NMC Campus Safety will be installing boxes of Narcan in every AED box on campus. The Narcan is supplied by the community-based organization Northern Michigan Opioid Response Consortium (NMORC).
Narcan (naloxone) is used to rapidly reverse the life-threatening effects of an opioid overdose. It is a life-saving medication that can restore normal breathing within minutes to those whose breathing has slowed or stopped due to an opioid emergency.
Watch this video to learn how to identify the signs of opioid overdose and how to administer Narcan.
Winter is here and so we salute NMC’s facilities team, for keeping all four campus parking lots plowed and sidewalks cleared and salted. NMC’s Campus Safety officers will also jump-start dead car batteries if needed – call (231) 995-1111.
On Wednesday, December 10, the International Affairs Forum returns to the Milliken Auditorium with a revealing look at the hidden environmental, social, and economic impacts of U.S. military spending. America’s defense budget exceeds $800 billion, but the real cost goes deeper. The True Cost of Defense follows quadruple-amputee veteran Travis Mills, military recruiters, families on overseas bases, and communities shaped by global military commitments. It reveals defense’s most profound price: the human one—lives forever changed by service and America’s role in world affairs.
A reception will precede the event at 6:30 p.m., with the screening at 7 p.m. followed by a public Q&A panel discussion at 8 p.m.
The panel includes Jack Segal, retired senior U.S. diplomat and former Consul General who served at the White House, held posts in Russia, Israel/Palestine, and Afghanistan, helped craft landmark U.S.–USSR nuclear agreements, and earned a Bronze Star for service in Vietnam; MajGen Mike Lehnert, USMC (ret.), co-chair of the International Affairs Forum Advisory Board and longtime Marine commander with operational roles in Panama, Kuwait, Iraq, and Cuba; and Colonel Steve Briggs, U.S. Army (ret.), a 30-year Army Aviation and senior Operations/Plans Officer with additional service as a DoD analyst and deployments to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Afghanistan. More panelists may be announced at TCIAF.com and on IAF socials.
Admission is free—advance registration is recommended. To register, visit TCIAF.com.
Presented in partnership with Free To Choose Media.
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.
Update: This showing has been postponed until April 2026.
the reason i jump will screen at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 4 in the Dutmers Theater as part of NMC’s Global Cinema Series.
Admission is FREE and is open to students, staff and the community, although seating is limited. Doors open and 5:30 p.m. and films begin at 6 p.m. in the Dutmers Theater at the Dennos Museum on NMC’s Front Street Campus.
While I try to bring an attitude of gratitude to work with me every day, Thanksgiving affords a special opportunity to pause and reflect on all that I have to be thankful for. And, while I am grateful for all that you do every day, Thanksgiving affords me a special day to say thanks to you, for all that each and every one of you do to breathe life into our NMC mission.
An attitude of gratitude is woven into the fabric of our NMC culture. This past month, I saw it expressed by students, faculty, and staff alike:
I saw 5th grade students from Blair Elementary here on our campus, grateful for the friendship they receive from their generous NMC mentors.
I saw the largest turnout ever for the “Walk for Health and Homelessness”, where our students show compassion for those experiencing housing insecurity.
I saw Kristy McDonald’s service-learning class assemble free Thanksgiving meals – 212 of them – providing members of our community (including NMC students and their families) an opportunity to enjoy a Thanksgiving celebration. I also saw the Culinary Students in Kristy’s class create a cookie decorating kit, to offer joy along with the sustenance.
I saw our faculty and staff welcoming TCAPS 5th graders – every 5th grader at TCAPS – to explore our campus and learn about health occupations so they might begin to imagine themselves at NMC and perhaps in a future career in health care.
I saw the College and community join together for our annual Veterans Day ceremony, giving thanks to our country’s veterans.
And, I also saw students, faculty, staff, trustees, and Foundation board members join together as volunteers to distribute approximately 7,000 lbs. of food at our mobile food pantry, yesterday – our largest ever distribution.
I am grateful that together we get to serve our NMC mission, helping students move from where they are today to where they hope to be. There’s no more meaningful and fulfilling job than ours: to help ensure that our students succeed in the pursuit of their dreams.
Lastly, I am reminded of the NMC Foundation’s mission, to mobilize generosity. These examples above show how generous our NMC family is – showing up and caring for our College and our community. This is not new, this is our NMC mission – transforming lives and enriching our communities – and has been practiced for the past 74 years. As we look to next year, and celebrating the College’s 75th Anniversary, let’s ask how we might grow that generosity and impact.
Campus Life is hosting a dodgeball tournament on Thursday, December 4 at 7 p.m. in the Rajkovich Physical Education Building on NMC’s Front Street Campus.
Prizes for 1ˢᵗ and 2ⁿᵈ place teams
No entry fees
Open to all current NMC students and employees
Maximum of 5 persons per team
The deadline to sign up is December 4 by 4 p.m.
If you have any questions, please contactMarcus Bennett at mbennett@nmc.edu.
NMC is hosting a mobile pantry on from 3–5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 1 in the Maple Lot on the Front Street campus.This will be the last distribution of the semester.
We have 6,420 pounds of food to share with our students and community. The menu includes potatoes, celery, peppers, carrots, apples, milk, cottage cheese, granola cereal and peanut butter.
