Tech Tips: Getting Started


Welcome to the NEW semester at Northwestern Michigan College! NMC has many systems and features available to help staff and students. The following tech tips are designed to inform you about the Google Suite, NMC Wifi, Network Drives, and Email-to-Print systems that NMC currently supports and how you can best make use of these features. Click on the link titles for more detailed information.

Google Suite

While on-site at NMC employees and staff are encouraged to use the Google Suite of online applications. Google Suite allows multiple users to access and edit documents in real time from any location with an internet connection. Considering this, Google Suite is recommended for any multi-user projects.

Collaborative Google Suite apps include the following and more…:

  • Docs: Docs is an online text editor, similar to Word. It is an excellent application for writing reports, papers and other documents.
  • Slides: Slides is an online Slideshow creator. Slides is similar to Microsoft PowerPoint.
  • Sheets: Sheets is an online spreadsheet editor, similar to MS Excel.
  • Drive: Google Drive is a file storage and sharing center where all G suite files are stored in the cloud.
  • Forms: Forms is unlike the other applications on this list, it has no Microsoft counterpart. Google Forms is an easy to use submission form editor, useful for creating submission applications, questionnaires, and other polling documents. Other uses include sign-in forms, quick quizzes, and information request forms. Google Forms can be configured to output data directly to a google sheets spreadsheet.

NMC Wifi

NMC’s wireless networks allow students, staff, and visitors to access the internet from anywhere on NMC’s campus. Staff and Students are also able to access network resources, using Workspace, such as their Q, S, and N drives.

  • Staff: This network is reserved for staff and faculty of NMC. This network requires a valid NMC ID and password upon connection.
  • Student: Similar to the staff network, this requires a valid NMC ID and password upon connection; however, both staff and students can log in to access this network.
  • Guest: This network is open to any user that would like to connect, however terms of service must be accepted before the network will connect.

Q, S, and N Network Drives

NMC has three types of networked storage available to users. All staff and students are allowed access to their personal storage drives through the Q drives.

  • Q:/ Drive:  This is your personal home directory.  
  • S:/ Drive: All staff members have access to this drive, which allows files to be shared between staff. Users are permitted access to certain shares of this drive, i.e., if a user is part of Human Resources, they would have access to all of their departmental shares. A user’s access rights are also dependent on what type of employee they are, i.e., supplemental/student employee, faculty or staff.
  • N:/ Drive: Available to select staff and students that share large files over the network, sometimes called Dropboxes, operates similarly to the S drive; however, shares located within are only available to select students and staff. Students and staff that need access to shares are given access only to the specific share that is required.

Email-to-Print

All computers at NMC are set up to connect to nearby printers; however, printing may be an issue when using laptops and non-NMC devices. Because of this issue, NMC has implemented many Email-to-Print enabled printers across the campus. These devices allow a user to email a document to print. Many publicly available printers on the campus are enabled to accept emails; however, some are not.

  • Orange Tag: To be sure if a printer is Email-to-Print enabled, an orange tag is placed on printers throughout the campus. Printers that support this feature are labeled on the orange tag as “Email-to-Print enabled.”
  • New Email: To print to these printers merely open your email program/website, and start a new email with the document of interest as an attachment.
  • Recipient: The recipient of this email will be the printer name (which is shown in bold letters and numbers on the orange printer tag) followed by an @nmc.edu email domain. For example, the printer labeled T51-KM will be accepting print jobs from the T51-KM@nmc.edu email address. (the printer address is not case sensitive)
  • Document: The Email-to-Print document will print after 60-90 seconds typically.

