Book buyback will be available at the NMC Bookstore both in store and online from November 9 through December 11.
Either bring your books to the bookstore, or check out the virtual option at bookstore.nmc.edu.
Learn more about the bookstore’s buyback policies here.
TRAVERSE CITY — Rachel Johnson, Laura Oblinger and Ken Warner were elected to six-year terms on the Northwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees Tuesday, in an election that attracted the largest slate of candidates in 30 years.
Rachel Johnson
(click for high-resolution version)
Laura Oblinger
(click for high-resolution version)Current board vice-chair Johnson was re-elected, and first-time candidates Oblinger and Warner received the three highest vote totals from Grand Traverse County voters. Oblinger and Warner will succeed K. Ross Childs and Jane T. McNabb, who did not seek re-election. All three will be sworn in Jan. 1, 2021, for six-year terms expiring in 2026.
“We are excited to welcome these new trustees, and appreciate the interest in the college shown by all the candidates,” said NMC President Nick Nissley. “We’re also grateful for the service of Trustees Childs and McNabb, and wish them well.”
Johnson was appointed to fill a vacancy in 2016 and first elected in 2018 to fill the remainder of her current term. She serves on the NMC Audit Committee, the Policy Committee and the Presidential Performance & Compensation Committee and is the member relations manager at Cherryland Electric Cooperative.
Oblinger, an NMC alumna, is a Traverse City native. The past executive director of the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce, she now is director of client services and business development for Rehmann.
Ken Warner
(click for high-resolution version)
Warner is retired from the University of Michigan, where he spent 45 years as a professor, including 15 as a department chair and School of Public Health dean.
Childs was one of NMC’s longest-serving trustees, appointed to the board in 2001 and first elected in 2002. McNabb was appointed in 2017 and elected in 2018 to fill the remainder of a term that expires Dec. 31.
Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director, NMC Public Relations, Marketing & Communications
(231) 995-1019
dfairbanks@nmc.edu
A sincere thank you to:
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
The following college events and stories have appeared in the media in the past two weeks. 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.
NMC, Munson support BSN option at community colleges
Record-Eagle, Oct. 30 (more…)
Congratulations to all who completed the Step Into National Parks step challenge through the NMC wellness program! We had 40 people join and 18 complete the challenge—learning about our National Parks each week and logging at least 3,000-4,570 steps daily throughout the 5-week weekly count. We hope you enjoyed the challenge and look forward to “seeing” you on the Wellbeing Hub! An additional congratulations to our 6 prize drawing winners; Hollie will be in touch for your VISA gift card:
Questions on the NMC wellness program?
Contact Priority Health Wellbeing at (877) 689-3161 or Wellness@priorityhealth.com.
Honoree’s Name: Nick Roster
Honoree’s Dept./Division: Science and Math
Reason for Kudos: Nick gave an awesome presentation to the Board of Trustees about Anatomy & Physiology in the time of Covid. Thank you for sharing your creative, innovative and student-focused online lab-intensive course! Thank you for taking the time and showcasing the excellent learning we have here at NMC!
Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. During our “Stay Home, Stay Safe” directive, please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!
TRAVERSE CITY — The Traverse City region and the state have recently set new record highs in cumulative coronavirus cases, new daily cases and active cases. In an effort to curb this increase, and the health impact on the people in our communities, the state has moved our region from phase 5 to phase 4 and increased restrictions across Michigan on gathering size and masks. Please note NMC remains at stage 2 of its reopening plan and continues all safety protocols including requiring masks and social distancing on all campuses.
Since the start of the pandemic we have remained committed to two main goals: keeping our students and employees safe and limiting the disruption to learning. With the increase of cases in the region and on our campuses, it is critical that each of us continues to do everything we can to keep the virus from spreading at NMC, at home and in the community. In addition to wearing face masks and practicing social distancing and good hygiene, please make sure you do the daily health self-screening and please stay home if you believe you might be sick with any illness or have been in close contact with a positive case. Instructors and supervisors are ready and willing to work with you on this and know it will take all of us together to limit the spread of the disease.
