Intercom and Student News Contributions
Any items you wish to have posted in the Intercom and Student News can be sent to publicrelations@nmc.edu.
Employee Anniversaries
The following employees are celebrating an anniversary soon. Please join us in congratulating them!
Lisa Cooper Secretary – Resource Development 2 years
Sue DeCamillis Director of Business Division & NMC Academic Affairs 25 years
Lisa Molmen Programmer/Analyst 24 years
Jeff Send Boiler Maintenance 27 years
Dave Traines Aviation Instructor 12 years
NMC wins two awards from National Council for Marketing and Public Relations
Northwestern Michigan College received a pair of gold “Medallion” awards from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) at the organization’s national conference in Chicago this week.
NMC’s gold awards came in the Postcard Series, and College Promotional Video categories.
The postcards promoted a series of exhibits at the Dennos Museum Center, and were created by NMC Graphic Designer Erin Deloney:
The promotional video is titled “NMC International Students Tell Their Stories” and features four NMC international students. The video was coordinated by NMC International Recruiter/Advisor Lindsey Dickinson, and shot and edited by local photographer/videographer Andy Wakeman.
NCMPR is the largest national organization for two-year college marketing and public relations professionals with more than 1,800 members from more than 600 colleges, and is an affiliate of the American Association of Community Colleges.
Position Vacancies
For information on positions currently open at NMC, please visit NMC’s web page at https://jobs.nmc.edu/ Information on internal postings has been emailed.
Coming soon – myPDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Adjust) for staff
myPDCA is a new system for Assessing Performance and Setting Individual Goals and Professional Growth Plans.
By implementing a new performance feedback process we hope to improve two of the five areas that received the lowest scores on our 2012 Employee Engagement Survey:
- Performance evaluation process helps me improve my job performance (52.4%)
- I have career discussions with my supervisor (54.9%)
- The form is cumbersome; time consuming
- Ranking core competencies every year is a waste of time
- Nothing is done with the information; it’s a meaningless exercise
- We need to tie this to A-3, operational goals and projects
- We need clear, measurable goals
As you may recall, your feedback on our former system:
The Performance Review Team was created. They listened to concerns and drafted a new process, based on NMC’s model for continuous improvement, that fit our aligned planning model. The new process emphasizes the ongoing conversation between supervisor and employee – focused on goals. The team wanted to provide some guidelines, but leave the process flexible enough to allow for the unique needs of each department.
As with our former system, you and your supervisor will each prepare for your annual review/goal setting session by reflecting on the past year and thinking about next year’s goals. Then you will meet to compare thinking and develop a clear plan with SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely) goals! You will enter and manage your goals using our new Performance Management system, WingSpan.
Coming soon:
myPDCA Overview for all staff
myPDCA Process (WingSpan) tutorials/training
Open computer labs available with Q & A session
Between April 1-June 30 You will work with your supervisor to set your goals for the new 2013- 2014 Goal Plan
Watch for more information soon!
For questions, feel free to contact a member of the Performance Review Team:
Irina Grougan
Jackie Schenk
Jan Oliver
Kirby Anderson
Linda Berlin
Lori Hodek
Benefits Corner
Effective January 1, 2013, NMC’s employee life insurance and long term disability (LTD) insurance are now covered by Cigna Insurance. There is no change to the benefit coverage which NMC provides for FT and PT regular employees:
- FT Regular Employees – $50,000 Term Life plus $50,000 Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance
- PT Regular Employees – $25,000 Term Life plus $25,000 Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance
- All Regular Employees – Long Term Disability insurance equal to 60% of employee’s base salary up to $1,500 per month
The additional life insurance options for employees, spouses, and children continue at the same rates, as do the buy-up options on LTD.
If you would like a copy of your group insurance certificates, the new Cigna certificates are available online from the Human Resources webpage under Salaries and Benefits. Just select the appropriate category under the DETAILS AND LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES SECTION. Click here to link to the Salaries and Benefits page. If you have questions, feel free to contact HR at 995-1362.
