New books for May 2025
To find these selections and many other new titles, see the NMC library catalog.
Board of Trustees Building & Site meeting
The NMC Board of Trustees Building & Site Committee will meet at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, May, 13 in the President’s Office conference room. More information is available here.
For more information, please contact the President’s office at (231) 995-1010.
Thank you Commencement coordinators and volunteers!
Congratulations to the class of 2025 and to all who helped make every Commencement event a success. That includes the Honors and Leadership Convocation, three Commencement ceremonies, plus additional ceremonies for the Police Academy, Maritime, nursing and Native American graduates.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Media mentions for May 5, 2025
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.
‘Set the example;’ These NMC grads find their future through reconnecting to education
Record-Eagle, May 4
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NMC Library summer hours
The NMC Library will be open for summer hours from May 3 through August 22. It will be open to students and the public 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and closed on Saturdays and Sundays. The library will also be closed for the Memorial Day (Monday, May 26) and Independence Day (Friday, July 4) holidays.
OOPs pitch event scheduled for May 21
Mark your calendar! The next pitch event is Wednesday, May 21, from noon–1:30 p.m. in the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center, room 106/107. The OOPs team is looking for pitches that are focused on educational initiatives, including new programs, increasing enrollment in existing programs, accelerating college strategies and implementing the campus master plan.
Pitches are open to NMC students, faculty and staff. If you have a great idea or project that needs resources to reach its full potential, the Office of Possibilities wants to hear from you!
Fill out this application to connect with an OOPs team member who will assist in planning your pitch.
If you have any questions about the application or the process, please email oops@nmc.edu and someone will get back to you promptly. Meeting with an OOPs team member is required before entering a pitch so please plan accordingly.
The Office of Possibilities is grateful for the generous support from the NMC Foundation that provides funding for innovative projects across campus!
The OOPs team looks forward to seeing you there!
Success Story: ‘No time like the present’ NMC Reconnect grad, 50, urges others to pursue a degree
April 30, 2025
In her day job as registrar at Traverse City Central High School, Kerri-Ann Bonaddio sees dual-enrolled NMC students all the time. Two years ago, she decided she needed to join them.
“One day I said. ‘I’m just going to do it,’ ” said Bonaddio, 50, who last sat in a classroom almost 30 years ago at a California community college. “Now that I’m an adult, I realize what it means to have a diploma. To have an associate degree.”
She’ll receive that degree on Saturday. Besides the personal accomplishment of earning her degree, Bonaddio has the satisfaction of knowing it was paid for through Michigan Reconnect. The scholarship program pays for in-district tuition and fees for adults 25 and over who don’t already have a college degree. About 20 percent of NMC’s class of 2025 — 123 out of 565 — are Reconnect students.
Bonaddio is not done yet. After taking a little time off, she hopes to pursue her bachelor’s degree. She advises others considering higher education to pursue it, no matter what their age.
“For those younger students, do it now. For the older students who are returning to school, do it now. There’s no time like the present,” she said.
Younger students have the Community College Guarantee to help them finance their education. Both the high school class of 2025 and 2024 are eligible for the scholarship that covers in-district tuition and fees.
Commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2025 will be held Saturday, May 3 in Milliken Auditorium on main campus. Three ceremonies will be held, with graduates grouped by degree or credential earned.
- 11 a.m.: Associate of Science and Arts (ASA) and Associate of General Studies degrees
- 12:30 p.m.: Non-health Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degrees, Associate of Science in Engineering (ASE) degrees, and certificates
- 2 p.m.: Health Occupations (nursing and dental assistant degrees), Aviation, Marine Technology and Maritime
Each ceremony will feature faculty and student speakers. Ceremonies will be streamed live at nmc.edu/video and NMC’s YouTube channel. Other 2025 highlights include:
- Presentation of NMC’s first Water Quality and Environmental Technology degrees
- Presentation of the first nEXt endorsements. Recipients of this and NMC’s global endorsement will be identified with an expanded key in the commencement program, and by wearing special cords, as veteran and honors graduates already do.
NMC will also hold its annual Honors & Leadership Convocation at 4:30 p.m. May 2 at the Dennos Museum Center.
Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center summer hours
Starting Sunday, May 4, 2025, the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center (TJNIC) will be open to the public from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. Anyone else needing access to this building outside of these hours should contact Campus Safety and Security at (231) 995-1111.
Ready, set, code: NMC IT Olympics
Tenth annual competition spotlights high school IT students; hard and soft skills required
TRAVERSE CITY — More than 100 high school IT students will test their skills at halting hackers, composing code and working under pressure at NMC’s tenth annual IT Olympics, set for May 7 on main campus.
Teams from dozens of schools from Elk Rapids to Cadillac and Mesick to Traverse City are expected to compete in the 2025 event, which consists of four timed challenges: web design, programming, network/security and an IT technical challenge.
