 2019

One-third of the region’s 40 under 40 winners have something in common beyond being young professionals who positively influence their community — they’ve attended classes at NMC.

Thirteen of the region’s 40 most influential leaders under age 40, as named by the Traverse City Business News this month, attended or graduated from NMC.

Illustrating the breadth of programs NMC offers, they work in a wide range of fields including banking and financial services, restaurants and hospitality, nonprofits, real estate, education, health care, government, and tourism. They are:

• Max Anderson, assistant vice president, Honor Bank;
• Andrea Deibler, co-owner, Raduno;
• Lindsey Dickinson, director of academic and career advising, NMC;
• Ashley Halladay-Schmandt, clinical manager, Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency;
• Brandon Hunt, president, Mid-American Title;
• Nicholus Kopacki, site director, GVSU Physician Assistant Studies program;
• Courtney Lorenz, founder, Cultured Kombucha;
• Ben Marentette, city clerk, City of Traverse Clerk;
• Katy McCain, manager, Traverse City Tourism;
• Julie Moore, Physician Assistant, Addiction Treatment Services;
• Christopher Radu, partner, Elemint Wealth Management;
• Amy Shamroe, Jenkins Group and elected city commissioner;
• Nicole VanNess, parking director, Traverse City DDA.

Their resumes point to the value of NMC in the community. Through NMC’s University Center, Traverse City city clerk Ben Marentette earned both his bachelor’s and MBA degrees.

“You get a lot for your money. NMC allowed me to build a career without having to leave the city,” Marentette said.

Other list highlights:

• Seven of NMC-connected are also repeat winners: Anderson, Halladay, Hunt, Lorenz, Marentette, McCain and Shamroe.
• The eight women and five men among the NMC-connected is similar to the gender balance among the entire 40 over 40 list (22 women and 18 men.) NMC’s enrollment, however, is nearly 50-50 male-female.

Success Story: Writing Center expands to meet student demand

Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News

January 25, 2017

From left to right, Writing Center reader Zachary Harrington, coordinator Megan Ward, readers Carrie Dunklow and Diane BairAfter the busiest fall semester in NMC Writing & Reading Center history, students returning to the second floor of Scholars Hall will find more elbow room for wrestling with rhetoric, structure and argument.

One argument that seems to be settled, as evidenced by the 1,750 student conferences held last semester: Writing well matters, long after that English assignment or history paper has been turned in.

“The overall trend is that people recognize communicating, writing, being able to express yourself is important to a lot of different disciplines, a lot of different jobs,” Center coordinator Megan Ward said.

Kevin Schlueter, president and CEO of Kalkaska Screw Products and a mechanical engineer by training, said it’s a key skill the company’s 116 employees need.

“It’s just as important in technical fields,” said Schlueter, an NMC alumnus who also serves on NMC’s Foundation Board. “You have to find a way to communicate to get your point across. Having a grasp of the English language is critical to success.”

Student Gene Ward of Traverse City and Writing Center reader Diane BairIn addition to that awareness, Ward has a two-part thesis about why visits to the Center jumped 15 percent last semester, precipitating an expansion of the space over winter break.

• Cultivating relationships with instructors, including those outside traditional writing areas like Communications and Humanities
• Creating an inviting space

Every semester Ward emails all faculty to remind them of the critique services some 12 paid peer readers offer free of charge. Two years ago biology instructor Laura Jaquish was one of the more untraditional instructors to invite Ward to talk up the Center to her students in person.

“With our 100-level classes, people are often not aware of what’s available to them,” said Jaquish, who found that her Plant Biology students benefited from the one-on-one critiques. She plans to refer students in another class, Essential Biology, this semester.

Other Science & Math students, Computer Information Technology, and economics students have also found their way to the Center, which has expanded its hours into the evening and also off-site, to Osterlin Library on Sundays.

“There’s a lot of writing being asked of students,” Ward said.

History instructor Tom Gordon has long recommended the Writing Center to his students for the objective scrutiny readers can offer.

“When you’re writing, it’s really easy to know what you mean,” Gordon said. When a reader doesn’t, it opens the door to improvement.

Learning to improve is easier when the space is inviting, and that’s what Ward has aimed to create. Over Christmas break a storage closet was converted, expanding the Center’s footprint by about a third. Ward says the Center’s prized couch, which encourages students to linger, will likely move into that section, as well as computers. Then, students can begin incorporating feedback into their revisions immediately after the conferences conclude in the original section of the space.

