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.
Docent training at the Dennos Museum Center
The Dennos Museum Center at Northwestern Michigan College invites new docent volunteers interested in working with K-12, college, and adult tour groups. Docents help fulfill the mission of the Dennos Museum Center by contacting teachers to discuss learning goals, preparing and presenting tours in a team, teaching art projects to students, and evaluating the success of various educational activities. In addition, being a docent connects you with a large and welcoming family of like-minded learners that provide support and encouragement.
Docent training occurs on Tuesday mornings and includes presentations about the collections, discussions about art and science topics related to special exhibitions, and hands-on workshops involving interactive tour techniques. New docents are expected to complete training between September and December 2013, and begin shadowing on tours in January.
A successful docent is someone with a flexible schedule who enjoys learning and teaching, particularly in the areas of arts and science. A strong knowledge of art is not required, but a willingness to learn is a must.
If you would like to be a part of the docent team, please contact Jason Dake, Curator of Education, at jdake@nmc.edu or 231-995-1029, to set up a meeting no later than September 6, 2013.
The Dennos Museum Center is open daily 10 AM to 5 PM, Thursdays until 8 PM, and Sundays 1-5 PM. During Birds of Paradise, admission is $10.00 adults, $5.00 for children, NMC students, and museum members. For information on the Museum and its programs, go to www.dennosmuseum.org or call 231-995-1055. The Dennos Museum Center is located at 1410 College Dr., Traverse City, MI 49686, at the entrance to the campus of Northwestern Michigan College.
Lock down scenarios to be staged on various portions of campus August 13, 14 and 19
Lock down scenarios will be staged on August 13, August 14 and August 19. The lock down procedure is as follows:
When notified of a lock down:
· Remain indoors and secure the entrance to your classroom or office
· Seek concealment away from windows and doors.
· Turn off lights
· Close the blinds
· Place cell phones on “vibrate only” and silence other electronic devices
· If you are in a hallway or a general open area, move into an enclosed room and secure the entrance
· Remain in a secure room until you are notified by the Office of Safety and Security, college officials, fire/rescue, or police that the situation has been resolved
· During the incident, the college will provide updates thru its multiple communications methods
· If you are outdoors, immediately take cover
· If you are commuting to a campus and receive a lock down alert, remain off campus until notified the situation has been resolved
The buildings affected are:
Tuesday, August 13, 8:30am– Dennos, Scholars Hall, Library
Wednesday, August 14, 1:30pm– East Hall, West Hall, Fine Arts, Beckett, Facilities, PE, Oleson Center
Monday, August 19, 2:00pm– Tanis upper level, Tanis lower level, Biederman upper level, Biederman lower level, Founders Hall
Please contact Jim White or Kay Hall if you have any concerns or questions.
Thank you!
Welcome Don Loeffler to NMC!
Don Loeffler recently joined NMC in the position of Purchasing Manager in Business Services on August 6, 2013. He can be reached at 995-1130 or dloeffler@nmc.edu.
Don moved to Traverse City in 2000 from Grand Blanc, Michigan. His family includes a son Alex (10) and a daughter Riley (8), his wife Amanda, and his dog Stella. Prior to working at NMC Don was the Purchasing Manager for the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa for the last 13 years. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, golf and spending as much time as he can outdoors in beautiful Northern Michigan.
Kudos!
Kudos to Shayrrl McCready. She would stop at nothing to see that I got my parking pass for the coming semester!
Heather Somero is always friendly, patient, and supportive of me as an adjunct still learning the system. She was very patient with me in my persistence to get all of my teaching materials together for this semester. I now have everything I need thanks to her efforts and coordination.
Position vacancies
Here is the list of current job postings. They can also be viewed on NMC’s website at https://jobs.nmc.edu/ Information on internal regular postings has been emailed.
Adjunct Faculty
- Digital Graphic Design Adjunct Instructor (246-443)
- Adjunct Faculty – History (231-443)
- Adjunct Faculty – Humanities (227-443)
- Adjunct Math Instructor (216-443)
- Adjunct Faculty-Biology (215-443)
- Adjunct Instructor – Clinical Nursing Medical/Surgical and Ob/Peds (38-443)
Faculty
Supplemental Staff
Student Employee
- Student Ambassador (237-443)
- Groundskeeper (233-443)
- Lab Assistant/TCA Aero Park Professional Testing Center – Student Employee (223-443)
- Library Student Assistant (243-443)
- Office Assistant Clerk-Science and Math Department (206-443)
- Purchasing Assistant – Student Employee (247-443)
- Science Lab Assistant – Student Employee (244-443)
- Security student (242-443)
- Student Life Office Assistant (192-443)
- Tutor-Student Employee (197-443)
- Tutoring Center Office Assistant (232-443)
Student Employee – Writing and Reading Center Reader (200-443)
Benefits corner
Have you ever brought a prescription to your pharmacy, and when they called Priority Health for approval, it was denied? Have you ever had the same situation with a medical service? Did you know what your next step should be? It is a simple one – just flip over your Priority Health medical card and call the Customer Service line at 800-956-1954. They will also need your Contract Number from the front of your card in order to identify you as an NMC participant. Just as an aside, this number is for customers who have self-funded plans like NMC does, so the customer service rep who picks up the phone will be expecting to look at a plan other than the general Priority Health plans.
