Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
March 4, 2020
More than a year’s worth of efforts to ramp up student employment readiness and meet area employer needs will debut at a retooled Career Fair Thursday.
It’s the first fair since Employment Readiness Specialist Lisa Baldyga (right) joined NMC’s Academic and Career Advising Center last fall. Her addition to the advising staff — and her shared employment status with Michigan Works — was an intentional step to enable NMC to offer more comprehensive career preparation services.
“We are here to serve our community, not just community members but employers,” said director of advising Lindsey Dickinson. “Part of that is helping students become employed after they’re finished with us.”
Baldyga, who had five years of connections and contact with regional employers through Michigan Works, was the ideal person to take employment readiness to the next level, Dickinson said. Her work is on top of college-wide efforts to ensure students have the skills and credentials they need to become employed.
In her first semester Baldyga conducted more than 150 mock interviews with students, helping to prepare them for the real thing, which is expected to occur on-site Thursday, when more than 80 employers gather. For students with limited work experience, she also helps them translate skills learned in the classroom, such as time management or communication, onto a resume.
“It’s the soft skills the employer is looking for. They’re looking for that you’re going to work well in their work culture, that you’re going to be polite, prompt and on time,” Baldyga said.
Other changes to the 14th annual fair, to be held at the Hagerty Center on NMC’s Great Lakes campus from 3-6 p.m., are aimed at benefiting employers:
- It combines multiple separate events: Jobs for Vets, a Technology Career Fair, and a general fair, to offer the convenience of a one-stop shop. Veterans will be admitted early, at 2 p.m., but general fair hours have been doubled, from 90 minutes to three hours, to allow more time for employers and job seekers to engage.
- Extensive pre-fair student preparation. In the last two weeks Baldyga’s held three resume workshops and a first-of-its-kind network night. Held Monday at the Dennos Museum, students rotated through stations where they practiced basics like interview-appropriate body language and eye contact, attire and tie-tying, and dining etiquette for interviews conducted over meals.
Also new at the fair: Students can get professional photos taken to use on a LinkedIn account. Baldyga, NMC advisers and student success coaches will staff an on-site resource room where students can get pep talks, print resumes or practice pitches before approaching an employer.
The fair is open to community members as well as students.
“Everybody we’re putting together is hiring right now,” Baldyga said.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
March 9, 2022
When Hailey Greimel graduates from NMC’s Great Lakes Culinary Institute this May, not only will she transfer to the Ivy League of culinary schools, she’ll do so without debt, thanks to NMC scholarships.
(download a high-resolution version here) Greimel, 20 (right and below), is among 1,198 students to share in this year’s record-breaking scholarship awards. So far in 2021–22, NMC has awarded $1.33 million in scholarships with some funds still available.
“We still have funds to award for summer and may hit $1.4 million,” said Linda Berlin, director of financial aid.
The average 2021–22 scholarship award to date is $1,109. Greimel, a dean’s list student and 2020 graduate of Petoskey High School, said scholarships combined with GLCI’s high-caliber programming made NMC an easy choice for pursuing both her baking certificate and associate degree in culinary sales.
“(Scholarships) sweetened the deal,” she said. “Because of the great opportunities offered here, I was able to get a great scholarship to Johnson & Wales.” The Providence, R.I.-based university, considered the Ivy League of culinary programs, offered Greimel a full scholarship.
(download a high-resolution
version here)Criteria for NMC’s many scholarships include a wide range of factors, from program of study to residency to financial need, academic merit and extracurricular pursuits. One of the newest scholarships, created by longtime NMC supporter Ann Rogers, provides financial assistance to students active in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work at the college through involvement in committees or clubs, and are specifically involved in supporting underrepresented groups.
The Rogers Diversity Scholarship, a $1,000 annual award, aligns with the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategic area of NMC’s recently adopted strategic plan, NMC Next. Rogers, who is a donor to three other scholarships supporting environmental science, science and astronomy, hopes establishing the scholarship will encourage others to join her in support of diversity at NMC. ( Donate here.)
“It’s especially critical in these times,” said Rogers (right). “The college itself needs to be very welcoming and supportive.”
The Rogers Diversity Scholarship will be awarded for the first time in the 2022–23 academic year.
The previous scholarship record was achieved in the 2019–20 academic year, when NMC awarded $1.28 million in scholarships to 964 recipients. Last year the college awarded $1.17 million to 1,259 recipients. NMC is also a leader in scholarship applications, with 41 percent of NMC students completing the scholarship application last year and 30 percent of enrolled students receiving at least one scholarship. The most recent National Postsecondary Student Aid Study states that only 6% of public 2‐year college students receive institutional aid.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
December 21, 2016
After a couple years as a ski bum out west, Jackson Pierce felt the tug of home.
