Read about what our Training Services team is up to including upcoming classes that you may be able to take for free using the tuition reimbursement benefit: https://mailchi.mp/nmc/nmc-training-services-june-2017-newsletter
This month’s topics include the Michigan Lean Consortium’s 8th Annual Conference, connecting workers with autism to competitive jobs, two area companies on the “To Watch List,” upcoming workshops, and more!
Join Chris Barr Monday, May 7 for a brisk walk around your campus- only a 15 minute commitment!
5 Teams with the highest number of steps:
5 Individuals with the highest number of steps:
A shout out to all participants! Keep on stepping- the challenge wraps up on May 11, 2018!
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 Ryan Bernstein, Justin Guillard, Dennis Schultz, Kyle Morrison and Chris Hanna: The members of this team made something wonderful happen for my students. For our last few classes, with new panels of guest speakers, this team made sure that I was able to film/record the speakers. In the last year, important speakers to our class, have relocated out of the area or have died. Their important contributions have not been lost due to these recordings. This team had to run back and forth to their department to get the exact equipment the speakers needed and to problem solve a few technical issues. They did so with grace, speed, humor, willingness and skill. I’m so grateful for their support. The community member speakers and students were extremely impressed.
The following employees are celebrating an anniversary soon. Please join us in congratulating them!
Thank you all for everything you do in pursuit of “Keeping Learning at the Center.”
This section recognizes the good work being done and linkages to the Strategic Directions (SD) and Institutional Effectiveness Criteria (IE) are provided where possible. (more…)
Reporter Garret Ellison atop the Mackinac BridgeMLive environmental reporter Garret Ellison, a 2006 NMC graduate, has been named the 2017 Michigan Journalist of the Year by the Michigan Press Association.
Ellison, 35, was cited for his “watchdog work” on issues of water use and Great Lakes protection, which reaches a reported online audience of 11 million readers a month. MLive also feeds seven Michigan newspapers.
He says he found his career calling at NMC, after he started publishing photos in the White Pine Press. His writing was “good enough” but it was the timing that was perfect for the 2001 Traverse City West High School graduate, who found himself in the editor’s role when the rest of the staff graduated and longtime faculty advisers retired.
“We decided to redesign it and re-imagine some of the coverage scope,” Ellison said of himself and then new adviser Kim Schneider.
“I wouldn’t be where I am now if I hadn’t had the opportunity to helm the White Pine Press in the way I did,” Ellison said. “The White Pine Press was where I learned to be a journalist.”
He still uses those lessons, particularly the instinct to follow his own initiative, on the environmental beat, where he transitioned from business in 2014.
“I always wanted to be an investigative reporter, and I didn’t see much of a path to doing that covering business,” Ellison said. “At the time I didn’t have much environment experience (but) nobody was tasked with covering environment from a statewide perspective.”
It made sense for him to try since he was based in Grand Rapids, MLive’s biggest city. The condition of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac was becoming a bigger issue, so Ellison started paying attention to that. At an editor’s suggestion, he started looking into Nestle’s groundwater withdrawals in northern Michigan. Then came legacy contamination, Superfund sites and more.
“You start looking for meatier angles to stuff,” said Ellison, who views investigation as his obligation. “We serve the public. As members of the press, we are uniquely resourced to hold power to account. That, I think is the ultimate point of having a free press.”
Ellison imparts that message to his own students, too. In addition to his daily reporting for MLive, Ellison is now an adjunct journalism instructor at Grand Valley State University.
“It’s a little weird. I’m not so far removed from being on the other side of the coin there,” said Ellison, who went on to Central Michigan University after NMC.
“I really feel a lot of value in the community college experience, and I’m grateful the institution was there for me,” he said.
Families Against Narcotics was formed in 2011 to help communities bring awareness and solutions to the opioid epidemic. Support group meetings for the growing number of persons and families struggling with addiction issues, and those who have already lost loved ones, include resources for treatment and prevention.
The event will take place June 21, at Traverse City’s Central United Methodist Church from 5:15 – 8:00 p.m. Our keynote speaker will be Judge Linda Davis, founder of F.A.N. She is also the Chair of Governor Snyder’s Opioid and Prescription Drug Task Force and has been called to the White House several times to consult with the President’s Commission on Opioid Abuse. She is a dynamic speaker and we are hoping that she will rally our community around F.A.N. and a new program she launched last year, Hope Not Handcuffs, which focuses on getting addicts into treatment. Our law enforcement agencies will be meeting separately with Judge Davis on Friday morning after the event to discuss Hope Not Handcuffs and how it can work in our community.
How does it work?
Blue Cross Online Visits is fast and convenient. There’s no cost to enroll and no monthly fee.
Here’s how you sign up:
Add your Blue Cross or Blue Care Network healthcare plan information.
What medical illnesses can be treated online?
When you can’t get to your doctor’s office, you can talk to an online doctor about minor illnesses such as:
If your life is at risk, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
What behavioral health concerns does online visits address?
You can speak with a therapist or psychiatrist if you’re struggling with challenges such as anxiety, depression and grief. Therapists use talk therapy, while psychiatrists manage medications.
Do I need to make an appointment?
Medical care is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week without an appointment. Behavioral health visits are available by appointment only.
How much does it cost?
