Student Health Services closes May 9
Student Health Services will be closing for the summer May 9. If you need refills or an appointment, please call 995-1255 ASAP to schedule.
Student Health Services will be closing for the summer May 9. If you need refills or an appointment, please call 995-1255 ASAP to schedule.
Please join us for NMC 2016 Honors Convocation recognizing our outstanding students and recipients of the academic area and honors scholarships and awards. (more…)
NMC Library’s “Long Night Against Procrastination” will run Thursday, April 21 at 6 p.m. through Friday, April 22 at 2 a.m. Extra-extended hours to tackle final papers and serious studying!
Spring Book Buyback will be open April 25-29. Stop by the bookstore during regular store hours to see if your books are eligible for buyback.
Summer financial aid will be available to use in the bookstore April 18-June 17. All items in the bookstore are eligible for financial aid, including school supplies, apparel, and $25 Speedway gas cards.
Make book pickup easy through online reservations at bookstore.nmc.edu. Reserve your summer books between now and May 31, and the bookstore staff will pull your books for you and have them ready at the counter. Reservation pickups must be completed by June 3.

Re-Evolution: Courage, Citizenship, Contribution, Community is the theme of the 6th TEDxTraverseCity event taking place on Wednesday, May 11th. Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, April 13th at 10 a.m. through the event website. (more…)
Student jobs can be found on the Student MyNMC page under “Jobs On Campus.”
Available jobs include:
The #MyVoice Photo Campaign was created with the intention of raising awareness during sexual assault awareness month (April), as well as showing support for survivors and starting conversations both on and off campus. The campaign was developed by the NMC student group Voices. Voices is a peer support and activist/advocacy group working to raise awareness and change the way our community views and discusses sexual assault.
By the calendar, spring arrived two weeks ago, but for Great Lakes Maritime Academy alumna Margo Marks, it sailed in today.
This morning the Emerald Isle picked up passengers at Charlevoix for the Beaver Island Boat Co.’s first voyage of the season. For company president Marks, the vessel’s return from its winter on the Lake Michigan island truly signifies spring.
“It’s always exciting to see the bridge open,” she said of the drawbridge over the channel that links Lake Michigan and Round Lake. “It’s a beautiful sight to see the Emerald Isle pull in.”
Marks, 54, and her husband Todd both graduated in 1983, she as a deck officer and he as an engine officer. Their timing couldn’t have been worse, coinciding with a slump in the U.S. steel industry that dominated Great Lakes shipping. In order to find work, Todd Marks joined the Army and the couple left the state for nearly a decade. But the Great Lakes are a powerful lure.
“We were always trying to find a way to get back to Traverse City,” Marks said.
It came after her husband’s military discharge. He found work on a West Coast tanker, hauling petroleum from Alaska to Long Beach, Calif. The job allowed their family of five to live anywhere, and in 1992 the Markses returned to northern Michigan. (Todd Marks still works as a chief engineer.)
In 1994 Marks got her own second shot at a maritime career when she became harbormaster for the village of Elk Rapids. She stayed in that role until 2001 when she joined the Beaver Island Boat Co. as general manager.
The ferry is considered a lifeline for the island’s 550 resident and a boon for tourism in Charlevoix. During the course of 375 annual round trips between April and December the Emerald Isle transports 6,500 vehicles, 40,000 passengers, and all manner of freight, from appliances to manufactured homes to heavy equipment.
“One time we had a young lady take a goat in her car,” Marks recalled.
Charlevoix Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Amanda Wilkin noted that 40,000 ferry passengers also means 40,000 potential diners and shoppers are discharged into the streets of Charlevoix. The drawbridge itself is an attraction.
“It’s a huge attraction for people to watch the bridge go up and the ferry go through,” she said. “It’s a unique thing to our community.”
Marks also serves her industry as the president of the Passenger Vessel Association, a national association representing owners and operators of dinner cruise vessels, sightseeing and excursion vessels, car and passenger ferries and other vessels that carry more than 200 million passengers per year.
