Oct 5, 2026 | Intercom, Student News
Flu season is on the horizon and Student Health Services will host three more flu clinics this fall.
Wednesday, Oct. 14
1–2 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 20
10–11 a.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 27
2–3 p.m.
Flu shots cost $15 for students and $20 for employees without NMC insurance.
For those who are unable to stop by during one of the times listed above call (231) 995-1255 to schedule an appointment.
Student Health Services is located in room 106 of the Les Biederman Building on NMC’s Front Street campus.
Oct 5, 2026 | Intercom, Media Mentions
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.
Freshwater Research & Innovation Center ‘comes to life’
Record-Eagle, Oct. 3
(more…)
Oct 5, 2026 | Intercom, Student News
DTE Energy is making natural gas pipeline upgrades near NMC’s Front Street campus to keep the community’s service safe and reliable. As part of this work, crews are scheduled to conduct a controlled gas flare on Tuesday, Oct. 6, beginning around 8:30 a.m. and lasting until approximately 3 p.m.
During this routine process, odorant will be injected into the new gas main near Eighth Street and Hastings Street, several blocks south of Front Street campus. Crews will then conduct a controlled flare operation in the northwest corner of the Traverse City Central High School parking lot, near Eastern Avenue and Milliken Street, to the northwest of NMC. The flare may be visible to nearby residents and businesses and may be accompanied by a slight rotten egg odor and low roaring sound. This is a routine procedure, and natural gas service will not be interrupted. Traffic control will be in place near the two main work areas, but no road closures or detours are expected.
The odorant will remain in the pipe for about one week, with crews expected to purge the remaining gas/odorant from the line on or around Tuesday, Oct. 13, using a second, shorter flare operation. If you have general or non-emergency questions about the work, call (616) 632-2620, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
As always, if you believe you detect a natural gas leak at your property, leave the area immediately, call 911, then call DTE’s dedicated natural gas leak hotline at (800) 947-5000.
Oct 5, 2026 | Intercom
Join us on Tuesday, October 13 for this year’s October Conference—Lasting Legacy, Bold Tomorrow: Thriving Together in a Changing World. This day is designed to offer you actionable insights, honest conversations and practical tools you can directly apply to your work.
NMC faculty and staff along with resident experts will lead an impressive variety of sessions covering everything from practical classroom and office strategies for AI, to human-centered approaches for fostering campus belonging, connection and care.
Reframing Burnout in Academia
We are excited to welcome Dr. Rebecca Pope-Ruark, who will address burnout in higher education. Dr. Pope-Ruark will share grounded research on how we define, understand and realistically mitigate burnout in our academic environment. In addition to her keynote presentation, she will host two interactive workshops during the day.
Schedule Overview
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8 a.m. – Coffee & Donuts: Start the day at the Dennos Museum Center with coffee, donuts, and time to catch up with colleagues.
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Morning kickoff: Gather in Milliken Auditorium for the opening program (including a return appearance by the Swag Squad).
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Breakout sessions 1 & 2: Choose your path from the session guide.
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Lunch: Provided for conference attendees.
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Breakout sessions 3 & 4: Choose your path from the session guide.
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Afternoon wrap-up: Finish at the Innovation Center for light refreshments and informal conversations on what you learned.
Attendance expectations & stipends:
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Regular faculty and staff: Attendance is an expectation for staff and a contractual obligation for faculty. Supplemental staff should check with their supervisor.
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Adjunct Instructors: You are strongly encouraged to attend and will receive a stipend for all hours attended.
View the October Conference schedule and session summary guide.
Questions? Please contact: Lori Hodek, lhodek@nmc.edu 5-1143 or Janet Lively, jlively@nmc.edu 5-1231.
Oct 2, 2026 | Intercom, Student News
TRAVERSE CITY — Two committees of Northwestern Michigan College’s Board of Trustees are scheduled to meet in the President’s Office Conference Room of the Tanis Building on NMC’s Front Street Campus, 1701 E. Front St., Traverse City, Michigan.
- Building & Site Committee, Wednesday, October 7, 2 p.m.
- Executive Committee, Thursday, October 8, 3 p.m.
The official meeting notices are available here.
For more information, please contact the President’s office at (231) 995-1010.
Release date: October 2, 2026
Non-Discrimination Policy Notice
Northwestern Michigan College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, height, weight, marital status or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. nmc.edu/non-discrimination
Oct 2, 2026 | HR Corner, Intercom
The following employees are celebrating an anniversary soon. Please join us in congratulating them!
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Oct 2, 2026 | HR Corner, Intercom
These colleagues have moved on to a new chapter in their lives. We wish them the very best as they navigate a new adventure, and we thank them for their time and dedication to NMC!
