Internal Promotion
Shannon Schultz was recently promoted to Assistant Controller! Congratulations, Shannon!
Nursing education expansion plan will help address regional nursing shortage
TRAVERSE CITY — Nursing education opportunities will expand regionally and across Michigan thanks to an innovative plan championed by local legislative leaders and funded with a $56 million appropriation in the Fiscal Year 2023 state budget, according to Northwestern Michigan College and Munson Healthcare.
The collaborative plan, approved by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer earlier this month, will support the development of programs for nurses with associate degrees to complete their bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) on community college campuses. Under the legislation, community colleges can partner with a four-year college or university and design a BSN completion program with input from local employers and workforce development agencies. Each community college will be eligible for a $2 million grant for administering the program.
“NMC has long sought to provide students with a seamless transition from ADN to BSN and with this new funding, we’re excited to work with both Munson and our four-year partners to design a BSN program our graduates can complete in Traverse City,” said NMC President Nick Nissley. “We know our community, like many, faces a nursing shortage. This legislation is an important step towards solving that challenge.”
“This workforce development investment is a big win for northern Michigan,” said state Rep. John Roth, of Traverse City. “Meeting patient demand has been an issue even before COVID-19 came to our state and this is an effective solution to get more nurses into our hospitals. This will be a huge positive locally. Aspiring nurses who go off to a four-year university may not return to live, work and raise a family. Providing the resources to expand degree options locally will allow for more people to specialize right in their community and care for their communities. This is an issue I prioritized when I was seeking to represent Grand Traverse County, and I’m pleased that Michigan is taking steps to meet demand and provide needed flexibility for aspiring professionals.”
The program will significantly increase the number of nurses with bachelor’s degrees that are in-demand at Michigan’s hospitals. In the last two years, NMC has graduated 91 ADN students; 64 of whom are employed at Munson.
“Munson Healthcare has long supported all strategies that promote the availability of highly trained nurses in our region. This includes partnering with Northwestern Michigan College to provide clinical instruction support to promote nursing graduates in our region. We appreciate the legislature for making this investment that will help to remove barriers for degree and career advancement and provides us with a new tool to support replenishing our healthcare talent pipeline,” said Ed Ness, president and CEO of Munson Healthcare.
The program will increase access and affordability of bachelor of science in nursing programs for students who completed their associate degree in nursing at a Michigan community college. Under the plan, grants will be administered by the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) and be awarded to Michigan community colleges.
The plan was developed by the Michigan Community College Association, the Michigan Association of State Universities, Michigan Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Michigan Health & Hospital Association. It is also backed by the Michigan Works! Association and the Michigan Association of Colleges of Nursing.
ABOUT NORTHWESTERN MICHIGAN COLLEGE:
A publicly-funded community college founded in 1951, NMC offers associate degrees and professional certificates, and bachelor’s degrees from its four campuses in Traverse City, Mich. NMC was the first community college in Michigan to offer a bachelor’s degree following passage of enabling legislation in 2012.
ABOUT MUNSON HEALTHCARE:
Munson Healthcare is northern Michigan’s largest and leading healthcare system with eight award-winning hospitals including Munson Medical Center which is ranked among Fortune/Merative’s Top 100 Hospitals in America. Serving 540,000 residents across 30 counties, our dedicated healthcare team provides advanced cancer, heart and stroke intervention care, lab, rehabilitation and other services and uses the latest robotic technology, stereotactic radiosurgery, 3D tomography and non-invasive surgical procedures that keeps patients close to home. Visit munsonhealthcare.org for more information.
Release date: July 21, 2022
For more information:
Cari Noga
NMC Communications Director
cnoga@nmc.edu
(231) 392-1800
Dale Killingbeck
Munson Healthcare
DKILLINGBECK@mhc.net
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-discriminationNursing education expansion plan will help address regional nursing shortage
TRAVERSE CITY — Nursing education opportunities will expand regionally and across Michigan thanks to an innovative plan championed by local legislative leaders and funded with a $56 million appropriation in the Fiscal Year 2023 state budget, according to Northwestern Michigan College and Munson Healthcare.
The collaborative plan, approved by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer earlier this month, will support the development of programs for nurses with associate degrees to complete their bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) on community college campuses. Under the legislation, community colleges can partner with a four-year college or university and design a BSN completion program with input from local employers and workforce development agencies. Each community college will be eligible for a $2 million grant for administering the program.
“NMC has long sought to provide students with a seamless transition from ADN to BSN and with this new funding, we’re excited to work with both Munson and our four-year partners to design a BSN program our graduates can complete in Traverse City,” said NMC President Nick Nissley. “We know our community, like many, faces a nursing shortage. This legislation is an important step towards solving that challenge.”