The IT Olympics began in 2016, with infrastructure students from Northwest Ed’s Career-Tech Center. It was expanded to include application and web programming students in 2017. In 2018 it again grew to include the Wexford-Missaukee school district. Stephanie Cardwell, a 2014 NMC IT graduate who is now senior network engineer and team lead at Munson Healthcare, is one of the judges.
“It’s important for me to give back to NMC because NMC has done so much for me,” Cardwell said of why she volunteers for the day. Her mother was one of NMC’s first female IT graduates, in the 1990s. Her grandmother also attended NMC, becoming the first woman in the family to earn a college degree.
“We’re three generations of women at this point,” Cardwell said. “Third generation NMC, graduating and really improving our lives as a result.”
She also enjoys seeing the creativity of the students in their responses to the challenges. All team members must compete in at least two of the four challenges. The competition is designed to challenge students to apply both their soft and technical skills. Cardwell stressed that soft skills, like working as a team, communication and presentation are as important as the technical skills.
“Unless you’ve got those soft skills, no one’s going to want to work with you,” she said.
NMC CIT program director Scott Goethals said the Olympics and Industry Night Out, another department event celebrating its tenth year, serve to recruit students to NMC’s program.
“The key for us is building a relationship with the students,” he said. “We want them to get to know the faculty and to learn more about our programs. By building this relationship, we hope they will consider our CIT program when they finish high school.”
IT Olympics opening ceremonies begin at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 7 in the James Beckett building on NMC’s Front Street campus. Closing ceremonies will be held from 2:15-3 p.m., with prizes awarded for the first, second and third place teams.
Release date: APRIL 29, 2025
For more information:
Cari Noga
NMC Communications Director
cnoga@nmc.edu
(231) 392-1800 (Call or text)
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE
Northwestern Michigan College does not discriminate in admission, campus activities, education, employment, housing, public accommodation or public service on the basis of age, color, creed, disability, gender identity/expression, handicap, height, marital or familial status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, service in the military, veteran’s status, weight, or any other legally protected status under federal, state, or local law. No act of retaliation shall occur to any person making a charge, filing a complaint, testifying or participating in any discrimination investigation or proceeding. nmc.edu/non-discrimination2nd annual Block Party
Thanks to all who organized and volunteered at Saturday’s second annual NMC block party for students and employees, especially those who braved the chilly weather to enter the dunk tank: Nick Nissley, John Biolchini, Garrett Croon and Brooklynn Golnick.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Spring Art Market
The Dennos Museum Center will host the Spring Art Market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 10. The annual event features 25 Michigan artists selling their work and special programming to celebrate artists, spring and moms!
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- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Spring Art Market
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mother’s Day card making project
- Noon to 3 p.m. Pianist in the galleries
- Noon to 3 p.m. Snacks and lemonade (while they last)
- Noon to 3 p.m. Mawby Sparkling Bar (while it lasts)
Admission to the museum is free. View the the full list of participating artists on the Dennos Museum’s website.
Kudos!
Kudos to Ali Thornton, Justin Guillard, Chris Little, and Tyrel Stott! Ali, Justin, Chris and Tyrel consistently go above and beyond during orientation, always ready to help with a smile on their face. The first orientation for students entering NMC this summer or fall 2025 brought a unique set of challenges, especially with the added responsibility of ensuring multi-factor authentication (MFA) was properly set up for all incoming students.
Kudos to Beth Norconk! Beth single-handedly configured the 30+ PCs for the upcoming IT olympics event. This was a massive help and a big load off our plates.
Kudos to Chelsie Niemi, Liz Celeste and the rest of the Dennos team! The Dennos Museum partnered with Student Success, Up North Pride, Pride Student Group and two stores in town to host and plan a clothing swap for Earth Day. Thank you for not only hosting, but also taking the primary planning role, facilitating the clothing donations and helping sort everything for an amazing event! We were able to have over 300 students and community members attend this free event and make a massive donation of clothing to area non-profit thrift stores.
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!
Welcome our newest hires
These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
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- Daniel Hoseit — Groundskeeper
- Jocelyn Joseph, supplemental employee — GLMA Culinary Intern
Learn to Navigate ClearCo Performance and Goals – What You Need to Know
NMC is implementing ClearCompany for goal management and performance reviews. Join Human Resources at one of the upcoming training sessions to receive an overview of the new system and get your questions answered. Training sessions will be held:
- Monday, April 28, 2–2:45 p.m.
- Thursday, May 1, 10–10:45 a.m.
- Monday, May 5, 9:30–10:15 a.m.
- Friday, May 9, 9:30–10:15 a.m.
All are encouraged to attend. Supervisors and reviewers are strongly recommended to attend. Those interested in attending can use these instructions to register for Learn to Navigate ClearCo Performance and Goals – What You Need to Know in NEOED Learn.
Media mentions for April 28, 2025
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.
