View the Opening Conference video
If you missed Opening Conference on Monday, August 18, would like to skim and view select sections of it, or view the conference in its entirety click here to view the video!
Greetings from Iceland highlight the start of the new NMC Explore Blog
NMC Great Lakes Water Studies student Chris Horvath is in Iceland this summer on a Marine Advanced Technology Education Center (MATE) internship aboard Columbia University’s research vessel the R/V Langseth, doing research on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Chris is sending us periodic posts on our new NMC Explore Blog to update us on his adventure.
Student, faculty or staff, whether you’re doing something cool around the world or just around the corner let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu and maybe you, too, will be featured on the NMC Explore Blog.
Kudos!
Kudos to the entire NMC community for extending a friendly smile and helpful hand to parents, grandparents, instructors, and especially our future learners as we shared our campuses this summer with 73 instructors and a record breaking 1,808 kids participating in the 8-week EES College for Kids program. EES appreciates the support of so many from media services to the staff and custodians in the heavily used buildings of Parsons Stulen, Scholars Hall, Oleson Center, Fine Arts, PE, and the University Center. A big thank you goes out to all of you. We couldn’t do it without you.
Sign up for a new NMC Learn for Life class- Maker’s Bay!
Maker’s Bay
NMC’s Makers Bay is a space dedicated to the growing community of makers and do-it-yourself (DIY) projects including robotics.
The learning lab provides you with the equipment, tools, components, and technical assistance to create your DIY project. Join the community of new and experienced makers and learn, play, create, and share.
The class will run for 15 Mondays: Sept. 9-Dec. 16, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. in the Parsons/Stulen Bldg. Rm. 157 with instructor Keith Kelly.
The cost of this exciting new class is just $300 and registration can be done online here using code 2351 for this course, by phone at (231) 995-1700, by mail with the registration form found inside the EES catalog, or in person at the NMC University Center on Cass Road.
Benefits corner
New Health Coverage Exchange called the Health Insurance Marketplace
In 2014 if you are uninsured, purchase individual coverage or believe your employer-provided coverage is inadequate or unaffordable, you will be able to shop for coverage directly in the federal Health Insurance Marketplace — a new competitive marketplace where individuals and small businesses can shop for and compare affordable and qualified health benefit plans. The Health Insurance Marketplace will offer you a choice of health plans that meet certain benefits and cost standards.
Open enrollment for the Marketplace for 2014 is October 1, 2013 – March 31, 2014. For more information, visit www.healthcare.gov, where you can sign up for email alerts. Another good source for general information on the Affordable Care Act is the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services.
Intercom and Student News contributions
Any items you wish to have posted in the Intercom and Student News can be sent to publicrelations@nmc.edu.
Position vacancies
This is the list of current job postings. They can also be viewed on NMC’s website at https://jobs.nmc.edu/ Information on internal regular postings has been emailed.
Adjunct Faculty
- Digital Graphic Design Adjunct Instructor (246-443)
- Adjunct Faculty – History (231-443)
- Adjunct Faculty – Humanities (227-443)
- Adjunct Faculty-Biology (215-443)
- Adjunct Instructor – Clinical Nursing Medical/Surgical and Ob/Peds (38-443)
Custodial Staff
Faculty
Professional Staff
Student Employee
- Student Ambassador (237-443)
- Groundskeeper (233-443)
- Science Lab Assistant – Student Employee (244-443)
- Student Life Office Assistant (192-443)
- Tutor-Student Employee (197-443)
- Student Employee – Writing and Reading Center Reader (200-443)
- WNMC Radio Automation Assistant (258-443)
- Financial Aid-Office Assistant-Student Employee (259-443)
Supplemental Staff
- Bakery Assistant (256-443)
- Banquet Cook-Hagerty Center (248-443)
- Banquet Server-Hagerty Center (250-443)
- Bartender-Hagerty Center (251-443)
- Supplemental Student Success Coach (255-443)
Open Recreation opens for the fall semester, hours announced
Open Recreation for the semester will begin on Tuesday, September 3. The schedule will be as follows:
Monday, Wednesday and Friday: Open Basketball: noon – 2 p.m.
Tuesday and Thursday: Open Basketball: 8 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Open Recreation is free to all staff, students and faculty with an NMC ID.
Any questions, please contact Jim Szur, Recreation and Intramural Supervisor at 995-1199, or jszur@nmc.edu.
Employee anniversaries
EMPLOYEE ANNIVERSARIES
The following employees are celebrating anniversaries soon. Please join us in congratulating them!
