Thank you all for everything you do in pursuit of “Keeping Learning at the Center.”
Notable Accomplishments provided by Faculty and Staff
This section recognizes the good work being done and linkages to the Strategic Directions (SD) and Institutional Effectiveness Criteria (IE) are provided where possible.
- On a recent trip to France, Jim Bensley, Humanities instructor, taught his Intro to Humanities course via Zoom from the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. Students studying the late 19th Century, including the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements were able to interact and receive a close up view of actual works by Monet, Degas, Renoir, Van Gogh and Gauguin. In addition, the unique architectural transformation of a former railway station built in the academic style to an award-winning museum was also presented. (IE1)
- Alex Smith, Visual Communication Instructor, attended the Community College Communication Design Conference (C3DC) at Washtenaw Community College on October 19. C3DC provided Alex an opportunity to network with other community college design educators and gain insights about the state of the industry and how to move education forward in a meaningful way. (IE1)
- Gene Jenneman, Executive Director of the Dennos Museum Center, attended the 2018 Manofim Arts Festival in Jerusalem, Israel October 23-28, 2018 at the invitation of the Israeli government. Jenneman was selected by the Israeli Consulate in Chicago and was the only US delegate out of 20 arts leaders from around the world to be invited to participate in the event. Participants visited art museums, galleries, artists’ studios across Israel, from Haifa to Jerusalem. Besides meeting arts professionals in Israel, delegates got to learn of the arts venues run by the visiting delegates and explore the potential for international exchange of exhibitions and programs. Delegates came from Brazil, Czech Republic, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Peru, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Uzbekistan, and China. During his trip, Jenneman also met with Orna Ben-Ami, an Israeli artist whose work will be on display at the Dennos beginning in February 2019. The trip was a great opportunity to create and strengthen relationships with these global artists. (IE2, IE3, IE4)
- A generous community member, Ken Pickering, has included NMC in his estate plan for an estimated future gift of $1 million to the Ken and Alice Pickering Scholarship Fund. Ken’s education was supported by the GI Bill and he is passionate about creating the same opportunities for higher education that he had. His goal is to change lives for deserving applicants at NMC. (IE1, IE2, IE3, IE4)
- The NMC Food Pantry turned one year old as of November 1, 2018! We were able to provide food and hygiene items for 1,038 students and their household members through 412 orders during the past year. In order to reach more students, we started a grab-and-go table of fresh produce available weekly for students on Tuesdays through our partnership with Lakeview Hill Farm. We are also collaborating with a new culinary student group in offering recipes based on the food available in the pantry. Thank you to all who are giving money through payroll deductions or checks, giving food donations, and giving time to volunteer. (IE2, IE3, IE4)
- April Kesler was chosen to be one of only 40 Surgical Technology Directors from across the country to attend a summit convened by the Association of Surgical Technologists and the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting. The summit took place on October 11 and 12 in Denver, CO and the purpose was to develop the future course of surgical technology education. The two day event include developing the strategic plan that will further assist both organizations in designing an improved national curriculum, educational resources for students and institutions, as well as a new framework for continued innovation for education in the field of surgical technology. (IE1, IE2, IE5)
Activities of Note: Tim
- At our November 1 Town Hall I announced to the NMC campus community that I have notified the Board of Trustees of the date of my retirement—December 31, 2019. I look forward to continuing in my current role for the next fourteen months and serving actively as an advisor during the transition period with support from the college’s long serving leadership team. The Board of Trustees has begun thinking about the succession process and how to best seek input from the college’s many stakeholder groups. Updates to this process will be made available at nmc.edu. I would like to thank everyone for their support and kind words during this transition process. I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved during my 18 years as president.
- NMC’s International Affairs Forum hosted a presentation on November 5 in Scholar’s Hall by Justice Surendra KumarSinha, Former Chief Justice of Bangladesh Supreme Court. His presentation was on the erosion of democracy in Bangladesh. I was able to attend a dinner at Hagerty that evening following his presentation, which was attended by approximately 30 people and included a question and answer session with the Justice. We are lucky to have opportunities in Traverse City to hear directly from participants engaged in world affairs.