The former NMC automotive technology student’s timing was perfect for his skills. Pierce traded ski groomers for cars, and has spent the last two years working at Bill Marsh Automotive, one of several regional repair shops to which Automotive Technology program director Wayne Moody has built an employment pipeline.
“Everyone needs their car fixed,” said Pierce, of Northport, who attended NMC’s automotive program in 2007-08.
But not everyone can fix them. Moody said an aging auto repair workforce combined with increasingly complex, computerized cars has created an opportunity gap that he has worked to fill with NMC students like Pierce.
“The last three years (demand) has gone north by leaps and bounds,” Moody said, who fields calls daily from shops locally, downstate as well as in the U.P. “They are vying for the technicians. I could put two jobs on every student if they want them.”
The Grand Traverse area’s population growth also fuels the local hiring demand. At least six former NMC students work at Bill Marsh’s Garfield Road locations. Fox Grand Traverse employs another eight, including its first female technician since 1992, KT Rafferty. As it has traditionally, the job attracts students who like hands-on work. But it’s more than turning a wrench nowadays.
“It’s not rudimentary. There’s an immense amount of problem-solving,” Pierce said.
That variety attracts students, too. “Anything can happen here,” said Rachel Smith of Elk Rapids, who started NMC’s program in 2013 and has worked at Bill Marsh for about a year and a half. “I like learning new things.”
With cars loaded with dozens of on-board computers, electronics is another important skill set.
“What’s the Ohm’s law? I can’t tell you what it is, but our very best electronics technicians do and it helps them in their job every day,” said Rich King, fixed operations director at Bill Marsh. “They’re learning it in Wayne’s program.”
Pierce added that he appreciated the real-world instruction he got at NMC. “I liked that all the teachers actually owned shops.”
Technicians are financially rewarded for that greater knowledge and as they gain experience. While an entry-level technician might make $12-$14 per hour, Moody said a graduate of the two-year program could be earning between $50,000 and $70,000 after five years. Six-figure salaries are not out of the question for the most experienced technicians.
King said it’s also rewarding at the end of the day. “There’s a huge sense of accomplishment when you fix that car that’s a tough one.”
Registration for spring semester programs, including automotive, is going on now. Find out more about the program here.
Above: From left, former NMC automotive students working at Bill Marsh’s GM store are Mike Bouchey, technician; Tom Garrity, parts; Rachel Smith, Dave Panek, Jackson Pierce and Zach Schaub, technicians.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom
March 22, 2017
Later this spring, NMC students will begin working to insure that one of Grand Traverse County’s most popular inland lakes continues its long legacy as a clear, clean, recreational and residential oasis.
Great Lakes Water Studies Institute interns will conduct a water quality study of Long Lake as part of the second year of a partnership with the Long Lake Association, Foundation, Township and the Great Lakes Environmental Center.
“Everybody’s excited about it,” said Rick Kiehle, president of the Association. “I’m so happy to be working with NMC. It’s just a really good thing to bring the community together.”
Last year, WSI interns Jessica Rhodes (left) and Chelsea Cooper studied adjacent, uninhabited Page and Fern lakes, collecting baseline data with GLEC oversight. In 2017, with Long Lake due for the triennial study that GLEC has conducted since 1997, the paid interns will handle the sampling on Grand Traverse County’s largest inland lake.
“We still have our hand in the scientific part of it, but we allow students to get the real world-training,” said GLEC research scientist Pat McCool.
Water Studies Institute interns Chelsea Cooper and Jessica RhodesThe results will be of keen interest to the 800 property owners who live on Long Lake, Kiehle said. From invasive species like Eurasian milfoil choking boat propellers to pollution from lawn chemicals to swimmer’s itch, vigiliant stewardship is essential.
“You just have to keep up on this stuff,” said Kiehle, who helped pull together the multi-entity partnership to study Page and Fern. “Tell if there’s any potential pollution or bad stuff getting in the lake.”
Over the years, McCool said Long Lake has been “consistent and stable” in its water quality. Rhodes and Cooper’s 2016 study showed that Page and Fern’s water quality is relatively good, too. That data can now serve to benchmark the impact of any development, like improved trails or parking lots, at the Timbers Recreation Area that encompasses both lakes.
