Employee Anniversaries
The following employees are celebrating an anniversary soon. Please join us in congratulating them!
Where’s Alan Beer?
People have been tracking this guy down at NMC for twenty plus years. Unfortunately, come January 1st of 2017, it will be a lot more difficult to find him on campus. Please stop by the Dennos Museum Sculpture Court on December 14 at 2 p.m. to help celebrate this guy’s career.
New Books in the Library- December highlights
The library has purchased many new books so far this new year. You can view a handful here along with partial descriptions or go here to see the full listing. These books are on display in the library’s lobby.
“Great Lakes, Bad Lines” Documentary and Discussion
NMC’s Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society is hosting a “Great Lakes, Bad Lines” short documentary film. The event will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 1, at the Milliken Auditorium in the Dennos Museum. The event is free and open to the public. Prior to the documentary, Song of the Lakes will be performing. Following the film, a discussion panel will take place featuring representatives from FLOW, GT Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Groundwork For Resilient Communities, NMC Water Studies Students, NMEAC, and Sierra Club’s Clearwater Conservation Committee. Bread with Fustini’s oils and water infused with fruit will be served.
Operation Santa
The Traverse City Elks Lodge 323 in a joint effort with the Oleson Foundation will be giving out a holiday food basket to all of the Northwestern Michigan College Veteran Students on Wednesday, December 7 between the hours of 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. in the atrium of NMC’s Health & Science Building. This is our way of saying thank you for your service and we appreciate you!
FLSA Legal Ruling- Preliminary Injunction
A federal judge has placed a preliminary injunction on the proposed salary threshold changes under the FLSA guidelines effective immediately.
A great deal of good work went into preparing for these changes. Efforts to better understand the way in which time is spent by employees, and to understand the possible impacts of a hard 40 hour week have helped parts of the College streamline processes and plan activities so that work loads can be more level over time. We believe these efforts were well worthwhile and want to give major kudos for the good results achieved.
This focus on economizing the energies and time of our workforce should remain a part of our regular practices, even without these proposed changes as a catalyst to action.
If your FLSA status was changed (effective 11/20) from exempt to non-exempt (hourly), the following applies to you:
- Your FLSA status will revert to Exempt effective 11/20.
- There is no need to fill out the electronic time cards as previously advised. We will be working on changing the FLSA status of those impacted back to salaried in the payroll system.
- You will continue to be paid on your salary basis, and be an exempt employee.
- Time Card Approvers: please ignore any email reminders you might receive regarding time sheets for any of those newly non-exempt employees. Please do not approve any time sheets for those newly non-exempt employees. We will be working on updating Banner so that the emails stop.
- HR will monitor the court rulings during the appeal process, and keep you informed.
We very much appreciate all the time and effort you have put into these changes. Please be assured that we will continue to monitor the progress of these court cases and will keep you updated as developments occur at the federal level.
Please contact Mark Liebling, or Hollie DeWalt with any questions you might have.
Office of Retirement Services Communication
Please be sure to read over the communication you receive in the mail from the Office of Retirement Services regarding your MPSERS account. They have a SMALL STEPS campaign going on right now where you will automatically contribute an additional 1% each year until you reach a maximum of 10% in your defined contribution accounts starting January 2017. If you are not interested in participating, you will have to actively contact them to opt out. The correspondence you receive will have your username and authentication code, along with the web address.
Customer Service for MPSERS is 1-800-381-5111.
Open Enrollment Reminders
- Open Enrollment Meetings will be held on Thursday, December 1 at 9:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at the Oleson Center A/B.
- Vendors will be present to answer individual questions in the lobby.
What’s new for 2017?
- Wellness
- Online enrollment system will be changing to Benefits Insight (from Meritain Health)
- You will be able to build your own packet with documents that are relevant to your interests, and access your personal benefits through Benefits Insight.