NMC’s Jessica Abfalter one of 20 national winners of PTK Guistwhite Scholarship
NMC student Jessica Abfalter has been named one of 20 Phi Theta Kappa Guistwhite Scholars. She was chosen from a pool of 1,800 applicants by a panel of independent judges and has been extended an invitation to a special reception at the PTK Annual Convention in San Jose, California in April.
Here’s the official release from Phi Theta Kappa:
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI – Twenty Phi Theta Kappa members have been selected as 2013 Guistwhite Scholarship recipients and will be recognized and invited to a special reception during Phi Theta Kappa’s Annual Convention in San Jose, California, April 4-6. Each year $100,000 in scholarship funds are awarded, with each Guistwhite Scholar receiving a $5,000 scholarship for baccalaureate studies and a commemorative medallion.
Guistwhite Scholars are chosen based on academic achievement, leadership accomplishment, and engagement in Phi Theta Kappa programs. The 20 recipients for 2013 were selected by a panel of independent judges from more than 1,800 applicants to receive this scholarship, the second highest offered by Phi Theta Kappa.
The Guistwhite Scholar Program is named in honor of the late Dr. Jack Guistwhite and his widow, Margaret Guistwhite. Dr. Guistwhite established the first designated transfer scholarship for Phi Theta Kappa members at Florida Atlantic University in 1975. The Guistwhite Scholarships were established by Phi Theta Kappa in 1992.
“Dr. Jack Guistwhite planted a seed in 1975 that resulted in more than 750 colleges and universities designating transfer scholarships for thousands of Phi Theta Kappa members,” said Phi Theta Kappa’s Executive Director Dr. Rod A. Risley. “It is fitting that we continue to honor our students who excel in scholarship and leadership in Phi Theta Kappa as Guistwhite Scholars in memory of Jack and in honor of his wife Margaret. Through their generosity and those who support scholarships through the Phi Theta Kappa Foundation, these students will receive funds to help them complete their degrees.”
The 2013 Guistwhite Scholars are:
Jessica Abfalter, Northwestern Michigan College, Michigan
Yannel Celestrin, Miami Dade College, Florida
Miranda Davis, Dyersburg State Community College, Tennessee
Katherine Dunklee, Howard Community College, Maryland
Erica Gianakon, Hutchinson Community College, Kansas
Mayra Gutierrez, Central Arizona College, Arizona
Olga Homonchuk, Normandale Community College, Minnesota
Phillippe Ly, Orange Coast College, California
Taren Nance, Wor-Wic Community College, Maryland
Angelina Nance, Clark State Community College, Ohio
Devin Oakes, Mesa Community College, Arizona
Deanna Pack, Jefferson State Community College, Alabama
Kristen Regehr, Hutchinson Community College, Kansas
Christine Sim, Delgado Community College, Louisiana
Awais Spall, Mt. San Antonio College, California
Kim Stingo, Palm Beach State College, Florida
Jacqueline Watkins, Kirkwood Community College, Missouri
Tracy Weimer, Lane Community College, Oregon
Joshua Yancey, Somerset Community College, Kentucky
Ashley Young, Hillsborough Community College, Florida
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, headquartered in Jackson, is the largest honor society in American higher education with more than 1,280 chapters on two-year and community college campuses in all 50 of the United States, Canada, Germany, Peru, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the British Virgin Islands, the United Arab Emirates and U.S. territorial possessions. More than 2.5 million students have been inducted since its founding in 1918, with approximately 135,000 students inducted annually.
Call for Cultural Souvenirs
Hello! My name is Olga Narolska. I’m the head of the decoration committee for the NMC International Club. Each year we hold our International Dinner, a fundraiser which helps to provide scholarships to international students.
The International Club will be holding its 11th annual International Dinner on April 11. We know that many of you are world travelers! We are looking for small trinkets or souvenirs from your many travels. Our idea is to have many mementos from different countries on the tables at the dinner. The loan of your items will only be for that evening. Please label your souvenirs with your name and country of origin, and drop them off to Lindsey Dickinson in the Admissions Office. Thank you!
US History students seek individuals to interview for the Veterans History Project
NMC has been participating in the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project for many years. This semester Jim Press’ US History students will be interviewing America’s veterans and/or the civilians who also played a role in our wars.