In conclusion, expect more record-breaking semesters at the Writing & Reading Center.

Success story: Police Academy anticipates enrollment boost

Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News

October 26, 2022

A new, $30 million state scholarship fund to train more police officers is coinciding with major changes to NMC’s Police Academy, setting up an enrollment to employment pipeline that will ultimately benefit community safety.

Announced last week, the Public Safety Academy Assistance Program was established to help address the critical need for additional police officers statewide by reducing or eliminating the cost associated with basic police training. Law enforcement agencies are eligible for up to $20,000 per recruit for academy tuition and other training costs.

Grand Traverse County Undersheriff Mike Shea (left) said that will be a boost to his department, which earlier this year had 10 vacancies in the patrol division. He just attended the Michigan Sheriffs Association conference and of the 70 counties represented, all but one or two were struggling with vacancies.

“We are bleeding police officers. They are leaving the profession at an alarming rate,” said Shea, a 2005 NMC Police Academy alumnus himself.

“It serves both the agency and the student,” NMC Police Academy director Gail Kurowski said of the scholarship. “There are a lot of people that might be considering a career in law enforcement that don’t have the financial wherewithal to put themselves through a program.”

Applications are now open for agencies who intend to enroll recruits in an academy session beginning on or after January 1. Next fall is also when NMC debuts a new, four-month structure for its academy. That cuts in half the current time needed to complete the program and will allow NMC to better compete for students it might have previously lost to condensed academies.

“The 16-week program is going to be huge,” said Shea, who already has a candidate in mind as Grand Traverse County’s first employed recruit to start next fall.

“We’re not only not going to lose the people we have in the past to other academies that are condensed, but hopefully we’re going to attract others because of what we have to offer,” Shea said.

NMC is the only academy to offer drone certification to its recruits, for instance. NMC also far exceeds the minimum requirement for scenario training, which simulates real-world situations, set by MCOLES, the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards.

“We are going to have over 60 hours of scenario training,” she said.“That is huge. There is no academy in Michigan that’s going to have that.”

The $20,000 per recruit would more than cover NMC’s tuition. NMC is also the northernmost academy in the state, making it an attractive option for agencies from the UP and northern lower peninsula. Shea said another plus is that NMC’s instructors are all either law enforcement officers or attorneys.

“There is no one better to teach than those who are living it,” he said.

The combined impact of NMC’s condensed program and the new scholarship should increase the ranks of those seeking to enter what Shea called “a noble profession.”

“I’m very hopeful that that pendulum will change,” he said.

Success Story: Condensed format, new vehicles and equipment on the radar

Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News

May 25, 2022

After three straight years of a 100-percent state exam pass rate and employment rate, NMC’s Police Academy program is planning big changes that will allow it to double enrollment and help fill a shortage of police and law enforcement officers statewide.

A new structure for the Police Academy slated to start in the fall of 2023 means that instead of turning out one graduating class per academic year, NMC will have one in the fall and one in the spring. Students will receive the same training by attending full time for 16 weeks, instead of part-time as they do now for the nine-month academic year.

Both students and police agencies favor the switch, Police Academy Director Gail Kurowski said. The 11 members of the Police Academy class of 2022 have all been hired (graduate Matt Morgan, above, is headed to the Michigan State Police), and police departments and sheriff’s offices around northern Michigan are eager for more graduates.

“They are really excited to see us make this change,” Kurowski said. “They are desperately in need of law enforcement personnel.”

Of the 20 police academies in Michigan overseen by the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards, NMC is among only a handful that still operate on academic year calendars, Kurowski said. She’s currently recruiting for the 2022–23 year, and has had to turn away almost as many students as she’s enrolled because they preferred the consolidated, shorter program. Increasing the number of credentials earned faster is also an objective within the Future-Focused Education area in NMC Next, the college’s strategic plan.

“It doesn’t work any more,” Kurowski said of the two-semester schedule. “There’s no doubt in my mind that we’re going to increase enrollment.”

Police Academy students will be learning on significantly upgraded equipment, too. Earlier this month, the Grand Traverse County Commission approved donating two used sheriff’s department patrol vehicles to the NMC program. Kurowski said she has a verbal commitment for a used Traverse City Police Department vehicle, too.

