Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
April 12, 2017
MSU Dean’s Research Scholar Maddy Jenner
Photo by Harley Seeley You might say it was chemistry when Maddy Jenner sat down in NMC instructor Blake Key’s classroom in 2014.
The Traverse City West High School graduate hadn’t chosen a major and enrolled in Introductory Chemistry to fulfill a science requirement. She found a career calling.
“As soon as I had that fall semester done with, I knew for sure chemistry was it,” Jenner said. “(Key) was the one who inspired me to go into chemistry when I was in his class.”
She transferred to Michigan State University a year later and is now wrapping up a year as a Dean’s Research Scholar, a prestigious group of a dozen selected among 5,000 science and math majors in the College of Natural Sciences.
Undergraduates don’t often do research, but when Jenner heard about the opportunity she stepped right up.
“I want to do research as a career,” she said.
Her research in the field of aromatic compounds focuses on minimizing the side effects of drug interactions. The experiences of family and friends led her to the realm of pharmaceutical research.
“I know that I can make a difference in that kind of world,” she said.
The experience also required public speaking to alumni and donors, valuable to her future.
“I really enjoyed this experience because I have to talk about my research to a non-scientific audience,” she said. “Being able to explain it to other people is really important to me now and for my career in years to come.”
Jenner expects to graduate in 2018 and is considering graduate schools. Her top choice now is the University of North Carolina, home to highly-regarded pharmaceutical sciences program.
Key isn’t surprised by the achievements of his former student.
“It was apparent really early that she was turned on by what was going on in the class,” he said.
Jenner said her NMC years prepared her well for what lies ahead.
“The difference from community college to university was not as huge as I thought it would be,” she said.
One thing Jenner would like to see: more fellow female students.
“I do have a couple labs where I am the only girl out of 30 people,” she said. “Earlier on, when I was just declaring my major, I would have people, especially guys, tell me, ‘I don’t know, that’s a hard major.’”
That implicit doubt of her abilities used to bother her, but no longer.
“I’m way past that point now,” she said. “I know my capabilities, even if it means being the only girl in the lab.”
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
December 8, 2021
Legislation to allow Michigan community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees in nursing moved forward Tuesday, putting NMC another step closer to helping fill hundreds of staff shortages at Munson Medical Center, among other hospitals.
The BSN bills, introduced by state representatives John Roth, R-Traverse City, and John Damoose, R-Harbor Springs, advanced from the House Education Committee to the full House.
In video testimony to the committee last month, Munson Healthcare CEO Ed Ness (right) said the legislation is “critical” to Munson’s ability to serve half a million northern Michigan residents. As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, Traverse City’s Munson Medical Center, the largest of the system’s nine hospitals, is short nearly 200 bedside nurses, Ness said.
“Now, more than ever, we need to do everything we can to encourage new students to enter the nursing profession and remove barriers for degree and career advancement,” he said.
Roth knows the need personally. His wife has worked as a floor nurse at Munson for more than 30 years. She is currently taking on extra shifts to help cover the shortage, he said at a November press conference introducing the legislation.
“We have a need, and a dire need at this time,” Roth said. “It’s a practical fix. We just have to empower (community colleges) through law.”
BSNs were originally part of a 2012 bill that permitted a few community college bachelor’s degrees to be awarded, but wound up being stripped due to opposition from four-year colleges and universities.
NMC went on to become the first community college in the state to offer a bachelor’s degree, in maritime technology. A decade on, it’s imperative to add BSNs, said NMC President Nick Nissley, Ed.D.
“Community colleges like NMC play a very pivotal role in addressing the need for more health care workers in the communities that we serve,” he said.
Interim NMC Nursing Program Director Tami Livengood (right) with a nursing classNMC nursing students already perform well on licensure exams. Scores released just last month showed that for the second year in a row, more than 90 percent of NMC nursing students pass the national NCLEX exam required to obtain an RN license. That exceeds both state and national averages, most recently 83 percent.
Ness said Munson hires more than 100 nurses per year with an associate degree. The goal is that 80 percent earn their BSN. Currently, only 50 to 60 percent do.
“This legislation would allow our existing workforce the access and convenience they need. And making BSN degrees more accessible and affordable would not only support our existing nurses, but will also help increase the talent pipeline of new nurses,” Ness said.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
May 1, 2019
It’s never too late to finish what you started.
Marilyn Dear, 70, (right) will exemplify that truth Saturday, when she accepts her associate degree at NMC’s 2019 commencement ceremony, finishing what she started more than 50 years ago.
“I’m so excited,” said the Traverse City mother of five sons, whose grade point average entitles her to wear the yellow stole of Phi Theta Kappa, the international community college honor society, with her cap and gown. “I’m going to hang this diploma up on the wall and be proud I finished.”
Until Saturday, Dear shared the position of more than 1 million fellow Michigan residents — some college, but no credential to show for it. Helping that group of people attain credentials is key to closing Michigan’s talent gap, says Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. NMC President Tim Nelson agrees.
“It’s a big need for the state, and community colleges are in position to help figure out how to meet that need,” he said in a recent interview.
Dear started at Schoolcraft Community College immediately after high school graduation in 1966, but dropped out after two semesters to join a friend on a trip to California. In Denver she met the man who would become her husband, Jerry Dear. A move back to Michigan, marriage, family, a move to Traverse City and work occupied the next four decades, and the 28 credits she’d earned at Schoolcraft sat parked on a shelf.
