NMC’s College for Kids classes begin June 17 and continue all summer, and you play a vital role in welcoming these young Hawk Owls to our Campuses! If you encounter youngsters and their families, please extend a warm smile and hello; for many, it will be their first experience with NMC. If you have questions, contact Extended Educational Services (EES) at 995-1700 or ees@nmc.edu — we are happy to help!
The Bookstore will be closed June 26-28 for annual inventory. We will reopen on Monday, July 1.
TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College this spring welcomed a new leader for the Great Lakes Culinary Institute and the first-ever director of the International Affairs Forum.
Leslie Eckert (right) is the new director of GLCI, taking the reins of the American Culinary Federation (ACF)-accredited program June 5. Eckert studied, taught and managed programs at three campuses of the International Culinary Schools, in Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and most recently, Raleigh, N.C. In North Carolina she was the academic director for Culinary Management, Culinary Arts & Baking Programs. Her top priority at GLCI is increasing enrollment and student retention.
Like GLCI students, Eckert, 51, initially earned an associate’s degree. She then went on to earn a bachelor’s in culinary management and an MBA with a concentration in hospitality management. She hopes to cultivate a desire for career advancement among GLCI students, too.
“When you start building on those degrees, it really opens doors for you,” she said.
Eckert is also a fellow in the American Academy of Chefs and is certified by the ACF as both an executive pastry chef and as a culinary educator. She succeeds Fred Laughlin, who retired in December 2018.
Eckert arrives on the cusp of GLCI opening Cafe Lobdell’s for its second summer of service. The capstone course in GLCI’s one-year Baking Certificate program, coffee and pastries will be served in Lobdell’s Teaching Restaurant from 7-11 a.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays June 25-Aug. 1. Find out more about culinary programs at nmc.edu/culinary.
Leila Hilal (right) is the first-ever director of the International Affairs Forum. She spent the past five years as a fellow in the International Security Program at New America, a nonpartisan Washington D.C. think tank.
Also affiliated with the World Affairs Councils of America, the International Affairs Forum marked its 25th anniversary this year. Originally a monthly lecture series featuring guest speakers in public policy, academia and media, IAF’s volunteer leadership has in recent years expanded its programming and outreach significantly. Hilal is charged with executing IAF’s mission to advance the understanding of the world and its critical issues through education and public dialogue.
Hilal received her law degree from SUNY-Buffalo in international law, and went on to earn a master of laws from Harvard University, specializing in public international law.
IAF concludes its 2018-19 season with a June 20 lecture in Milliken Auditorium, “Russia Against the West: Can the Post-WWII Global Order Survive?” Speaker Angela Stent is director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies and professor of Government and Foreign Service at Georgetown University. The author of Putin’s World, published in February, Stent is America’s leading expert on the triangular relationship between the U.S., Russia and Europe, and previously served in the U.S. State Department and as a NATO adviser. The lecture begins at 6 p.m. Admission is free for students and educators and $10 for others.
Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director, NMC Public Relations, Marketing & Communications
dfairbanks@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1019
Of all the browsers out there, which ones are the best and safest to use at NMC for PC’s and Mac’s? Read more here.
As a pastry chef, petit fours and artisan breads are Les Eckert’s favorite things to bake, but as the new director of the Great Lakes Culinary Institute, she expects to focus on numbers and people.
Eckert, 51, (right) began her tenure at GLCI last week with a clear list of priorities: Increase enrollment, continue to improve student retention, get to know her team and insure GLCI is matching industry needs.
“We have to make the program so added-value that it’s attracting students from across the state, across the country,” said Eckert.
In taking the GLCI helm, she’s done so herself. A Florida native, Eckert studied, taught and managed programs at three campuses of the International Culinary Schools, in Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and most recently, Raleigh, N.C.
She said the opportunity to direct an American Culinary Federation-accredited program following former director Fred Laughlin’s retirement was a major attraction of the NMC position. In both Tampa and Raleigh she went through the ACF process. Valid for five years, accreditation assures students that a program meets a set of standards and competencies for faculty, curriculum and student services.
“It’s an incredible feeling when your team has worked that hard,” Eckert said, adding that accreditation should serve as a beacon to students, distinguishing GLCI from other culinary schools.
“That is a huge deal for a culinary school. Chefs in the industry… when you are a graduate of a program that has it, they know you have a solid background,” she said.
As most GLCI students do, Eckert initially earned an associate’s degree. She then went on to earn a bachelor’s in culinary management and an MBA with a concentration in hospitality management. She hopes to cultivate a desire for career advancement among GLCI students, too.
“When you start building on those degrees, it really opens doors for you,” she said.
Building upon traditions like the annual Great Lakes, Great Chefs dinner where GLCI chef alumni return to cook a fundraiser dinner alongside current students, Eckert would like to see alumni return as mentors, internship partners and speakers.