The vehicles will be outfitted with equipment donated by the Michigan State Police, including mounted display consoles for computers inside. The current 2005 vehicles NMC now uses lack any kind of police equipment.

“Our students have never gotten to turn on a siren or a light bar,” Kurowski said. “That’s going to be a huge improvement.” She expects the vehicles to be available for the 2022–23 school year.

NMC’s Aviation program and Marine Technology bachelor’s degree program also boast 100 percent employment among their graduates. The Great Lakes Maritime Academy expects all 2022 graduates to be employed within six months of graduation.

14th Annual Career Fair

Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News

TRAVERSE CITY — Employers are invited to register for Northwestern Michigan College’s 14th annual career fair, to be held March 5 at the Hagerty Center on the Great Lakes Campus.

The event runs from 3–6 p.m. Employers will have the opportunity to recruit job-seekers for career-track, seasonal and entry-level positions as well as internships and service learning.

The Career Fair now encompasses the formerly separate Jobs4Vets and NMC Technology Career Fair events, and is open to students, NMC alumni and community members. It will open one hour early, at 2 p.m., to veterans and military families only. It is held in partnership with Northwest Michigan Works and Networks Northwest.

An alumni reception follows the event from 5–6:30 p.m. at Lobdell’s: A Teaching Restaurant.

Employer registration is $25 and handled on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration begins Jan. 27. To register or for more information, visit nmc.edu/career-fair.

Release Date: January 23, 2020

For More Information:

Sally Smarsty
NMC Advising Center
ssmarsty@nmc.edu
231-995-1040

Great Lakes Maritime Academy cadets to depart on two training cruises with increased safety protocols

Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News

TRAVERSE CITY — Cadets at Northwestern Michigan College’s Great Lakes Maritime Academy (GLMA) will soon depart on training cruises with increased safety protocols in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Thursday, July 2, 12 GLMA cadets, and one faculty member will sail onboard the T/S Kennedy on its voyage from a shipyard in Mobile, AL to its homeport at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. These cadets will be joined by cadets and midshipmen from Maine Maritime Academy, California Maritime Academy, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. The ability of the cadets to sail onboard the T/S Kennedy during this evolution was facilitated by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD.) The vessel’s transit is expected to last 14 to 21 days.

“It will be a great experience, it will go a long way toward meeting our goal of ensuring cadets have the ability to graduate as per their model schedule, and it will be almost no cost to cadets,” said Jerry Achenbach, GLMA superintendent.

Monday, July 6, GLMA’s flagship training vessel, the T/S State of Michigan, is scheduled to depart, from NMC’s Great Lakes Campus harbor, for the first of three training cruises. In phase one of the training cruise, 17 cadets, and one intern from Northwestern Michigan College’s Great Lakes Culinary Institute will be underway for seven to nine days. The ship will not make any non-emergency port calls, and no one will depart or enter the ship to limit the risk of possible exposure to the virus.

All cadets and crew for both ships were required to be quarantined and test negative for COVID-19 before they were allowed to sail.

GLMA and NMC have adopted increased safety protocols to help protect cadets against COVID-19. These measures are based on stringent industry protocols developed by MARAD, and follow the most stringent procedures being employed by the U.S. maritime industry. Safety procedures for cadet training include single occupancy berths, inspections, continuous sanitization, safe distancing and wearing face coverings in accordance with CDC guidelines. Additionally, the Academy worked with the Grand Traverse County Health Department on the quarantine procedures.

These training cruises will help cadets meet program requirements. Earning the required 360 days of sea time during the four-year program was already a challenge due to high Maritime enrollment, few available berths aboard commercial vessels, and academic schedule constraints. Shutdowns due to the coronavirus worsened the situation. GLMA’s training vessel, the T/S State of Michigan, would normally have departed in early May on its annual two-month training cruise. Due to the pandemic, the vessel will not get underway until early July.

In addition to the new cruise options, GLMA added the tugboat Mississippi to its fleet in June. The NMC Board of Trustees approved leasing the vessel in March as an additional way to help cadets meet required sea time.

As the state maritime academy of Michigan, the Great Lakes Maritime Academy at Northwestern Michigan College educates and trains deck and engineering officers for the U.S. Merchant Marine. Graduates earn a bachelor’s degree, and an unlimited tonnage/ horsepower merchant marine license. Read more about the Academy at nmc.edu/maritime.

