Kudos to Katie Sommer-Ford, Bridget Sova and Lisa Baldyga for providing assistance to NMC students preparing for the Career Fair at their navigating event in the Innovation Center beforehand. Thanks for all you do!
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 employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
Make a difference in the lives of your colleagues. Nominate them for a Staff Excellence Award or Team Excellence Award.
We are seeking nominations for staff colleagues (full-time, part-time, or supplemental) whose work serves to inspire us all, and who:
Nominations must be received by April 4, 2023.
Recipients will receive a monetary award and an engraved plaque to be awarded on May 11, 2023 at the NMC You Made It Possible Celebration.
Thank you for appreciating and valuing each other.
The NMC Employee Recognition Committee:
TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) is in line to receive $3.75 million in state funds to expand its Aviation facilities and help address the nation’s pilot shortage. The critical investment was approved in the state’s supplemental budget Wednesday. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign it in the coming days.
The funding from the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity will be used to renovate and expand NMC’s 47-year-old Aviation hangar and purchase additional aircraft. This will allow NMC Aviation to increase its capacity to train more pilots, as identified in the college’s strategic plan.
“This effort has been more than a year in the making. We are grateful for the support and advocacy from our state lawmakers, like Sen. John Damoose, who was a key champion of this project, as well as support from members of the house including Rep. Betsy Coffia and Rep. Curt VanderWall. They see the value in investing in NMC to meet the region’s workforce needs,” said NMC President Dr. Nick Nissley. “This is a powerful example of what we can achieve together for northern Michigan through collaboration.”
NMC must provide a 50 percent match to the state investment. The total project cost is $5 million for the hangar renovation and $2 million for the acquisition of four new, technically advanced aircraft for flight training.
“Northwestern Michigan College has a very well-respected and in-demand aviation program from both the industry and student perspectives. Our biggest challenge has been not being able to expand,” said NMC Aviation Director Alex Bloye. “Now, thanks to this investment, we can train even more exceptional pilots.”
NMC Aviation enrolls 50 students per year, but has a two-year waitlist. Graduates experience 100 percent job placement. According to Bloye, airlines are poised for their busiest year of pilot hiring in more than three decades. Airlines are reducing flights and services due to the current labor shortage. During the pandemic, 5,000 U.S. pilots took early retirement. Nearly a third of pilots are expected to retire by 2035.
The current NMC hangar, built in 1976, does not functionally support the program’s demand. This renovation project will transform the hangar into a thriving Student Aviation Center. The renovated hangar will be an innovative, functional, and secure facility to store and maintain NMC’s growing fleet of technically-advanced aircraft. It also provides for expanded simulation lab space and other student spaces for testing, studying and collaboration.
Diana Fairbanks
Associate Vice President of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications
dfairbanks@nmc.edu
Media on deadline, call or text (231) 392-6082
Non-deadline inquiries: (231) 995-1020
On Thursday, the Academic & Career Advising Center is hosting the 17th annual Career & Employment Fair from 3-6 p.m. in partnership with Northwest Michigan Works! and Networks Northwest.
Later this month, the Experiential Learning Institute has arranged for students to have a professional headshot taken and is hosting two workshops that give insight on how to use LinkedIn to enhance job searches.
Thanks to the efforts of both departments for offering resources and support leading up to and following the Career Fair. Their work helps our students take the next step after NMC and lead successful careers.
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.
What the doctor ordered: Meet Traverse City’s next generation of healthcare leaders
TC Business News March issue
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Good morning NMC community,
I am pleased to share an important update regarding the college’s accreditation cycle, including results from the recent mid-cycle assurance review.
As you know, in 2019 NMC started on an Open Pathway to maintain accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC.) This is a 10-year cycle focused on quality assurance and institutional improvement. The Open Pathway option includes regular monitoring, a mid cycle Assurance Review, a Quality Initiative project and an end of cycle Comprehensive Evaluation for Reaffirmation.
We are now on the other side of our Mid-Cycle Assurance Review point. I am pleased to share that HLC formally notified us in January that NMC “Met” all Core Components of the Criteria for Accreditation. This result indicates the strength of the college in meeting the HLC expectations in all areas. The next step along the pathway is for NMC to propose a Quality Initiative project between September 1, 2023 and June 2025. Once the proposal is approved by the HLC, we will begin work on our project. The completed project is due no later than June 1, 2028. Stay tuned for more information as we co-create this important college project.