As a Floridian, she’s also planning to try snowshoeing or cross-country skiing as a means of embracing her first northern winter.
“I’m just super excited to be here,” Eckert said.
To my NMC Colleagues and Friends:
Thank you to those of you who were able to attend the exhibition opening and my retirement event on June 8th.
A very heart felt thank you to President Tim Nelson for his kind remarks and the Resolution of Appreciation naming me Founding Executive Director Emeritus of the Dennos Museum Center. I hope that I may use that title to further the work of the Museum as I travel the world connecting opportunities for the Museum as my successor may wish to pursue.
It has been a privilege and an honor to have been invited to assist with the design and building of the Dennos over two phases and to give it life as a major cultural facility for the region and the state with an international reputation.
I wish my successor much success and will be there to offer support as needed and requested.
Marcia and I plan to remain in Traverse City for the foreseeable future.
Thanks
Gene
The following college events and stories have appeared in the media in the past week. We want to share your media involvement too. Please send information about your NMC-related interview or appearance to publicrelations@nmc.edu. If possible, please include a link to the piece and information about where and when it was used.
Please note access to some stories may be limited by paywalls set up by the media outlet. This includes the Traverse City Record-Eagle, which limits free clicks to five per month. You may also read Record-Eagle articles in the print edition at the Osterlin Library.
Local aviatrices to lift off in storied national race
Northern Express, June 8
Familiar “Terrain:” No place like home for new restaurant owners
Antrim Review, June 6
Person of the week
MI News 26, June 3
Gaylord grad teaches youth aboard tall ship
Gaylord Herald-Times, June 3
Cultivating success in our backyard
Traverse City Business News June issue
Support a good cause and enjoy a flipping good time as Chris Cake’s pancakes soar through the air in support of the Kevin Copeland Memorial Scholarship. Top your cakes with Herkner’s Cherry Topping & Out of the Woods Maple Syrup at this National Cherry Festival event sponsored by Molon Excavating.
Kevin Copeland was a graduate of NMC’s Aviation program and an NMC aviation instructor. He competed and flew in airshows all over the region, including the National Cherry Festival. At the time of his death, Kevin was an aircraft captain with Air Services, Inc. and an instructor at NMC. Friends, colleagues, and family members created the Kevin Copeland Memorial Scholarship in memory of his life and love of flying to inspire other students with a similar passion.
Learn more here.
Wear Blue Day for Men’s Health- June 14
Wear BLUE was created by Men’s Health Network to raise awareness about the importance of male health and to encourage men to live longer and healthier lives. Men’s Health Network Website
Go Purple Day to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s- June 21
The Longest Day of the year is observed on June 21. On this day, the summer solstice, the Alzheimer’s Association raises funds to end Alzheimer’s. Worldwide, 50 million people are living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Go Purple on Friday, June 21 to raise awareness in the workplace by wearing purple, the official color of the Alzheimer’s movement.
TED Talk- Happy Secrets to Better Work- June 17
Join Marissa as she shares a TED talk and discussion on why Happy Workplaces are the most productive and successful. Plan on about 25 minutes.
*Watch your calendar invitation for specific rooms!
The following employees are celebrating an anniversary soon. Please join us in congratulating them! (more…)
Are you looking for career opportunities? Find them here! jobs.nmc.edu. (more…)
TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College will host an introductory Women Who Weld workshop from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 29 in the Welding Lab in the Aero Park Labs building, 2525 Aero Park Drive, Traverse City.
The event will introduce participants to MIG welding. All gear and supplies are provided. Registration is $100 per participant, and proceeds benefit Women Who Weld’s subsidized
intensive welding training program for unemployed and underemployed women in Detroit, Michigan. Register online at womenwhoweld.eventbrite.com. Questions: info@womenwhoweld.org.
info@womenwhoweld.org
Devan DePauw
NMC Welding Instructor
ddepauw@nmc.edu
(231) 995-2779
TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College’s aviation program will get a lofty showcase before a national audience this month when a pair of student pilots fly across North America in the Air Race Classic, the oldest air race of its kind, and exclusively for female pilots.
Ninety years after legendary aviator Amelia Earhart made cross-country racing popular, Team Hawk Owls — Jessi Martin of Maple City, and Hannah Beard of Interlochen — will take off from Jackson, Tenn. on June 18 in an NMC Cessna. The 2,500 mile trip is a race against the clock broken into nine legs. One of only two community college teams to enter, they expect to land in Welland, Ontario, by June 21.
Among the 15 academic teams are mostly large universities including Western Michigan University, Purdue and Ohio State. Entering the Air Race Classic will draw more awareness to NMC’s aviation program, said Aviation Director Alex Bloye.
“This race will put NMC and our pilots on the national stage with some of the best aviators in the world,” Bloye said. “This is an exciting opportunity to not only inspire the next generation of NMC students, but to give Hannah and Jessi a chance to expand their envelope of experience.”