“We want to understand what’s going into the lake. What’s the cause and effect of what we’re doing?” Kiehle said.
This year’s interns – Cooper will be back, plus one or two more – will have use of new tool, too: a handheld sonde (probe) upgrade, purchased with funds from the NMC Barbecue. The device allows users to leave laptops shoreside and still be sure the data is being collected properly.
Constanza Hazelwood, WSI education and outreach coordinator, said the Long Lake area studies are providing students valuable work experience. Earlier this month she attended the annual Shorelines & Shallows conference at Michigan State University. Demand for work like what’s being done with Long Lake exists statewide, she said.
“There are so many lakes that are looking for this kind of work to be done regularly,” she said.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
April 17, 2019
Hannah Beard and Jessi Martin (click for high-resolution version)NMC’s aviation program will get a lofty showcase before a national audience this summer 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 — Hannah Beard of Interlochen (left) and Jessi Martin of Maple City (right) — 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. They expect to land in Welland, Ontario, by June 21.
“It’s going to be marathon,” Martin, 43, said.
“Sunrise to sunset flying,” agreed Beard, 23.
Entering the Air Race Classic is the latest example of how women at NMC are making significant strides in what has long been a male-dominated field. While only four percent of U.S. airline pilots are female, 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.
He said competing in the Air Race Classic will drawn more awareness to NMC’s aviation program. Only one other community college has entered. Among the 15 academic teams are mostly large universities including Western Michigan University, Purdue and Ohio State.
“This race will put NMC and our pilots on the national stage with some of the best aviators in the world,” he 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.”
Their plane’s tail number — N157KC — honors former flight instructor, Kevin Copeland, who passed away in a motorcycle accident in 2017. An 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. They expect an NMC cheering section may show up at the race’s seventh stop, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
September 26 2018
Thirteen years ago, Becca Richardson calculated that her desire to stop waiting tables was greater than her fear of math.
Today she’s a living example of both facing her fears and calculating correctly. The former developmental math student is the newest member of NMC’s math faculty.
As an NMC student, Richardson’s math placement test score was so low that she avoided taking any math classes when she first enrolled, after her graduation from Benzie Central High School in 2002. After only a semester that had expanded into avoiding any classes whatsoever.
“I just gave up. Maybe college isn’t for me,” Richardson recalled thinking.
Two years later, however, waitressing was getting “really old” and Richardson returned. Her math placement score was still low, even below that recommended for the most entry-level math course, Math 08. Still, aware she needed at least one math class for a degree, she signed up.
“It only took me a few classes to decide I liked it,” she said. She earned a 4.0 from instructor Mark Nelson in the class, and even tutored classmates, who told her she was good at explaining concepts. Maybe she should consider becoming a teacher.
Richardson took that advice — and more math classes. She transferred from NMC to Ferris State at the University Center in 2007, earned her bachelor’s in math from in 2012, and a master’s from the University of Idaho in 2015. She also taught as an NMC adjunct for five years. As of this fall she’s officially come full circle, settled in the now-retired Nelson’s former office, right inside the Tanis Building’s Math Center, where students come for drop-in tutoring.
She sees reflections of her former self sitting in many of her classes.
“A lot of times, I can remember having the same exact questions,” said Richardson.
Besides herself as Exhibit A, Richardson now has encouraging words for those students.
“I don’t think there’s such a thing as being bad at math. You’re just not practiced,” she said. “Persistence and perseverance is what will get you through.”
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
November 6, 2019
With two new endowed veterans scholarships and a ranking as the No. 2 community college in the nation for veteran’s services for the second year in a row, NMC is better equipped than ever to serve those who have served us.
The Staff Sergeant Drew Kostic Veterans’ Scholarship was established in memory of the former Marine and NMC student who died in 2016, by the board of 22-2-NONE, which exists to raise awareness and provide support to end veteran suicide. Initial funds were raised through registration in the DK5K Tough Run (photo right) now in its third year. Additional donations increased it to the $25,000 endowed level — the threshold for the scholarship to be awarded in perpetuity.
“Most of our veterans coming back are looking for better jobs. They’ve got families they’ve got to take care of at the same time,” said board vice president Ray McDaniel. “There’s no one answer to solving the suicide epidemic, but if we can take one more burden, one more stressor off their plate, we’re achieving our goal.”
“It means a great deal,” said Kostic’s father, Jim Kostic, of the scholarship. “It’s a good way to honor his name.”