In 2011 her job was eliminated. Her children were grown. Dear seized her opportunity.
“I thought, ‘let’s go back to school,’ “ she said.
She was pleasantly surprised to discover the Schoolcraft credits transferred to NMC. “That was part of the reason I was encouraged to finish,” she said.
NMC Director of Advising Lindsey Dickinson said her office works with each student to make the most of any existing credits.
“We know how crucial it is for incoming students,” said Dickinson, who transferred from NMC herself in 2002. “We work one-on-one with students to help them maximize transfer credits towards completion at NMC.”
After taking just one business class, Dear found a new job, at Knorr Marketing in Traverse City. She’s been a working student ever since, taking one or two classes a semester, once taking a year off when work was busy, but always returning. She finds school invigorating.
“It’s healthy, because it’s making my brain work,” she said. “As I get older, I think that’s only a plus.”
Dear will miss some of her favorite instructors — business instructor Nicole Fewins and Tom Gordon in history. She’s not sure how she’ll celebrate. She will have more time to train for the triathlons she does annually. She might visit her son who lives in New York City. Her sons might have something planned, too.
“My kids want to celebrate big,” she said.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
December 20, 2017
Kathy and Stella Young personify the “like mother, like daughter” axiom — both petite, dark-haired, glasses-wearers who appreciate a good cup of coffee — and attend NMC together.
Kathy, 47, is returning to complete a degree she started almost 30 years ago. Stella, 17, is getting a head start on hers as a dual-enrolled high school student.
“My friends are saying, ‘You’re going to college with your mom?’ I’m like, ‘that’s fine, I like my mom!’” said Stella, a senior at Glen Lake High School.
“It’s mother-daughter bonding time,” Kathy said of their shared Thursday commute from their home in Empire, which includes a stop at their favorite coffee shop, Black Market in Traverse City.
She’s a “lifelong learner” who started at NMC after graduating from St. Francis High School in 1988, returned again in the 1990s and again for another class in 2005. But the demands of family — Stella has a younger brother — and the family business, Food For Thought, which she started with husband Timothy, a 1982 NMC alumnus, always kept her from finishing.
Fast forward to 2016. Kathy had phased out of her role with the business. A three-month recovery from back surgery gave her time to consider what she wanted to do next. Her dream, she decided, was a master of library science degree. She started this semester with classes to complete the step in between, her bachelor’s in English. The downside is that her classes are required courses in subjects like science, which have faded over the years.
“Going back to this stuff after 30 years, my brain doesn’t work that way,” she said. However, “being so much older, I’m not afraid to ask questions anymore.”
She’s on campus three days a week and takes the other class online, flexibility she appreciates. Stella, meanwhile is on campus two days a week, taking classes in English, math and history.
“I really like it,” she said. “If I could take history classes for the rest of my academic career, I would.”
Between NMC and credit she earned at a semester-long boarding school in Wisconsin during her junior year, Stella will graduate high school with 28 college credits.
“It is so awesome to get that stuff done in a small classroom setting, where you have ample opportunity to be with instructors,” Kathy said. “I’m a huge fan of community colleges.”
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
November 23, 2016
Students are to NMC as turkey is to Thanksgiving — front and center. On this Thanksgiving eve, we talked to a past and present student a decade apart to find out how NMC figures in what they’re thankful for.
Matt Harting, 2006 alumnus, composer living in Los Angeles
Matt Harting and Allyson NelsonHarting, 30, can trace his livelihood, marriage and financial well-being back to NMC.
After graduating Traverse City Central High School in 2004, he attended NMC with a plan to transfer to Columbia College-Chicago. Cast in the NMC production of Bye Bye, Birdie, he met a student named Allyson Nelson, from Bellaire. She wound up transferring to Columbia, too, and there the couple began dating. Harting graduated with a degree in audio arts and engineering, and got a job at Earhole, a Chicago sound studio (first assignment: Obama campaign.)
When career opportunities led Nelson to LA in 2010, Harting followed. He kept his job at Earhole, working on campaigns for commercial clients like Dodge, Jeep, Olive Garden and Red Lobster. Small talk among his professional peers led him to realize a third dimension of gratitude, for NMC’s affordability.
“They still have more (debt) than I started with,” he said. Moreover, there was no sacrifice in quality. Instructors like the late Jim Valovick and music instructor Dorothy Vogel were top-tier, he said, and able to provide the personal attention that he needed.
“She straightened me out and made me see that music was truly something that needed to be studied and respected,” Harting said of Vogel.
Harting and Nelson got married just last month, and where it all began is still fresh.
“I loved the campus, I made great friends, I had great teachers,” he said.
Alex Briggs, 20, Commitment Scholarship recipient
Alex Briggs speaks at the 2016 Commitment Scholarship induction“I didn’t really think I was going to go to college,” said the first-generation Computer Information Technology student. “I didn’t see myself affording college. Now, I’ve paid for it all with scholarships.”
It started with the Commitment Scholarship, a full-tuition promise Briggs received in 2011 as a ninth grader at Elk Rapids High School. Now in her second year at NMC, she’s received two merit-based scholarships, two Elk Rapids scholarships and federal grants, which combined also enable her to live on campus.
Besides living in East Hall, Briggs works in the Advising Center, is an officer in the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and a member of the Women in STEM student group.
“I wanted the well-rounded college experience,” she said. “I live, sleep, breathe and eat NMC.”