- Detailed Review of the Core and High Deductible plans- NMC will be moving forward with Option #1 for all employees:
High Deductible w/ HSA
CORE
Deductible (single/family) $1,300/$2,600 $500/$1,000
Coinsurance after Deductible (in/out network)
Plan covers 80% in network, Plan covers 60% out of network
Plan covers 80% in network, Plan covers 60% out of network
In Network Coinsurance Max (single/family)
$0 / $0 $1,500/$3,000 True Out of Pocket Max
$2,250/$4,500 $6,350/$12,700 Primary Care Copay
80% after deductible $20 Inpatient Care
80% after deductible 80% after deductible Emergency Room Copay
80% after deductible $150 Prescription Copays
$10-Generic, $40-Preferred, $80-Non Preferred
$10-Generic, $40-Preferred, $80-Non Preferred
High Deductible plan- you will pay 100% of prescriptions until you reach your deductible. High Deductible plan- you will receive 70% of the deductible in a Health Savings account on January 6, 2017, and the remaining 30% on July 7, 2017. Single- $910 and $390, Family- $1,820 and $780
What if I have to miss the meetings?
- Session will be recorded and made available on the employee web site
- All resources handed out at the meetings will also be on the employee site
- Computer Labs will be open on Dec 6, 9:00 a.m- 4:00 p.m. at University Center 205 and again on December 7, 9:00 p.m.- 11:00 p.m. at University Center 2015 (2nd/3rd shifts)
Employee Anniversaries
The following employees are celebrating an anniversary soon. Please join us in congratulating them!
Success Story: Students’ gratitude spans a decade
November 23, 2016
Students are to NMC as turkey is to Thanksgiving — front and center. On this Thanksgiving eve, we talked to a past and present student a decade apart to find out how NMC figures in what they’re thankful for.
Matt Harting, 2006 alumnus, composer living in Los Angeles
Matt Harting and Allyson NelsonHarting, 30, can trace his livelihood, marriage and financial well-being back to NMC.
After graduating Traverse City Central High School in 2004, he attended NMC with a plan to transfer to Columbia College-Chicago. Cast in the NMC production of Bye Bye, Birdie, he met a student named Allyson Nelson, from Bellaire. She wound up transferring to Columbia, too, and there the couple began dating. Harting graduated with a degree in audio arts and engineering, and got a job at Earhole, a Chicago sound studio (first assignment: Obama campaign.)
When career opportunities led Nelson to LA in 2010, Harting followed. He kept his job at Earhole, working on campaigns for commercial clients like Dodge, Jeep, Olive Garden and Red Lobster. Small talk among his professional peers led him to realize a third dimension of gratitude, for NMC’s affordability.
“They still have more (debt) than I started with,” he said. Moreover, there was no sacrifice in quality. Instructors like the late Jim Valovick and music instructor Dorothy Vogel were top-tier, he said, and able to provide the personal attention that he needed.
“She straightened me out and made me see that music was truly something that needed to be studied and respected,” Harting said of Vogel.
Harting and Nelson got married just last month, and where it all began is still fresh.
“I loved the campus, I made great friends, I had great teachers,” he said.
Alex Briggs, 20, Commitment Scholarship recipient
Alex Briggs speaks at the 2016 Commitment Scholarship induction“I didn’t really think I was going to go to college,” said the first-generation Computer Information Technology student. “I didn’t see myself affording college. Now, I’ve paid for it all with scholarships.”
It started with the Commitment Scholarship, a full-tuition promise Briggs received in 2011 as a ninth grader at Elk Rapids High School. Now in her second year at NMC, she’s received two merit-based scholarships, two Elk Rapids scholarships and federal grants, which combined also enable her to live on campus.
Besides living in East Hall, Briggs works in the Advising Center, is an officer in the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and a member of the Women in STEM student group.
“I wanted the well-rounded college experience,” she said. “I live, sleep, breathe and eat NMC.”
She’s also provided an example to her brother Zack, a fellow Commitment Scholar, who started at NMC this fall. They’re believed to be the first sibling recipients of the Commitment Scholarship.