The scholarship is also available to active duty military students, as is the Class of 1953 Veterans Memorial Scholarship, created by George Comden (left, seated) a member of NMC’s first graduating class (pictured in 2011). Years ago Comden, an Army veteran himself, established his first scholarship. Reading about current veterans in a college publication inspired him to create the new one.
“I got to thinking, that story kind of triggered my time is on the GI Bill® at CMU,” said Comden. “The more I read about it, the more I thought, why not have a scholarship for veterans?”
The Class of 1953 included two other veterans, Ray Cilva (wearing the letter jacket) and Gene Bisson, he added.
“They went the extra mile to take care of us, and it’s now time for us to help take care of them.”
To donate to either scholarship or to find out more about scholarships, contact the NMC Foundation at (231) 995-1021 or foundation@nmc.edu.
About 200 veterans are currently enrolled at NMC, comprising 5 percent of enrollment.
The Best for Vets 2020 ranking comes from Military Times magazine. The publication cites NMC’s “wide array of support services for its student veterans, many of them specially created for vets. This includes academic support, such as tutoring and mentorship, career support, such as resume assistance and job placement, and mental health support.” NMC ranked No. 2 in 2018, and No. 3 in 2018.
NMC will start a new, community-wide veterans project in December. Coffee with Veterans will be held from 8 to 9: 30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 13 in Lobdell’s Teaching Restaurant on NMC’s Great Lakes campus, and monthly thereafter. Any veteran in the community is welcome to stop in for complimentary coffee and conversation.
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.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
May 19, 2021
After completing a site engineering internship in the Charleston, S.C. harbor last December, NMC marine technology student Rachel Colby’s employer was eager to hire her.
But even at the accelerated pace at which Colby (left) is pursuing her bachelor’s degree, she still had a year and a half to go before graduation. Meanwhile, this summer the U.S. Navy veteran from Manistee has another internship lined up, where she’ll get hands-on experience with the GIS part of the marine technology program.
As of this year, NMC is aiming to better track and monitor experiential learning like Colby’s by establishing the Experiential Learning Institute as the college hub for internships in January. Experiential Learning Program coordinator Amy Burns Bailey took on the college-wide role in an expansion of her business and technical division responsibilities in order to offer employers a more efficient point of contact.
“Probably at least every other day we receive a request from an employer,” Burns Bailey said.
Despite the pandemic, NMC students completed 102 internships in 2020. Many, like Colby’s South Carolina opportunity, were required and offered credit. Significantly, almost all were also paid. NMC President Nick Nissley calls these “l/earning” opportunities and says it’s a key differentiator for NMC as other colleges seek to position themselves as embracing experiential learning.
Burns Bailey notes that paid internships are also a matter of equity, since unpaid work would severely limit who could fill the opportunities. Unsurprisingly, students are more motivated and perform better when paid as well.
“I didn’t feel like an intern, I felt like I was part of the team,” Colby, 26, said of her South Carolina internship with Great Lakes Dredge and Dock, an employer that’s hired multiple Marine Tech interns.
Internships are distinguished by the mentorship that accompanies job duties, Burns Bailey said.
“The student should be doing real life work where they can practice what they’re learning in school, (and) there has to be an aspect of mentorship,” she said.
That’s what NMC business student Trevor Knapp (right, with mentor Howard Canfield) found at his internship at Fox Motors in Cadillac. At first he questioned why he had to complete the required internship, since he’d already worked in sales plus run his own car detailing business. But his advisor, business instructor Nicole Fewins, had never steered him wrong, Knapp said, and after working with dealership staff with decades of sales experience, plus rotating to the management and service sectors of the business, he saw the value.
“I gained a lot of knowledge about the sales process,” said Knapp, a 2021 graduate. “I thought I knew this, I thought I knew that. You literally have no idea what you’re going to learn.”
Beyond their program-required internships, both Colby and Knapp praised their overall NMC experience. Knapp had considered a four-year university, but then decided he preferred to work after his high school graduation. His mother urged him not to abandon education entirely and suggested NMC.
“NMC was literally the perfect in between,” said Knapp, who commuted from Cadillac. “I really feel like the teachers go above and beyond. They’re not just there to teach, they’re there to help people.”
Visit nmc.edu/internships to find out more.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom
February 24, 2015
How do you transform a two-time college dropout into a Dean’s List student?
Give her a bridge and a foundation. Walk her over and shore it up.
In 1998 Lindsey Grice enrolled at NMC, fresh out of Traverse City Central High School and mother to a newborn daughter. It didn’t go well.