She’s also provided an example to her brother Zack, a fellow Commitment Scholar, who started at NMC this fall. They’re believed to be the first sibling recipients of the Commitment Scholarship.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
April 6, 2016
By the calendar, spring arrived two weeks ago, but for Great Lakes Maritime Academy alumna Margo Marks, it sailed in today.
This morning the Emerald Isle picked up passengers at Charlevoix for the Beaver Island Boat Co.’s first voyage of the season. For company president Marks, the vessel’s return from its winter on the Lake Michigan island truly signifies spring.
“It’s always exciting to see the bridge open,” she said of the drawbridge over the channel that links Lake Michigan and Round Lake. “It’s a beautiful sight to see the Emerald Isle pull in.”
Marks, 54, and her husband Todd both graduated in 1983, she as a deck officer and he as an engine officer. Their timing couldn’t have been worse, coinciding with a slump in the U.S. steel industry that dominated Great Lakes shipping. In order to find work, Todd Marks joined the Army and the couple left the state for nearly a decade. But the Great Lakes are a powerful lure.
“We were always trying to find a way to get back to Traverse City,” Marks said.
It came after her husband’s military discharge. He found work on a West Coast tanker, hauling petroleum from Alaska to Long Beach, Calif. The job allowed their family of five to live anywhere, and in 1992 the Markses returned to northern Michigan. (Todd Marks still works as a chief engineer.)
In 1994 Marks got her own second shot at a maritime career when she became harbormaster for the village of Elk Rapids. She stayed in that role until 2001 when she joined the Beaver Island Boat Co. as general manager.
Ferry as a lifeline
The ferry is considered a lifeline for the island’s 550 resident and a boon for tourism in Charlevoix. During the course of 375 annual round trips between April and December the Emerald Isle transports 6,500 vehicles, 40,000 passengers, and all manner of freight, from appliances to manufactured homes to heavy equipment.
“One time we had a young lady take a goat in her car,” Marks recalled.
Charlevoix Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Amanda Wilkin noted that 40,000 ferry passengers also means 40,000 potential diners and shoppers are discharged into the streets of Charlevoix. The drawbridge itself is an attraction.
“It’s a huge attraction for people to watch the bridge go up and the ferry go through,” she said. “It’s a unique thing to our community.”
Marks also serves her industry as the president of the Passenger Vessel Association, a national association representing owners and operators of dinner cruise vessels, sightseeing and excursion vessels, car and passenger ferries and other vessels that carry more than 200 million passengers per year.
Marks traces her maritime career to her downstate childhood, when she helped her father restore a 1927 wooden-hulled boat at a marina in Monroe (right).
“It fell over in winter storage. My dad bought it with a hole and we repaired it,” she said. They subsequently spent every summer weekend on the Queen Ann — named for her mother — on Lake Erie.
“Dad and I would go out and do a lot of perch fishing. We’d go out and fish and swim and it was a great time,” Marks said.
A photo of the Queen Ann now graces her office as Marks prepares for another season helping other families make memories on another Great Lake.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
October 14, 2019
Nick Nissley, an education executive with 25 years experience in leadership roles, will become the 11th president of Northwestern Michigan College following unanimous approval of a two-year contract by the college’s Board of Trustees today.
“Dr. Nissley’s proven experience in leadership and innovation make him the right leader to take our community’s college forward,” said board chair Chris Bott. “We are extremely pleased to conclude our comprehensive and transparent presidential search by officially welcoming Dr. Nissley to NMC.”
Nissley’s first day as president will be Jan. 1, 2020. An education executive whose leadership roles span K-12, community college and university settings in both the United States and Canada, Nissley describes himself as a “possibilitarian.” Leadership development at mission-driven institutions has been at the forefront of a career spent building individual and organizational capabilities that support organizational effectiveness, and innovation cultures in support of educational excellence.
“I seek to inspire others through my can-do spirit and restless determination to continually improve upon the present,” Nissley said. “Engaging the strengths of NMC’s faculty and staff, I believe the college can achieve more than was ever originally imagined.”
Currently the Executive Director of The School for Creative & Performing Arts in Cincinnati, Ohio, Nissley assumed leadership in 2015, at a crucial juncture in the history of the school, a public-private partnership. Nissley crafted and executed a stabilization plan, including development of a new fundraising organization. With broad stakeholder engagement, he then shifted focus to strategic planning. During his tenure the school also achieved a 100 percent graduation rate in a district with a 75 percent rate.
Immediately prior to that role, from 2010-15 Nissley served as dean of the Business Technologies division at Cincinnati State Community College, one of the largest community colleges in Ohio with more than 12,000 students. His accomplishments there included increasing first-time student enrollment, overall headcount and credit hours; expanding off-campus programming; expanded high school dual enrollment; and development of online programming, including the largest at Cincinnati State.
During his career in Cincinnati, Nissley worked with Trey Devey, current president of the Interlochen Center for the Arts and formerly with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Devey said the NMC Board made an excellent choice in Nissley, a leader who is “collaborative by nature.”
“The opportunities we need to seize in our community are going to have to be done by coalition and (Nissley) is the person to build and expand upon the community-wide teams NMC has developed,” Devey said, adding that Nissley’s integrity and honesty further round out his assets as a leader. “Nick offers NMC and our community nothing but upside.”
