Join the Multicultural Club for a Lunar New Year Celebration from 5:30-7 p.m. on February 20 in the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center, room 106/107 (#9 on the Front Street campus map). Celebrate the year of the snake with asian cuisine! Bring a dish to share or just come for the celebration. Enjoy food and music in the company of new and familiar faces, make new friends or bring one with you. Everyone is welcome!
Mark your calendar!
The next pitch date is just around the corner and the OOPs team is looking for pitches from faculty, staff, and students that are focused on educational initiatives, including new programs, increasing enrollment in existing programs, accelerating college strategies, and implementing the campus master plan.
Pitches are open to NMC students, faculty and staff, so if you have a great idea or project that needs resources to reach its full potential, the Office of Possibilities wants to hear from you! Fill out this application to connect with an OOPs team member who will assist in planning your pitch. If you have any questions about the application or the process, please email oops@nmc.edu and someone will get back to you promptly. Meeting with an OOPs team member is required before entering a pitch so please plan accordingly.
The Office of Possibilities is grateful for the generous support from the NMC Foundation that provides funding for innovative projects across campus!
The OOPs team looks forward to seeing you there!
Campus Life and Esports are hosting a NBA 2K25 Basketball tournament at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21 in the Esports Lab, located in the lower level of the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center (#9 on the Front Street campus map).
For more information please contact Andre Dean at adean@nmc.edu, Ty Peterson at tpeterson@nmc.edu or Marcus Bennett at mbennett@nmc.edu.
Come dance the night away! NMC’s Swing Dance Club is hosting a Valentine’s Day dance from 7–9 p.m. on Saturday, February 15 in the Rajkovich Physical Education Building (#16 on NMC’s Front Street Campus).
Absolutely free! We hope to see you there.
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.
Ideas welcomes for Freshwater Innovation Center
Ticker, Feb. 10
(more…)
Thanks to NMC’s office of Financial Aid for again hosting a Financial Aid Application Fair this Wednesday from 4-7 p.m. in the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center. Participants can get help filling out their FAFSA even if they don’t plan to attend NMC, a true community service.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Are you interested in finding out more about GVSU’s Physician Assistant program? Come to the PA program preview event in Traverse City on Friday, February 21, from 11a.m.-1 p.m.. During the preview day, you can meet with the PA program director, the chair of admissions for the PA program, the College of Health Professions Student Service office representative, and current GVSU PA students. GVSU will answer any of your admission and/or program-related questions and provide a tour of the facilities used by the PA program. This event is open to anyone interested in the PA program.
Please RSVP for this event at: gvsu.edu/traverse/pa
The following employees are celebrating an anniversary soon. Please join us in congratulating them!
Kudos to Max McColl; Max went above and beyond when one of our EES students got stuck when trying to turn around in our Beckett Building parking lot and ended up wedged in between a couple of trees.
Kudos to Elsie McKay; Elsie is the first point of contact when you walk into TJNIC. She is welcoming, and knows her job well. She always goes above and beyond for everyone she meets. Being a new NMC employee was a bit scary, and she was one of the first to make me feel at home. She goes out of her way to shovel a sidewalk, or clean off a car, just to be a friend. Her knowledge of her job, and stories of the past are always an interesting break from an otherwise hectic day. Thanks for all you do for NMC, McKay!
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!
Alexis Taylor recently started working at the college as a student tutor. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
In collaboration with the Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency, NMC is offering free tax preparation to students and employees with incomes less than $100,000 on Saturday, March 15 and Saturday, April 12.
Participants must sign up in advance for appointments that will be held in the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center, room 123. NMCAA will follow up with what the tax filer about what to bring to their appointment.
For more details, contact Marcus Bennett at mbennett@nmc.edu, 231-995-1401 or Justin Marcum on NMCAA, jmarcum@nmcaa.net, (231) 346-2169.
The NMC Music Appreciation and Creation (MAC) student group will hold a spring benefit concert from 6-10 p.m. Friday, February 28 at the Dennos Museum. Admission will be by donation, with a suggested amount of $10.
Previously known as the Audio Tech student group, MAC will use all earnings from the show to fund their annual studio tour field trip this spring. The concert will also provide Audio Tech students with practical experience setting up, staging, and running sound during a live music event.
The concert will feature two student acts: One Cent Mafia, a newl- formed rap collective, and Closed for the Season, a budding rock and metal band.
With this event, MAC hopes to bring attention to alternative music scenes that are often overlooked in the Traverse City area, such as punk rock, hip hop, and rap, as well as create new experiential learning opportunities for Audio Tech students.
Wandering the world on a walkabout or exploring the unreal, let us journey through your memories, reveries, and aspirations. Traverse outside Traverse City this spring, sharing snapshots, journaling memories, painting picturesque vistas, and scrapbooking souvenirs. Or is the outside not your thing? Has it been awhile since you touched grass? Leeroy Jenkins requests to join your party in your fictional, fantastical worlds. NMC students, faculty, staff, and NMC community-affiliated members may send creative submissions in all forms by March 15.