You will find that once you (or the service provider) speak to the right person at Priority Health who actually looks at the coverage in NMC’s plan, they can often resolve the issue right then. Unfortunately, sometimes incorrect information is given if the rep looks at general Priority Health plans and not NMC’s plan. If you still have problems, feel free to call HR at 995-1362 for assistance. However, in most cases HR cannot get you any extra help unless our Priority account manager can find a call in their history from the individual member.
If you have any questions about this or other NMC benefits, feel free to contact HR at 995-1362 or 995-1025.
Employee anniversaries
The following employees are celebrating anniversaries soon. Please join us in congratulating them!
Tim Fader Painter 30 years
Amjad Khan Social Sciences Instructor 7 years
Mella McCormick Humanities Instructor 5 years
Kristy McDonald Business Instructor 7 years
Nate Peplinski Science/Math Instructor 6 years
Tony Sauerbrey UAS Program Manager 7 years
Caroline Schaefer- Hills Humanities Instructor 13 years
Jackie Schenk Office Assistant – Extended Educational Services 19 years
Sara Taylor Health Occupations Instructor 1 year
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.
Welcome Cole Thornton to NMC!
Cole Thornton recently joined NMC in the position of Executive Chef at the Hagerty Center on July 16, 2013. He can be reached at 995-3149 or cthornton@nmc.edu.
Cole is originally from Port Huron, MI. He graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago, then moved to Aspen, CO where he spent the last 5 years working as a Chef for the Aspen Skiing Company. He and his wife Anne married last fall and they have been together for 8 years. She works as a pre-school teacher in Kingsley. Together they have a wonderful “mutt” dog named Bella. Cole’s hobbies include skiing, mountain biking, kayaking, hiking, camping, anything outdoors, and of course, Cole has a strong passion for cooking.
Wellness at Work announces July Mini-Challenge winner
July Challenge Winner:
Thanks to all who participated in the July Crossword Challenge (past challenges can be seen here).
This month’s challenge winner is……..
Cheri Paul!
Congrats, Cheri, your Oryana giftcard & wellness swag bag is on its way.
If *YOU* want to win, simply participate in our Monthly Mini Challenges! More info on the August challenge will be available next week.
Stay in the wellness loop by signing up for our monthly wellness newsletter, and make sure to frequent the Wellness @ Work website for information on challenges, the scorecard program, and wellness events.
Kudos!
Elizabeth Stevens and Lindsey Dickinson helped problem solve with a parent and student during orientation. The situation was frustrating for the family. Elizabeth and Lindsey helped the family to feel better, create solutions, and have a more positive experience. As well, it was supportive to staff because advisors could continue to work with other students on a busy orientation day!
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 anniversaries soon. Please join us in congratulating them!
Judi Rokos STCW Clerk and Project Specialist 19 years
Dave Weaver Desktop Computer Support Specialist 2 years
Benefits corner
Tuition Waiver for Dependents
NMC offers a tuition waiver based on the employee’s appointment percent for regular employees and their dependents covering the cost of tuition for courses offered by the College (D-711.00), and for adjunct instructors and their dependents based on the number of contacts they taught in the previous year (D-712.00). If any of your dependents age 19 or older are planning to take classes, you must confirm their dependent status is in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code’s definition of dependency each semester that they enroll. (This does not apply to spouses.) According to IRS Publication 501, a qualifying child must meet the five tests of relationship, age, residency, support and joint return. The age requirements are detailed here:
- Under age 19 at the end of the year and younger than you (or your spouse if filing jointly),
- A full-time student under age 24 at the end of the year and younger than you (or your spouse if filing jointly), or
- Permanently and totally disabled at any time during the year, regardless of age.
(Please note that the age requirements for dependency differ from the age requirements for health benefits through the NMC health care plan.)
If you have a dependent 19 or older enrolled for Fall Semester, or if you have other questions about the tuition benefit, please contact Cheri Paul at 995-1026.
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.
Strategy Retreat to take place July 31
The Strategy Retreat planned for Wednesday, July 31 will kick off NMC’s process to update our strategic plan. This year’s retreat will focus on the external environment and building a common understanding of the change that is afoot within higher education. Additional work on goals development and refinement will take place during the weeks following this initial session. A high level planning calendar is available on the ORPE planning pages on the intranet located here.
The Strategy Retreat is attended by the Leadership Group which includes: President’s Council, Planning & Budget Council, Policy Council Chair, Employee Group Chairs, Educational Services Instructional Management Team (ESIMT), and department directors. Additional information on the role of Leadership Group and others across campus in the planning process can also be found on the ORPE planning pages located here.
Work on revising the strategic plan will continue for several weeks following the retreat. If you have input to the plan (which can be found here) please share your feedback with a member of Leadership Group – ideally your department director.
For more information about the planning process visit the planning homepage. Questions about the process or planning roles can be directed to Karen Ruedinger at 5-1032.
Welcome Anthony Rupard to NMC!
Anythony Rupard joined NMC in the position of Director of Development on July 22, 2013. He can be reached at 995-2822 or arupard@nmc.edu.
Anthony and his wife Natalie Rupard moved to Traverse City from Lexington, Kentucky. Natalie and Anthony left Michigan in 2002 after meeting in college in Grand Rapids and are very excited to return to Michigan. Their two children Anna Mae (6) and Owen (4) keep them busy and as a family they enjoy volunteering, hiking, and reading Dr. Seuss books. Prior to moving to Traverse City, Anthony and Natalie both worked at Georgetown College, a 4-year private liberal arts institution, Anthony as the Director of Development and Natalie as the Associate Director for Academic Enhancement.