“This workforce development investment is a big win for northern Michigan,” said state Rep. John Roth, of Traverse City. “Meeting patient demand has been an issue even before COVID-19 came to our state and this is an effective solution to get more nurses into our hospitals. This will be a huge positive locally. Aspiring nurses who go off to a four-year university may not return to live, work and raise a family. Providing the resources to expand degree options locally will allow for more people to specialize right in their community and care for their communities. This is an issue I prioritized when I was seeking to represent Grand Traverse County, and I’m pleased that Michigan is taking steps to meet demand and provide needed flexibility for aspiring professionals.”
The program will significantly increase the number of nurses with bachelor’s degrees that are in-demand at Michigan’s hospitals. In the last two years, NMC has graduated 91 ADN students; 64 of whom are employed at Munson.
“Munson Healthcare has long supported all strategies that promote the availability of highly trained nurses in our region. This includes partnering with Northwestern Michigan College to provide clinical instruction support to promote nursing graduates in our region. We appreciate the legislature for making this investment that will help to remove barriers for degree and career advancement and provides us with a new tool to support replenishing our healthcare talent pipeline,” said Ed Ness, president and CEO of Munson Healthcare.
The program will increase access and affordability of bachelor of science in nursing programs for students who completed their associate degree in nursing at a Michigan community college. Under the plan, grants will be administered by the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) and be awarded to Michigan community colleges.
The plan was developed by the Michigan Community College Association, the Michigan Association of State Universities, Michigan Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Michigan Health & Hospital Association. It is also backed by the Michigan Works! Association and the Michigan Association of Colleges of Nursing.
ABOUT NORTHWESTERN MICHIGAN COLLEGE:
A publicly-funded community college founded in 1951, NMC offers associate degrees and professional certificates, and bachelor’s degrees from its four campuses in Traverse City, Mich. NMC was the first community college in Michigan to offer a bachelor’s degree following passage of enabling legislation in 2012.
ABOUT MUNSON HEALTHCARE:
Munson Healthcare is northern Michigan’s largest and leading healthcare system with eight award-winning hospitals including Munson Medical Center which is ranked among Fortune/Merative’s Top 100 Hospitals in America. Serving 540,000 residents across 30 counties, our dedicated healthcare team provides advanced cancer, heart and stroke intervention care, lab, rehabilitation and other services and uses the latest robotic technology, stereotactic radiosurgery, 3D tomography and non-invasive surgical procedures that keeps patients close to home. Visit munsonhealthcare.org for more information.
Release date: July 21, 2022
For more information:
Cari Noga
NMC Communications Director
cnoga@nmc.edu
(231) 392-1800
Dale Killingbeck
Munson Healthcare
DKILLINGBECK@mhc.net
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-discriminationMedia Mentions for July 18, 2022
The following college events and stories have appeared in the media recently. 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 NMC Library.
Museum Matters: Reciprocal memberships are passports to Chicago sights
Record-Eagle, July 15
(more…)
Celebrating summer at the NMC library: suggestions for your summer reading list
To find these selections and many other new titles, see the NMC library catalog.
UPDATED: NMC astronomer hosts first look at Webb telescope images
NOTE: The 6 p.m. expert panel program link has been updated below.
TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College astronomy instructor Jerry Dobek will host two in-person and livestreamed events on July 12 for the region to see the first images from NASA’s James Webb telescope. Both will be at Milliken Auditorium.
- 10 a.m.: First Images release event including Webb’s first full-color images and spectroscopic data. Join via Zoom
- 6 p.m.: Expert panel program to discuss the first image findings and answer audience questions. Watch on YouTube
The Traverse Area District Library and Sleeping Bear Dunes will also host livestream simulcasts of both events.
Webb is the largest and most complex space science telescope ever built — the premier observatory of the next decade. This international mission, led by NASA in partnership with the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, launched Dec. 25, 2021. After unfolding in space into its final form, Webb successfully arrived at its destination nearly 1 million miles from Earth and began preparing for science operations.
Designed to see the universe in the infrared, Webb will push the field of astronomy into a new era. Webb will be able to study light from distant parts of the universe for the very first time – the first galaxies that formed over 13.5 billion years ago — and give insight into how our universe formed. It will also peer into dusty stellar nurseries to explore distant worlds orbiting other stars, as well as observe objects in our own solar system. Webb will extend the scientific discoveries of other NASA missions like the Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.
Dobek, NMC Science Department Chairman, has been looking forward to these images for years. “Galileo’s first use of the telescope in 1610 is analogous to taking a step at a time with Earth-based observation. Hubble was our first hop up into space-based observation. Now the JWST will be a leap toward advancing our knowledge of the universe,” he said.