Email digital works to nmcmag@mail.nmc.edu. Hard copies can be delivered to Fine Arts (attn: Caroline Schaefer-Hills) or Scholars Hall 214 (attn: Tricia Lincoln).
Fiction/Nonfiction: 1500 word limit
Poetry/Lyrics: 30 line limit
Comics: 30 panels/4 pages limit
Visit nmc.edu/nmcmagazine for more information and to complete a submission form for each entry.
The Dennos will be offering two design workshops in connection to our exhibition, “The Art of Regeneration” from Central Michigan University. Both workshops are set for Feb. 22 and intended for high school juniors and seniors up to NMC students. Students get a discounted rate of $10 to cover workshop materials.
Fashion Creations: Designing Your Own Modular Cushions!
Saturday, February 22nd | 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
In this dynamic workshop where STEAM principles come to life, participants will explore the artistic modular designs from “The Art of Regeneration” exhibition on view at the museum. Get inspired by science, and blend creativity with functionality to create your own unique cushion designs. You’ll learn how to regenerate ideas into stylish, customizable pieces using sustainable materials and innovative techniques. Led by Professors Dr. Su Kyoung An and Dr. Pimpawan Kumphai from the Fashion, Interior Design, & Merchandising Department at Central Michigan University.
Interior Innovation: Create an Infinity Light Fixture and Explore Material Choices for a Virtual Home
Saturday, February 22nd | 2:00 – 4:00 PM
This hands-on interior design workshop is inspired by the axolotl salamander’s incredible regenerative abilities! You’ll create an infinity mirror light fixture that symbolizes renewal, and explore how light, depth, and innovative materials can transform a space. Then, experiment with patterns and textures to design a virtual home, learning how material choices shape the atmosphere and create harmony in interior design. Led by Professor Julie Qun Zuo from the Fashion, Interior Design, & Merchandising Department at Central Michigan University and her student instructors Tyler Cook, Mia Pringle, and Coleton Taylor.
FEBRUARY 5, 2025
From left to right, Jason Slade, Eric Roberts (20Fathoms), Matt McDonough (Discovery Pier), NMC President Nick Nissley, Jay Meldrum (Michigan Technological University) and Warren Call (Traverse Connect) at a FRIC signing ceremony in the summer of 2024.
As Silicon Valley is synonymous with information technology, so will Traverse City be to freshwater technology, fueling a new blue economy for the region.
That’s the ultimate ambition behind the Freshwater Research & Innovation Center, which today holds its first board meeting as a formally-constituted nonprofit. With 75 percent of the funding for FRIC secured, the 40,000 square foot facility and dockside learning lab will be home to NMC’s Great Lakes Water Studies Institute. It is set to break ground later this year on 17 acres of West Grand Traverse Bay frontage owned by Discovery Pier.
“Today represents a significant milestone for the Freshwater Research & Innovation Center,” said NMC Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Jason Slade, who has led the college’s involvement in the project since 2023. “The blue economy is the future of our region’s economy, destined to be as important as lumber, agriculture and tourism.”
Other board members include representatives from Michigan Technological University, Traverse Connect, 20Fathoms and two at-large positions held by Michigan State University and the Marine Technology Society.
The FRIC will create high-value, year-round jobs in sensor development, engineering, autonomous underwater vehicles, forever chemical detection and remediation and data analysis. It has attracted $25.2 million in funding, including $15 million from the state of Michigan, and is scheduled to be complete in 2027.
NMC has committed $3 million to the new facilities, which in addition to the GLWSI will house research initiatives, start-ups like Traverse City’s Wave Lumina, currently renting space at NMC’s Aero Park campus, small businesses and water-related organizations.
NMC is also fostering those start-ups and small businesses through events like the Great Lakes Blue Tech Challenge, launched last week as a successor to last year’s Great Lakes Aquahacking Challenge. Wave Lumina took second place in that technology-based innovation challenge and pitch competition focused on the issues facing the Great Lakes like water quality, forever chemicals and microplastics. Teams are now forming for the Blue Tech Challenge, which will culminate in October at the Oceans 25 conference in Chicago.
“From FRIC’s goals to the facility design to its users, NMC is being intentional and collaborative, ensuring that this enhances our community years into the future,” Slade said.
TRAVERSE CITY — Davenport University is NMC’s latest partner in Direct Connect, a program that aims to make transferring to earn a bachelor’s degree as streamlined as possible.
With Direct Connect, NMC students are guaranteed admission to Davenport if they maintain a 2.0 GPA. Credits earned toward their NMC associate degree count as freshman and sophomore year credits at Davenport. They can then transfer into one of six Davenport business and IT programs.
“They’re earning the first half of their bachelor’s degree at an NMC price,” said Lindsey Dickinson, NMC director of Student Success & Retention.
“Davenport University has proudly partnered with NMC and the University Center for more than 30 years, and we’re thrilled to be part of the Direct Connect Initiative,” said Zach Whitaker, campus director of Davenport University. “This initiative reinforces our continued commitment to serving students in Traverse City and northwest Michigan, allowing them to maximize the credits they can transfer to Davenport University.”