Adapted in TC: A different kind of anniversary
Instructor Susan Odgers’ monthly column on living with disability, Record-Eagle, April 27
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On the menu: Hawk Owl Café specials for April 28–May 2
The Hawk Owl Café serves specials during the fall and spring semesters from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 4:40 to 6:30 p.m. The protein option is $9.99, and the vegetarian option is $7.99. Learn more at nmc.edu/dining.
Menu
Monday, April 28
Orange Chicken & Broccoli Bowl with mandarin oranges served with rice & Bosco sticks
Orange Tofu & Broccoli Bowl (V) with mandarin oranges served with rice & Bosco sticks
Tuesday, April 29
Asada Pulled Pork Tacos with cheese, lettuce, sour cream, and salsa served with refried beans & Spanish rice
Asada Tofu Tacos (V) with cheese, lettuce, sour cream, and salsa served with refried beans & Spanish rice
Wednesday, April 30
Spaghetti & Meatballs with marinara sauce and parmesan served with garlic bread & broccoli
Roasted Vegetables (V) with marinara sauce and parmesan served with garlic bread & broccoli
Thursday, May 1
BBQ Rib Tips served with mashed potatoes & green beans
Roasted Cauliflower Steaks (V) served with mashed potatoes & green beans
Friday, May 2
No Special — Have a great summer break!
NOTE: Hawk Owl Café specials will resume in fall. Find summer hours and selections here.
Update on Trump Administration orders affecting higher education
Good afternoon NMC Community,
This week, President Trump issued several executive orders related to higher education. These directives focus on federal accreditation rules, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, and reporting requirements for foreign funding. While these national-level changes are still new and evolving, I want to take a moment to connect with you directly, because how we respond, together, matters.
Let me start by saying this clearly: there are no immediate changes required of Northwestern Michigan College today. Our accreditors and federal partners are still assessing the implications, and we are in close contact with the organizations that guide our work. We will continue to monitor developments closely, as we always do, and keep you informed as more becomes known.
You may remember our previous communications during the Trump administration when we shared our commitment to staying informed, upholding our values, and supporting our students and employees through uncertain policy shifts. This moment is no different.
We remain:
- Steadfast in our commitment to student access, success, and belonging
- Attentive to the policies that affect our ability to serve you
- Grounded in NMC’s mission and the trust we have in each other
As of today:
- Your financial aid remains secure
- Our DEIB-related programs and supports in place today continue as they are
- There is no disruption to our operations
If and when that changes, you will hear from us directly. In the meantime, I know the end of the semester is a stressful time for many of you. I want to reassure you that the college leadership team is on top of this, asking the right questions, and connected to the right resources. You do not need to worry or take any action at this time.
Thank you for all you bring to this community. Please take care of yourselves and each other as we move toward the close of another academic year.
Nick
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Nick Nissley, Ed.D. | President | Northwestern Michigan College | 231.995.1010
On Journalism, Media & Information Literacy
On Thursday, May 29, Northwestern Michigan College’s International Affairs Forum will present an event on journalism, media and information literacy in partnership with Interlochen Public Radio (IPR). IAF welcomes journalist and advocate Sharon Moshavi, president of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), in conversation with Ed Ronco, news director at IPR.
Sharon Moshavi (pictured left), Ed Ronco (pictured right)
Under Moshavi’s leadership, ICFJ develops and runs programs for its 132,000+ global network of reporters, editors and newsrooms, supporting them to report on critical issues, keep up with technological transformation, and find successful business models. Prior to ICFJ, Moshavi worked as Communications Manager at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For more than a decade before that, Moshavi was based in New Delhi, Jerusalem and Tokyo, reporting from countries across Asia and the Middle East for The Boston Globe, Newsday, BusinessWeek, KQED, PRI, and The New Republic, among others.
Ed Ronco joined IPR as its news director in the summer of 2022, after eight years with KNKX Public Radio in Seattle/Tacoma, where he was the local host of All Things Considered. He’s an experienced reporter, interviewer and broadcaster, whose career has also included work in rural Alaska and northern Indiana.
Moshavi and Ronco will explore how journalists and trusted messengers can work together to help us navigate complex issues on the local, national and global news level. Moshavi shared her perspective on this a piece for the Nieman Lab at Harvard University, which seeks “to promote and elevate the standards of journalism”:
“We need to seek out these journalist-adjacent actors who share the same goal as many newsrooms of delivering actionable, trustworthy news and information to people — information that the public can use to make sense of the world and improve their lives and their societies. They just bring different tools and expertise to do it…Breaking through the information overload that we all experience today has to be front and center for journalism to be relevant and impactful. Cross-functional collaboration among stakeholders in the civic space creates a powerful path for getting there.”
The May 29 hybrid event at the Dennos Museum Center is open to the public and available to watch online. Admission is free for students, educators, all NMC employees and active-duty military members. Tickets are $15 per person for the general public. Reception begins at 5:30 p.m. with the program starting at 6:30 p.m. For in-person tickets, online tickets and all event details, visit TCIAF.com.
IAF’s 31st season is sponsored by Mercantile Bank.