Release date: June 30, 2022
For more information:
Jerry Dobek
NMC Science Department
jdobek@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1271
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-discriminationMedia Mentions for July 11, 2022
The following college events and stories have appeared in the media recently. 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 NMC Library.
McCauley leaving Networks Northwest
Record-Eagle, July 11
(more…)
International Affairs Forum: An evening with Josh Rogin
The NMC International Affairs Forum, in partnership with the Economic Club of Traverse City, presents a special event featuring D.C.-based journalist Josh Rogin on Thursday, July 14 at the Hagerty Center. The event begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m. and the presentation will start at 6:30 p.m. with opportunity for public Q & A. This is a ticketed event which includes light appetizers and one beverage with ticket purchase. Few tickets remain for this IAF special event.
Employee Anniversaries – July
The following employees are celebrating an anniversary soon. Please join us in congratulating them!
Kudos!
Kudos to Kyle Morrison: We are so lucky to have Kyle at NMC! After the craziness of a recent new student orientation, some of our supplies went missing and after two weeks of searching, were nowhere to be found. After accepting that they probably were gone for good, Kyle was determined to help us find them, and he did! Thank you for always taking the extra step (or bike ride) to help another team in need Kyle.
Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. Please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!
Welcome our newest hires
Welcome to NMC!
- Elliot Richards – Supplemental Technology Help Desk
- Nicole Lenz – Supplemental Food Service (Front of House)
- Tonya Davis – Supplemental Food Service (Front of House)
- Nolan Pelkey – Adjunct Flight Instructor
NMC’s New Wellness Program – Hawk Owl Health
The 2022–23 NMC Wellness Program (newly named) Hawk Owl Health began Friday, July 1st. This is what you need to do:
- Register: Log in or sign up for your member account at member.priorityhealth.com/login
- Choose Healthy Living-Wellbeing Hub
- Accept the terms and conditions and you are ready to use the Virgin Pulse platform
If you prefer to use a mobile device, download the Virgin Pulse app from the App Store or Google Play after you have completed the registration process above- Personalize your Virgin Pulse platform experience under the My Profile tab
- Take your Health Assessment under the Health tab (complete by September 30 to earn a $10 gas card!)
- Engage in the platform often to receive health and wellbeing tips based on your needs and interests while earning points along the way
- Earn chances to win- Quarterly prize drawings based on the total points you earn
- $25 gift card in October 2022: 20 winners
- $50 gift card in January 2023: 10 winners
- $125 gift card in April 2023: 4 winners
- $250 gift card in July 2023: 2 winners
- Questions? Contact Virgin Pulse Customer Service
- (855) 927-2166 Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–9 p.m. ET
- support at virginpulse.com
- Chat feature within the platform
“Dramatic changes can be hard to sustain. Instead focus on making small changes that are meaningful to you. Change leads to change.”
– Victor Moon, Priority Health
Retirement Announcement
It is with mixed emotions I want to share with you all that after more than thirty years of service at NMC, Deb Maison will be retiring from her Academic Advising position at the end of July.
Internal Promotions
The following NMC employees were recently promoted. Congratulations!
- Katharine Marvin, Director of Development
- Jennifer Hricik, Interim Associate Vice President of Annual Giving
- Daniel Goodchild, Director of Technical Academic Area
- Alex Tank, IAF Communications & Production Coordinator
- Marcus Bennett, Special Assistant to the President for DEI and Associate Dean of Campus Life
Kudos!
Kudos to Carrie Dunklow: She took it upon herself to lead deep cleaning the Writing and Reading Center. This was important because it helped the space to look more put-together and less distracting for all who enter. It also was just healthier. No more caked on dust or germs. We can start the next semester with a clean space. Hopefully it will minimize the amount of allergies or other sickness, like COVID-19. Thanks!
Kudos to Tiffani Wilke: This June Tiffani Wilke, NMC Math & Science Instructor taught an Extended Education community class called Storm Science. The class ran for 3 weeks, meeting twice weekly. What a great testimonial we received!
“Last night my husband and I completed a 10-hour class called Storm (Science) at the college. It was taught by a meteorologist named Tiffani Wilke. She and the class were fabulous, spectacular, could not have been better!!!”
Thank you Tiffani for sharing your expertise, passion, and valuable time with NMC Extended Education students. What you do has a very big impact.
Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. Please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!
Welcome our newest hires
Welcome to NMC!