They currently are interviewing a World War II Marine, a Korean War veteran, a “Rosie the Riveter” woman who broke new ground in America’s industrial work force during World War II and an Iraqi War veteran. But, they need 4-5 additional veterans/civilians to interview this April.
So, if you know of someone who played a role in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War, Desert Storm/Gulf War, Iraq War, War on Terror or Afghanistan, would you please ask them and if they’re interested have them contact Jim at jpress@nmc.edu. The interview is usually conducted right here at NMC by his students and takes about an hour. We’d love to record and preserve their piece of American History!
To read more about the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project read the Veterans History Project Brochure.
Kudos!
Thanks and credit to Joelle Hannert and Rochelle Hammontree for doing all the behind the scenes work to provide a new service to the NMC community. The Osterlin Library catalog is now linked to MelCat, a collection of more than 6 million books from Michigan’s public and academic libraries. After doing a search in our catalog you have the option to search MelCat. Once you find a book, you can request it yourself; Osterlin will receive semi-weekly deliveries.
Kudos to Sarah Shimek, Wellness Coordinator, and the NMC Wellness Committee for this week’s launch of the Wellness Works program. The program is more extensive than ever before, and NMC employees are already signing up!
Kudos to the Admissions staff and students who led campus tours for local 9th and 10th graders. Over 800 students were treated to a tour of our campuses and presentations regarding NMC’s offerings. The students were impressed and enthusiastic and came away with a much clearer understanding of the depth and breadth of opportunities waiting for them right here in their own backyard!
Carla Waite did an excellent job personally organizing our Hagerty Center Tasting event this past weekend. It was a smooth, well planned event and the guests in attendance felt extremely well taken care of. Thank you for your dedication to excellent hospitality, Carla!
Sealed bids being accepted for the Sale of vehicles
Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) is accepting Sealed Bids for the Sale of the following vehicles:
1999 Dodge 3500 Ram 15 Passenger Van, Red…Minimum Bid $4000
2000 Dodge Caravan, Teal Blue…Minimum Bid $3000
2001 Dodge Caravan, White…Minimum Bid $3000
2006 Ford E350 12 Passenger Van, Navy Blue…Minimum Bid $13,000
Vehicles can be inspected at the Campus Services building on main campus. The building is located in the NE corner of the Oak/Maple parking lot.
Additional information can be obtained by contacting Steve Westphal, NMC Purchasing Manager by calling 231-995-1130 or via email at swestphal@nmc.edu
Return your Sealed Bid by 3/28/13 to Steve Westphal, NMC Business Office, NMC University Center Campus off Cass Road, Traverse City, MI 49686
Northwestern Michigan College reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, waive irregularities and to accept the bid(s) that are in the best interest of NMC.
Joseph R. Sanok, Counselor at NMC publishes book
Joseph R. Sanok, Counselor at NMC, has published Mental Wellness Counseling | A remarkably simple approach to making parenting easier.
“It is the book that you should have been given after you left the hospital. You already have many of the skills in this book, it is just learning how to reapply them to make life easier,” Sanok says.
It is now available on Amazon, Click here to view it!
International Affairs Forum: Beyond the Headlines
Click HERE to watch Jim Bensley, NMC’s Director of Outreach Services, discuss exciting new programs to promote global connections in TC including the weeklong “Window on the World” starting March 15.
Produced by Segal, K.
NMC library adopts MeLCat
Joining MeLCat, Michigan’s library resource sharing system, gives the NMC community access to the collections of 400 Michigan libraries.
MeLCat allows NMC library patrons to easily search and request materials from most of Michigan’s major universities and public libraries. This service supplements our existing country-wide interlibrary loan program (OCLC’s Worldcat), but with a few distinctions:
- MeLCat allows users to search the state-wide catalog and place requests on their own.
- MeLCat requests will arrive more quickly than materials requested from OCLC’s Worldcat.
- OCLC’s WorldCat is still your source for article requests.
- Our patrons will also be able to use their Osterlin library card to check out materials in person at MeLCat visiting patron participating libraries.
- MeLCat is offered free of charge to all library patrons!