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- Judy Arnold – Financial Aid Specialist
- Jade Bailey, supplemental employee – Food Service, Back of House
- Chloe Boeve, supplemental employee – Food Service, Back of House
- Kayla Burt – Adjunct Certified Flight Instructor
- Holly Daly, supplemental employee – Food Service, Back of House
- Justin Deo, student employee – Fitness Center Staff
- Alexander DeSoto – Adjunct Certified Flight Instructor
- Tiffany Falls – Adjunct Audio Technology Instructor
- Ashleigh Fender, supplemental employee – Human Resources Assistant
- Laura Ford – Adjunct Nursing Instructor
- William Gullekson, supplemental employee – Aviation Line Crew
- Everett Howell, student employee – Office Assistant Communications
- Kyle Hudson – Adjunct Certified Flight Instructor
- Christine Mac – Math & Science Instructor
- Cale Markham, student employee – Aviation Line Crew
- Patrick Quinlan – Director of Facilities
- Solomon Schultz, supplemental employee – Food Service, Back of House
- Dafne Yanez, supplemental employee – Food Service, Back of House
- Scout Yanez, supplemental employee – Food Service, Back of House
Oct 2, 2026 | HR Corner, Intercom
These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
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- Laura Kingman – Facilities Project Manager (currently Interim Facilities Director)
- Danni Fowler, student employee – Writing Center Reader
- Audrey Nicholson, student employee – Student Life Office Assistant
- Brian Robinson, student employee – Residence Hall Front Desk
- William Anders, supplemental employee – Banquet Server, Hagerty Center
- Melody Jesiek, supplemental employee – Food Service, Front of House
- Madeline Poplin, supplemental employee – Banquet Server, Hagerty Center
- Kalley Slater, student employee – Engineering Technology Lab Assistant
- Candace Windish, supplemental employee – Food Service, Front of House
- Olivia Russell, student employee – Aviation Line Crew
- James Delligatti, supplemental employee – Food Service, Front of House
- Angella Baisden – supplemental employee – Data Analyst
- Jacob Nardi, supplemental employee – Food Service, Front of House
Oct 2, 2026 | HR Corner, Intercom
The following employee were recently promoted. Congratulations!
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- Nicole Wenstrup – Financial Aid Specialist
- Shea O’Brien – Financial Aid Specialist
- Charles Russell – Painter
- Chester Kelly – Math & Science Instructor
Oct 2, 2026 | Intercom
We continue to make steady progress on the action steps across our strategic objectives. Strategy 1 was presented in depth during Monday’s Board Study Session and Board Meeting—you can view the full Strategy 1 memo here for reference.
Strategy 1 is robust, and finding the right balance to highlight every objective within our allotted presentation time is an ongoing effort. We could dedicate an entire board meeting to Strategy 1 alone!
Key highlights presented from Strategy 1: Future-Focused Education:
AI Goals & Progress: Ryan Bernstein and Terri Gustafson led a two-hour Board Study Session overviewing NMC’s AI goals, current progress, and future opportunities, fielding questions and scenarios from Trustees. Board Chair Mark Keely noted how reassuring it was to have Terri and Ryan leading this charge. Hats off to them both!
Tip: Check out the last few pages of the Strategy 1 memo to view the AI infographic. It was very well received by both the Board and President Nissley and may serve as a helpful model for your own work.
Mission & Values in Action: Marine Technology student Gary T. highlighted his hands-on experience aboard the E/V Nautilus, where he participated in Exploration 178 mapping from Hawaii to Guam. His story beautifully demonstrated the reach of our distinguished programs, the strength of our community partnerships (like the Marine Technology Society), and the impact of our outreach efforts in drawing students to NMC from beyond our region (tied to Objective 3).
Durable Skills: During the faculty report, Brandon Everest and Kristy McDonald shared a timely update on how experiential learning from NMC Next has evolved into a broader focus on durable skills in our current strategic plan. They detailed course- and program-level work to equip instructors with resources, as well as outreach encouraging students to pursue the nEXt endorsement. The Board remains enthusiastic about how this work supports regional employers, differentiates the NMC experience, and balances our AI initiatives (tied to Objective 1).
Supporting At-Risk Students: Joy Goodchild provided a detailed look into Objective 4, highlighting our targeted efforts to support at-risk students through Week 3/Week 8 outreach, expanded interventions, and course redesigns. The Board engaged deeply, asking great follow-up questions about expanding reach, potential participation models, the role of the Osterlin redesign, and even options for students to designate a mentor or parent to receive support updates. Expect this discussion to continue as our outreach expands.
Additional Updates & Upcoming Schedule:
- Strategy 1 Dashboards Complete: Joy and the ORPE team finalized the Strategy 1 dashboards late last week, and we are working to integrate them into the landing page. Dashboards for Strategies 2 and 3 will be developed this month. Thank you, Joy and team!
- Strategic Plan “Cheat Sheet:” We created a summary graphic that directly links NMC’s mission, vision, and values to our strategic plan objectives. Feel free to use this helpful reference when speaking with community members or external stakeholders.
- October Look Ahead: Tony Sauerbrey will lead presentations on the Northsky Consortium and the Uncrewed Aerial Systems program. There will be no additional strategic plan updates in October.
- November 23, 2026: Strategy 2 Presentation — Enrollment and Student Success
- December 14, 2026: Strategy 3 Presentation — Vibrant College Community
Oct 2, 2026 | Intercom
Spring textbook requisitions are due on October 9. Please log into fast.ecampus.com/school/nmc to complete your textbook requisition.