- Aidan Alusic-Bingham, Supplemental – NMC Vessel Deck AB
- Eric Boals, Supplemental – Law Enforcement Coach
- Lizzie Brown, Student – Writing Center Reader
- Colleen Burry, Records & Registration Assistant
- Samuel Council, Supplemental – GLMA Culinary Intern
- Andre Dean, Supplemental – ESports Assistant and Head Coach
- Timothy Deptula, Supplemental – NMC Vessel AE
- Gail Eickenroth, Student – Success Ambassador
- Noah Essig, Supplemental – Tutor & Instructional Support
- Carolyn Fairchild, Supplemental – GLMA Culinary Intern
- Kyle Ferrill, Adjunct – Audio Technology
- Stuart Ford, Materials Specialist
- Ethan Golab, Supplemental – GLMA Culinary Intern
- Margo Hellem, Supplemental – Food Service – Front of House
- Jeffrey Jaeger, Student – Library
- Gwendolyn Kuca, Supplemental – Dennos Museum Center
- Harold LaLonde, Supplemental – Tutor & Instructional Support
- Preston Matheny, Student – Residence Halls
- Lucas Russcher, Adjunct – Aviation Flight Course
- Reece Sivek, Groundskeeper
- Alexis Vedder, Adjunct – Aviation Flight Course
- Alexander Walsh, Supplemental – Student Success Coach
UPDATED: NMC astronomer hosts first look at Webb telescope images
NOTE: The 6 p.m. expert panel program link has been updated below.
TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College astronomy instructor Jerry Dobek will host two in-person and livestreamed events on July 12 for the region to see the first images from NASA’s James Webb telescope. Both will be at Milliken Auditorium.
- 10 a.m.: First Images release event including Webb’s first full-color images and spectroscopic data. Join via Zoom
- 6 p.m.: Expert panel program to discuss the first image findings and answer audience questions. Watch on YouTube
The Traverse Area District Library and Sleeping Bear Dunes will also host livestream simulcasts of both events.
Webb is the largest and most complex space science telescope ever built — the premier observatory of the next decade. This international mission, led by NASA in partnership with the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, launched Dec. 25, 2021. After unfolding in space into its final form, Webb successfully arrived at its destination nearly 1 million miles from Earth and began preparing for science operations.
Designed to see the universe in the infrared, Webb will push the field of astronomy into a new era. Webb will be able to study light from distant parts of the universe for the very first time – the first galaxies that formed over 13.5 billion years ago — and give insight into how our universe formed. It will also peer into dusty stellar nurseries to explore distant worlds orbiting other stars, as well as observe objects in our own solar system. Webb will extend the scientific discoveries of other NASA missions like the Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.
Dobek, NMC Science Department Chairman, has been looking forward to these images for years. “Galileo’s first use of the telescope in 1610 is analogous to taking a step at a time with Earth-based observation. Hubble was our first hop up into space-based observation. Now the JWST will be a leap toward advancing our knowledge of the universe,” he said.
Release date: June 30, 2022
For more information:
Jerry Dobek
NMC Science Department
jdobek@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1271
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-discriminationBoard approves budget, tuition rates for FY ’23
TRAVERSE CITY — A balanced budget and tuition rates and fees for the 2022–23 academic year were approved unanimously by the Northwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees Monday.
Tuition rates will increase by 5 percent. That amounts to $6 per contact hour for in-district students (Grand Traverse County residents.) Fees will rise $1.50 per contact hour. For the average in-district student taking 24 contact hours in a two-semester academic year, that means an increase of $180 ($144 in tuition, $36 in fees.) A table of tuition rates for all residencies and programs is available here.
The college held tuition flat in 2020. In 2021, a tuition increase was mostly offset by a fee decrease. This year, as state support again declined as a percent of the budget and growth in property tax revenue is capped, tuition remains one of the few levers the college controls.
Inflation, currently at 8 percent nationally, and NMC’s ambitious strategic plan also informed this year’s budget. The plan, NMC Next, includes two dozen objectives in five areas including student engagement and success and future focused education.
“It’s time to bring our strategic plan to life,” said NMC President Nick Nissley. “Each of the initiatives seek to add value for our students and should lead to growth opportunities for the college.”
Not all Michigan community colleges have set fiscal 2023 tuition rates. In FY 2022, NMC’s tuition was the sixth lowest in the state. Thanks to community donors the college also awards more than $1 million in institutional scholarships annually. Adults over 25 who don’t already have a degree are eligible for a state scholarship, Michigan Reconnect, which pays 100 percent of in-district tuition.
“With Michigan Reconnect and more scholarship money available through the NMC Foundation, I hope more people take the opportunity to get ahead with NMC,” Nissley said.
For 2022–23, NMC’s revenue will be 23 percent from state aid, 27 percent from local property tax, 47 percent from tuition and fees and 3 percent from other sources.
Release date: June 27, 2022
For more information:
Diana Fairbanks
Associate Vice President of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications
dfairbanks@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1019