We only have 3 ½ weeks to go before Thanksgiving break where we will pivot to remote learning as planned. We will continue to monitor the spread of the virus and will adjust our response as needed to work to keep you safe. Our hope is that we can continue to deliver learning and services as we are now without increasing restrictions.
We will also continue to communicate with you about cases on campus. You can find more information on NMC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, resources, safety guidelines and feedback form at nmc.edu/covid-19.
Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications
dfairbanks@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1019
TRAVERSE CITY — The Traverse City region and the state have recently set new record highs in cumulative coronavirus cases, new daily cases and active cases. In an effort to curb this increase, and the health impact on the people in our communities, the state has moved our region from phase 5 to phase 4 and increased restrictions across Michigan on gathering size and masks. Please note NMC remains at stage 2 of its reopening plan and continues all safety protocols including requiring masks and social distancing on all campuses.
Since the start of the pandemic we have remained committed to two main goals: keeping our students and employees safe and limiting the disruption to learning. With the increase of cases in the region and on our campuses, it is critical that each of us continues to do everything we can to keep the virus from spreading at NMC, at home and in the community. In addition to wearing face masks and practicing social distancing and good hygiene, please make sure you do the daily health self-screening and please stay home if you believe you might be sick with any illness or have been in close contact with a positive case. Instructors and supervisors are ready and willing to work with you on this and know it will take all of us together to limit the spread of the disease.
We only have 3 ½ weeks to go before Thanksgiving break where we will pivot to remote learning as planned. We will continue to monitor the spread of the virus and will adjust our response as needed to work to keep you safe. Our hope is that we can continue to deliver learning and services as we are now without increasing restrictions.
We will also continue to communicate with you about cases on campus. You can find more information on NMC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, resources, safety guidelines and feedback form at nmc.edu/covid-19.
Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications
dfairbanks@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1019
Robert Giles wrote his 2020 book “When Truth Mattered” about his experiences as a journalist covering the Kent State shootings. Fifty years later, when journalists are under attack from the very highest levels of government, the book is a reminder of why journalism — especially local journalism — is one of the last great guarantors of our democracy.
Giles (left) will be at the National Writers Series Tuesday, Nov. 10, for a free, virtual event starting at 7 p.m. ET. To register, go to the National Writers Series website via bit.ly/BobGiles or register at TCIAF.com.
The event is presented in partnership with the International Affairs Forum of Traverse City. The conversation will be simulcast on Interlochen Public Radio, 91.5 FM in Traverse City; 90.1 FM in Harbor Springs and 89.7 FM in Manistee and Ludington.
Giles was the young managing editor of the Akron Beacon Journal on May 4, 1970. His staff, writing stories that ran counter to most others, won a Pulitzer Prize for their coverage. Giles’ writing is absorbing and meticulous; he writes eloquently not just about the Kent State coverage, but of reporters and editors passionate about the truth and its importance to democracy and an informed nation. “When Truth Mattered” takes you inside the turmoil and drama of the newsroom. Join us on Nov. 10.
Guest host for the event is Cynthia Canty (right), an Emmy award-winning radio and TV journalist, anchor, and morning personality in Detroit. Now retired, she was host of WUOM’s program “Stateside” from 2012-2019.
Longtime NMC instructor and Art Department head Stephen Ballance passed away on October 21, 2020.
Steve joined the NMC faculty in 1971 as a part-time instructor of photography, taught Photography and Art Appreciation from 1981 through 2000 and served as the head of the Art Department from 1986 through 2000, according to his obituary. He also headed the Physical Education Department from 1981 through 1986 and taught sailing to Great Lakes Maritime Academy students. He considered his work with his students as his most important accomplishment.
At Steve’s request, a private memorial service will be held in the spring. Recognitions of Steve’s contribution to the community should be directed to the Paul & Delphine Welch Art Department Scholarship at Northwestern Michigan College, 1701 E. Front Street, Traverse City, MI 49686. Read more and share your memories here.
Emergency temporary housing for three NMC students. Steel-toed boots that enabled a welding student to stay enrolled. Internet hotspots for students who suddenly needed to attend classes virtually. All were made possible this year through the NMC Foundation’s Be What’s Possible $35 million fundraising campaign.