Medical visits are $49 or less, based on your cost share. If you have a plan with a copay, it’s generally equal to or less than what you pay for a primary care office visit. Costs for behavioral health visits vary depending on the type of provider and the services you receive. Your cost share is based on your existing outpatient behavioral health benefits.
What if I need help with my online visits account or an online visit?
If you have questions or need help with your Blue Cross Online Visits account or an online visit, please call 1-844-606-1608, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The following employees are celebrating an anniversary soon. Please join us in congratulating them!
Please join us in welcoming this new addition to our NMC staff! (more…)
TRAVERSE CITY — Students interested in health care careers will have opportunity to learn more about about 20 different degree programs at a Health Care Programs Showcase Saturday, April 21, from 10 a.m.-noon at NMC’s Health Sciences Building
Offered by NMC and Grand Valley State University, area practitioners, faculty members and advisors will be available to discuss specialized health degree programs offered in Traverse City. NMC’s programs include Nursing, Dental Assisting, Paramedic and Surgical Technology. Program demonstrations/simulations are scheduled as follows:
10:15-10:25 a.m. – Dental Assisting
10:30-10:40 a.m. – Surgical Technician
10:45-11:10 a.m. - Nursing
Participants should park in NMC’s Tamarack parking lot off Front Street rather than in lots off College Drive.
Release date: april 17, 2018
Shannon Owen
Grand Valley State University
owensha@gvsu.edu
(231) 995-1785
Thursday, April 26, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.Pick up a glove and a bag from the East Hall, West Hall, Biederman or Library lobbies to celebrate Earth Day 2018!
Take a selfie and post it with #NMCEarthDay to win a prize!
NMC’s catering services by Sodexo will be temporarily paused starting May 19th as construction begins on the new West Hall Innovation Center. We look forward to serving your catering needs again in August when we reopen in our temporary location in the Oleson Center.
We enjoy working with you, appreciate your patience during this transition and look forward to serving you fresh, high quality food again beginning fall semester. To schedule fall catering, please email catering@nmc.edu and we will contact you regarding your request.
If you have any questions please contact (231) 995-1403.
Thank you,
Robert, Roy and the entire Sodexo catering team
TRAVERSE CITY — The Third Annual IT Academy Olympics will be held on Friday, May 4, 2018 at the Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) James J. Beckett Building in Traverse City, Michigan.
Sponsored by a variety of local businesses, the competition is designed to give teams of area career and technical education (CTE) students an opportunity to apply their information technology (IT) skills.
First offered in 2016 to infrastructure students at the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District (TBAISD) Career-Tech Center (CTC), the competition was expanded in 2017 to include developer students. More than 80 students participated in the 2017 competition, which featured a new website design competition and a robot design course.
CTE students from the Charlevoix-Emmet and Wexford-Missaukee school districts have been invited to participate in this year’s competition.
The competition is designed to challenge students to apply both their soft and technical skills. Each team of four is comprised of infrastructure and developer students, selected at random from a master roster. During each of the 90-minute morning and afternoon sessions, teams will compete in two of the following four events:
Gift cards will be awarded to 1st through 5th place teams.
Read more at nmc.edu/it-olympics.
John Velis, CIT Instructor
Northwestern Michigan College (NMC)
jvelis@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1152
The April Newsletter can be accessed here
Upcoming Wellness Walks with Chris Barr! Just 15 minutes of your break time!
April 23, 2018:
The Office of Retirement Services is holding a Traverse City seminar on April 26 at West Middle School. Register here through the office of Retirement Services.
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 Fred Laughlin, Patty Cron-Huhta, and GLCI team! The GLCI team, as always, did an amazing job planning and executing the Taste of Success fundraising event. Their team and students goes all out to plan and prepare food from around the world, to the delight of nearly 400 guests to NMC’s Great Lakes Campus! This event is a phenomenal representation of NMC and the Great Lakes Culinary Institute. Thanks to the GLCI team, the NMC Foundation, and an amazing group of volunteers and donors, this is not only a culinary delight, but also raises significant funds for GLCI scholarships. We estimate that this year will net around $100,000 from the event, setting a new record!
Kudos to Paris Morse, Amanda Gower and Elizabeth Schwind: Paris, Amanda, and Elizabeth worked together to provide leadership and support to a diverse team of volunteers and faculty/staff from the Great Lakes Culinary Institute to plan and execute the annual Taste of Success event. Though it’s always good, this years event was better than ever! The committee’s work was well organized, the team worked together well, and the results showed! More sponsor dollars raised, and more tickets sold than in years past. The evening itself was smooth and enjoyable. Everyone who attended undoubtedly left with a very positive impression of NMC and the Great Lakes Culinary Institute. I am grateful for your teamwork and diligence to lead this signature NMC/GLCI event making effective use of staff time and volunteer time and am proud of the continued improvements made to this event each year.
Kudos to EES staff plus Media Tech and SLM and IT: Kudos to the EES staff plus Media Tech and SLM and IT for all of their hard work over the past few years in getting online registration up and running. Last year, we started with BATA testing and resulting in 45% of registration online. This year online registration above 80%! This speaks to a large amount of work behind the scenes for a successful launch and training. Thank you for all of your hard work.
Kudos to Kristen Salathiel and CIE: As a new faculty member, Kristen’s positive and can-do attitude has been invaluable. I have very much appreciated the welcoming and helpful nature of Kristen and the entire CIE team. What a fun, intelligent, helpful and positive person and group.