Search MeLCat at www.elibrary.mel.org.
2013 High School Art Show- Reception on 3/8, show runs through 3/15
The annual High School Art Show is on display at the Shirley Okerstrom Fine Arts Building on NMC’s main campus. A reception honoring the winners will be at 6 p.m. Friday, March 8 and the show will be on exhibit through Friday, March 15.
Come check out all the talent!
Two for One tickets to Cimarrón March 17
The Dennos Museum Center at Northwestern Michigan College will present Cimarrón from Colombia, South America on Sunday, March 17, 2013 at 7:00 PM in the Milliken Auditorium as part of the NMC Windows on the World week. In association with the week’s events the Dennos is offering two for one tickets to NNC Staff and Faculty.
Regular admission is tickets are $25 in advance, $28 at the door, $22 for Museum Members. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Museum Box office at 231-995-1553 or on line at www.dennosmuseum.org. Use the Code NMCSTAFF to access the two for one pricing.
Defying the tradition of Irish music on St. Patrick’s Day, the Dennos Museum Center is offering concert with the Smithsonian Folkways and Grammy nominated recording artists Cimarrón, a group that the BBC called “absolutely brilliant.”
Carlos Rojas Hernández, leader of group Cimarrón says, “The cimarrón is the bull that knows no rope, corral, nor iron, the steer that has not been lassoed nor branded and ranges free on the savannas and surrounding forests. That concept always struck me; nothing can be closer to the creative spirit that constitutes the essence of plains music, than that feeling of freedom.”
Los Llanos Orientales are vast plains that stretch from Colombia into Venezuela. The mestizo people that inhabit these savannahs on the great Orinoco River are descendants of Spanish settlers, African slaves and Indigenous Indians.
This is cattle rearing country where life revolves around country ranches. Music accompanies the daily working tasks such as milking and cattle drives. Most striking is the festive dance music called joropo, a fiercely virtuoso display of rippling melodies played on harp, bandola and cuatro accompanied by bass, cajon and maracas. This rapid and joyous music is sung with high pitched voices reminiscent of Andalusian gipsy roots.
Cimarrón is the most accomplished llanera group in Colombia. A seven piece led by harpist and composer Carlos Rojas, they have been working for over twenty years and have performed in Venezuela, Mexico, Guatemala, Chile, Sweden, France, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Holland, Wales, England and the USA. These musicians are immersed in the sounds of ‘los llanos’; they seek to explore and experiment with their rich heritage whilst retaining the essence of the tradition.
Cimarrón will offer a performance for schools on Monday March 18, 2013 at 9:30AM in the Milliken Auditorium of the Dennos Museum Center. Teachers may call Jason Dake at 231-995-1029 or e-mail jdake@nmc.edu for information or to reserve tickets for the school performances
With the purchase of a ticket to this performance, concert goers are invited to visit the museum’s galleries one hour before the concert and attend a post-concert reception with the performers.
The Dennos concert season is made possible with support from the Robert T and Ruth Haidt Trust, the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Begonia Foundation with media support from WNMC 90.7, CMU Public Broadcasting and TV 29&8. Housing for our performers is provided by the Cambria Suites and Days Inn.
The Dennos Museum Center is open daily 10 AM to 5 PM, Thursdays until 8 PM, and Sundays 1-5 PM. Admission is $6.00 adults, $4.00 for children and free to museum members. For more information on the Museum and its programs, go to www.dennosmuseum.org or call 231-995-1055. The Dennos Museum Center is located at 1701 East Front Street, Traverse City, MI 49686, at the entrance to the campus of Northwestern Michigan College.
Benefits Corner
HIGH DEDUCTIBLE HEALTH PLAN / HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS
If you are currently enrolled in NMC’s High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), you also have set up a Health Savings Account (HSA). In addition to the contributions that NMC is making to this account, many of you have also set up pre-tax deductions from your paycheck to increase the amount available to you to use for qualified medical expenses. Just a couple facts about your HSA Account:
- Your HSA is yours to spend or save as you choose, and there is no time limit on spending your HSA funds. They automatically roll over every year until you withdraw them to pay for qualified medical expenses.