A total of 67 people applied for the position as president. Search firm The Pauly Group reviewed the applicants to ensure all met the minimum criteria for the job. The Pauly group recommended 20 candidates to the presidential search committee. That committee narrowed the list to eight candidates for video interviews. The committee recommended five finalists for in-person interviews which included campus and community forums open to the public.
This is the culmination of work since Nov. 1, 2018, when president Timothy J. Nelson announced his intention to retire on Dec. 31, 2019.
“The decision came down to who was the best fit at this time, and that person is Dr. Nick Nissley,” said Bott. “His decades in leadership development, his experience across the entire education spectrum and his long track record of executing strategic priorities are a tremendous asset not only for NMC but the communities we serve in northern Michigan.”
For more information on Nick Nissley, visit nmc.edu/president.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom
September 28, 2016
Nurse George Bullard has a ready reply when patients at Munson Medical Center tell him fear of falling makes them reluctant to get out of bed and move around, a standard pre-release recommendation.
“ ‘You’re a piece of cake. You’re not going to fall,’ ” said Bullard, a 2013 graduate of NMC’s nursing program and, most recently, qualifier for 2017 U.S. Strongman national competition.
The muscles and tattoos beneath Bullard’s scrubs initially belie his profession. But he says patients love hearing stories and seeing pictures of his competitive weightlifting life outside the hospital. And their roads to recovery and his own in the gym actually run parallel.
“It’s all about achieving goals,” said Bullard, 30. Patients have the goal of getting better, and he helps them achieve it. In doing so Bullard earned an achievement himself earlier this year, winning the Daisy Award, a national award for nurses who provide extraordinary, compassionate and skilled care.
At Munson Bullard is also a preceptor — teacher — for both nursing students and newly hired nurses. They shadow him to get a better understanding of how the general medical floor works.
“The biggest thing we have to teach them is how to advocate for the patients,” he said.
In the case for which he received the Daisy Award, Bullard argued against a physician’s discharge recommendation, believing the patient wasn’t strong enough yet. The doctor agreed to a walk test. The patient didn’t fall, but did become short of breath and his oxygen level dropped. Subsequent tests revealed two liters of fluid on the man’s lung. Had he been released, Bullard said, he could have drowned.
“It’s one of the biggest roles we have as a nurse,” Bullard said of the advocacy role. “Sometimes, I spend more time with the patient than the family does.”
Bullard’s floor at Munson sees the most patients with the most varied conditions of the entire hospital. He says his NMC education equipped him well for the challenge.
“I had such a variety when I was a student. I was confident when I got there,” said Bullard, a Flint native who was drawn to a nursing career after moving up north to take care of his aging grandmother.
Next year, in addition to training for the national strongman competition, Bullard plans to advance his career by enrolling in Ferris State University’s BSN program at the University Center. He ultimately hopes to become a nurse practitioner.
“I’m a nurse. I love it,” he said.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
March 4, 2020
More than a year’s worth of efforts to ramp up student employment readiness and meet area employer needs will debut at a retooled Career Fair Thursday.
It’s the first fair since Employment Readiness Specialist Lisa Baldyga (right) joined NMC’s Academic and Career Advising Center last fall. Her addition to the advising staff — and her shared employment status with Michigan Works — was an intentional step to enable NMC to offer more comprehensive career preparation services.
“We are here to serve our community, not just community members but employers,” said director of advising Lindsey Dickinson. “Part of that is helping students become employed after they’re finished with us.”
Baldyga, who had five years of connections and contact with regional employers through Michigan Works, was the ideal person to take employment readiness to the next level, Dickinson said. Her work is on top of college-wide efforts to ensure students have the skills and credentials they need to become employed.
In her first semester Baldyga conducted more than 150 mock interviews with students, helping to prepare them for the real thing, which is expected to occur on-site Thursday, when more than 80 employers gather. For students with limited work experience, she also helps them translate skills learned in the classroom, such as time management or communication, onto a resume.
“It’s the soft skills the employer is looking for. They’re looking for that you’re going to work well in their work culture, that you’re going to be polite, prompt and on time,” Baldyga said.
Other changes to the 14th annual fair, to be held at the Hagerty Center on NMC’s Great Lakes campus from 3-6 p.m., are aimed at benefiting employers:
- It combines multiple separate events: Jobs for Vets, a Technology Career Fair, and a general fair, to offer the convenience of a one-stop shop. Veterans will be admitted early, at 2 p.m., but general fair hours have been doubled, from 90 minutes to three hours, to allow more time for employers and job seekers to engage.
- Extensive pre-fair student preparation. In the last two weeks Baldyga’s held three resume workshops and a first-of-its-kind network night. Held Monday at the Dennos Museum, students rotated through stations where they practiced basics like interview-appropriate body language and eye contact, attire and tie-tying, and dining etiquette for interviews conducted over meals.
Also new at the fair: Students can get professional photos taken to use on a LinkedIn account. Baldyga, NMC advisers and student success coaches will staff an on-site resource room where students can get pep talks, print resumes or practice pitches before approaching an employer.
The fair is open to community members as well as students.
“Everybody we’re putting together is hiring right now,” Baldyga said.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
March 9, 2022
When Hailey Greimel graduates from NMC’s Great Lakes Culinary Institute this May, not only will she transfer to the Ivy League of culinary schools, she’ll do so without debt, thanks to NMC scholarships.
(download a high-resolution version here) Greimel, 20 (right and below), is among 1,198 students to share in this year’s record-breaking scholarship awards. So far in 2021–22, NMC has awarded $1.33 million in scholarships with some funds still available.