“I just failed miserably. It wasn’t something I knew about. I had a full course load and a little baby and it was too much,” Grice said.
She tried again a decade later. By 2008 she was a mother to three, including a son with intensive mental health needs. Grice had to take six credits and earn a 2.0 in order to keep her financial aid. Her attendance was spotty due to her son’s care giving demands, and she did well in one class but not the other. She lost her financial aid and dropped out a second time.
Fast-forward to 2014. A friend told Grice, now 34, about NMC’s Bridge program. Created for nontraditional students attending college for the first time or returning after past attempts, Bridge endeavors to lay a foundation for student success. Just last year, the program was redesigned so that what were formerly preparatory classes are now for-credit. Significantly, that makes Bridge students eligible for financial aid.
Coordinating Student Success
NMC Student Success Coordinator Ashley Darga walked Grice through the process of petitioning to reinstate her financial aid. Regulations have changed to favor students like Grice, Darga said.
“I was able to get my Pell grant to be able to take classes this fall,” Grice said. Her foundation steadied.
Almost simultaneously her son Brandon, now 15, entered a residential school, further firming her foundation.
“I’ve taken care of him completely. Now he’s receiving help out of the home (and) he’s doing really well,” Grice said. “I’m able to focus on my studies instead of spending every waking moment worrying about him.”
Finally, her daughter Ashley—the newborn during Grice’s first college stint—now 16 and a high school junior, threw down the gauntlet.
“She kind of challenged me,” Grice said. “My oldest daughter is getting ready to graduate, and she had mentioned to me that I should go back and get back my classes before she does.”
That challenge completed the foundation underpinning Grice’s turnaround. Bridge students take nine credits (five classes) their first semester. Grice earned a 4.0 and made the dean’s list.
“I think I was really determined this time,” she said, citing one class, Academic Study Methods, as a key.
“I’ve learned what things I can utilize through the school. I know there’s tutoring, I know there’s all that stuff, but actually using it I feel more confident.”
Transforming students to active participants
Instructor Shannon Owen said transforming students from passive to active participants in their education is another crucial piece of college success.
“They have to advocate for their own needs. We don’t know they’re struggling or that they don’t understand concepts,” Owen said.
Grice started out strong and only improved over the semester, turning in assignments early, Owen said.
“She’s got such motivation and heart. It’s great to see students succeed and watch that happen throughout the semester.”
Grice’s long-term aim is a business management degree. More immediately, she’s focused on next semester’s classes, especially English 111. It will be the fourth time she’s attempted the class. This time she’ll have a study partner: daughter Ashley, registered in the same course as a dual-enrolled student.
“It’s hard for me (but) I am ready for it,” Grice said.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom
August 19, 2015
School and Scouts.
Back in fifth grade, Stephen Siciliano found two things he liked and decided to stick with them.
Since then, he’s climbed to the pinnacle of both worlds. He’s vice president of educational services at NMC, and not only an Eagle Scout himself but a father of three more — all of whom also attended NMC.
Yet as he embarks on his fourth decade on campus, Siciliano, who wears a Scout uniform in his campus profile picture, shows no sign of boredom or restlessness. He’s excited to continue work on the challenges the college faces, like developmental education, learning outcomes and internal communication. Viewed through the lens of history, his chosen academic field, he is confident those challenges will be met. (More on those in a moment.)
Siciliano’s own history is colored by a community college — Nassau Community College on Long Island, NY, where he grew up. A first-generation college student, he had an “absolutely wonderful experience” and chose to pursue his master’s and PhD degrees in the hope of teaching at the community college level himself. So when Walt Beardslee, one of NMC’s founding faculty members, came to recruit at a National History Conference which Siciliano also happened to attend, he found an eager candidate.
“I’m thinking, ‘You don’t have to sell me. I’d love to teach at a community college,’” Siciliano, 59, recalled of that interview.
He spent 11 years teaching at NMC, including six as director of the Humanities division, his first taste of administration. In 1996 he moved into his current role as the college’s top academic officer. One of the best changes he’s seen during that time is NMC’s shift from once-a-decade accreditation to a continuous academic quality improvement process, known as AQIP.
“They focus our attention,” he said of the AQIP action projects, including, not coincidentally, those three challenges of developmental education, learning outcomes and communication.
“People say, ‘we want to get this done,’” he said, citing developmental education, the project closest to completion. “I come away from that meeting so energized.”
And that history is why he thinks that the more recently tackled projects like learning outcomes and communications, will indeed be solved.