While our accreditation truly takes a college-wide effort, I want to specifically thank Joy Goodchild, NMC’s Accreditation Liaison Officer, for her leadership and role in authoring the Assurance Argument, as well as Lisa Balbach and Nick Roster in their significant contributions in authorship. I also want to thank those who provided their support leading to our successful review: Shelly Grant, Stephen Siciliano, Wayne Moody, and Michael Anderson.
I look forward to engaging our college community around the next phase of this important work!
Nick
—
Nick Nissley, Ed.D. | President | Northwestern Michigan College | 231.995.1010
These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
SilkRoad Performance is going away! NMC is going live with NeoEd Perform soon! Save your goals and performance reviews before March 31 by following the step-by-step instructions are listed below. The college will maintain all performance reviews from SilkRoad as part of your personnel file. You will be able to enter your goals for this year’s review in NeoEd Perform when it goes live in April.
Need help? Email helpdesk@nmc.edu and enter a ticket under “SilkRoad” or register to attend one of the following open lab sessions and receive assistance downloading your documents.
Friday, March 3, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Wednesday, March 8, 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Thursday, March 9, 9:00-10:00 a.m.
Friday, March 10, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
Those who register for an upcoming lab session will receive a calendar invitation with a Zoom link via email.
If you have any questions, contact Human Resources at hr@nmc.edu.
The NMC Board of Trustees will hold its regular monthly meeting Monday, Feb. 27 at 5:30 p.m. in the Hagerty Center on NMC’s Great Lakes Campus. More information is available here.
For more information, please contact the President’s office at (231) 995-1010.
TRAVERSE CITY — Current students, alumni, and the community are invited to attend Northwestern Michigan College’s 17th annual Career Fair on Thursday, March 2 at the Hagerty Center on the Great Lakes Campus.
Held in partnership with Northwest Michigan Works and Networks Northwest, the Career Fair runs from 3–6 p.m. (Veterans are invited to arrive at 2:30 p.m.) Nearly 70 participating employers will be recruiting for career-track, seasonal and entry-level positions as well as internships and service learning. See the list at nmc.edu/career-fair.
In preparation for the event, NMC has planned two free “Navigating the Career Fair” workshops. These will be held Feb. 27 and 28 from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. in the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center lobby on main campus. These sessions will offer assistance with resume preparation, an elevator pitch and projecting confidence at the fair.
Following the Career Fair, NMC will also host two sessions on using the LinkedIn social network in a job search. These will be held March 16.
Both sessions will be held on main campus in the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center, rooms 106/107. Shapiro is the director of the Office for Student Success at Touro College in New York, a freelance writer, public speaker, LinkedIn consultant and a board-certified coach specializing in career coaching. Call (231) 995-1170 or email twelch@nmc.edu or aburns@nmc.edu.
Katie Sommer-Ford
NMC Advising Center
ksommer@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1040
TRAVERSE CITY — Tickets are now on sale for A Taste of Success to go on April 28, the premier annual fundraiser for students at NMC’s Great Lakes Culinary Institute.
Patrons will take home a delicious around-the-world cuisine tour from charcuterie through dessert. Each to-go package, prepared by Great Lakes Culinary Institute students, generously serves two and includes:
Packages are $250 and available for pick up between 4 and 6 p.m. Friday, April 28 at NMC’s Great Lakes campus, 715 E. Front St., Traverse City. The 2022 event raised more than $130,000 for student scholarships. The event was first held at the Park Place Hotel in 1994.
The Great Lakes Culinary Institute at Northwestern Michigan College offers both degree and certificates. Its newest Culinary-Maritime certificate will debut this fall. It is accredited by the American Culinary Federation, one of fewer than 200 U.S. colleges to receive that distinction. Students are eligible to become ACF Certified Culinarians upon graduation.
Boxes are $250 each. Call (231) 995-1021 or buy online. More information is available at nmc.edu/taste-of-success.
Chef Les Eckert
Director, Great Lakes Culinary Institute
Students Gabe Parrish and Jim Schiffer are both growing their careers in NMC’s Surveying Technology program, even with four decades in between them.
