Thanks to the Great Lakes Maritime Academy for hosting its annual spring “open ship” from 1-4 p.m. this Saturday. Last year’s event drew more than 1,000 guests aboard the T/S State of Michigan. In recognition of NMC’s 75th anniversary, this year’s event will include a GLMA history display inside the Great Lakes campus..
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
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.
College Connection Fair for high school juniors
WILX TV, April 5
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Mark your calendars and join us for the Graduation Fair on April 15 from 11 a.m to 1 p.m. at the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center. This is your one-stop shop for all things commencement—from finalizing your graduation application and learning about the ceremony to purchasing your gear and decorating your grad cap.
It’s also a perfect time to connect with the Alumni Relations office, as you begin your journey from student to a lifelong Hawk Owl. NMC University Partners, Financial Aid, Advising, Career Services,and the NMC Bookstore will also be on hand to help you prepare for your next steps forward.
To find these selections and many other new titles, see the NMC library catalog.
The following employees are celebrating an anniversary soon. Please join us in congratulating them!
Kudos to Michael Anderson! Huge kudos to Michael Anderson for his exceptional leadership of the English Faculty recruitment committee. Michael managed to lead us through one of the most efficient and successful faculty searches yet. His organization and clear communication turned a typically complex process into a seamless experience. Thank you, Michael, for setting a new gold standard for hiring! Your leadership is simply outstanding!
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!
These colleagues have moved on to a new chapter in their lives. We wish them the very best as they navigate a new adventure, and we thank them for their time and dedication to NMC!
Mariam Alavidze recently started working at the college as a student Tutor. Welcome to the NMC community!
The Dennos Museum will host an Earth Day Clothing Swap from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22. The first and last hour of the swap is reserved for NMC students. Faculty and staff are encouraged to sign up as volunteers ahead or during the event to sort clothing. Those interested in volunteering should fill out the Earth Day Clothing Swap volunteer form. Pro tip: anyone who signs up to sort also gets first view and dibs on finds!
Clothing can be dropped off at the Dennos Museum from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 17–21.
This year, NMC’s Green Team will have a plant sale with about 500 starter plants, including herbs, flowers, and houseplants during the event and the Grand Traverse Conservation District will be doing a Gear & Rec Swap. Gear can be dropped off until April 21st (Tues – Friday) between 10 – 4pm at the Boardman River Nature Center.
NMC host a mobile food pantry on Monday, April 6 from 3–5 p.m. in the Maple Lot on the Front Street campus. We have 4,500 pounds of goods including lettuce, onions, potatoes, beans, cereal, oranges, cottage cheese, applesauce and frozen pizzas.
We ask that recipients queue up in the car line in a counter-clockwise circle around the edge of the parking lot. Please do not block the main access roads, be aware of other students using the parking spaces and watch for children being picked up at the Oleson Learning Center adjacent to the Maple Lot.
Free and open to all students and their families. Interested in volunteering? Email Cathy Warner at cwarner@nmc.edu.
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 exclusive employee passes (remember, you must be logged into your student account to view) and browse classes for you and yours this spring!
Weight StrengtheningAerobic exercise is not enough to keep the body well-conditioned; research shows the need for the addition of weekly weight strengthening. We will focus on all major muscle groups resulting in increased strength, better posture, greater mobility, improved metabolism, and a slowing of the development of osteoporosis. Read more about Weight Strengthening.
Instructor: Kyle Morrison
22 sessions; Tues. & Thurs., April 7–June 18; 6:30–7:45 a.m.
Tuition waiver price: $60 per person (Public price: $325)
Introduction to BuddhismDiscover the profound teachings of the Buddha in this insightful course exploring one of the world’s oldest and most influential wisdom traditions. Trace the life of Siddhartha Gautama and the development of core concepts like the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Read more about Introduction to Buddhism.
Instructor: Sarah Montgomery-Richards
Monday, April 13; 6–8 p.m.
Tuition waiver price: $30 per person (Public price: $65)
Learn how to paint beautiful spring flowers using acrylic paints. Acrylics are easy to work with and dry quickly, making them perfect for creating vibrant and fresh flower scenes. Read more about Painting With Acrylics: Spring Flowers.
Saturday, April 18; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Tuition waiver price: $22 per person (Public price: $99)
The Hawk Owl Café serves specials during the fall and spring semesters from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 4:40 to 6:30 p.m. The protein option is $9.99, and the vegetarian option (V) is $7.99. Learn more at nmc.edu/dining.
General Tso’s Chicken Bowl with broccoli served with rice & vegetable potstickers
General Tso’s Tofu Bowl (V) with broccoli served with rice & vegetable potstickers
Carne Asada Chicken Tacos with cheddar, sour cream and salsa served with Mexican street corn & Spanish rice
Carne Asada Jackfruit Tacos (V) with cheddar, sour cream and salsa served with Mexican street corn & Spanish rice
Italian Pasta Bake with meatballs and mozzarella served with garlic bread & broccoli
Tri-Color Tortellini (V) with pesto cream sauce served with garlic bread & broccoli
Breakfast for Dinner!
Beer-Battered Cod Sandwich with tartar sauce served with French fries & green beans
Roasted Cauliflower Steak (V) with chimichurri sauce served with French fries & green beans
The NMC Board of Trustees Executive Committee and NMC Foundation Board Executive Committee will hold their annual joint committee meeting at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, in room 08 (lower level) of the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center on NMC’s Front Street campus, 1701 E. Front St., Traverse City, Mich.