Siciliano’s parallel world of Scouting has been transformed by quality improvement, too. While he no longer leads an active troop, like he did for a dozen years with just-retired engineering instructor Jim Coughlin, Siciliano is still involved as a liaison between two local units and the broader Boy Scout organization.
“They’ve clearly moved to quality metrics, just like our college. How can we improve the experience for the boys?” Siciliano said.
Even after 30 years as an educator, that question still animates Siciliano, who plans to keep pursuing the answer for a little while yet.
“I hope I’m here,” he says of his plans for five years down the road.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
February 17, 2016
Black Lives Matter. So do women’s lives, LGBT lives, and allies’ lives. And all of those causes might matter, it turns out, to whether the students advocating for them graduate, or even earn a better GPA.
NMC’s Student Life office presently has more groups focused on social issues — including a Black Student Union, a feminist-oriented Students United for Gender Rights (SUGR), and PRIDE, an LGBT group — than Student Life dean Lisa Thomas can remember.
That’s important because research shows engaged students are more likely to succeed in college. (A 2010 Purdue study even showed that student group members earned higher GPAs than non-members. Group officers had higher GPAs still.)
Moreover, Thomas says that when the groups are related to a student’s area of academic interest, it magnifies the connection between engagement and success.
“Seventy-five to 80 percent of the time, the student group they’re in makes sense because of an academic interest they have in their area,” she said. “This kind of engagement leads to student success.”
SUGR founder Kia Schwert exemplifies that. A dean’s list student, she entered NMC intending to study social work. After her sociology instructor gave her a book, “Feminism is for Everyone,” by bell hooks, she decided to start a feminist group.
That instructor, Rachel Johansen-Wilczewski, now advises SUGR. She said the members’ dedication, even meeting over the winter holiday break, impresses her.
“They mean business,” she said.
In addition to on-campus events, SUGR is now focused planning an alternative spring break trip focused on awareness of human trafficking and assistance to victims. Schwert herself is looking ahead to transferring to a school with a women’s studies program.
BSU founder Maya James, who’s believed to be the first dual-enrolled student to start a group, is another example of the activist-success feedback loop. She aspires to law school. Later this month, her group will go to Lansing to attend the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus Capitol Day.
“The activism we’ve been doing has been shaping our community,” said James, 17, who holds weekly discussion meetings, monthly black writer book club discussions and curated a display of books in the Osterlin Library for this month’s Black History Month.
James also initiated the January campus performance of Sampson McCormick, a gay black comedian, reaching out to Schwert and Caleb Yorty of PRIDE for help.
“There’s been a lot of student leadership stepping forward,” said Yorty, 20, who’s also a dean’s list student and involved with a grief support group in addition to the social justices causes. He studies psychology.
“I’ve never watched three student groups work so effectively together,” Thomas said of the comedy event. “While they have different missions, they have overlapping values. It was really encouraging.”
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
April 26, 2017
Before Paige Harrigan experienced her first study abroad trip in 2015, she had traveled fairly extensively, to Hawaii, Mexico and Caribbean islands.
But that Costa Rica experience, including a home stay with two non-English speaking families and visit to a banana plantation, opened her eyes to a whole different world than the tourist-oriented resorts she’d visited before.
“I absolutely loved the whole experience,” Harrigan said. “I got hooked, for sure.”
Ranked 12th among community colleges nationwide for short-term study abroad, NMC hooks lots of students like Harrigan — 45 will depart for four destinations next month. NMC also helps make study abroad more affordable with the Global Opportunities scholarship, which awards up to $1,000 per student. Nearly all participants (42) received it this year.
Harrigan is bound for her second study abroad destination May 8: Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. Biology instructor Greg LaCross, who led a group to South Africa last year, will lead Harrigan’s group to do service work at a school in the capital city of Quito, and then field work in the islands.
“I’ve always wanted to go to the Galapagos. It’s always been a bucket list thing,” Harrigan, 22, said of the place where Charles Darwin refined his theory of evolution. Students will stay at Darwin’s research station, working with Ecuadorian national park personnel to perform ecological research, monitor sea turtles and catalog migratory patterns of indigenous species.
“I’m really excited about the animals, all the different species,” said Harrigan, who graduates this spring from the collaborative NMC-Western Michigan program in Freshwater Science and Sustainability. This fall, she plans to — wait for it — travel, and look for a job on the West Coast.