- Congratulations to Kennard Weaver, Doug Bishop, Rachel Johnson, and Janie McNabb on their reelection to our Board of Trustees. Kennard and Doug were elected for 6-year terms while Rachel and Janie were elected to fulfill the remainder of terms from trustees that had resigned. This will be Kennard’s second full term and Doug’s third. Rachel Johnson was appointed to the Board in November 2016 after Steve Rawlings announced his resignation, and Janie McNabb was selected in June 2017 to fill a vacancy left by Marilyn Gordon Dresser’s resignation. Thank you for the time and service you volunteer for NMC and our community.
- Last month several of our trustees and executive staff traveled to New York City for the ACCT Leadership Congress. Marguerite Cotto, Vice President for Lifelong and Professional Learning, Trustee Ross Childs, and I presented “A Rural Community College’s Global Partnerships.” This national conference is very informative for attendees, both through the sessions and networking opportunities.
- Thank you to all trustees for taking time on November 6 to spend five hours in a special study session with executive staff. Dan Worth of Groundwork and John Floyd of Bratic Enterprises presented on clean energy opportunities. Topics for the meeting also included preparation for the March 2019 HLC site visit, succession planning, and strategic goals. Another Board study session is being planned for January 9, 2019.
- The weather cooperated nicely for the Mariners Memorial at our Great Lakes Campus on November 9. Thank you to trustees Doug Bishop and Kennard Weaver for joining in this tribute.
- Veterans Day was observed on campus on Monday, November 12, with a breakfast for veterans at the Dennos Museum Center, Walk of Honor, flag raising ceremony, and remarks from trustee Doug Bishop and Congressman Jack Bergman. Thank you to faculty, staff, students, trustees, and community members for joining us to recognize our military veterans and thank them for their service.
- The Humanities Open House took place in the Fine Arts Building on Friday, November 9. Art, music, and dance from students and faculty were showcased as well as renovations to the building. Thank you to all who made this possible.
Legislative Issues
Election Recap
While the recent election will certainly have an impact on the overall makeup and division of power in Congress and the Michigan legislature, closer to home there were few changes in our “Northern Michigan Delegation” (both state and federal). For Northern Michigan we have only 1 new face in the Michigan legislature, Jack O’Malley (R-101st District) who will replace Curt VanderWall who was elected to the Michigan Senate (35th District) and no new faces in our federal delegation.
However, for those returning to Lansing and Washington, there were some changes in leadership positions that have strengthened the Northern Michigan delegation. Those returning to the Michigan Legislature are denoted below and their new leadership position is indicated in italics.
- Jim Stamas (36th Senate District) (Senate Appropriations Chair)
- Wayne Schmidt (37th Senate District) (Assistant Majority Leader)
- Michele Hoitenga (102nd House District)
- Daire Rendon (103rd House District)
- Larry Inman (104th House District)
- Triston Cole (105th House District) (Majority Floor Leader)
- Sue Allor (106th House District)
- Lee Chatfield (107th House District) (Speaker of the House)
At the federal level, with the shift in the power dynamic we will see the most significant change in the leadership of the relevant education and workforce committees. It is expected that the current House Education and Workforce ranking member, Bobby Scott (D-VA) will become chair, Congresswomen Nita Lowey (D-NY) will become House Appropriations Chair and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) will be chair of the subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. Related to the work of the Great Lakes Maritime Academy, we will see Congressman David Price (D-NC) becoming the House Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee Chair.
State
- Post-election, the legislature has entered into what is known as the “Lame Duck” session. This session will begin in earnest following the “Deer Hunting” recess, when the legislature re-convenes on Tuesday, November 27. Items we will be watching include the extension of New Jobs Training bonding authority (passed the House and now goes to the Senate) and the Part Time Student Retirement fix (passed the House Financial Liability Reform Committee and now goes to the full House). We will also be watching for consideration of a fix to the paid sick leave legislation and the movement of a Capital Outlay bill.
Federal
- At the federal level, while the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill passed Congress in September, setting funding levels for programs such as the Pell Grant and Career and Technical Education Basic State grants, we still wait to see the final funding levels for the Department of Transportation budget, which contains critical funding for the Great Lakes Maritime Academy. As congress re-convenes after the election, we will be monitoring this process and determine if there is a need for additional advocacy efforts.
Miscellaneous
- Tuesday, December 4—Board Holiday Party
- Friday, December 14—NMC Holiday Party, Hagerty Center