Leanne Baumeler Support Services Specialist 3 years
Marcus Bennett Director of Residence Life/Judicial Affairs 2 years
Kelly Carlton Financial Aid Specialist 15 years
Trisha Domagala Voice Systems Administrator 28 years
Steve Drake Science/Math Instructor 42 years
Tom Dunn Aviation Maintenance Technician 6 years
Heather Frazier Training Specialist 5 years
Holly Gorton Executive Assistant to the President & Board of Trustees 19 years
Kari Kahler Associate Dean of Learning Services 32 years
Taylor Nash Advisor – Academic/Career 3 years
John Pahl Communications Instructor 47 years
Jan Root Office Manager – Communications Academic Area 26 years
Kristen Salathiel Communications Instructor 11 years
Dot Witt Technician – Publications/Event Specialist 14 years
Jane Zlojutro Business Instructor 12 years
Local businesses offer NMC employees exclusive perks to start your semester in a healthy way
Get This!
Area businesses would like to help us welcome the fall semester healthfully with these specials exclusively for NMC Employees and ALL dependents & spouses of NMC employees:
-30 Day FREE VIP Membership to Fit For You & Their BRAND NEW Fort Fit facility!
-60 & 30 Minute massages at VanSkyhock Family Wellness Center
-Freedom From Smoking Classes, beginning in September
-Free Classes at Yen Yoga
For more information on how to get these deals, please call or email Sarah Shimek sshimek@nmc.edu, 995-1154
Make This!
Congrats to the winner of the Bookstore gift card from Opening Conference!
Congratulations to Robin Fitzgerald, the winner of the Opening Conference $25.00 gift card drawing from the NMC Bookstore.
Welcome to NMC John!
John Velis joined NMC on August 15, 2013 as an instructor in the Computer Information Technology program. He can be reached at 995-1152 or jvelis@nmc.edu.
John, originally from the Detroit Area, has lived in the Empire area for the better part of the last three decades. He is married to Amy Johnson-Velis, a counselor at Glen Lake Comm. Schools, and they have two children, Emma who is beginning her Freshman year at Carlton College and Charlie who is beginning his Junior year at Central High School. John has worked as a secondary teacher, IT director, and owned an Internet design and hosting company. When not hanging with his family he can be found running the trails, kayaking the lakes, soaring the skies, or just messing around in his garage.
Employee anniversaries
EMPLOYEE ANNIVERSARIES
The following employees are celebrating anniversaries soon. Please join us in congratulating them!
Judy Chu Communications Instructor 13 years
Jerry Compton Science/Math Instructor 8 years
Mary Jo Elliott Science/Math Instructor 12 years
Nicole Fewins Business Instructor 13 years
Mike Franklin Science/Math Instructor 12 years
Robb Houston Science/Math Instructor 12 years
Janet Lively Communications Instructor 8 years
Beth Norconk Desktop Computer Support Specialist 17 years
Joel Papcun Culinary Arts Instructor 13 years
Steve Quick Audio Technical Coordinator 6 years
Nick Roster Science/Math Instructor 8 years
Sherry Trier Instructional Technology Support Specialist 4 years
John Zachman Social Sciences Instructor 12 years
CIE reading group books for 2013-14 announced
Announcing the CIE reading group books for 2013-14: faculty/adjuncts/staff with adjunct duties can request a copy of one or the other from Joelle Hannert (library). CIE will cover the cost of one book per faculty/adjunct. A group discussion will be hosted by CIE in October.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over working in teams. It is to introverts—Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss, Steve Wozniak—that we owe many of the great contributions to society.In Quiet, Susan Cain argues that we dramatically undervalue introverts and shows how much we lose in doing so. She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal throughout the twentieth century and explores how deeply it has come to permeate our culture. She also introduces us to successful introverts—from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how they see themselves.
Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Research in psychology has revealed that our decisions are disrupted by an array of biases and irrationalities: We’re overconfident. We seek out information that supports us and downplay information that doesn’t. We get distracted by short-term emotions. When it comes to making choices, it seems, our brains are flawed instruments. Unfortunately, merely being aware of these shortcomings doesn’t fix the problem, any more than knowing that we are nearsighted helps us to see. The real question is: How can we do better?
In Decisive, the Heaths, based on an exhaustive study of the decision-making literature, introduce a four-step process designed to counteract these biases. Written in an engaging and compulsively readable style, Decisive takes readers on an unforgettable journey, from a rock star’s ingenious decision-making trick to a CEO’s disastrous acquisition, to a single question that can often resolve thorny personal decisions.
Along the way, we learn the answers to critical questions like these: How can we stop the cycle of agonizing over our decisions? How can we make group decisions without destructive politics? And how can we ensure that we don’t overlook precious opportunities to change our course?