Other 2017 study abroad destinations include:
Sicily – Culinary students will participate in traditional Sicilian cooking classes, shop in local outdoor food markets, visit a cheese research center, make Sicilian chocolate, visit Mt. Etna, and participate in a local culinary competition. First-time destination
Morocco – Humanities students will enhance their understanding of world cultures via home stays with Moroccan families, interaction with Moroccan college students, development of a more in-depth understanding of Islam and visiting historic sites. They’ll also venture into the Sahara Desert via camel to learn more about traditional Berber customs. First-time destination
Ecuador (Yunguilla) – Business, culinary and education students will visit an eco-tourism cooperative, lending their skill sets to village families hoping to improve the economic welfare of the region by marketing and producing local products for visitors to the cloud forest. Home stay included
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
September 30, 2020
Six newcomers and one incumbent are vying for three seats on NMC’s Board of Trustees this November, the largest field in 30 years. The top three vote-getters will serve six-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2021. We asked each candidate to answer two questions in 100 words or less:
- Why are you running?
- As an NMC trustee, what would your priorities be?
Below, in alphabetical order, are their responses. For those seeking further information, the Grand Traverse League of Women Voters will hold a virtual candidate forum from 5-6:30 p.m. Friday, October 9. Links to watch are available here.
Vincent Cornellier: Serving as Trustee at NMC would round out a lifetime of educational experience and hopefully allow me to “pay forward “ some of the many benefits I have enjoyed along the way. While I have no specific agenda or platform, I would continue to strengthen partnerships with the business and medical community and of course do whatever I can to help maintain the outstanding record NMC has achieved in preparing students for further educational advancement.
Larry Johnson: I am running for NMC trustee to be of service to the students, faculty and staff at NMC, and to the Grand Traverse community. As an NMC trustee, my priorities would be to determine the needs of the college and how I could best serve its constituents; to help insure the safety of students, faculty, staff and visitors to the campus; and to explore ways in which funds could be made available to NMC, and programs developed that continue the movement toward future growth and relevance to students needs now, and in the future.
Rachel Johnson (incumbent): I’m running for re-election because communities with healthy cradle-to-grave education opportunities have a more engaged citizenry, higher average income, and greater resiliency. That’s the kind of community I want to live in, and that’s why I am invested in NMC. My priorities:
- Promote innovative, experiential and flexible educational models.
- Prioritize industry collaboration to create innovative, technology-driven programs that fill gaps in our local workforce.
- Grow globally-relevant programs like freshwater studies that train our students for in-demand jobs and attract entrepreneurial investments to our community.
- Keep tuition affordable for local families.
- Emphasize NMC’s role in promoting diversity and understanding through our lifelong learning opportunities.
Daniel Lathrop: Did not respond. He formerly served on the Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners and is a podiatrist.
Laura Oblinger: Our community college has a tremendous responsibility to our region and to our learners, and now is a pivotal moment in its history. The road ahead promises incredible things to come, and this thriving organization needs leaders at the helm — leaders with the skills, passion, and integrity to assist in its growth. I believe I am one of these leaders. I am aligned to be an amazing asset to this team. It will be my priority to support President Nissley with the governance guidance he needs as well as be a genuine advocate in our region.
James Perra: With a passion for supporting student leadership and service, alongside a comprehensive viewpoint, having been a teacher, student, and a member of professional communities in the trades, medical, professional, and academic arenas, I look forward to bringing my diverse experiences, deep skill set, and fresh ideas to the NMC board. Priorities include cultivating hands-on learning where students are treated by instructors as colleagues in training, and imparted not just technical skills, but values and cultural competencies that lead to success, and to expand NMC’s role as a cultural gem for the greater community through the Dennos Museum and arts opportunities.
Kenneth Warner: With 45 years as a U-M professor, including 15 as a department chair and School of Public Health dean, I’m motivated to run by my passion for higher education and, specifically, my deep admiration for NMC’s many contributions to our community. My top priority is to maintain an excellent, affordable education for NMC’s students, necessitating a great work environment for faculty and staff and a sustained foundation of fiscal integrity. To achieve these objectives, I would encourage even closer interaction with the business, nonprofit, and arts communities to address the region’s needs and enhance programmatic innovation, a hallmark of NMC.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom
October 26, 2016
Luke Clark and Sherry Trier at the 22 To None hikeFall color tourists to northern Michigan also got a red-white-and-blue view last Saturday, as veterans and supporters organized by NMC’s Student Veterans Association hiked 22 miles to raise awareness of veteran suicide.