Success Story: Students’ gratitude spans a decade
November 23, 2016
Students are to NMC as turkey is to Thanksgiving — front and center. On this Thanksgiving eve, we talked to a past and present student a decade apart to find out how NMC figures in what they’re thankful for.
Matt Harting, 2006 alumnus, composer living in Los Angeles
Matt Harting and Allyson NelsonHarting, 30, can trace his livelihood, marriage and financial well-being back to NMC.
After graduating Traverse City Central High School in 2004, he attended NMC with a plan to transfer to Columbia College-Chicago. Cast in the NMC production of Bye Bye, Birdie, he met a student named Allyson Nelson, from Bellaire. She wound up transferring to Columbia, too, and there the couple began dating. Harting graduated with a degree in audio arts and engineering, and got a job at Earhole, a Chicago sound studio (first assignment: Obama campaign.)
When career opportunities led Nelson to LA in 2010, Harting followed. He kept his job at Earhole, working on campaigns for commercial clients like Dodge, Jeep, Olive Garden and Red Lobster. Small talk among his professional peers led him to realize a third dimension of gratitude, for NMC’s affordability.
“They still have more (debt) than I started with,” he said. Moreover, there was no sacrifice in quality. Instructors like the late Jim Valovick and music instructor Dorothy Vogel were top-tier, he said, and able to provide the personal attention that he needed.
“She straightened me out and made me see that music was truly something that needed to be studied and respected,” Harting said of Vogel.
Harting and Nelson got married just last month, and where it all began is still fresh.
“I loved the campus, I made great friends, I had great teachers,” he said.
Alex Briggs, 20, Commitment Scholarship recipient
Alex Briggs speaks at the 2016 Commitment Scholarship induction“I didn’t really think I was going to go to college,” said the first-generation Computer Information Technology student. “I didn’t see myself affording college. Now, I’ve paid for it all with scholarships.”
It started with the Commitment Scholarship, a full-tuition promise Briggs received in 2011 as a ninth grader at Elk Rapids High School. Now in her second year at NMC, she’s received two merit-based scholarships, two Elk Rapids scholarships and federal grants, which combined also enable her to live on campus.
Besides living in East Hall, Briggs works in the Advising Center, is an officer in the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and a member of the Women in STEM student group.
“I wanted the well-rounded college experience,” she said. “I live, sleep, breathe and eat NMC.”
She’s also provided an example to her brother Zack, a fellow Commitment Scholar, who started at NMC this fall. They’re believed to be the first sibling recipients of the Commitment Scholarship.
Holiday concerts
TRAVERSE CITY — NMC’s performance ensembles will present the following holiday concerts in December.
Friday, December 2: The NMC Chamber Singers and NMC Canticum Novum present “Sounds of the Season” featuring holiday music for voices and brass. 7:30 p.m., Central United Methodist Church. Suggested donations of $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors will be taken at the door. (231) 995-1338.
Saturday, December 3: The NMC Jazz Bands and Vocal Jazz Ensemble present Winter Jazz Ensemble Showcase. 7:30 p.m., Milliken Auditorium. Tickets $12 for adults, $7 for students and seniors at MyNorthTickets.com and at the door. (800) 836-0717.
Saturday, December 10: The NMC Choirs join the Traverse Symphony Orchestra for “Home for the Holidays.” 7:30 p.m., Lars Hockstad Auditorium. MyNorthTickets.com. (231) 947-7120.
Sunday, December 11: The NMC Choirs join the Traverse Symphony Orchestra for “Home for the Holidays.” 3 p.m., Lars Hockstad Auditorium. MyNorthTickets.com. (231) 947-7120.
