Aviation alumnus named Envoy Air’s youngest chief pilot, leads at LaGuardia

TRAVERSE CITY — A 2011 Northwestern Michigan College aviation alumnus has been named the youngest chief pilot in company history by Envoy Air and now leads the airline’s operations at a major air traffic hub.

Ryan FerrisIn late December Ryan Ferris, 26, was named chief pilot of Envoy’s New York base at LaGuardia Airport, the nation’s twentieth busiest airport. He will supervise the 150 Envoy captains and first officers based at LaGuardia as well as coordinate with multiple other departments, including ground handling, passenger service, Transportation Security Administration and air traffic control to ensure a safe and reliable operation for the passengers.

Alex Bloye, director of NMC’s Aviation division, said Ferris’ accomplishment at his age is significant. In addition to becoming Envoy’s youngest chief pilot, he is one of the few to ascend to that role without first being a captain.

“Usually chief pilot positions with airlines are reserved for folks with decades of experience. They are the base leader, and are ultimately responsible for the safety and regulatory compliance of thousands of passenger flights, and hundreds of pilots and crew members,” Bloye said.

Prior to his new role, Ferris spent three years flying as a first officer for Envoy Air, a subsidiary of American Airlines. He was also a flight instructor at NMC for two and a half years.

“Northwestern Michigan College did an outstanding job preparing me for the responsibilities of this position,” said Ferris, originally from Portage, Mich. “The flight school provided me with the knowledge and skills to handle the stresses of being an airline pilot, while NMC’s critical-thinking based curriculum helped me develop into a well-rounded manager.”

Envoy Air Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group and operates nearly 180 aircraft on about 900 daily flights to more than 150 destinations. Headquartered in Texas, Envoy was formerly known as American Eagle.

As American Eagle, NMC in 2014 signed a pipeline agreement with the company that gives aviation students early access to interviews, employment and a signing bonus.

Release date: january 9, 2017

For more information:

Ryan Ferris
Envoy Air
ryan.ferris@aa.com
(269) 598-4615

Alex Bloye
NMC Aviation
abloye@nmc.edu
(231) 995-2929

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-discrimination

Our Chance to Create a 21st Century Learning Space

To: Campus Community
From: Timothy J. Nelson, President
Date: January 5, 2017
Subject: 21st Century Learning Space

Good morning and welcome to the New Year! I’m excited to share with you the progress and preliminary process by which we together will design and build 21st century learning spaces in the renovation and remodeling of West Hall. I invite all of you to share in this once in a lifetime opportunity for NMC, our learners and community. (more…)

Parking enforcement starts Jan. 23

The Traverse City Parking Patrol will begin enforcing parking at NMC on Monday, January 23. All faculty, staff and students must have their 2016-2017 permits displayed by that date.

The Traverse City Police Department has provided the following information on how to avoid parking tickets on campus by properly displaying your parking permit:

  • Place your permit in the bottom left-hand corner of your windshield.
  • Place your permit right side up. An upside-down permit will be considered invalid.
  • Be sure that the expiration date on your permit can be seen from the outside of your vehicle. (Some vehicles have a tint on the edges of their windshield, so be sure your permit is not behind a tint, as it will make it difficult to see from the outside.) When it doubt, get out of your vehicle and be sure you can see the entire permit from the outside.

If you do get a ticket, payment can be made at the red dropoff payment box at the east end of the Cedar lot in front of the Health & Science building. You can also mail the fine in to the city, or pay at the parking services office in the public parking garage at 303 E. State St. Payment information is also on each ticket.

If you have any questions about parking enforcement on campus, please call (231) 995-1111.

Kudos!

KUDOS- (praise or respect that you get because of something you have done or achieved) defined by Merriam-Webster.com

Submit a Kudos here.

Kudos to Kari Kahler – Kari has done so much for our Phi Theta Kappa chapter this year! We started working on our Honors in Action plan over the summer, and Kari was very helpful with getting the ball rolling. We were able to accomplish a very amazing event for the Discussion of Pipeline 5 and a showing of the movie Great Lakes, Bad Lines. There was a good turnout, and all of Kari’s help and hard work over the semester truly helped our event shine! Thank you Kari for being so helpful; you’re an amazing advisor for our group!

Position Vacancies

Are you looking for career opportunities? Find them here! jobs.nmc.edu. Current openings include:

  • Digital Media Systems Technician;
  • Culinary Arts Nutrition Adjunct Instructor;
  • Great Lakes Maritime Engineering Adjunct Instructor;
  • GLMA Great Lakes Adjunct Instructor;
  • Clinical Nursing Adjunct Faculty

Outstanding Alumni nominations now open

TRAVERSE CITY — The Northwestern Michigan College Foundation is seeking nominations for the 2017 Outstanding Alumni award through Feb. 20.

Created in 1988, the Outstanding Alumni award recognizes alumni for significant professional achievements and/or exemplary leadership in the local or global community. The award(s) will be presented at NMC’s annual Commencement ceremony May 6.

The nomination form is available online. Nominations may also be e-mailed to Director of Alumni Relations Betsy Coffia at alumni@nmc.edu or mailed to the NMC Foundation, 1701 E. Front St., Traverse City, MI 49686.

