Trunk or Treat

Trunk or Treat at NMCThe NMC Ambassadors are hosting the annual Trunk or Treat on Thursday, October 26 from 6–7:30 p.m. 

The Student Life Office and Student Ambassador team are hosting Trunk or Treat on Thursday, October 26 from 6–7:30 p.m. in the Cherry Lot across from the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center. NMC students and their families as well as community members are invited to trick or treat that evening.

Students may also participate in the event by signing up to be one of the vehicles that lines up to hand out the candy that evening. Participants handing out candy should pick a theme, dress the car (and/or themselves) in the theme. You will also need to provide your own candy. Vehicles are asked to be in place 5 p.m. that evening.

Sign up to dress up your trunk and hand out candy

Please contact the Student Life Office at (231) 995-1118 if you have questions.

Weekly Spanish table at the Hawk Owl Café

Spanish TableWhat better way to improve one’s Spanish than connecting with others who also speak the language? 

Join fellow Spanish speakers on Wednesdays from noon to 1 p.m. at the Hawk Owl Café!

Speakers of all levels are welcome (from beginner to native speaker). Look for the Spanish table sign near the Hawk owl Café!

The weekly Spanish table is sponsored by NMC’s Multicultural Club! Hable español con nosotros!

Thanks for a great October Conference!

Thank you to all the staff and faculty who helped make the October Conference a success! We could not have done it without you!

    • Jerry Achenbach
    • Carolyn Andrews
    • Ryan Archer (Tower Pinkster)
    • Ed Bailey
    • Lisa Balbach
    • Marcus Bennett
    • Linda Berlin
    • Alex Bloye
    • Jeffrey Cobb
    • Jerry Dobek
    • Hollie DeWalt
    • Brandon Everest
    • Margaret Fox
    • Diana Fairbanks
    • Breana Goodell
    • Terri Gustafson
    • Nancy Gray
    • Todd Haines
    • Megan Holtrey
    • Robb Houston
    • Jennifer Hricik
    • Alyssa Irani
    • Tony Jenkins
    • Keith Kelly
    • Will Kitchen
    • Tamella Livengood
    • Laura Matchett
    • Kristy McDonald
    • Hollianne McHugh
    • Jeffrey Morse
    • Cari Noga
    • Nick Roster
    • Shannon Schultz
    • Jason Slade
    • Jay Smith
    • Nicole Speelman
    • Melissa Sprenkle
    • Lisa Thomas
    • Lisa vonReichbauer
    • Kerrey Woughter
    • Beckie Wooters
    • Sarah Wangler
    • Ryan Wilson
    • Glenn Wolf

Professional Development Institute

Center for Instructional Excellence

Media mentions for October 9, 2023

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.

Celebration: Indigenous People’s Day events Monday
Record-Eagle, Oct. 8
(more…)

Upcoming Extended Education classes for employees

Did you know that your tuition waiver benefits extend beyond credit classes? Take a fitness class, learn a new hobby, or even enjoy a date night with your partner. Check out these upcoming classes! Place the class in your shopping cart in order to see the discount. 

 

Supercharge Your Workplace NMC EES classSupercharge Your Workplace: 10 Tips for Writing With ChatGPT
Thursday, Oct. 19; 12–1:30 p.m. (livestream)
Employee price: $12 (public price: $25)
Could you use more time in your work day? More productivity in your workplace? Guided by NMC technical writing instructor Janet Lively, learn to harness the power of artificial intelligence to draft persuasive emails, craft a compelling marketing message, create a comprehensive business report, and more.
Register here

Sushi Rolls NMC EES classSushi Rolls
Saturday, Oct. 21; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Employee price: $42 (public price: $99)

Chef Misaeng, a native of Japan, guides this hands-on class including tips on ingredient selection, preparation, and serving ideas. Leave with new skills, samples you prepared in class and your own sushi mat to make sushi at home.
Register here

Ice Age NMC EES classThe Ice Age: A Journey into Earth’s Frozen Past
Wednesday, Nov. 8; 6–9 p.m.
Employee price: $22 (public price: $49)
The Ice Age was a transformative period in Earth’s history, shaping landscapes, ecosystems, and even the evolution of species. From the colossal ice sheets that covered vast regions to the unique adaptations of the creatures that roamed the icy landscapes, delve into the fascinating world of the Ice Age!
Register here

October Conference is Tuesday!