Need help submitting your course materials? Watch this video or read through these step-by-step instructions to learn more.
Questions? Please email nmc@ecampus.com for assistance.
Sep 30, 2026 | Cyber Minute, Intercom
When you get a suspicious email, don’t just trash it. Use the Phish Alert button in your email client. One click protects everyone who might receive the exact same message.
Sep 30, 2026 | Intercom, Student Events
Campus Life is hosting a kick, punt and pass competition at 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9 on the NMC athletic field between East Hall and North Hall. Register here.
For more information, contact Marcus Bennett at mbennett@nmc.edu.
Sep 28, 2026 | Hawk Owl Helpers and Heroes, Intercom
Hats off to the Technical division for hosting 400 middle and high school students this week for Building Tomorrow. The annual event allows students who are beginning to think about their future to try multiple skilled trades programs, planting a seed for a career with strong employment prospects.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Sep 28, 2026 | Intercom, Media Mentions
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 flight team heads to Ohio for NIFA Region 3 contest
UpNorthLive, Sept. 27
MSN Money, Sept. 27 (more…)
Sep 25, 2026 | Intercom
The NMC Board of Trustees will hold a study session as well as its regular monthly meeting Monday, Sept. 28 in Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center Room 106/107 on NMC’s Front Street campus, 1701 E. Front Street, Traverse City, Mich.
The study session will begin at 3 p.m. The regular meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. The meeting agendas are available here.
For more information, please contact the President’s office at (231) 995-1010.
Sep 24, 2026 | Intercom, Student Events
Join NMC music instructor Dr. Michael Kudirka for the inaugural gathering of Grand Traverse Deep Listening, a new community devoted to communal listening and immersive, long-form musical experiences.
The first gathering takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 25 in the grassy area between the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center and Founders Hall on NMC’s Front Street Campus.
For this inaugural event, participants will experience in vain by Georg Friedrich Haas, widely recognized as a major work of 21st-century orchestral music. The piece runs a little over an hour; bring a blanket or lawn chair and settle in as the music unfolds alongside the evening sky, with the sun setting and the full moon rising.
The event is being presented in collaboration with NMC’s Audio Technology Department, which will provide a high-fidelity sound system designed to bring the full depth and detail of the recording to life.
To learn more about this project, visit gtdeeplistening.org.
Sep 23, 2026 | Intercom, Student News
NMC Aviation students Grace Soneral (left) and Rachael Kornoely at the Air Race Classic
September 23, 2026
When Aviation student Grace Soneral starts looking for her first pilot job, she wants both her own resume and those of her fellow NMC flight students to rise above the pack.
So Soneral (pictured above left with teammate Rachael Kornoely) is co-captaining NMC’s first competitive flight team in more than two decades. In two weeks they’ll head to Ohio as the only community college to compete in the National Intercollegiate Flying Association’s (NIFA) Region 3 competition. A kind of aviation track and field meet, with events both in the air and on the ground, NMC Aviation students pitched the idea of a team to NMC’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which awarded them the funding for a SAFECON (Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference) team last May.
“It truly tests your skills as a pilot and shows that you are willing to go above and beyond,” said Soneral, 20, who started at NMC in summer 2025 and will graduate next spring. “This is an opportunity for NMC students to set themselves apart. Not a lot of two-year programs have that option.”
Two-year aviation programs are in fact the exception to the rule, as Soneral found out in June flying in the Air Race Classic, an all-female point-to-point race that this year covered more than 2,700 miles across the Midwest and South. She and her teammates discovered that NMC’s program, which allows students to fly in their first semester, is a structure other students wished they had.
“It was very eye-opening,” Soneral said. “We love NMC. I am proud to be an NMC student and so grateful for a program structure that gets us flying right in our first semester.”
“You’re getting in a plane a lot faster,” her NIFA co-captain Alex Modrzynski (left) said of NMC’s two-year structure. Last year’s addition of a new hangar and eight new planes, which enabled Aviation to double its enrollment, also makes it timely for NMC to raise its profile now.
“We’re rivaling, in our fleet size, other schools in the country,” said Modrzynski, 32, who will graduate this semester. “I love it. I don’t think there’s anywhere more beautiful to fly than northern Michigan.”
NMC’s support of the team via the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship also aligns with the college’s strategic goal to provide real-world learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom. The flight competition team was one of six projects OIE funded in May. Applications for a fall round of funding are open through Oct. 15.
“My voice was taken seriously and I was supported by the program,” said Soneral, who advocated for the team.
Under the coaching of flight instructor Joel Cairns, NMC will compete against Ohio State University, Western Michigan, Kent State, Bowling Green and Fairmont State in simulation events, written tests and preflight checks, all ground events, at the competition Oct. 4-9 in Bowling Green. Next year, when WMU hosts, they hope to enter flying events.
“We want the safest pilots we can have out there,” Modrzynski said. “This is a great way to do it, and have a little fun.”
“I grew so much as a pilot on the Air Race. I’m going to be a safer, smarter pilot in the future because of this,” Soneral said.