Such direct, crisis relief funding was possible because of the campaign’s comprehensive design, a decision made in 2016. Back then, launching Be What’s Possible seemed ambitious: It’s 10 times the size of any previous NMC campaign, and aimed at multiple priorities simultaneously, instead of a specific capital project.
Then the coronavirus hit just six months after the final, public phase was announced in October 2019. The ambitious, comprehensive campaign proved to be exactly the solution for students weathering the pandemic.
One of the campaign’s four priorities, The Fund for NMC, is dedicated to the college’s most urgent needs. That fund immediately pivoted to crisis relief. Dollars directed to the Office of Student Life paid for the three students’ short-term hotel stays, until more permanent solutions were found.
“I was going to be staying in my truck, sleeping in my vehicle,” said Elyce Newcomb, a culinary student from Sault Ste. Marie who received housing assistance in September. “I didn’t want to leave my college classes.”
“(The pandemic) shifted the priority message to student support,” said campaign coordinator Carly McCall (left). “It really shifted the attention onto general, unrestricted support.”
NMC’s Office of Financial Aid was another vehicle to route assistance.
“We were able to take those dollars raised, and transfer them, through financial aid, directly to the students,” said Rebecca Teahen, associate vice president of resource development.
That opportunity to directly support students resonated with donors like Bob and Kathy Garvey of Williamsburg, new NMC donors this year.
“After COVID it was health, food, education. Those things sort of came to the forefront in terms of our giving,” said Bob Garvey. A newspaper story he read on student needs propelled the semi-retired lawyer to donate to support NMC scholarships.
“A lot of students are in service jobs, and I thought, ‘Man, these kids are between a rock and a hard place.’ ” Garvey said.
Many other donors thought the same thing. April 2020 became the Foundation’s fifth highest donor month ever. The second quarter of 2020, with more than 1,300 donors, was its second-highest quarter ever. Teahen said the “significant participation” was a silver lining to the pandemic.
“We know that philanthropy and giving is a way to connect, connect with your community and connect neighbors,” she said.
It’s never been more critical. The three housing requests are an indicator of how dire community need is due to COVID. Prior to 2020, Dean of Student Life Lisa Thomas said she’s housed just one student. But community programs and agencies she would normally rely on are pinched for funds, volunteers and time.
Now the ambitious Be What’s Possible campaign, co-chaired by NMC alumni Bruce Byl and Susie Janis (right), is looking eminently doable, with just $3 million left to raise. That makes all kinds of things possible for NMC in the future.
“It changes the nature of how we can operate, to know that this community can support on that level,” McCall said.
Be What’s Possible expects to achieve its goal and conclude in the first half of 2021. In addition to the college’s most urgent needs, supported by The Fund for NMC, and scholarships, which the Garveys donated to, the priorities include:
“It allows donors to give in the way that makes sense for them,” Teahen said. “People want to help. Even when times are tough, they want to have a way to help their community.”
The NMC Board of Trustees completed a performance evaluation of President Nick Nissley at the October 26, 2020, Board of Trustees meeting. The evaluation with President Nissley was held in closed session, pursuant to his request and in compliance with the Open Meetings Act.
The overall rating of President Nissley’s performance is “Very Effective,” stating his performance is at a very high level, demonstrates a high degree of proficiency and frequently exceeds standards of normal expected performance.
Caroline Heldman, Ph.D., Chair of the Critical Theory and Social Justice Department and Gender, Women, & Sexuality Studies at Occidental College, is the featured speaker at a 7 p.m. Nov. 12 presentation on “A Century of Gender Justice Activism”. Dr. Heidman will draw a timeline of the last century of gender justice activism with a focus on progress and pitfalls, and analyze the current status of women in the U.S. after a century of pushing for gender justice. The event will be hosted by NMC Psychology instructor Shilo Smith, MS. Join via Zoom here: nmc.zoom.us/j/94968308718.
The presentation is part of “100 Years of the 19th Amendment: Observing the Past and Looking Toward the Future,” NMC’s series of events exploring the amendment that gave U.S. women the right to vote.