Decisive is the Heath brothers’ most powerful—and important—book yet, offering fresh strategies and practical tools enabling us to make better choices. Because the right decision, at the right moment, can make all the difference.
Kudos!
Deb Pharo is an amazing instructor who has worked tirelessly over the summer to redesign courses to make learning more accessible and competency based for our students who do not qualify for Math 111 yet. She is always seeking out the best strategies for teaching, testing them, and sharing them with others around her. She is not only creative with her approaches but also extremely thoughtful as to what would work best for students and for other instructors who teach the same population. She always strives for the best, not only for herself, but for others around her.
Thank you to Amber Casey for stepping up to get the Fine Arts building in shape for the Fall semester. Amber exceeded expectations and did so with a smile and a great attitude!
On behalf of Wendy and Bilal, our international students from the UK, a BIG thank you to EVERYONE at NMC who helped them. They hope to be back with us for a full school year next year. Special mention to Shauna, Kayla, Elizabeth and Allison, Lindsey, Lisa and Marcus, Steve, Emily, Jerry Cannon and the summer on-campus international students. Many other students, volunteers, faculty, staff, alumni, retirees and community members showed them great kindness as well.
Don’t forget, no late registration
New Procedure for Late Registration
1) All new registration for fall 2013 will end at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, August 23, 2013, for any session that begins on August 24th. (NMC staff will be available in their offices until 5:00 p.m. for registration assistance.) Students who have not registered for any classes by that date will not be registered for classes starting in the normal 15 week session.
2) Students who register by the deadline will be able to add/switch classes during the first few days of classes provided the class has not met and there are seats still open in the class. Students adding classes in this fashion will not need approval from the academic areas and can register through visiting the Records and Registration Office. Online classes are considered to have started the first day of the session.(Please see the attached sheet for specific academic area guidelines.)
3) Students seeking to start at NMC after the August 23, 2013 deadline will have the opportunity to seek registration and enrollment in a limited number of late-start classes. (For students seeking full time enrollment, you may consider late start sections of: ENG 111, PSY 101, MTH 23, HST 111, MUS 110 and/or PHL 202 as well as other late start courses.) These courses will not be initially opened up in the course schedule until late in the registration period and/or when the other sections in these courses are closed.
An Additional Reminder:
Students are not allowed to attend a class they are not registered for!
Benefits corner
A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) lets you enjoy tax savings of up to 40% for every dollar you spend on health care. As you begin to think about your benefits enrollment for 2014, consider an FSA if the health plan you choose allows this. Why might this be a good idea for you? Health expenses may be turned in at any time during the plan year. You can spend the money you’re contributing all at the beginning of the year (even before you contribute enough funds to cover the expenses) or you can get reimbursed throughout the year.
There are two ways to receive payment for qualified medical expenses from your health care account. If you have any other insurance coverage, then you must have a manual reimbursement. If not, then the automatic reimbursement may be the best method for you.
Automatic reimbursement.
If you and your covered dependents are covered by Priority Health, your medical or prescription drug copays, coinsurance or deductible expenses will automatically be reimbursed. There’s no need to file a claim form.
Manual reimbursement.
For all other expenses, including vision and dental, just submit claim forms with proof of the expense and Priority Health will send you a check.
If you have questions about your FSA, you can call Priority Health at the customer service number on the back of your insurance card. You can also check the status of your FSA online at your Priority Health member account. For more information on flexible spending accounts, click here for thePriority Health FSA brochure.
If you have questions about this or any other NMC benefit, feel free to contact HR at 995-1362 or 995-1025.
Global Literature Reading Group announces chosen books- Reserve your fall semester reading today!
The NMC Global Literature Reading Group meets twice a year to discuss a book about life in another culture. The group aims to bring together NMC faculty and staff from all departments and disciplines to stimulate critical thinking, literary pleasure, awareness of global diversity and cultural interconnections. These books and discussions help support NMC’s Strategic Direction that NMC learners are prepared for success in a global society and economy.
All faculty and staff are welcome to join.
Meetings held in November and April, on Friday from noon to 1:30 p.m. Location to be announced.
Meetings for 2013-2014:
Friday, November 15: Rez Life, by David Treuer
Friday, April 25: The Orphan Master’s Son, by Adam Johnson
Request a book:
Copies are available at a subsidized price of $5 (prepayment required). To secure your copy, please contact Tina Ulrich at 995-1063 or tulrich@nmc.edu.
The purchase of books is subsidized by the Center for Instructional Excellence and the Helen Osterlin Library Endowment.
For a list of past Global Literature Reading Group books click here!