Welcome our newest hires
Welcome to NMC!
- Stacy Kinney — Business Office Supplemental Employee
- Sam Briggs — Supplemental GLMA Assistant Engineer
- Evan Wallace —Supplemental GLMA Assistant Engineer
Welcome to NMC!
Brittany Hanbury was recently promoted to HR Office Manager. Congratulations on the promotion!
Come to the NMC Library and the 1st floor of the West Hall Innovation Center Wednesday, April 27 from 4—10 p.m. for an evening of snacks and support to power through the finals crunch!
We’ll have snacks and beverages throughout, and a big stack of pizzas arriving at 6pm.
Come for the snacks and solidarity, stay for the support. Peer study groups, student success coaches, Writing and Reading Center staff, and librarians will all be on hand to help you knock out your assignments and exam prep.
We’ll also have an on-site child care room for kids Pre-K and up to give you some uninterrupted focus time (parents must remain reachable and in the building).
NMC Campus Life will be hosting a 3-on-3 basketball tournament next Thursday, April 28, from 6—10 p.m. This Tournament is open to all NMC staff, students, and faculty and will be played in the Rajkovich Physical Education Building.
Teams must sign up by Wednesday, April 27th.
For any questions or concerns please reach out to idedenbach@nmc.edu or mbennett@nmc.edu.
This free, in-person event will provide local industries and manufacturers with the opportunity to experience the NMC Learning Lab firsthand. You will see an overview of the collaboration robot, milling operation, and the integration required to allow them to successfully work in tandem. Lab demonstrations, training opportunities, and more will be showcased.
Date: Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Place: Parsons-Stulen Building, Room 151, 2600 Aero Park Drive, Traverse City, MI
Time: 3—4:30 p.m.
This is a great chance to see the Learning Lab in action and continue to bring Industry 4.0 to the region!
Congratulations to Kari Kahler, a recipient of Phi Theta Kappa’s 2022 Continued Excellence Award for Advisors. She was formally recognized on stage during PTK Catalyst, the annual Phi Theta Kappa convention in Denver, Colorado, April 7-9.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Women on the Water (WoW) Student Club wishes to thank the NMC Community and the Great Lakes Maritime Academy alumni for their generous support of the bottle and can drive fundraiser in support of Richard Gray. The drive began in February and concluded in early April. WoW collected nearly $380, and “rounded up” the amount to donate a total of $400.00.
American Steamship Company (ASC) established a Trust to provide for future expenses for Richard Gray’s children’s education and extraordinary medical costs, if any. Richard was a valued employee of ASC and a dedicated alumni of Great Lakes Maritime Academy. He lost his life in a tragic accident on January 17, 2022 leaving behind an expectant wife and three young children.
If you would like to donate, funds may be directed to:
Richard Gray Trust
Attn: Jess Ashmore
430 S. Union Street
Traverse City, MI 49684
Join us for a swinging jazz concert featuring the NMC Jazz Bands, directed by Laurie Sears with guest artist Josh Lawrence, trumpet and new Director of Jazz Studies at Interlochen Center for the Arts. The concert is Saturday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Milliken Auditorium.
Free to NMC students with ID, tickets at simpletix.com.
Check out this article to learn how certain tech companies in Austin are making a difference by expanding their diversity and inclusion efforts beyond hiring quotas and PR-friendly statistics. Read the article here.
Please fill out this DEI Intercom Post Feedback Form to be part of our conversation and offer feedback or suggestions on what is being shared.
Kudos to Dan Murphy for his 40+ years of service at NMC and for serving on the Planning and Budget Council for the past 4 years. Thank you for all of your hard work over the years and always with a smile!! You will be missed!
Kudos to Jerry Dobek for working double duty and picking up courses from another faculty member who had to be out for several weeks. Your dedication and work for NMC are appreciated Jerry. Thank you.
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!
Bob Hammond was recently hired as a Veteran Student Success Coach. Welcome him to NMC!
Making Gmail labels and filters can help keep your Gmail inbox organized! Click here to see a brief overview on how to use labels and filters.
Entrepreneurship is poised to take a giant leap forward at NMC this year, with five student teams in the final stage of developing products they’ll pitch during Northern Michigan Startup Week.

The student pitch competition is one of many events planned for NMSW May 9–15. It’s the region’s largest endeavor to date to teach and promote entrepreneurship, showcase local talent and foster a culture of entrepreneurship.
In the process, students practice experiential learning, an impactful and engaging learning style that NMC has embraced collegewide as part of its strategic plan.