What is October Conference? October Conference is NMC’s professional development day. The college will be closed on Tuesday, October 10, so we can all learn together. Attendance is required for all regular faculty and staff. Adjunct faculty are encouraged to join us!

This year’s theme is Growing a Culture of Innovation at NMC. Our program and project group work will give us the opportunity to connect with colleagues from across campus with the aim of supporting innovation and advancing strategic work at NMC. View the schedule for the day here and remember to sign up for your project if you haven’t already. Click to view the list of projects and register for your group.

The conference begins at 8 a.m. with coffee and donuts in the Dennos Museum followed by a program in the Milliken Auditorium. Our keynote speaker, Dr. Andy Gold, Vice President of Strategic Engagement for the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), will share tools and resources to assist us with moving projects forward using design thinking principles. Project groups will work together for the rest of the day.

If you have questions, please contact Lori Hodek at lhodek@nmc.edu (231) 995-1143 or Janet Lively at jlively@nmc.edu (231) 995-1231.

NMC Magazine seeks submissions

NMC Magazine HumorA sailor, a pilot, and a chef walk into West Hall…and decide to submit to the NMC Mag!

Have a talent for tomfoolery? Trying to conquer your crushing sense of existential dread? Stretch your funny bone with a submission to NMC’s award-winning creative arts magazine!

Knock our Crocs™ off with your rib-tickling fine art, design, illustration, photography, video, comics, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essay, recipes and more!

Accepted mediums include:

    • Fiction/nonfiction (1,500 word limit)
    • Poetry/lyrics (30 line limit)
    • Comics (30 panels/4 page limit)
    • Video/audio (4 minutes)

Visit nmc.edu/nmcmagazine to submit your entry. The deadline to enter is Friday, November 3, 2023.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day StoryWalk

You hold me up GimanaadenimThe NMC Library is presenting a StoryWalk® in celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

You Hold Me Up / Gimanaadenim by Monique Gray Smith will be available to view along the sidewalk north of the campus apartments from Monday, Oct. 9 through Friday, Oct. 20. If you are strolling the campus with little ones, be sure to take in this beautiful dual-language (Anishinaabemowin and English) book about love, support, and building relationships.

The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.

Important changes to the Employee Assistance Program

The need to access mental health support and wellness has increased and we recognize that supporting employees in this area is critical.

NMC is excited to share that we have worked with Ulliance and upgraded the number of visits for counseling and coaching per topic to meet the needs of our employees.

With this upgrade, you will receive:

    • A flexible number of visits (e.g. no fixed number) for counseling and coaching per topic and you can call in for as many topics as needed
    • Continued support for partners, spouses, dependents up to the age of 26 with the same flexibility of visits as the employee
    • More access to resources on www.lifeadvisor.com , offered by Ulliance
    • Continued access to a free 30 minute consultation for Legal and Financial consultations, plus discounted hourly rates for beyond the 30 minute consultation.

Ulliance Central Number: 1-800-448-8326

2024 Benefits Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment for 2024 is Nov. 6–17. Please plan to attend one of the two Zoom meetings that are scheduled for Nov. 6, 2023, at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. All employees should have received a calendar invite for these open enrollment meetings. If you did not, please contact Hollie DeWalt. 

A recorded session will be available on the benefits webpage for those who are unable to attend.

Success Story: Younger adults now eligible as state seeks a better-educated workforce

October 4, 2023

NMC CIT student David Hipolito and Culinary student Hannah RamsbyReconnect students David Hipolito, Computer Information Technology, and Hannah Ramsby, Culinary

This week, Michiganders ages 21–24 who don’t already have a college degree got a limited time opportunity to increase their lifetime earning power at potentially no cost to them.

Michigan Reconnect logoFor just over a year, Michigan Reconnect, which began offering free in-district tuition to adults 25 and older without a degree in 2021, is being extended to 21- to 24-year-olds. The only other eligibility requirements are a minimum of one year’s residency in Michigan, and a high school diploma or equivalent. The application deadline is Nov. 15, 2024 and students must start classes by the fall 2024 semester.