Release date: July 2, 2020

For more information:

RADM Jerry Achenbach
Great Lakes Maritime Academy Superintendent
(231) 995-1203
gachenbach@nmc.edu

Incumbent, two newcomers elected to Board of Trustees

Nov 27, 2022 | 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

Virtual astronomy viewing celebrates Sleeping Bear Dunes anniversary

Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News

TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College’s J.H Rogers Observatory will partner with the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society and host a virtual astronomical viewing session Friday, Sept. 25, celebrating Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s 50th anniversary.

Sleeping Bear Dunes has been the site of in-person “star parties” for the last 10 years. To celebrate the park’s anniversary and still observe COVID-19 restrictions on in-person gatherings, live images from the NMC Observatory’s telescope will be sent to guests via Zoom beginning at 9 p.m. (If it is cloudy, backup footage will be shown.) Astronomers will be available to answer questions.

The projection of actual live video images is an innovative approach to allowing for viewing safely through the college’s telescope by students. Applying a new low-light sensitive video camera, images normally seen through the eyepiece can be projected real-time to data projector or computer screens. The moon, bright planets, star clusters, nebulae and even faint galaxies are shown as they would appear in the eyepiece of the telescopes at the Observatory. This allows students to continue use of the telescopes at Rogers Observatory safely, as well as providing more in-depth discussions on the objects they are observing.

Work began on this concept in late spring 2020 due to the restrictions of the COVID-19. The system has been utilized for NMC’s Astronomy students beginning at the start of this Fall 2020 semester.

Release date: September 24, 2020

For more information:

Jerry Dobek,
NMC Astronomy Department
jdobek@nmc.edu
(231) 342-4545

“A Century of Gender Justice Activism” virtual discussion

Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News

NOTE: The Oct. 16 event featuring Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has been canceled.

TRAVERSE CITY — Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and several academic speakers will appear at four virtual events this fall commemorating the centennial anniversary of the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote.

An in-person voter registration drive Sept. 22 on NMC’s main campus will also be part of “100 Years of the 19th Amendment: Observing the Past and Looking Toward the Future.” Volunteers from the League of Women Voters – Grand Traverse Area will be available to register new voters from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center.

The virtual events are as follows:

• Thursday, September 17: The Constitution’s Suffrage Amendments: Giving Voice to Those Who Were Not Silent.
  7 p.m.— Panel discussion in conjunction with Constitution Day. Presenters and NMC instructors Mindy Morton and John Zachman will discuss the 15th, 19th, and 24th amendments and the individuals and groups whose political actions saw those amendments become political reality, and evaluate how these amendments impact our current political climate and elections. Morton is an adjunct instructor of history and Zachman is an instructor of political science and philosophy. Zoom Link: nmc.zoom.us/j/98632067245

• CANCELED: Friday, October 16: A Discussion on Elections and Voting with Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson
  7 p.m.— Hosted by Rachel Wilczewski, NMC sociology instructor, Secretary Benson will share information and her expertise on issues surrounding voter access in Michigan as well as information regarding the upcoming election and the recent actions in the state to reduce partisan gerrymandering. Live Q and A to follow a 30-minute presentation. Elected in 2018, Benson is the author of State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process, the first major book on the role of the secretary of state in enforcing election and campaign finance laws.

• Thursday, November 12: “A Century of Gender Justice Activism” with Caroline Heldman, Ph.d. Chair of Critical Theory and Social Justice Department, Chair of Gender, Women, & Sexuality Studies at Occidental College.
  7 p.m.—Hosted by Shilo Smith, NMC psychology instructor, Heldman will present a timeline of the last century of gender justice activism with a focus on progress and pitfalls. She will analyze the current status of women in the U.S. after a century of pushing for gender justice. Zoom Link: nmc.zoom.us/j/94968308718

• Friday, December 4: “The Lesson of the Lark” Virtual Choral Concert
  7 p.m. — Hosted by Jeffrey Cobb, Director of Music Programs
  The NMC Music Department, Audio Tech and Visual Communications programs are premiering a new concert work celebrating the centennial anniversary of women’s suffrage. This piece, which is meant to uplift and unify us, is a multi-movement work composed for narrator, soloists, chorus, and jazz orchestra. It is based on local author Laura Knight Cobb’s recently published book of the same name, a dramatic interpretation of the struggle for women’s voting rights.
  • Sign up for free tickets to the virtual event at MyNorthTickets. Those who register for the performance will receive a link to view the premiere and pre-premiere talk shortly before the event.

