Thank you all for everything you do in pursuit of “Keeping Learning at the Center.”
Activities of Note: Faculty and Staff
This section recognizes the good work being done and linkages to the Strategic Agenda, Strategic Directions and Goals are provided where possible.
- Great Lakes Maritime Academy Faculty are among 6 finalists for the prestigious Lloyd’s List North American Maritime Awards 2015 in the Training Award category. This award goes to a company for outstanding commitment in training its employees ashore or at sea; or a company or institution that can demonstrate a contribution toward improving training standards across the maritime industry as a whole. Judges will be looking for examples of investment in new facilities and courses, innovative training solutions and a sustained, effective approach to developing quality staff in the maritime sector. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony and dinner to be held on February 18, 2015, at the exclusive Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa, Houston. The nomination submission is attached. (SD1)
- GLMA reports another great year of U.S. Coast Guard license exam results. The Engine Program had 13 who tested, taking all 7 modules including the 2 steam modules. Eight passed all modules, with the other 5 having to retake 1 or 2 modules; all passed the two steam modules. These results indicate a 92.3% passing rate of exams administered. The
- Deck Program had 23 tested, with 16 passing all modules, 5 only needing to retake 1 module and the remaining retaking 2 or 3 modules. The Deck results reflect a 94% passing rate of exams administered. Any wonder why our GLMA faculty are award finalists! Thanks to everyone’s efforts. (SD1, SD5)
- NMC has been invited to participate, along with 11 other Michigan Community Colleges, in Cohort I of the Michigan Guided Pathways Institute. As a participant, NMC will become part of a state and a national network of colleges working to implement a set of principles
- and practices which research suggests will improve processes to help students connect, enter, progress and complete programs of study leading to credentials of value in the labor market. The selection was based on materials submitted, which indicated our institution is well positioned to take on this work. As a member, NMC’s team will have access to educational resources provided through the Kresge Foundation. (SD1, SD3)
- NMC faculty has won top honors in two of three categories (student, adjunct, full-time) at the LAND Conference in Grand Rapids this past week for best conference presentations. Fellow LAND attendees cast ballots.
- Adjunct Faculty, 1st Place: Teresa Scollon, “Five Ways to Use Poetry to Teach Even if You Don’t Get Poetry”
- Full-time Faculty, 2nd Place: Regis McCord, “Five Things in Thirty-five Years (or one thing every two minutes!): Reflections of a Slow Learner and a Fast Talker”
- Full-time Faculty, 1st Place: Melissa Sprenkle, Michael Anderson, and Susan Odgers, “Whose Writing Workshop is it Anyway?”
- Earlier in the day, NMC was awarded this year’s Institutional Excellence Award (and a check for $1000!) for Melissa, Michael, and Susan’s work with the Homeless Writing Workshop. An added bonus: Stephen Siciliano braced the icy roads from TC to Grand Rapids, arriving in time to join the lunch-time award presentation.
- NMC’s Nancy Parshall, who in recent years has served as both an officer and president has taken the LAND Conference to new heights. Her visionary thinking and steadfast leadership have helped birth LAND’s invigorating “lightening talks” format. Many thanks, Nancy, for your many years of service and dedication!
- In addition to yesterday’s Lightning Talk winners, LAND awarded NMC student (and WRC reader) Kristy Groth second place in the fiction category for her short story “Bank Shot.” Congratulations to Kristy and her Creative Writing instructor, Teresa Scollon! (SD1, SD3)
- On Sunday, February 15, six NMC choral music groups performed at Lars Hockstad Auditorium. It was great to see community members ranging in age from elementary school to retirees sharing their passion for music. Thank you to Jeff Cobb, the other conductors, administrative managers, and volunteers for a great example of lifetime learning! (SD3, SD4)
Activities of Note: Tim
- We’ve been holding a series of Open Listening Sessions that have been facilitated by the vice presidents. These sessions have been well attended and with good participation asking questions and discussing the various topics brought up during the sessions. Thank you all who have participated. The vice presidents look forward to any feedback provided on these sessions.
- The evening of January 24, Nancy and I attended the Dennos Museum Center opening reception for the new exhibits that will be on display through May 17, 2015. The exhibits include HWEH – GEEH Returning Again an installation by Jinwon Chang, Jae Yong Kim: Lusting After Donuts, ReTooled: Highlights from the Hechinger Collection, and Michigan Ceramic Artists Exhibition 2014.
- I attended the MCCA Legislative Summit in Lansing on January 29 and also met with six state legislators individually while there. I address some of what was discussed under Legislative Issues below.
- The evening of January 30 I stopped by the Hagerty Center staff holiday party that had been postponed due to severe weather when previously scheduled. We provided a separate holiday party for this group as they work during the NMC employee holiday party held at the Hagerty Center.
- Elaine Wood, Doug Luciani and I continue to have regular breakfast meetings to touch base on common initiatives. We met on on February 3 and discussed the new Prosperity Zone classifications and economic development issues within the region.
- At noon on February 3, Kennard, Ross and I attended a luncheon reception for Mark Barker, President of Interlake Steamship Company, and Glenn Kolke, Marine Personnel Manager, who gave an informational presentation to Cadets later that afternoon.
- I met with representatives of Grand Traverse County Planning Department on February 4 to discuss potential support for the creation of an economic development strategy for GT County.
Legislative Issues
- The Governor has issued his executive budget that includes his funding requests and priorities for the coming year. Attached is a summary of the Community College section. There is continued support for community college activities with a particular tilt toward workforce talent preparation. His capital outlay recommendations identify two planning grants and did not include NMC. We will continue to work with the JCOS to secure funding. Remember that the House and Senate now go to work to craft their budget recommendations that may, or may not, be in agreement with the Governor’s.
- The Business Leaders of Michigan (BLM) have issued their report on “How Higher Education can Help Michigan Become a Top Ten State:. Among their recommendations are strengthening performance based funding for community colleges. This is an influential group of leaders that have been successful in influencing state policy. The report and summary are attached.
- For other issues we are addressing, please see the attached MCCA update.
Miscellaneous
- A team of 8 from NMC will be participating in a Strategy Forum as part of our HLC AQIP accreditation process. The team will be focusing on two targets for change during this intensive workshop—expanding community awareness and engagement and the shared governance process. By the end of the meeting we are required to have a work plan that will lead to identification of our next AQIP project. Thank you in advance for the team’s work on this issue.