“We still have funds to award for summer and may hit $1.4 million,” said Linda Berlin, director of financial aid.
The average 2021–22 scholarship award to date is $1,109. Greimel, a dean’s list student and 2020 graduate of Petoskey High School, said scholarships combined with GLCI’s high-caliber programming made NMC an easy choice for pursuing both her baking certificate and associate degree in culinary sales.
“(Scholarships) sweetened the deal,” she said. “Because of the great opportunities offered here, I was able to get a great scholarship to Johnson & Wales.” The Providence, R.I.-based university, considered the Ivy League of culinary programs, offered Greimel a full scholarship.
(download a high-resolution
version here)Criteria for NMC’s many scholarships include a wide range of factors, from program of study to residency to financial need, academic merit and extracurricular pursuits. One of the newest scholarships, created by longtime NMC supporter Ann Rogers, provides financial assistance to students active in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work at the college through involvement in committees or clubs, and are specifically involved in supporting underrepresented groups.
The Rogers Diversity Scholarship, a $1,000 annual award, aligns with the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategic area of NMC’s recently adopted strategic plan, NMC Next. Rogers, who is a donor to three other scholarships supporting environmental science, science and astronomy, hopes establishing the scholarship will encourage others to join her in support of diversity at NMC. ( Donate here.)
“It’s especially critical in these times,” said Rogers (right). “The college itself needs to be very welcoming and supportive.”
The Rogers Diversity Scholarship will be awarded for the first time in the 2022–23 academic year.
The previous scholarship record was achieved in the 2019–20 academic year, when NMC awarded $1.28 million in scholarships to 964 recipients. Last year the college awarded $1.17 million to 1,259 recipients. NMC is also a leader in scholarship applications, with 41 percent of NMC students completing the scholarship application last year and 30 percent of enrolled students receiving at least one scholarship. The most recent National Postsecondary Student Aid Study states that only 6% of public 2‐year college students receive institutional aid.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
December 21, 2016
After a couple years as a ski bum out west, Jackson Pierce felt the tug of home.
The former NMC automotive technology student’s timing was perfect for his skills. Pierce traded ski groomers for cars, and has spent the last two years working at Bill Marsh Automotive, one of several regional repair shops to which Automotive Technology program director Wayne Moody has built an employment pipeline.
“Everyone needs their car fixed,” said Pierce, of Northport, who attended NMC’s automotive program in 2007-08.
But not everyone can fix them. Moody said an aging auto repair workforce combined with increasingly complex, computerized cars has created an opportunity gap that he has worked to fill with NMC students like Pierce.
“The last three years (demand) has gone north by leaps and bounds,” Moody said, who fields calls daily from shops locally, downstate as well as in the U.P. “They are vying for the technicians. I could put two jobs on every student if they want them.”
The Grand Traverse area’s population growth also fuels the local hiring demand. At least six former NMC students work at Bill Marsh’s Garfield Road locations. Fox Grand Traverse employs another eight, including its first female technician since 1992, KT Rafferty. As it has traditionally, the job attracts students who like hands-on work. But it’s more than turning a wrench nowadays.
“It’s not rudimentary. There’s an immense amount of problem-solving,” Pierce said.
That variety attracts students, too. “Anything can happen here,” said Rachel Smith of Elk Rapids, who started NMC’s program in 2013 and has worked at Bill Marsh for about a year and a half. “I like learning new things.”
With cars loaded with dozens of on-board computers, electronics is another important skill set.
“What’s the Ohm’s law? I can’t tell you what it is, but our very best electronics technicians do and it helps them in their job every day,” said Rich King, fixed operations director at Bill Marsh. “They’re learning it in Wayne’s program.”
Pierce added that he appreciated the real-world instruction he got at NMC. “I liked that all the teachers actually owned shops.”
Technicians are financially rewarded for that greater knowledge and as they gain experience. While an entry-level technician might make $12-$14 per hour, Moody said a graduate of the two-year program could be earning between $50,000 and $70,000 after five years. Six-figure salaries are not out of the question for the most experienced technicians.
King said it’s also rewarding at the end of the day. “There’s a huge sense of accomplishment when you fix that car that’s a tough one.”
Registration for spring semester programs, including automotive, is going on now. Find out more about the program here.
Above: From left, former NMC automotive students working at Bill Marsh’s GM store are Mike Bouchey, technician; Tom Garrity, parts; Rachel Smith, Dave Panek, Jackson Pierce and Zach Schaub, technicians.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom
March 22, 2017
Later this spring, NMC students will begin working to insure that one of Grand Traverse County’s most popular inland lakes continues its long legacy as a clear, clean, recreational and residential oasis.
Great Lakes Water Studies Institute interns will conduct a water quality study of Long Lake as part of the second year of a partnership with the Long Lake Association, Foundation, Township and the Great Lakes Environmental Center.
“Everybody’s excited about it,” said Rick Kiehle, president of the Association. “I’m so happy to be working with NMC. It’s just a really good thing to bring the community together.”
Last year, WSI interns Jessica Rhodes (left) and Chelsea Cooper studied adjacent, uninhabited Page and Fern lakes, collecting baseline data with GLEC oversight. In 2017, with Long Lake due for the triennial study that GLEC has conducted since 1997, the paid interns will handle the sampling on Grand Traverse County’s largest inland lake.
“We still have our hand in the scientific part of it, but we allow students to get the real world-training,” said GLEC research scientist Pat McCool.