Friday, December 16: The NMC Concert Band presents: “A Salute to Home Grown Heroes” 7:30 p.m., Milliken Auditorium. Tickets $12 for adults, $7 for students and seniors at MyNorthTickets.com and at the door. (800) 836-0717
Release date: November 22, 2016
For more information:
Jeff Cobb
Director of Music Programs
(231) 995-1338
jecobb@nmc.edu
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-discriminationNMC administration, faculty agree on a 3-year contract
TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) administrators and faculty members today approved a new three-year collective bargaining agreement. The ratification vote followed a series of negotiating sessions last week in which progress was made on several key issues including salary, faculty evaluations and participation in campus decisions.
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement that achieves our goal of securing a contract that supports our faculty and is responsible to the region’s taxpayers,” said NMC President Tim Nelson. “I am proud to say we resolved this contract because members of the faculty and administration sat down together, talked through the remaining issues and found common ground. Representatives of the NMC and union negotiating teams deserve credit for pushing through the complex issues involved with a first contract, leading to today’s vote.”
Social Sciences Instructor Brandon Everest said, “Faculty continue to stand together to do what is best for our students, the college and the community.”
Over the past two weeks, members of the faculty and faculty chairs’ bargaining units met with the administration to resolve outstanding contract terms without attorneys present. After multiple bargaining sessions, the college submitted a new contract proposal for consideration. Key sections of the proposal include the following:
- A 20-step salary plan that maintains the current 3.71% step increase for faculty moving along the plan. It will also include a 1% annual payment for faculty at step 20. In January 2017, there will be a 0.3% scale adjustment to the salary plan.
- An enhanced formal evaluation process
- Reinstating a faculty report to the Board of Trustees agenda.
“We’re pleased to have reached an agreement that is fair and serves the college, faculty, students and the community into the future,” said NMC Board Chair Kennard Weaver. “Our focus throughout the negotiations was to create a contract that ensures a continuing harmonious and constructive relationship between the parties.”
Release date: November 21, 2016
For more information:
Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director of Public Relations, Marketing & Communications
dfairbanks@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1019
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-discriminationDiscovering Privilege: Diversity Training with Students United for Gender Rights
SUGR (Students United for Gender Rights) will be hosting a diversity training titled “Privilege Walk” in the lower level of East Hall on Wednesday, November 30th at 8:00 pm.
The event is free and open to the campus and community. Free food will be provided. Join us for a fun night of discussion and self-discovery.
Out with the old, in with the new—recycling made easy!
Announcement from the NMC Green Team: Best Buy is helping residents make recycling of tech equipment easy, no matter where you bought it or how old it is. Customers can get rid of their old or unwanted appliances and electronics in several ways with Best Buy:
- Recycling kiosks – Every U.S. Best Buy store has kiosks, just inside the front doors, to drop off rechargeable batteries, wires, cords, cables and plastic bags.
- Recycling in store at the Customer Service counter – Best Buy stores accept most electronics, with a few exceptions.
- Appliance and TV haul-away and recycling options – Best Buy will remove an appliance or a TV from a customer’s home for a fee of $14.99 when a new product is purchased and delivered by Best Buy. Or, a product can be removed from a customer’s home for a fee, even if no product was purchased.
- Reclaimed product from trade-in – If products cannot be refurbished or resold, Best Buy will ensure the products are responsibly recycled.
For more information about Best Buy’s recycling program, click here.
Don We Now Our Worst Apparel!
Do you and your team have the style, swagger and seasonal spirit to rock an ugly sweater? Will last year’s champs, the Student Life office win the coveted trophy, and the bragging rights again this year? Send a group selfie wearing your best/worst/tackiest and totally over-the-top sweaters.
Email your entries to publicrelations@nmc.edu by 5 p.m. Thursday, December 15.
We will announce the winning team at the NMC Employee holiday party December 16. Good luck and may the ugliest sweaters WIN!
Welcome to NMC!
Please join us in welcoming these new additions to our NMC staff! (more…)
FLSA Resources Available
Did you miss the FLSA overview meetings, or need a reminder of the rules? If so, please find the information on the HR employee page under PAY.