“We walked right down (U.S.) 31. It was pretty amazing, seeing people honk and give us the thumbs-up,” said SVA president and social work student Luke Clark of the Kewadin-to-Traverse City route, which symbolized the 22 veteran suicides that occur daily in the U.S. “It was pretty spectacular, minus the soreness of it.”
Clark, 27, has firsthand experience with the grim suicide statistics, which have propelled a grassroots, social-media fueled awareness campaign to help veterans struggling after their service.
“Two of my brothers from my unit killed themselves since we got back from Afghanistan,” Clark said.
More than 5 percent of NMC’s student population is veteran, active duty and reserve/National Guard members. NMC this year was ranked one of the top five “Best for Vets” community colleges nationwide. Campus supporters strive to meet the unique needs of this group individually, too.
“It’s heartbreaking, the statistics, to know that 22 a day we lose,” said Sherry Trier, NMC Instructional Technology Specialist. She volunteered for the first leg of the hike and then walked 16 miles herself.
“Military folks have a special place for me,” said Trier, whose father and older brother both served in the Marines, as does her nephew, now stationed in Kuwait. “It was so worth it, any ache, any pain, to be there and support it.”
Trier said the last four miles were difficult physically, after she had a problem with her shoes, but, “if I had to crawl, I would have finished.”
“On the family side, you don’t forget the experience,” said Trier, who helps organize NMC’s annual Veteran’s Day commemoration (again set for Nov. 11 this year) makes chili for the SVA chili cook-off and occasionally delivers dog biscuits to the SVA lounge in West Hall for veterans’ service and therapy dogs.
“You never know who’s having a bad day,” she said of those small things she can do for veterans. “There’s people here, we’re here to support you.”
That message came through loud and clear Saturday, Clark said.
“It was pretty amazing. It was beautiful,” he said. “It’s a real sign of the fact that we are not alone. There are organizations and institutes out there that will help us.”
Participation in the walk was free but donations collected will go to Traverse City’s Reining Liberty Ranch, which provides free equine therapy to veterans.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom
October 14, 2015
If it seems like there’s a lot of new faces in classrooms this semester, you’re right.
Eight new full-time faculty members began teaching at NMC this fall, more than double the number of new faculty who started in 2014 and 2013.
Among those eight, Mac Beeker stands out for another reason: He’s the first full-time male nursing instructor in department history. And with NMC’s male nursing enrollment well ahead of national averages, he’s a fitting addition to the faculty.
“It’s a female-dominated profession, and I don’t think that’s going to change,” said Beeker, a 2010 alumnus himself. “(But) it’s not necessarily a female field they’re entering. It’s the nursing field.”
NMC’s associate degree nursing program enrollment is 21 percent male and male enrollment has climbed for the last two years, both in terms of actual students and percentages. National averages for male student nurse enrollment stand at around 15 percent. Among practicing nurses, only about 10 percent are men.
Director of Nursing Laura Schmidt said NMC has had male adjuncts, but Beeker, a medical-surgical instructor, is a pioneer in terms of full-time status.
“I think it’s very positive that there’s a male instructor,” said Brandon Thompson, a Traverse City nursing student. Graduating next spring, Beeker is the first male instructor he’s had.
Beeker, 50, entered nursing after careers in radio and non-profit management. He came to the field at 40, “half-accidentally, half intentionally” after his parents got sick. In terms of their hands-on care, Beeker discovered that nurses were the providers who truly made a difference.
“My own involvement with my parents’ health, it was pretty clear to me,” he said.
As Beeker did, many men find their way into nursing at older ages and after caregiving experiences, often as a parent or for a parent.
“Those barriers really get broken down for men as they get a bit older,” Beeker said. “There’s no way I could have done this at 18.”
Beeker said he’s particularly interested in infusing a human connection to the practice of nursing. When teaching a procedure, for instance, he seeks for students to learn not only how and when to perform it, but to conduct it with care and compassion for the patient. Skill grounded in academic knowledge delivered in a compassionate bedside manner equates to “phenomenal” nursing, he said.
“I felt that was very present in the NMC program, and I want to continue to try and develop that,” he said.
Since graduating, Beeker has earned a master’s in nursing and worked as a medical-surgical nurse providing primarily post-trauma care at Munson Medical Center. He plans to maintain that connection, working a few on-call shifts a month, to keep up his skills. He said Munson’s status as a magnet hospital for nursing, a designation of excellence by the American Nurse Credentialing Center, reflects positively on the quality of NMC’s program.
“That trickles back and is fueled by the NMC program,” he said.