The 2016 Outstanding Alumni recipients were Korvyn  Hansen, Therese Renis, Michelle Witkop and Capt. Dean Hobbs, posthumously. See all recipients here »

Release date: january 5, 2017

For more information:

Betsy Coffia
Director of Alumni Relations
bcoffia@nmc.edu 
(231) 995-2825

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-discrimination

Support for the Kahler family

Dear NMC colleagues,

Last night Kari Kahler and her family suffered a chimney fire and lost their entire home. Kari and her family (Chad and Casey) are safe and are staying at a neighbor’s home for the time being. In the coming days, weeks and months, Kari, who has been such a caring support for many NMC staff, faculty, and students, will now need our support and encouragement.

Many of you have already asked what you can do to help. If you would like to offer your words of support and encouragement in the form of a card or note, please feel free to drop these off in the Advising Center for delivery to the Kahler family. The Advising Center and Student Life Office will also be collecting funds to purchase gift cards to Meijer, Target, local restaurants, etc. for Kari and her family to utilize.

If you would like to drop off either money or gift cards to support Kari and her family, please put them to the attention of either Lindsey Dickinson – Advising Center or Lisa Thomas – Student Life Office. We will be collecting donations for at least the next 2-3 weeks.

Please feel free to pass this information on to any NMC staff that you know would want to be aware of this situation. The family can certainly use our thoughts, prayers and words of encouragement at this time.

Thank you,
Lisa Thomas

Walk In Advising for continuing students

There are more than 1,000 students who were registered at NMC in Fall semester who are not yet registered for Spring! The Advising Center is here to help!

Walk In Advising sessions will be available 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. January 10, 12, 13, and 16 through 20th. These walk-in sessions are offered on a first-come-first-served basis in the Advising Center (Osterlin). Call (231) 995-1040 or advising@nmc.edu with questions.

GVSU Advisor on Your Campus!

A representative from Grand Valley State University located at NMC’s University Center will be present in the Health & Science building Monday, January 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Learn how you can finish your Bachelor’s or Master’s at GVSU’s Traverse City location or get answers to your questions if you are considering transferring to GVSU’s main campus.

Congratulations to the winner of the 2016 Ugly Holiday Sweater Contest!

Congratulations to the NMC Aviation Department, which won the 2016 Ugly Holiday Sweater Contest and the coveted contest trophy with a minute-and-a-half-long “Mannequin Challenge” video to the tune of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”

The winner was announced at the NMC Holiday Party December 16. Thanks to all the groups that took part and the other finalists — Student Life and the NMC Foundation. Start shopping for your ugly sweaters now; we’re looking forward to next year’s contest!

Open Enrollment Followup

  1. If you have a balance in your Flexible Spending Account, you must spend that down to $0 before the IRS allows you to contribute to a Health Savings Account. Please notify Hollie in HR immediately if you will have a balance in your Flexible Spending Account and are moving to the High Deductible Plan for 2017.
  2. If you are actively enrolled in any parts of Medicare, you are not eligible to contribute to a Health Savings Account. If you are enrolled in Medicare, and the High Deductible NMC plan please contact Hollie in HR immediately.
  3. Cigna will contact you directly to complete a medical questionnaire if you did not do so during open enrollment. This may be needed for additional life insurance, long-term disability buy-up, or critical illness insurance.
  4. Expect a new Blue Cross card for 2017 if you elected dental. We will have separate cards for medical and dental this year. If you have medical only and made no changes to who is covered, you will not receive a new card.
  5. Your current Eye Med card will be the same for 2017. If you added vision for 2017, please watch for a new card to come in the mail.

All-day, new employee orientation bus tour open to current employees

In a continued effort to offer interested employees an opportunity to learn and experience all the new and exciting things happening around campus we are opening the Spring 2017 bus tour to current employees.

The day will consist of a bus tour of each of NMC’s campuses, where you’ll hear from program directors and department heads about the latest things happening at NMC. We’ll end the day with a reception, and you’ll be able to share feedback and suggestions for improvement. Benefits of participating include the opportunity to accomplish a learning plan goal connected to NMC culture, and to network with your peers. This tour will be combined with new employees too, so you will have a chance to meet the newest members of our community!

Here are the details:

  • Thursday, January 5, 2017, 10 am to 5 pm
  • Hagerty Center, Great Lakes Campus (Please meet inside the main entrance)
  • Lunch and an afternoon snack will be provided

Please wear comfortable shoes! You’ll do a lot of walking.

There is limited space on the bus, so we’ll accept the first 20 employees who respond to this invitation. Click here to RSVP.

Come and learn everything you didn’t know about NMC!

Position Vacancies

Are you looking for career opportunities? Find them here! jobs.nmc.edu. Current openings include:

  • Digital Media Systems Technician
  • Visual Communications – Web Design Adjunct Instructor
  • Culinary Arts Nutrition Adjunct Instructor
  • Great Lakes Maritime Engineering Adjunct Instructor

T’was the week before Christmas

T’was the week before Christmas and across NMC
You can hear students shout, “No more classes for me!
They are loading their cars and returning their books
Dreaming of presents that will fill up a few empty nooks.

The faculty have graded final papers with speed
For those giving essays an impressive deed.
A night of support in the library found
You really can work in a building with sound.

We all find ourselves here on the shores of the Bay
Eating and drinking the evening away
Our colleagues and friends a team one and all
Worked tirelessly to find student success this past fall. (more…)