TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College has recognized several employees for excellence in the 2025-26 academic year:
Faculty excellence award winners are chosen by a student selection committee. Criteria includes teaching excellence, rapport with students, innovation in the classroom and a sense of dedication.
Imogene Wise Faculty Excellence Award: Kristen Salathiel, Communications. Student nominators said of Salathiel, an who began teaching at NMC as an adjunct in 2002 and moved to full-time faculty in 2009.
- “The two semesters I had her she was always wanting to help the class learn and wanted to help struggling students to get their work done. She is very thoughtful, patient, and caring to all of her students. She gave very thorough instructions in class, and came up with fun group activities to get everyone in the class engaged and talking to each other.”
- “She makes sure that everyone feels included in class discussions and promotes group work. This helps the students in the class not only connect with one another, but also connect with the class content. Additionally, even years after having taken her class, she goes out of her way to ask me how I’m doing when she sees me outside of the classroom and congratulates me on awards/performance at events.”
Initiated by a contribution from longtime NMC benefactors Harold and Imogene Wise in 1970, the award was first made to a full-time faculty member in 1971.
Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award: Daniel Grim, Communications. Student nominators said of Grim, who has taught two years at NMC:
- “Professor Grim made everything relevant and interesting. He spoke authentically and had real-world examples and stories that were compelling. He listened to the experiences and ideas of others and he would take it a step further adding an insight onto it that stayed with me all semester long. I always looked forward to coming to his class and I learned so much!”
- “He creates a sense of community by encouraging open discussions where everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts. He takes time to respond to students’ ideas and builds conversations with them, which makes people feel heard and included. He’s also very patient with students, which is something I wish other professors could incorporate into their teaching methods.”
The Adjunct Excellence award was created in 1999 as a companion to the Imogene Wise Faculty Excellence Award. This is the first time both the full-time and adjunct faculty winners have been from the same department. See a full list of all past faculty and adjunct faculty excellence winners at nmc.edu/cie
Criteria for the team and staff excellence awards includes commitment “above and beyond” the NMC mission, vision, and values.
Team Excellence Award: Grounds Team – Dan Hoseit, Max McColl and Jeremy Maloney. Cited for stewardship, collaboration and excellence, Grounds’ duties include plowing campus parking lots and sidewalks. Despite being down one staff member and the challenges of a very snowy winter, including an unprecedented three consecutive snow days in March, they rose to the task and helped keep the college community safe. Their efforts earned them nominations from four different sources.
Staff Excellence Award: Marcus Bennett, associate dean of campus life. Bennett, who joined the college in 2011, epitomizes going above and beyond in his work. He and his family live in East Hall and he is available to students 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. He works both behind the scenes, one-on-one with students, and in the spotlight, organizing large public events like the annual fall Welcome Week, when students move into the dorms, and the recent 75th anniversary Student & Community Block party.
Release date: MAY 14, 2026
For more information:
Cari Noga
NMC Communications Director
cnoga@nmc.edu
(231) 392-1800 (Call or text)