Marks traces her maritime career to her downstate childhood, when she helped her father restore a 1927 wooden-hulled boat at a marina in Monroe (right).
“It fell over in winter storage. My dad bought it with a hole and we repaired it,” she said. They subsequently spent every summer weekend on the Queen Ann — named for her mother — on Lake Erie.
“Dad and I would go out and do a lot of perch fishing. We’d go out and fish and swim and it was a great time,” Marks said.
A photo of the Queen Ann now graces her office as Marks prepares for another season helping other families make memories on another Great Lake.
By the calendar, spring arrived two weeks ago, but for Great Lakes Maritime Academy alumna Margo Marks, it sailed in today.
This morning the Emerald Isle picked up passengers at Charlevoix for the Beaver Island Boat Co.’s first voyage of the season. For company president Marks, the vessel’s return from its winter on the Lake Michigan island truly signifies spring.
“It’s always exciting to see the bridge open,” she said of the drawbridge over the channel that links Lake Michigan and Round Lake. “It’s a beautiful sight to see the Emerald Isle pull in.”
Marks, 54, and her husband Todd both graduated in 1983, she as a deck officer and he as an engine officer. Their timing couldn’t have been worse, coinciding with a slump in the U.S. steel industry that dominated Great Lakes shipping. In order to find work, Todd Marks joined the Army and the couple left the state for nearly a decade. But the Great Lakes are a powerful lure.
“We were always trying to find a way to get back to Traverse City,” Marks said.
It came after her husband’s military discharge. He found work on a West Coast tanker, hauling petroleum from Alaska to Long Beach, Calif. The job allowed their family of five to live anywhere, and in 1992 the Markses returned to northern Michigan. (Todd Marks still works as a chief engineer.)
In 1994 Marks got her own second shot at a maritime career when she became harbormaster for the village of Elk Rapids. She stayed in that role until 2001 when she joined the Beaver Island Boat Co. as general manager.
The ferry is considered a lifeline for the island’s 550 resident and a boon for tourism in Charlevoix. During the course of 375 annual round trips between April and December the Emerald Isle transports 6,500 vehicles, 40,000 passengers, and all manner of freight, from appliances to manufactured homes to heavy equipment.
“One time we had a young lady take a goat in her car,” Marks recalled.
Charlevoix Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Amanda Wilkin noted that 40,000 ferry passengers also means 40,000 potential diners and shoppers are discharged into the streets of Charlevoix. The drawbridge itself is an attraction.
“It’s a huge attraction for people to watch the bridge go up and the ferry go through,” she said. “It’s a unique thing to our community.”
Marks also serves her industry as the president of the Passenger Vessel Association, a national association representing owners and operators of dinner cruise vessels, sightseeing and excursion vessels, car and passenger ferries and other vessels that carry more than 200 million passengers per year.
Marks traces her maritime career to her downstate childhood, when she helped her father restore a 1927 wooden-hulled boat at a marina in Monroe (right).
“It fell over in winter storage. My dad bought it with a hole and we repaired it,” she said. They subsequently spent every summer weekend on the Queen Ann — named for her mother — on Lake Erie.
“Dad and I would go out and do a lot of perch fishing. We’d go out and fish and swim and it was a great time,” Marks said.
A photo of the Queen Ann now graces her office as Marks prepares for another season helping other families make memories on another Great Lake.
A group of Master’s level Social Workers from Ferris State University is raising money on behalf of 36 families and individuals moving into Carson Square Apartments, a new supportive housing development in Traverse City specifically for individuals experiencing homelessness, survivors of domestic violence and people with disabilities.
To reach their goal of $10,000, the group is hosting an event at Right Brain Brewery on Sunday, April 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. and asking for sponsors and cash donations. Sponsors who donate $250 or more will be featured by name at the event. The money earned at this event will go a long way in covering the move-in needs of a new apartment and your gift will make a difference in the life of many individuals and families from your community!