Water Studies Institute interns Chelsea Cooper and Jessica RhodesThe results will be of keen interest to the 800 property owners who live on Long Lake, Kiehle said. From invasive species like Eurasian milfoil choking boat propellers to pollution from lawn chemicals to swimmer’s itch, vigiliant stewardship is essential.
“You just have to keep up on this stuff,” said Kiehle, who helped pull together the multi-entity partnership to study Page and Fern. “Tell if there’s any potential pollution or bad stuff getting in the lake.”
Over the years, McCool said Long Lake has been “consistent and stable” in its water quality. Rhodes and Cooper’s 2016 study showed that Page and Fern’s water quality is relatively good, too. That data can now serve to benchmark the impact of any development, like improved trails or parking lots, at the Timbers Recreation Area that encompasses both lakes.
“We want to understand what’s going into the lake. What’s the cause and effect of what we’re doing?” Kiehle said.
This year’s interns – Cooper will be back, plus one or two more – will have use of new tool, too: a handheld sonde (probe) upgrade, purchased with funds from the NMC Barbecue. The device allows users to leave laptops shoreside and still be sure the data is being collected properly.
Constanza Hazelwood, WSI education and outreach coordinator, said the Long Lake area studies are providing students valuable work experience. Earlier this month she attended the annual Shorelines & Shallows conference at Michigan State University. Demand for work like what’s being done with Long Lake exists statewide, she said.
“There are so many lakes that are looking for this kind of work to be done regularly,” she said.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
April 17, 2019
Hannah Beard and Jessi Martin (click for high-resolution version)NMC’s aviation program will get a lofty showcase before a national audience this summer when a pair of student pilots fly across North America in the Air Race Classic, the oldest air race of its kind, and exclusively for female pilots.
Ninety years after legendary aviator Amelia Earhart made cross-country racing popular, Team Hawk Owls — Hannah Beard of Interlochen (left) and Jessi Martin of Maple City (right) — will take off from Jackson, Tenn. on June 18 in an NMC Cessna. The 2,500 mile trip is a race against the clock broken into nine legs. They expect to land in Welland, Ontario, by June 21.
“It’s going to be marathon,” Martin, 43, said.
“Sunrise to sunset flying,” agreed Beard, 23.
Entering the Air Race Classic is the latest example of how women at NMC are making significant strides in what has long been a male-dominated field. While only four percent of U.S. airline pilots are female, nearly 20 percent of current NMC aviation students are now women. The college is now home to a chapter of Women in Aviation International, which allows them to network and support each other.
Women are also becoming leaders among the overall student population. Beard is NMC’s top-performing aviation student this year, mastering commercial pilot skills faster than any other student, Aviation director Alex Bloye said.
“She met all the requirements of the certificate much quicker than any other student we’ve seen in recent years,” Bloye said.
He said competing in the Air Race Classic will drawn more awareness to NMC’s aviation program. Only one other community college has entered. Among the 15 academic teams are mostly large universities including Western Michigan University, Purdue and Ohio State.
“This race will put NMC and our pilots on the national stage with some of the best aviators in the world,” he said. “This is an exciting opportunity to not only inspire the next generation of NMC students, but to give Hannah and Jessi a chance to expand their envelope of experience.”
Their plane’s tail number — N157KC — honors former flight instructor, Kevin Copeland, who passed away in a motorcycle accident in 2017. An NMC flight instructor, Victoria Gann, will be racing as part of another team. Air Race Classic pilots range from ages 17 to 90.
“We look forward to seeing Hannah and Jessi cross the finish line. This will be a huge accomplishment that will help to solidify interest of future NMC race teams,” Bloye said.
NMC is seeking sponsors to help underwrite the $10,000 cost to compete, which includes fuel, transportation and lodging. Contact Paris Morse at the NMC Foundation, pmorse@nmc.edu, for more information.
Follow Beard and Martin’s progress at the NMC Aviation Facebook page. They expect an NMC cheering section may show up at the race’s seventh stop, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
September 26 2018
Thirteen years ago, Becca Richardson calculated that her desire to stop waiting tables was greater than her fear of math.
Today she’s a living example of both facing her fears and calculating correctly. The former developmental math student is the newest member of NMC’s math faculty.
As an NMC student, Richardson’s math placement test score was so low that she avoided taking any math classes when she first enrolled, after her graduation from Benzie Central High School in 2002. After only a semester that had expanded into avoiding any classes whatsoever.
“I just gave up. Maybe college isn’t for me,” Richardson recalled thinking.
Two years later, however, waitressing was getting “really old” and Richardson returned. Her math placement score was still low, even below that recommended for the most entry-level math course, Math 08. Still, aware she needed at least one math class for a degree, she signed up.
“It only took me a few classes to decide I liked it,” she said. She earned a 4.0 from instructor Mark Nelson in the class, and even tutored classmates, who told her she was good at explaining concepts. Maybe she should consider becoming a teacher.
Richardson took that advice — and more math classes. She transferred from NMC to Ferris State at the University Center in 2007, earned her bachelor’s in math from in 2012, and a master’s from the University of Idaho in 2015. She also taught as an NMC adjunct for five years. As of this fall she’s officially come full circle, settled in the now-retired Nelson’s former office, right inside the Tanis Building’s Math Center, where students come for drop-in tutoring.
She sees reflections of her former self sitting in many of her classes.