Release date: September 3, 2020

For more information:

Diana Fairbanks
NMC Executive Director of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications
(231) 995-1019
dfairbanks@nmc.edu

Water conferences showcase college’s expertise

Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News

TRAVERSE CITY — Showcasing its expertise in water issues, Northwestern Michigan College will virtually co-host two major professional water conferences in the coming weeks.

First, in conjunction with the Marine Technology Society, NMC will host Great Lakes TechSurge: Lakebed 2030 Sept. 30–Oct. 2. This major international virtual conference brings together scientists and researchers, policy makers and government officials and industry professionals.

Lakebed 2030 is an initiative led by NMC’s Great Lakes Water Studies Institute to map the Great Lakes by 2030. Institute director Hans Van Sumeren will give the opening keynote address at 12:30 p.m. Sept. 30. In addition to mapping, technology, coastline and habitat are other conference topics.

NMC offers a bachelor of science degree in Marine Technology.

NMC hosted the same conference in-person at the Great Lakes campus in 2019.

Second, the 13th Annual Freshwater Summit will be held virtually this year over four October Fridays between 10 and 11:30 a.m. each day. Themes are:

• Oct. 2 – Great Lakes water levels
• Oct. 9 – Good Harbor Bay research
• Oct.16 – Whose Water Is It? Equity Concerns with Water Access & Management
• Oct. 23 – Local initiative lightning talks. Great Lakes Water Studies Institute Program Coordinator Constanza Hazelwood will talk about NMC’s Freshwater Studies program, in which students can earn the nation’s only associate degree.

The Freshwater Summit is a product of the Freshwater Roundtable and is organized by multiple organizations including GLWSI. Registration is free.

Release date: September 28, 2020

For more information:

Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications
dfairbanks@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1019

Success Story: Orchards, vineyards, fields and classrooms host innovative training

Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News

May 24, 2017

Brandon Krohn of Bad Axe was one of eight students to take part in uncrewed 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 uncrewed 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.

NMC to participate in free tuition program for front-line workers

Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News

TRAVERSE CITY — Front-line workers may receive a scholarship to attend NMC free of charge starting in January through the Futures for Frontliners program unveiled today by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Futures for Frontliners offers Michiganders who worked in essential industries during the April 1–June 30 period but do not have a college degree free tuition to their local community college. They may pursue an associate degree or a skills certificate on a full-time or part-time basis while they continue to work.

Those without a high school diploma or equivalency are eligible for services to help them prepare for and complete this credential and go on to a community college or job training program. The application period runs through December 31, 2020, with enrollment available beginning in January of 2021.

Essential industries include health care, financial services, food and agriculture, law enforcement and first responders, water and wastewater, transportation and more.

“Providing these front-line workers in essential industries with access to tuition-free community college — even if they don’t have a high school diploma or equivalency — to pursue their career and personal dreams is a wonderful way to say ‘thank you’ — they certainly earned it,” NMC President Nick Nissley said.

To apply and learn more about Futures for Frontliners, visit nmc.edu/frontliners.

Release date: SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

For more information:

Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director, NMC Public Relations, Marketing & Communications
(231) 995-1019
dfairbanks@nmc.edu 

Record $1.28 million in NMC scholarships awarded

Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News

Number of student recipients rises 45 percent

Traverse City — Northwestern Michigan College has awarded a record amount of scholarship dollars to a record number of recipients this academic year, another example of NMC’s commitment to break down barriers to education, including financial.

As of Feb. 3, the college had awarded $1.28 million in scholarships to 964 recipients for the 2019-20 school year. That’s a 12-percent increase in dollars awarded and a whopping 45 percent increase in recipients. In 2018-19 the college awarded $1.14 million to 662 recipients.

NMC Director of Financial Aid Linda Berlin said the increase is the result of process enhancements undertaken to encourage more scholarship applications, so that available funds are fully awarded. Enhancements included a second application cycle, a communication plan to students and a reformatted, more user-friendly application.

As a result, applications grew from 22 percent of students in 2016-17 to 28 percent last year. Simultaneously, scholarship funds awarded rose from 74 percent of available to 82 percent. Berlin expects to see those numbers continue to improve this year and next.