Gabe ParrishParrish, 19, will graduate with his associate degree next year. Schiffer, 59, a professional engineer for the Grand Traverse County Road Commission, will complete the credentials to become a licensed surveyor this summer.
The surveying industry could use a lot more like them. An aging workforce, lack of awareness of the career opportunities, and demand for surveying skills have created the shortage. Launching a Surveying Technology associate degree in 2019 was NMC’s first response. Now, Ryan Deering, hired this month as a dedicated recruiter for the Surveying Technology program, is tackling the awareness problem head on.
Jim Schiffer“It’s limitless, what you can do with a surveying degree,” said Deering. He said NMC’s program is unique in that it offers instruction for land, marine, and air applications.
“Everything is combined. It’s woven together nicely,” he said.
In fact, the workforce need is so dire that an industry donor gave NMC the funds to hire Deering.
“There is a real need and a shortage of survey technicians. Industry has recognized that need,” said Ed Bailey, director of NMC’s Marine Center.
Surveying instructor Carl Shangraw said most of his students are sponsored by their employers. He’s looking forward to Deering filling his classroom.
“I’m very optimistic. It’s a world-class program by any measure,” said Shangraw, who taught for 23 years at the university level before joining NMC’s faculty three years ago.
Land surveying classes, underwater ROV classes and drone classes are all taught at the Parsons-Stulen Building on NMC’s Aero Park campus. For marine applications, NMC has a campus harbor and vessel on West Grand Traverse Bay for real-world practice. For air, the college has access to an airfield in Yuba.
“It’s the integration part that really sets us apart. Nobody can touch our facilities,” said Shangraw.
Industry leader Leica also supplies NMC with $1 million in donated surveying equipment each year.
“I like the change of environment every day, (and) the great equipment they give us,” Parrish said.
NMC’s small classes mean that students get plenty of time with that top-notch equipment, which is important to employers, Deering said.
“You really get a lot of hands-on with the equipment,” he said. “Employers are really looking at that.”
As an engineer already, returning students like Schiffer can earn the surveyor credential with 30 credit hours, or about two semesters. In addition to the Road Commission, Schiffer will use the skills in his own business.
“If you love anything technical, and you love solving problems, and you love being outside, it’s all there,” he said.
Besides the staff and facilities, NMC’s student support is “second to none,” Shangraw said.
“Every school says they’re student-centered. (NMC) means it.”
On Wednesday, March 8, International Services and Student Success will host a Holi celebration. Holi is a Hindu festival that originated in India but is now celebrated in different communities all over the world. Holi is a time for people of all backgrounds to come together and celebrate the triumph of good over evil and the new changes that spring brings!
The even will start with a Lunch & Learn from 1-1:30 p.m. in the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center room 106/107. Sarah Montgomery-Richards will give a brief history and overview of the festival. The Hawk Owl Cafe will be preparing tandoori chicken thighs and tandoori braised tofu. Both dishes will be served with lemon-herb basmati rice, Indian spiced root vegetables, grilled naan (bread), and a cucumber-yogurt dipping sauce. Lunch will be provided for free to all who attend the Lunch & Learn session.
The celebration will conclude with traditional color throwing in the Cherry Lot from 1:30-3 p.m. We will listen to Bollywood music, throw colors, and enjoy some time together as a community!
Join us for the whole event or stop by whenever you can. We cannot wait to celebrate with you!
.
Chaim Shapiro will host two workshops on Thursday, March 16* that will cover how to use LinkedIn to enhance your job search. Shapiro is the director of the Office for Student Success at Touro College in New York, a freelance writer, public speaker, LinkedIn consultant and a board-certified coach specializing in career coaching.
For questions, email twelch@nmc.edu or call (231) 995-1170.
*The workshops were originally scheduled for February 23 but were postponed due to weather.
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.
NMC first to use new grant for nurses
Record-Eagle, Feb. 20
(more…)
The Board of Trustees of Northwestern Michigan College will hold a retreat from 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23 to 12 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24 at Lakemore Retreat & Resort—Brown Cottage, 1763 Memory Lane Traverse City, MI.
The official meeting notice is available online. For more information, please contact the President’s office at (231) 995-1010.
These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!