“A lot of times, I can remember having the same exact questions,” said Richardson.
Besides herself as Exhibit A, Richardson now has encouraging words for those students.
“I don’t think there’s such a thing as being bad at math. You’re just not practiced,” she said. “Persistence and perseverance is what will get you through.”
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
November 6, 2019
With two new endowed veterans scholarships and a ranking as the No. 2 community college in the nation for veteran’s services for the second year in a row, NMC is better equipped than ever to serve those who have served us.
The Staff Sergeant Drew Kostic Veterans’ Scholarship was established in memory of the former Marine and NMC student who died in 2016, by the board of 22-2-NONE, which exists to raise awareness and provide support to end veteran suicide. Initial funds were raised through registration in the DK5K Tough Run (photo right) now in its third year. Additional donations increased it to the $25,000 endowed level — the threshold for the scholarship to be awarded in perpetuity.
“Most of our veterans coming back are looking for better jobs. They’ve got families they’ve got to take care of at the same time,” said board vice president Ray McDaniel. “There’s no one answer to solving the suicide epidemic, but if we can take one more burden, one more stressor off their plate, we’re achieving our goal.”
“It means a great deal,” said Kostic’s father, Jim Kostic, of the scholarship. “It’s a good way to honor his name.”
The scholarship is also available to active duty military students, as is the Class of 1953 Veterans Memorial Scholarship, created by George Comden (left, seated) a member of NMC’s first graduating class (pictured in 2011). Years ago Comden, an Army veteran himself, established his first scholarship. Reading about current veterans in a college publication inspired him to create the new one.
“I got to thinking, that story kind of triggered my time is on the GI Bill® at CMU,” said Comden. “The more I read about it, the more I thought, why not have a scholarship for veterans?”
The Class of 1953 included two other veterans, Ray Cilva (wearing the letter jacket) and Gene Bisson, he added.
“They went the extra mile to take care of us, and it’s now time for us to help take care of them.”
To donate to either scholarship or to find out more about scholarships, contact the NMC Foundation at (231) 995-1021 or foundation@nmc.edu.
About 200 veterans are currently enrolled at NMC, comprising 5 percent of enrollment.
The Best for Vets 2020 ranking comes from Military Times magazine. The publication cites NMC’s “wide array of support services for its student veterans, many of them specially created for vets. This includes academic support, such as tutoring and mentorship, career support, such as resume assistance and job placement, and mental health support.” NMC ranked No. 2 in 2018, and No. 3 in 2018.
NMC will start a new, community-wide veterans project in December. Coffee with Veterans will be held from 8 to 9: 30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 13 in Lobdell’s Teaching Restaurant on NMC’s Great Lakes campus, and monthly thereafter. Any veteran in the community is welcome to stop in for complimentary coffee and conversation.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom, Student News
May 19, 2021
After completing a site engineering internship in the Charleston, S.C. harbor last December, NMC marine technology student Rachel Colby’s employer was eager to hire her.
But even at the accelerated pace at which Colby (left) is pursuing her bachelor’s degree, she still had a year and a half to go before graduation. Meanwhile, this summer the U.S. Navy veteran from Manistee has another internship lined up, where she’ll get hands-on experience with the GIS part of the marine technology program.
As of this year, NMC is aiming to better track and monitor experiential learning like Colby’s by establishing the Experiential Learning Institute as the college hub for internships in January. Experiential Learning Program coordinator Amy Burns Bailey took on the college-wide role in an expansion of her business and technical division responsibilities in order to offer employers a more efficient point of contact.
“Probably at least every other day we receive a request from an employer,” Burns Bailey said.
Despite the pandemic, NMC students completed 102 internships in 2020. Many, like Colby’s South Carolina opportunity, were required and offered credit. Significantly, almost all were also paid. NMC President Nick Nissley calls these “l/earning” opportunities and says it’s a key differentiator for NMC as other colleges seek to position themselves as embracing experiential learning.
Burns Bailey notes that paid internships are also a matter of equity, since unpaid work would severely limit who could fill the opportunities. Unsurprisingly, students are more motivated and perform better when paid as well.
“I didn’t feel like an intern, I felt like I was part of the team,” Colby, 26, said of her South Carolina internship with Great Lakes Dredge and Dock, an employer that’s hired multiple Marine Tech interns.
Internships are distinguished by the mentorship that accompanies job duties, Burns Bailey said.
“The student should be doing real life work where they can practice what they’re learning in school, (and) there has to be an aspect of mentorship,” she said.
That’s what NMC business student Trevor Knapp (right, with mentor Howard Canfield) found at his internship at Fox Motors in Cadillac. At first he questioned why he had to complete the required internship, since he’d already worked in sales plus run his own car detailing business. But his advisor, business instructor Nicole Fewins, had never steered him wrong, Knapp said, and after working with dealership staff with decades of sales experience, plus rotating to the management and service sectors of the business, he saw the value.
“I gained a lot of knowledge about the sales process,” said Knapp, a 2021 graduate. “I thought I knew this, I thought I knew that. You literally have no idea what you’re going to learn.”
Beyond their program-required internships, both Colby and Knapp praised their overall NMC experience. Knapp had considered a four-year university, but then decided he preferred to work after his high school graduation. His mother urged him not to abandon education entirely and suggested NMC.
“NMC was literally the perfect in between,” said Knapp, who commuted from Cadillac. “I really feel like the teachers go above and beyond. They’re not just there to teach, they’re there to help people.”