NMC’s mobile pantry program is designed specifically for NMC students and their families. While this is intended for students, all are welcome. There are no financial requirements or means tests. Drive-thru and walk-up options are both available. If a student is unable to attend the distribution due to a class conflict, they may send a friend or family member to pick-up on their behalf.
We’re proud to announce that 729 students are taking advantage of the Community College Guarantee at NMC this fall. Collectively, they are helping the state of Michigan reach its Sixty by 30 goal – 60% of adult Michiganders earning a post-high school degree or certificate by 2030.
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.
The NMC Board of Trustees will hold its regular monthly meeting Monday, November 24 at 5:30 p.m. in Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center Room 106/107. More information is available here.
For more information, please contact the President’s office at (231) 995-1010.
Join us for a fun-filled white elephant book swap at 9 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 15 in the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center, room 203. This event is open to all NMC employees and is sponsored by Employee Wellness. Bring a wrapped book to exchange and discover something new while sharing laughs and stories with fellow book lovers. Start your journey with us and enjoy the magic of unexpected surprises! Plus, indulge in free coffee and pastries to make your morning even sweeter.
For questions, reach out to Brittany Hanbury at (231) 995-2613 or bhanbury@nmc.edu.
Even a TV show like Friends can offer valuable life lessons, and that’s exactly what this interactive webinar will explore! We’ll dive into the timeless lessons on friendship, love, and navigating life’s ups and downs that the show has to offer. Plus, there will be a fun trivia contest with a prize, so get ready to test your Friends knowledge. Don’t miss this chance to engage, learn, and have a blast. Register now
The emerging strategic plan has moved into the action development stage. The preliminary action steps are focused on the discovery phase of the objectives and cover the time period of January through June 2026 to align with NMC’s budget and A3 cycle. Year 1 of the new plan will officially begin on July 1, 2026 and run through June 30, 2027.
In addition to continued outreach to NMC’s stakeholder groups in October and early November, the plan has had input from Leadership Council, the Strategic Plan Steering Committee, and two Board of Trustees study sessions. Formal approval of the strategic plan is expected at the December 15th meeting of the Board of Trustees.
At a time of year that’s all about gratitude, more than 700 NMC students and their families no doubt have the same thing on their mind: the Community College Guarantee.
Fall semester enrollment rose 47 percent, to 729 students, in the second year of the CCG scholarship, which offers free tuition to high school graduates with no limits on income eligibility. They were awarded $1.41 million to cover NMC tuition. That amount jumped almost 60 percent over the $890,000 awarded in fall 2024.
“It was a relief knowing college would be a lot cheaper. It allows me to save money to go up to (Michigan) Tech,” said Luke Bobrowski (above), a CCG recipient and 2024 graduate of St. Francis High School. He will complete his associate degree at NMC this December, and transfer to MTU next year to pursue a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering technology.
“NMC has a really good transfer program with Tech,” he said.
2025 Traverse City Central High School graduate Sam Roeters had been accepted to Northern Michigan University and thought she wanted to attend a large university. After she heard about the CCG, she changed her mind. Her first semester has confirmed she made the right call.
“I’m quite glad that I decided to go to NMC,” Roeters said. “The ratio of students to professors is so much lower.”
Bobrowski found attending NMC doesn’t mean sacrificing a well-rounded college experience. Through participating on an Esports team, playing Frisbee golf on campus, and using the NMC Fitness Center and music studios, Bobrowski described NMC as a community and fun.
Bobrowski also dual-enrolled at NMC while a senior at St. Francis, which allowed him to get through his associate degree coursework quicker.
“I actually cut off a whole semester, and saved a bunch of money,” he said.
Roeters plans to join a club next semester.
“Everybody’s pretty friendly,” she said. “I really do love what I’ve experienced at NMC so far.”
Part of Michigan’s Sixty by 30 initiative to increase the education level of the state’s workforce, the Community College Guarantee was first offered to the high school class of 2024, but not until July 2024, after many students had already made college plans. The CCG offers free in-district tuition. Those who live outside NMC’s district (Grand Traverse County) can still get most of their tuition paid by applying other scholarships and grants toward the difference between out of district and in-district rates.
Students have 15 months after high school graduation to initially enroll. Find out more at nmc.edu/guarantee.
On Wednesday, December 10, the International Affairs Forum returns to the Milliken Auditorium with a revealing look at the hidden environmental, social, and economic impacts of U.S. military spending. America’s defense budget exceeds $800 billion, but the real cost goes deeper. The True Cost of Defense follows quadruple-amputee veteran Travis Mills, military recruiters, families on overseas bases, and communities shaped by global military commitments. It reveals defense’s most profound price: the human one—lives forever changed by service and America’s role in world affairs. 
Update: This showing has been postponed until April 2026.
Join us for a fun-filled white elephant book swap at 9 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 15 in the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center, room 203. This event is open to all NMC employees and is sponsored by Employee Wellness. Bring a wrapped book to exchange and discover something new while sharing laughs and stories with fellow book lovers. Start your journey with us and enjoy the magic of unexpected surprises! Plus, indulge in free coffee and pastries to make your morning even sweeter.
The emerging strategic plan has moved into the action development stage. The preliminary action steps are focused on the discovery phase of the objectives and cover the time period of January through June 2026 to align with NMC’s budget and A3 cycle. Year 1 of the new plan will officially begin on July 1, 2026 and run through June 30, 2027.