NMC estimates between 400–450 current students will be eligible, and the expansion could also draw in new students.

“NMC is so excited that the opportunity Michigan Reconnect presents is now available to younger adults,” said NMC President Nick Nissley. “We know from decades of data that education beyond high school is the surest way people can improve their future incomes. Michigan Reconnect now makes that education much more affordable for many more people.”

A 2021 study by Traverse Connect, the region’s economic development agency, showed that the largest chunk of northwest Michigan’s jobs, 43 percent, require more than a high school diploma but less than a bachelor’s degree. 2021 Georgetown University research shows that over an earning lifetime, associate degree graduates earn an average of $400,000 more than high school or GED graduates.

At NMC, Grand Traverse County residents are considered in-district. Those who live elsewhere still receive significant discounts, paying only the difference between the in district and out of district rates. Other aid can also offset some of those costs.

This fall, NMC saw a 20 percent jump in Reconnector enrollment by the original 25+ population. Some 278 students are receiving the Reconnect scholarship, with an average award of $1,561. Nearly 80 percent of those students have tuition and fees covered in full between Reconnect and Pell grants.

Students have used Reconnect to enroll in virtually all of NMC’s 60 programs.

David Hipolito, 25, is enrolled in Computer Information Technology. Many of the courses he takes in the CIT program are online and he appreciates that format because it allows him to balance school and a full-time job. Hipolito also endorses NMC’s instructors, substantial student support services, and campus vibe. “NMC is a small community; you feel like you’re at home,” he said.

Hannah Ramsby, 28, is enrolled in Culinary Arts. Reconnect is a huge relief because it means she doesn’t have to take out loans. She encourages others to take advantage of it: “I often struggle asking for help. The money is there to help. I love that it is helping those who may think that they’re too old to go to school or don’t deserve it.”

The Reconnect expansion to 21–24 is funded by a $70 million appropriation from the Michigan Legislature.

In 2019, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer established Michigan’s 60 by 30 goal of having 60 percent of adults have a college degree or skills certificate by 2030. It’s now 50.5 percent.

NMC hosts Building Tomorrow Oct. 5, 6

Event gets students hands-on with skilled trades career opportunities

TRAVERSE CITY –Some 450 area middle and high school students will have a chance to “try a trade” when NMC hosts the annual Building Tomorrow event Thursday Oct. 5 and Friday, Oct. 6 at the Aero Park Laboratories building.

Set for 9 a.m.–2 p.m. both days, the event is a hands-on experience for students to explore a career in the skilled trades. Students will rotate through several stations including carpentry, electrical, HVAC, automotive, welding and excavation site work.

Aero Park Laboratories is located at 2525 Aero Park Dr. on NMC’s Aero Park campus.

There is strong employer demand for skilled trades workers. A 2021 regional skills gap study found that it faced the greatest hiring challenges of any labor segment, with a third of northwest Michigan employers reporting difficulty hiring people with necessary skills.

NMC offers both degrees and certificates in automotive technology, construction technology, engineering technology, manufacturing technology, renewable energy technology, surveying and welding technology. In all technical programs, enrollments are limited to maximize students’ access to the most current technology and industry-knowledgeable instructors. Technical curriculum is reviewed and approved by local advisory committees.

Release Date: October 3, 2023

For more information:

Carolyn Andrews
NMC Technical Division
(231) 995-2803
candrews@nmc.edu

 

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE

Northwestern Michigan College does not discriminate in admission, campus activities, education, employment, housing, public accommodation or public service on the basis of age, color, creed, disability, gender identity/expression, handicap, height, marital or familial status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, service in the military, veteran’s status, weight, or any other legally protected status under federal, state, or local law. No act of retaliation shall occur to any person making a charge, filing a complaint, testifying or participating in any discrimination investigation or proceeding. nmc.edu/non-discrimination

Student and immigrant success grant awarded to NMC

Congratulations to the Student Success team for receiving a $193,600 grant from Michigan’s Sixty by 30 Adult Student Success Grant program. The funds, to be received over two years, will be spent to improve adult student onboarding, based on the results of data and evidence on the current adult student experience.


Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!

Media mentions for October 2, 2023

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.

Preserving a place for refuge and reflection
Cleburne Times-Review, Oct. 1
(more…)