“We’re trying to make (scholarships) more accessible to all our students, and we’re trying to get the message out, it’s not just about merit,” Berlin said. Financial need, area of study, and hometown are all common scholarship award criteria.

Scholarship funds are donated through the NMC Foundation, which has made scholarships one of four priority areas in its current $35 million Be What’s Possible comprehensive fundraising campaign. Read more.

Recipient Dani Valentine, 26, is in her second semester at NMC. For the fall 2019 semester, she got a $500 scholarship. This spring, she was awarded two more totaling $1,500. After earning her associate’s degree at NMC, Valentine plans to complete her bachelor’s through NMC’s University Center, and then complete a graduate degree in optometry at Ferris State.

“It’s definitely a long road, but because of scholarships I feel like I can do this,” Valentine said.

One of her spring scholarships is the Global Opportunities scholarship for students studying abroad. Valentine will use the $1,000 to participate in NMC’s first-ever trip to Iceland. She plans to earn NMC’s Global Endorsement in addition to her degree.

“I think it will help set me apart for anything I apply for in the future, as far as jobs or grad school,” she said.

The average 2019-20 scholarship award is $1,327. Berlin said that her office is trying to keep the average above $1,000. Tuition and fees for a student like Valentine — a Grand Traverse County resident enrolled in 12 contact hours per semester and studying an NMC general program — total $1,714 per semester.

“I’m really just super grateful for all these scholarships, not just for me, but anybody,” Valentine said. ‘It really does make a huge difference. Any small amount really helps.”

• To help students and families learn how to pay for college, NMC will hold its annual Financial Aid Fair from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12 in the Osterlin Building. This event is a comprehensive overview of the cost of college, types of financial aid, finding and applying for scholarships, and a special session for Native American students. Individual assistance is also offered.
• A culinary scholarship-specific workshop will be held from noon-2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14 at Lobdell’s Teaching Restaurant on the Great Lakes campus.
• A tech-aviation scholarship-specific workshop will be held from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26 in Parsons-Stulen 217/219 on the Aero Park Campus.

Release date: February 5, 2020

For more information:

Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications
dfairbanks@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1019

Academic World Quest

Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News

TRAVERSE CITY — NMC’s International Affairs Forum will host 18 area high school teams at its annual Academic WorldQuest from noon-5 p.m. February 6, at the Hagerty Center.

The teams will compete for the chance to participate in the national competition, the flagship youth education program of the World Affairs Councils, to be held in Washington, D.C. in April. Topics in the 2020 competition include preventing violent extremism, ocean protection and US-Russia Relations.

“Academic WorldQuest has a great atmosphere of friendly competition. Studying current topics in foreign affairs helped me expand my view of the world, and traveling to Washington, D.C. was a fantastic experience,” said Ted Roe, a 2019 Traverse City Central High School graduate and member of the Trojans’ winning team. Currently a freshman at the University of Notre Dame, Roe participated in AWQ for three years.

The event is free and open to the public. Sponsors include: The Traverse City Record-Eagle, Jimmy John’s, Shanty Creek Resort, Target, Best Buy, Common Good Bakery, Mundos Roasting & Co, Cicero’s Pizza. State Theater, Cherry Republic, Grand Traverse Pie Co. and Paesano’s Pizza.

Release date: JANUARY 27, 2020

For more information:

Julie Doyal
juliedoyal@yahoo.com
(231) 649-1781

Outstanding Alumni nominations due

Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News

TRAVERSE CITY — The Northwestern Michigan College alumni program is seeking nominations for the 2020 Outstanding Alumni award. Nominations will be accepted through Feb. 28.

Celebrated since 1988, the Outstanding Alumni award recognizes alumni for significant professional achievements and/or exemplary leadership in the local or global community. The award(s) will be presented at NMC’s annual Commencement ceremony May 2.

Nomination forms are available online. Nominations may also be e-mailed to Director of Alumni Relations, Cameron Penny, at alumni@nmc.edu or mailed to NMC Alumni Relations, 1701 E. Front St., Traverse City, MI 49686.

The 2019 Outstanding Alumni recipients were Terry Beia, Frank Dituri and Marie Socha.

Release date: JANUARY 9, 2020

For more information:

Cameron Penny
Director of Alumni Relations
cpenny@nmc.edu
(231) 995-2825