The meeting agenda is available online. The meeting will be canceled if NMC closes due to weather conditions.
For more information, please contact the President’s office at (231) 995-1010.
What if rivers, lakes, fish, and ecosystems had legal rights? The International Affairs Forum will further the conversation on the global Rights of Nature movement, rooted in Indigenous principles, with ecological values relevant to northern Michigan. This global movement has echoes in recent local successes like the rewilding of the Boardman-Ottaway River and the region’s long-standing commitment to habitat and watershed stewardship.
This program is supported by IAF members with grant funding provided by Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians, and event underwriting by the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation.
Tribal Attorney Frank Bibeau, Director of the Tribal Rights of Nature Program at the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights (CEDR), will explore how Indigenous legal frameworks are advancing Rights of Nature in the U.S. through treaty rights, sovereignty, and environmental protection. According to the CEDR, Bibeau “has developed several legal defense strategies based on the Rights of Manoomin and represented Manoomin (wild rice) and the White Earth Band of Ojibwe in Manoomin v DNR in White Earth Tribal Court and DNR v White Earth Band of Ojibwe and Chief Judge DeGroat in Minnesota District Court and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals (2021-2022). Frank’s legal work focuses on the Treaty rights of tribes and members to help protect the natural resources for future generations.
Providing global context, environmental lawyer and activist Hugo Echeverría (CEDR) will examine Ecuador’s constitutional Rights of Nature experience, showing how this framework has been applied—and tested—internationally. Echeverría is best known for advancing Ecuador’s historic constitutional recognition of nature as a rights-bearing entity. With the CEDR, he has shaped legislation, influenced court decisions, and helped communities apply these protections in practice. Rooted in sumak kawsay, from the Quechua meaning “living in harmony with nature”, his work ensures ecosystems are treated not as property, but as subjects of law with enforceable rights to protection and restoration.
The discussion will offer insights into how legal and cultural approaches can shape environmental stewardship, the protection of ecosystems, and the evolving understanding of human responsibility to the natural world.
When: April 15, 6 p.m. reception, 7 p.m. program in-person and livestream
Where: Milliken Auditorium, Dennos Museum Center
Tickets: Admission is free for current students and educators, including NMC and area secondary schools, and all enrolled citizens of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. Get your tickets at tciaf.com. Advance purchase of in-person or online tickets recommended.
Versiti is holding a blood drive from 12:30 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 9 in the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center, room 104/105 on NMC’s Front Street Campus. Do your part to help save lives during a vital time of need!
Make sure you eat a healthy meal and drink plenty of water before donating. Walk-ins are welcome, though scheduling an appointment is recommended.
Donors will receive a pair of flannel pajama pants and a coupon for a free sandwich from Jimmy John’s (while supplies last).
Northwestern Michigan College received a 2025 Paragon Award from the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR) at the council’s national conference in March in Washington, D.C.
The award celebrates the Public Relations, Marketing and Communications team at NMC for its work on the 2024 Community Report.
“Behind every enrollment milestone, retention gain and student success story is a team of marketing and communications professionals working strategically and creatively to connect students with opportunity,” said Patrick Stone, NCMPR’s 2025-26 president and the director of strategic communications and marketing for Cape Cod Community College in Massachusetts. “This year’s winners stood out in an extraordinary field of entries, demonstrating that when community colleges invest in creativity and innovation, they amplify their mission and transform lives.”
NCMPR’s Paragon Awards recognize outstanding achievement in design, strategy and communication at community and technical colleges. It’s the only national competition of its kind that honors excellence exclusively among marcom and PR professionals at community and technical colleges.
This year’s awards drew 1,585 entries from 216 colleges across the country and was judged by 67 professionals from the marcom and public relations industry.
I Am The River, The River Is Me will screen at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22 in the Dutmers Theater as part of NMC’s Global Cinema Series.
Admission is FREE and is open to students, staff and the community, although seating is limited. Doors open and 5:30 p.m. and films begin at 6 p.m. in the Dutmers Theater at the Dennos Museum on NMC’s Front Street Campus.
TRAVERSE CITY — NMC’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the international community college honor society, received three awards at this week’s annual Catalyst conference in Baltimore.
NMC’s chapter, Alpha Rho Pi, was named a REACH chapter for excelling in membership development. The chapter has 241 members. Membership requires maintaining a 3.50 GPA and taking at least 12 credits.
NMC President Nick Nissley received the Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction, the organization’s most prestigious recognition for community college presidents, made to those who have demonstrated sustained, exceptional commitment to student success. It represents the voices of students who nominated Nissley for the support, opportunity, and encouragement he provided to them and to students like them.
Dean of Students Lisa Thomas received a Distinguished College Administrator Award, which recognizes college leaders who work directly with student leaders to strengthen campus communities and expand opportunities for student success. Known for her highly engaged leadership style, Thomas works with student leaders to align co-curricular initiatives with institutional priorities while ensuring students have the resources and encouragement needed to thrive academically and personally.
Nissley and chapter Vice President Amanda Sanchez both traveled to Baltimore for the conference.
Cari Noga
NMC Communications Director
cnoga@nmc.edu
(231) 392-1800 (Call or text)