Visit nmc.edu/internships to find out more.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom
February 24, 2015
How do you transform a two-time college dropout into a Dean’s List student?
Give her a bridge and a foundation. Walk her over and shore it up.
In 1998 Lindsey Grice enrolled at NMC, fresh out of Traverse City Central High School and mother to a newborn daughter. It didn’t go well.
“I just failed miserably. It wasn’t something I knew about. I had a full course load and a little baby and it was too much,” Grice said.
She tried again a decade later. By 2008 she was a mother to three, including a son with intensive mental health needs. Grice had to take six credits and earn a 2.0 in order to keep her financial aid. Her attendance was spotty due to her son’s care giving demands, and she did well in one class but not the other. She lost her financial aid and dropped out a second time.
Fast-forward to 2014. A friend told Grice, now 34, about NMC’s Bridge program. Created for nontraditional students attending college for the first time or returning after past attempts, Bridge endeavors to lay a foundation for student success. Just last year, the program was redesigned so that what were formerly preparatory classes are now for-credit. Significantly, that makes Bridge students eligible for financial aid.
Coordinating Student Success
NMC Student Success Coordinator Ashley Darga walked Grice through the process of petitioning to reinstate her financial aid. Regulations have changed to favor students like Grice, Darga said.
“I was able to get my Pell grant to be able to take classes this fall,” Grice said. Her foundation steadied.
Almost simultaneously her son Brandon, now 15, entered a residential school, further firming her foundation.
“I’ve taken care of him completely. Now he’s receiving help out of the home (and) he’s doing really well,” Grice said. “I’m able to focus on my studies instead of spending every waking moment worrying about him.”
Finally, her daughter Ashley—the newborn during Grice’s first college stint—now 16 and a high school junior, threw down the gauntlet.
“She kind of challenged me,” Grice said. “My oldest daughter is getting ready to graduate, and she had mentioned to me that I should go back and get back my classes before she does.”
That challenge completed the foundation underpinning Grice’s turnaround. Bridge students take nine credits (five classes) their first semester. Grice earned a 4.0 and made the dean’s list.
“I think I was really determined this time,” she said, citing one class, Academic Study Methods, as a key.
“I’ve learned what things I can utilize through the school. I know there’s tutoring, I know there’s all that stuff, but actually using it I feel more confident.”
Transforming students to active participants
Instructor Shannon Owen said transforming students from passive to active participants in their education is another crucial piece of college success.
“They have to advocate for their own needs. We don’t know they’re struggling or that they don’t understand concepts,” Owen said.
Grice started out strong and only improved over the semester, turning in assignments early, Owen said.
“She’s got such motivation and heart. It’s great to see students succeed and watch that happen throughout the semester.”
Grice’s long-term aim is a business management degree. More immediately, she’s focused on next semester’s classes, especially English 111. It will be the fourth time she’s attempted the class. This time she’ll have a study partner: daughter Ashley, registered in the same course as a dual-enrolled student.
“It’s hard for me (but) I am ready for it,” Grice said.
Nov 27, 2022 | Intercom
August 19, 2015
School and Scouts.
Back in fifth grade, Stephen Siciliano found two things he liked and decided to stick with them.
Since then, he’s climbed to the pinnacle of both worlds. He’s vice president of educational services at NMC, and not only an Eagle Scout himself but a father of three more — all of whom also attended NMC.
Yet as he embarks on his fourth decade on campus, Siciliano, who wears a Scout uniform in his campus profile picture, shows no sign of boredom or restlessness. He’s excited to continue work on the challenges the college faces, like developmental education, learning outcomes and internal communication. Viewed through the lens of history, his chosen academic field, he is confident those challenges will be met. (More on those in a moment.)
Siciliano’s own history is colored by a community college — Nassau Community College on Long Island, NY, where he grew up. A first-generation college student, he had an “absolutely wonderful experience” and chose to pursue his master’s and PhD degrees in the hope of teaching at the community college level himself. So when Walt Beardslee, one of NMC’s founding faculty members, came to recruit at a National History Conference which Siciliano also happened to attend, he found an eager candidate.
“I’m thinking, ‘You don’t have to sell me. I’d love to teach at a community college,’” Siciliano, 59, recalled of that interview.
He spent 11 years teaching at NMC, including six as director of the Humanities division, his first taste of administration. In 1996 he moved into his current role as the college’s top academic officer. One of the best changes he’s seen during that time is NMC’s shift from once-a-decade accreditation to a continuous academic quality improvement process, known as AQIP.
“They focus our attention,” he said of the AQIP action projects, including, not coincidentally, those three challenges of developmental education, learning outcomes and communication.
“People say, ‘we want to get this done,’” he said, citing developmental education, the project closest to completion. “I come away from that meeting so energized.”
And that history is why he thinks that the more recently tackled projects like learning outcomes and communications, will indeed be solved.
Siciliano’s parallel world of Scouting has been transformed by quality improvement, too. While he no longer leads an active troop, like he did for a dozen years with just-retired engineering instructor Jim Coughlin, Siciliano is still involved as a liaison between two local units and the broader Boy Scout organization.
“They’ve clearly moved to quality metrics, just like our college. How can we improve the experience for the boys?” Siciliano said.
Even after 30 years as an educator, that question still animates Siciliano, who plans to keep pursuing the answer for a little while yet.
“I hope I’m here,” he says of his plans for five years down the road.