If you have questions or need more information, please contact the Technology Help Desk via one of the following methods:

  • Call 231-995-3020 – 24 hours a day/7 days a week for assistance
  • Visit Tanis 51 Help Desk
  • Visit Beckett 214 Help Desk and Open Lab
  • Chat via Chat Here – during regular Help Desk Hours

Festival of Foods Feb. 2

At Festival of Foods, you will learn new cooking skills and get fresh ideas from area chefs and gourmet food artisans. Enjoy tasty samplings in this learn-a-lot-quick experience on Saturday, Feb. 2, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. for $99. Each hour highlights four workshops you select your favorite 4 of the 16 options. Local presenters, including Chef Eric Nittolo (Lochenheath Golf Club), Chef Janene Silverman (Raduno), Andre Bushell (Dickey’s BBQ) and Kim Fish (The Cheese Lady), will be joined by many outstanding chefs and food experts and there will be tastings throughout. View the schedule of sessions here, then register for this sellout event by calling 231-995-1700!

NMC joins basic needs initiative to support students

TRAVERSE CITY — NMC this month joins a statewide initiative to help students connect with resources to support basic needs. The Michigan Community College Association was awarded a $442,000 grant to launch the initiative focused on improving student completion and success by addressing economic instability among students including access to food, housing, transportation, childcare and other basic needs.

The Michigan – Building Economic Stability Today (MI-BEST) effort is funded through June 2022 by a grant from the Los Angeles-based ECMC Foundation as part of its Basic Needs Initiative, designed to address and alleviate basic needs insecurity among students. National survey findings reported that 45 percent of respondents had been food insecure in the past 30 days, 56 percent had been housing insecure in the previous year and 17 percent had been homeless during that year.

NMC will begin by forming a team of college personnel and community leaders. Dean of Students Lisa Thomas, NMC’s project lead, said members will include executive leadership, advisers, faculty, development/fundraising staff, financial aid staff and community partners.

“What I would hope is we learn some ways to better structure or provide internal supports to our students,” Thomas said.

NMC has offered a food pantry since November 2017. It serves between 80 and 90 people per month. This year’s usage is on pace to equal the 2018 academic year, the first full year of operation, when 1,087 total people were served.
In addition to the food pantry, Thomas also has emergency textbook funds available, as well as gas cards and BATA passes for students with transportation issues. Now, accessing those resources is handled on a case by case basis, rather than systematically.

“We’re going to take a deep dive to see what are the structures and processes in place at NMC to see what is supporting or what is a barrier to students completing their education,” Thomas said.

The Michigan Center for Student Success is leading the initiative for the MCCA and will partner with nationally-recognized organizations including the National Center for Inquiry and Improvement and Trellis Research along with Michigan-based organizations including the Michigan Association of United Ways, MiBridges, and Public Policy Associates to support Michigan’s participating community colleges.

“We know that the lack of access to basic needs is frequently the reason that students leave college,” said Erica Lee Orians, executive director of the Michigan Center for Student Success at the MCCA. “NMC’s participation in this initiative is a critical component of our student success efforts.”

The Michigan Center for Student Success, founded in 2011, serves as a hub connecting leadership, administrators, faculty, and staff in their emerging and ongoing efforts to improve student outcomes, emphasizing linkages between practice, research, and policy. The Center has led statewide initiatives focused on reengaging adults, developmental education, transfer, veterans, and advising. The Center is part of the 16-state Student Success Center Network working with over half of the community colleges across the nation.

Release date: January 14, 2019

For more information:

Lisa Thomas
Dean of Students
lthomas@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1043

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

Outstanding Alumni nominations due

TRAVERSE CITY — The Northwestern Michigan College alumni program is seeking nominations for the 2019 Outstanding Alumni award. Nominations will be accepted through Feb. 28.

Celebrated since 1988, the Outstanding Alumni award recognizes alumni for significant professional achievements and/or exemplary leadership in the local or global community. The award(s) will be presented at NMC’s annual Commencement ceremony May 4.

Nominations may also be e-mailed to Director of Alumni Relations, Cameron Penny, at alumni@nmc.edu or mailed to the NMC Alumni Relations, 1701 E. Front St., Traverse City, MI 49686.

The 2018 Outstanding Alumni recipients were Ed Reynolds, Dr. Robert Tanis, and Trevor Tkach.

Release date: January 14, 2019

For more information:

Cameron Penny
Director of Alumni Relations
cpenny@nmc.edu
(231) 995-2825

 

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