Marine technology student Max Streeter, 21, and engineering technology student John Monaghan, 35 (left and right), are partners on one of the products. It’s a color ink cartridge – tentatively named the Prism – and kit that allows customers to adapt clear, 3D printer filament to the color of their choice.
The idea originated with Streeter, a longtime 3D printer user. Through five different iterations in which they focused on making the Prism more user-friendly, adaptable to multiple printers and less expensive, however, it’s truly become the pair’s joint venture. (The photo to the right shows the kit, installation and results.)
“It wouldn’t be where it is today without someone to bounce things off of,” Streeter said.
“He could take this to be the Amazon of 3D printing,” said Monaghan.
Monaghan and Streeter are enrolled in a special topics course sponsored by the NMC Foundation through an innovation grant. The course requires a problem or issue to be selected, customers to be identified, a solution to be created, and value to be validated. Keith Kelly is the instructor. He said students have embraced the spirit of NMSW in their work this semester.
“There is so much great work around ideation, design thinking, project management, and communication,” he said.
A start-up weekend was held in 2014. This year’s week-long event reflects the growth of the area’s entrepreneurial culture since then, with many partners and collaborators.
“Community engagement has been huge,” Kelly said.
“You don’t need to be working at a startup to attend these events,” said Keri Amlotte, director of marketing at 20Fathoms and spokesperson for Northern Michigan Startup Week. “Everyone is invited and the events will be of interest not only to startup veterans, but to anyone who is curious about entrepreneurship, has an idea for a new business they want to explore, or those who simply want to learn about some of the exciting things happening in our local startup scene.”
Besides the pitch competition, other events include Space Night at the Hagerty Center, a “Funding Innovation” lunch, a Startup Expo at 20Fathoms in downtown Traverse City, and a showcase of startups from Michigan universities. The NMC Innovation Center will also host the final event, TechStars, on May 13–15. The experience of building a startup will be condensed to a weekend. Peruse and register for all NMSW events here.
Are you interested in finding out more about GVSU’s Master’s of Physician Assistant Studies (PAS) program? Come to the Physician Assistant Program Preview Day on Friday, April 22, from 9-11 a.m. During the session, you will have a chance to hear from the PA program director and the chair of admissions, who will answer any of your admission and/or program related questions. You will also tour the labs used by the PA program in Traverse City and meet with the site director. Current GVSU PA students and an advisor will also be available to answer questions.
This event is open to anyone interested or curious about the PA program and will be held at the NMC University Center in room UC 09.
Please RSVP here if you plan to attend.
The library has recently purchased many new books. You can view a handful of them here along with descriptions or go to the library catalog to see the full listing.
Dr. Jerry Young, an Adjunct Tuba Instructor at NMC, in collaboration with co-author Scott C. Watson (University of Kansas) recently published a new book titled A Practical Guide to Studio Teaching in Higher Education. Published by GIA Publications of Chicago, the text serves as handbook for those who aspire to deliver private instruction in all music performance areas including academic preparation, applying and interviewing for jobs, and building a successful career. Jeff Cobb, Director of Music Programs and Choirs at NMC, served as a consultant for text content on two-year colleges.
A free outdoor Earth Day concert and celebration from noon—8 p.m. Friday, April 22, will kick off a week of events marking Earth Day on campus.
Open to the public, the concert will be held under a tent outside of the NMC Innovation Center on main campus. Bands featured include headliners Erin Zindle and the Ragbirds, with openers Silver Creek Revival, and featuring The Lofteez, Stonefolk, Jimmy Olson/Friends, Avid Kain, and Skylea with David Chown. Production support and planning is being furnished by NMC Audio Tech students, along with NMC Student Life and NMC Student Government. Set changes will occur on the hour.
The concert will celebrate Earth Day and focus on environmental issues, especially water. Along with the music, information tables will be offered by campus and community groups including NMC Water Studies, the NMC Green Team, FLOW (For Love of Water) non-profit, Title Track, and more. E-waste recycling bins will also be available on main campus, accepting the following items: Computers, laptops, cell phones, modems, card readers, iPods, inkjet printer cartridges and network equipment. Earth Day events continue into the following week:

Sally Smarsty
Student Success Coordinator
Phone: (231) 995-3021
ssmarsty@nmc.edu
NMC Campus Life will be hosting a volleyball tournament on Thursday, April 14 from 6-10 p.m. in the Rajkovich Physical Education Center. This tournament is gender-inclusive and open to all NMC staff, students, and faculty.
Teams must sign up by Wednesday, April 13th.
For any questions or concerns please reach out to idedenbach@nmc.edu or mbennett@nmc.edu.