FREE FOOD and enlightened conversation Wednesday, April 6, at 8:30 p.m. and Thursday, April 7, at 3:30 p.m. in the West Hall Conference Room.
Join us for the exciting NEW launch of our student talk series. Come join fellow students for a living room discussion on a specific global hot topic each month. Each discussion will be hosted by a student group, and one faculty/expert in that area. (more…)
Window on the World is sponsored by NMC International Services, The Dennos Museum Center, NMC International Club, International Affairs Forum, WNMC 90.7 Community Radio, The State Theatre, Michigan Global Awareness Consortium and Sodexo.
TRAVERSE CITY — Step into spring by enjoying one of these toe-tapping shows by NMC’s talented performance ensembles in April and May:
Sunday, April 17: NMC Music Department recital. 3 p.m., Milliken Auditorium. Donations taken at the door for the Music Student Scholarship Fund.
Tuesday, April 19: NMC Concert Band presents “A Few of Our Favorite Things.” 7:30 p.m., Milliken Auditorium. Tickets $12 for adults and $7 for students and seniors. Admission for NMC students with student ID is free. Tickets are available at mynorthtickets.com or at the door.
Friday, April 22: NMC Jazz Bands and NMC Vocal Jazz Ensemble. 7:30 p.m., Milliken Auditorium. Tickets are $12 for adults and $7 for students and seniors. Admission for NMC students with student ID is free. Tickets are available at mynorthtickets.com or at the door.
Sunday, April 24: NMC Children’s Choirs. 3 p.m., Lars Hockstad Auditorium. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Tickets are available at mynorthtickets.com or at the door.
Sunday, April 24: NMC Dance Department presents “Dance Matters.” 7 p.m., Milliken Auditorium. Tickets are $8 for adults and $2 for children ages twelve or younger. Tickets are available at the Milliken Auditorium box office (231-995-1553) or online.
Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7 NMC Canticum Novum presents “A Spring Evening of Sweets and Song.” 7:30 p.m., Kirkbride Hall (the Chapel) in Building 50. Tickets at mynorthtickets.com for the May 6 and May 7 shows or at the door.
Jeffrey Cobb
Director of Music Programs
jecobb@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1338
Fall 2016 registration is open and classes are filling up quickly. Now is your chance to get the best selection of classes. Check in with your academic advisor to see what classes are next in your degree plan and then go online to your Self Service “Registration” tab to complete your fall registration. Don’t delay!
Call the Advising Center (231) 995-1040 with questions about your program or classes.
Come enjoy Stadium-style food in the West Hall Cafe April 8 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Stay for the home opener against the New York Yankees afterwards starting at 1:10 p.m.
Student jobs can be found on the Student MyNMC page under “Jobs On Campus.”
Available jobs include:
Enrollment has begun for NMC’s College for Kids summer program. Children and teens ages 3 to 17 can explore art, music, science, technology, engineering, cooking, sports, and much more with 175+ classes in June, July and August. View the classes at nmc.edu/kids. For more information, call NMC Extended Educational Services at (231) 995-1700. (more…)
TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College has entered mediation to attempt to resolve outstanding issues in faculty union contract negotiations.
College administrators requested mediation from the Michigan Employment Relations Commission February 25, 2016. A state mediator met with bargaining teams from the College and the Michigan Education Association, which represents the faculty, March 22, 2016 to review the parties’ proposals.
Bargaining teams will hold negotiation meetings with the state mediator at Northwestern Michigan College May 16, 19 and 23rd, 2016 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Vicki Cook, the Vice President of Finance and Administration at NMC says, “We believe a mediator will assist both parties in resolving issues where disagreement exists and advance the process. The goal is to come to an agreement that will serve our learners, the faculty and the College well now and in the future.”
NMC faculty voted to be represented by the MEA in March 2015. The collective bargaining agreement will cover wages, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment for this group.
Vicki Cook
Vice President of Finance and Administration
vcook@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1144