NMC and Davenport already offer a bachelor’s of nursing completion program. Direct Connect creates similar pathways for other occupations, including business administration, cyber defense, applied business, human resource management, management (general, aviation specialty and UAS specialty) and marketing.
“Students don’t always understand the transfer process,” said NMC advisor Katie Sommer-Ford. “We want them to know right from the start that they can go to Davenport and receive credit for all the work they’ve completed at NMC.”
Beyond guaranteed admission to qualifying students and a more affordable path to a bachelor’s, Direct Connect will make transfer smoother through co-advising and academic support from both NMC and Davenport. Courses are offered in multiple formats, including on-demand, livestream, and hybrid.
Last fall, NMC debuted Direct Connect with Grand Valley State University’s Allied Health program. Both Davenport and GVSU are partners in NMC’s University Center, which has offered access to select bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in Traverse City since 1995. Later this year Direct Connect is expected to expand to include UC partners Central Michigan University and Ferris State University.
Find out more at nmc.edu/direct-connect
NMC:
Cari Noga, Communications Director
cnoga@nmc.edu
(231) 392-1800 (Call or text)
DAVENPORT UNIVERSITY:
Mary Eilleen Lyon
(616) 560-2548
melyon@davenport.edu
Good afternoon NMC community,
As we navigate recent federal policy changes, I want to take a moment to address another issue that may be on the minds of many in our community. Following new executive orders related to immigration enforcement, we recognize that students and employees may have questions about how these policies could impact NMC and what to do if federal law enforcement officers visit campus.
Just as I shared in my message earlier today about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB), NMC remains committed to student success, open access, and fostering a welcoming environment for all members of our community. Changes in federal policy can create uncertainty, but our guiding principles remain the same: we will continue supporting students and employees, ensuring compliance with the law, and upholding our values of open access to education.
NMC follows established procedures to balance three key responsibilities:
Compliance with Federal & State Laws: NMC follows all legally required procedures while ensuring due process is observed.
Protection of Student & Employee Privacy: Student records are protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and NMC does not track or disclose immigration status unless legally required to do so.
Access to Education Without Discrimination: NMC is an open-access institution, meaning that all students, regardless of their citizenship status, can enroll and attend classes in a supportive environment.
If a federal law enforcement officer (ICE, FBI, DHS, etc.) comes to campus requesting access to student or employee records or whereabouts, or access to nonpublic areas such as residence halls or classrooms, please follow these steps to ensure a safe and consistent response:
We know that federal policies may continue to change, and we will remain vigilant in monitoring developments. NMC will continue to work closely with our state and national partners, including the Michigan Community College Association (MCCA), the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), and the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT), to stay informed and advocate for policies that support student success and open access to education.
As we navigate these evolving issues together, I encourage open, respectful conversations and remind you that NMC remains committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and supportive learning and working environment. If you have any questions about these policies, please reach out to NMC Security, Student Services (students) or Human Resources (employees).
Thank you for being part of our mission-driven and values-grounded NMC community.
Nick
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Nick Nissley, Ed.D. | President | Northwestern Michigan College | 231.995.1010
Good morning NMC community,
I want to take a moment to address the recent Trump administration executive orders related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) programs. I know that many of you have questions about how these changes impact Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) and our ongoing commitment to student success and belonging.
The direct impact of these orders on NMC is minimal. The only adjustments required are within the Great Lakes Maritime Academy (GLMA) to align one course with U.S. Navy curriculum updates. No other programs, policies, or funding at NMC are affected, given the federal-focus of the orders. Our mission remains unchanged: We are committed to open access, student success, and ensuring that everyone at NMC feels a sense of belonging. These commitments reflect the history and purpose of community colleges in general, as well as NMC’s specific mission, values, and strategic plan. Our strategic plan reflects our college’s and community’s priorities (that we shaped together), and we’ll continue to deliver on those priorities.
As we continue finalizing our current strategic plan and looking ahead, we are focusing on engagement and belonging—because research shows that when students feel connected, they persist and succeed. This commitment extends to our employees as well, making NMC a welcoming and supportive place to learn and work.
We recognize that shifts in federal policy can create uncertainty. That’s why we remain engaged with state and national partners, including the Michigan Community College Association (MCCA), the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), and the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT). We will continue monitoring developments, advocating for policies that support student success, and making decisions that align with NMC’s mission and values.
To be clear: NMC is not phasing out DEIB initiatives or preemptively making changes beyond what is required for compliance. We will continue investing in student success, scholarships, and accessibility services to ensure all learners have the resources they need to thrive.
I know these topics can spark strong feelings, and I encourage open, respectful conversations as we navigate changes together. Above all, I want to reaffirm that NMC remains committed to being a place where all students and employees feel valued and supported.
Thank you for being part of our NMC community.
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Nick Nissley, Ed.D. | President | Northwestern Michigan College | 231.995.1010