The race is also the latest example of how women at NMC are making significant strides in what has long been a male-dominated field. Nearly 20 percent of current NMC aviation students are now women. The college is now home to a chapter of Women in Aviation International, which allows them to network and support each other.
Women are also becoming leaders among the overall student population. Beard is NMC’s top-performing aviation student this year, mastering commercial pilot skills faster than any other student, Aviation director Alex Bloye said.
“She met all the requirements of the certificate much quicker than any other student we’ve seen in recent years,” Bloye said.
Both women expect to graduate from NMC’s program in December 2019 and then become flight instructors for the college. A current NMC flight instructor, Victoria Gann, will be racing as part of another team. Air Race Classic pilots range from ages 17 to 90.
“We look forward to seeing Hannah and Jessi cross the finish line. This will be a huge accomplishment that will help to solidify interest of future NMC race teams,” Bloye said.
NMC is seeking sponsors to help underwrite the $10,000 cost to compete, which includes fuel, transportation and lodging. Contact Paris Morse at the NMC Foundation, pmorse@nmc.edu, for more information.
Follow Beard and Martin’s progress at the NMC Aviation Facebook page.
Alex Bloye
NMC Director of Aviation
(231) 995-2929
abloye@nmc.edu
TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College announced that a new, more user-friendly online option is now available for students who want to transfer their postsecondary education credits from one institution to another.
Fresh upgrades to the Michigan Transfer Network, MiTransfer.org, were unveiled statewide, following nearly two years of development carried out by Michigan’s community colleges, public universities, and independent colleges and universities.
“One of NMC’s purposes is transfer education. The new Michigan Transfer Network dramatically improves our students’ access to information about how their courses will transfer to the universities throughout Michigan,” said Stephen Siciliano, NMC vice president for academic affairs.
MiTransfer.org allows students to search for courses, view information about the Michigan Transfer Agreement, and link to more information about transferring from and to institutions throughout Michigan.
The upgraded MiTransfer.org site will help make this process easier and better outline the pathways to a degree for NMC students.
The project was funded through the state’s FY 2018 state budget, which included a one-time appropriation to support this statewide initiative under the collaborative leadership of the Michigan Community College Association, the Michigan Association of State Universities and the Michigan Independent Colleges and Universities, all based in Lansing.
The new site, developed after extensive user input and stakeholder feedback, now offers expanded information about course-to-course equivalency and how to complete Michigan’s general education transfer package, known as the Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA). Explore the site at mitransfer.org and contact NMC for additional information.
For more information
Lindsey Dickinson
NMC Director of Advising
(231) 995-1037
ldickinson@nmc.edu
View the presentation that NMC President Tim Nelson gave during last week’s Budget Update Forums here: “Understanding Michigan’s Higher Ed Environment”.
You can also view the budget information that Vicki Cook, Vice President of Finance and Administration, gave during the Budget Update Forums here, in the May 20 Board of Trustees agenda and meeting packet.
Elaine Beardslee, a long-time resident of Traverse City, and a librarian here at NMC passed away on May 24, 2019. Elaine was a treasured part of the NMC community from our founding in 1951 to present. She and her husband, Walter, were named NMC Fellows in 2006. Her dedication to NMC, warmth, intelligence and generosity will be missed by many members of our community. Attached is a photo from her early teaching days at NMC, before she became a librarian here. The second photo is when she received the Fellows Award.
A memorial service in Traverse City will be held at a later date and we will inform you of specifics when known.
Timothy J. Nelson, President
The following college events and stories have appeared in the media in the past week. We want to share your media involvement too. Please send information about your NMC-related interview or appearance to publicrelations@nmc.edu. If possible, please include a link to the piece and information about where and when it was used.
Please note access to some stories may be limited by paywalls set up by the media outlet. This includes the Traverse City Record-Eagle, which limits free clicks to five per month. You may also read Record-Eagle articles in the print edition at the Osterlin Library.
NMC aviators going full throttle in women’s Air Race Classic
Record-Eagle, June 2
Defining health and fitness for yourself
Record-Eagle, June 2
Meet the class of 2019
Ticker, June 1
Harbor Springs students earn drone safety certificates
Petoskey News-Review, May 30
Missing man found near Michigan plane crash
ClickonDetroit, May 30
Crain’s Detroit Business, May 30
Record-Eagle, May 29
MLive, May 30
Events raise money for Bigs
Record-Eagle, May 29
Training ship gives students chance to experience life on deck
Port Huron Times-Herald, May 28
Terrain
Northern Express, May 25
Read about what our Training Services team is up to including upcoming classes that you may be able to take for free using the tuition reimbursement benefit: https://mailchi.mp/nmc/nmc-training-services-june-2019-newsletter
This month’s topics include the Michigan Lean Conference, Industry 4.0 and Lean Principles, A Spike in Skilled Trades, Shoreline Fruit, upcoming workshops and more!