- If you feel that you have enough now to cover your medical expenses but you feel it might be more difficult to do so in later years, you can add to your HSA money until you need it. This means you can deduct pre-tax from your paycheck now and leave it there for when you reach Medicare age.
- You can change the amount you are contributing to your HSA during the year, unlike a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), which has a set deduction amount for the full year. This means you can add more to it pre-tax if an unexpected expense occurs during the year, or you can lower or stop your deduction if you feel you have enough in your HSA account.
- If you or another person wants to contribute money to your HSA after taxes, you can take an above-the-line deduction on your taxes using IRS Form 8889.
- You cannot use your HSA dollars to pay for medical expenses incurred before you started your HSA account. If you enrolled in the HDHP January 1 and started your HSA that date, you can’t pay for services done in the previous December, just those January 1 and after.
- You cannot contribute any more to your HSA once you are no longer enrolled in an HDHP.
- You can add more to your HSA account right up until you file your taxes for the year, so if you haven’t reach your contribution limit, you can make a last-minute deposit and lessen your tax burden.
- Save your receipts for anything expenses you pay for using HSA funds, in case you have to prove that you spent the money only on approved expenses. Keep the receipts with your other tax documents each year.
- If you spend money from your HSA on anything other than a qualified medical expense, you must do the following:
- Claim the amount you spent as income on your tax form using Form 8889.
- Pay income taxes on this amount.
- Pay a 20% penalty on top unless you are 65 or older, disabled, or dead.
If you would like more information on your HSA, contact Carol Kasper in HR for Priority Health’s “Health Savings Accounts for Dummies” booklet, or click below to visit Priority’s webpage for more information and several links to help you best use this account to your advantage. Priority Health’s HSA webpage
Save the Date- Retirement & Recognition Reception- April 17
One of our favorite events is on the calendar and will be here soon! Invitations will be sent in March, so watch your mailbox for party details. Here is the list of employees who will be receiving a Service Award at this year’s event. Please call Human Resources at 995-1026 by Wednesday, March 13 if you have any additions or corrections to the list.
Staff and Faculty Service Awards 2013
| 5 Years | 10 Years | 15 Years | 20 Years | 25 Years |
| Lisa Dohm | Mary Beeker | Anna Bachman | Marjory Smith | Dori Creighton |
| Tom Dunn | Fred Cook | Jenny Barnes | Sue DeCamillis | |
| Robin Fitzgerald | Patty Cron-Huhta | Cindy Duby | Doug Domine | |
| Bill Hardy | Sandy Harrand | Margaret Fox | Keith Kelly | |
| Constanza Hazelwood | Lori Hodek | Jan Neumann | John Pflughoeft | |
| Jo Hendrix | Georgenia Hromada | Deb Pharo | ||
| Mela McCormick | Amy Klei | Jan Root | ||
| Craig Shattuck | ||||
| 35 Years | 40 Years | |||
| Rita Kucera | Frank Snyder | |||
| Steve Westphal | ||||
Adjunct Faculty Service Awards 2013
| 5 Years | 10 Years | 15 Years | 20 Years |
| Kim Anderson | Gary Howe | Teri Brady | Mark Smith |
| Joan Buchanan | Rebecca Jones | Bob Keller | Philip Tarczon |
| Todd Casperson | Mark Lyon | Dee Morrison | |
| Kathy Connor | Brian McCall | Patty Olson | |
| Michael Davis | Joan Richmond | Keith Tampa | |
| Mary Lou Deutsch | Julia Sheerin | ||
| Jane Ditri | Frank Simkins | ||
| Tim Dunn | Ethel Vandenberg | ||
| Lee ElstonRobin FisherRobert George
Robert J. Hall |
Rob Weiler
25 Years |
35 Years |
|
| Conrad Heins | Mike Cochran | Sheila Stafford | |
| Richard Hoadley | Susan Odgers | ||
| David Hosler | |||
| Anita Hunt | |||
| Jill Markoski | |||
| Sharon Mayer | |||
| Karen Miller | |||
| Troy Robertson | |||
| Larissa VanderZee | |||
| Duane Wright |