Congratulations to NMC’s Academic & Career Advising Center for successfully reimagining the college’s annual transfer fair as a week-long virtual event. Students were able to choose from over 50 interactive sessions between October 12 and 15, including 25 major-specific sessions focused on specialty transfer areas like Business, Cybersecurity, Engineering, Nursing and Pre-Med.
The event also cross-promoted High School College Night, retooled as two nights of virtual sessions, for students unable to attend the virtual transfer fair. And new transfer sessions hosted by other colleges and universities continue to be added to the virtual event page, which also promotes weekly Virtual Transfer Tuesday sessions featuring NMC University Center partners.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
The Health & Science Building’s first-floor atrium on NMC’s main campus will be used as a city polling place for Precinct 9 voters again this year, including on Tuesday, Nov. 3 between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Some parking in the Cedar lot will be set aside for voters at those times.
Voters are asked but not required to wear masks at the polling place. Masks will be provided for people who don’t have them but would like one, sneeze guards will be in place within the polling place where voters and election workers most interact, items will be sanitized and social distancing signs will be in place. Those not voting are asked to avoid the polling place during voting. (NMC’s Keep Safe plan requires that face masks be worn and social distancing practiced – staying at least six feet apart – in all other NMC common areas, hallways and classrooms.)
The NMC Bookstore will be closed Nov. 3 as well, and will reopen with normal hours Wednesday, Nov. 4.
The following college events and stories have appeared in the media in the past two weeks. 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.
Northwestern Michigan College Sees Campaign Donations Grow During Pandemic
9&10 News, October 21 (more…)
On Saturday, October 24th, 2020, NMC’s eSports student group will be hosting its first eSports Tournament at 6 p.m., online in partnership with Shine Media. It will be a Rocket League 3V3 tournament between NMC students.
Shine Media is a digital broadcasting company, co-owned by one of NMC’s veteran students.
Please take a few short minutes to watch this video message to our NMC community from President Nick Nissley.
Thank you for all you do to keep safe and keep learning!
The following college events and stories have appeared in the media in the past two weeks. 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.
People are giving — in record numbers — to NMC’s ambitious campaign
The Ticker, October 14 (more…)
Thank you to Boy Scout Troop 34, led by Scoutmaster and NMC biology instructor Nick Roster (left), which tackled an invasive patch of phragmites near the Cherry parking lot on main campus earlier this month.
It’s part of what Roster, whose two sons are in the troop, expects to be a three-year conservation and service project eradicating invasive species on college property.
Invasive phragmites “creates tall, dense stands which degrade wetlands and coastal areas by crowding out native plants and animals, blocking shoreline views, reducing access for swimming, fishing, and hunting and can create fire hazards from dry plant material,” according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Education & Outreach Coordinator Constanza Hazelwood of NMC’s Great Lakes Water Studies Institute will discuss the state of freshwater and how students in our area are learning about this valuable resource.
This event is free and open to the public, and presented by the American Association of University Women.
Register for the event here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/
The following employees are celebrating an anniversary soon. Please join us in congratulating them! (more…)
Please save the date for the open enrollment meeting on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020 at 10 a.m. More details will follow!
Kudos to all of our NMC students for following COVID-19 safety measures. We can see it all over campus with mask-wearing and social distancing keeping everyone healthy. Thank you!
TRAVERSE CITY — The community is invited to view the virtual 45th annual Mariners Memorial Service at noon Tuesday, November 10 via a Zoom webinar from the courtyard of NMC’s Great Lakes campus. The public can access the event at the following Zoom address: nmc.zoom.us/
The memorial service is held to remember and honor mariners who have perished on the Great Lakes and oceans and is sponsored by the Student Propeller Club, Port 150, of the Great Lakes Maritime Academy.
About GLMA and NMC: NMC is the only community college in the nation to grant a bachelor’s degree, in either maritime deck, maritime engineering or maritime power systems, to its Great Lakes Maritime Academy cadets. Celebrating 50 years of maritime education in 2019-2020, GLMA was commended by U.S. Maritime Administrator Rear Adm. Mark Buzby (USN, ret) as a “pillar of maritime education and training in the Great Lakes region, this great nation, and the entire world.”
Scott Fairbank
Great Lakes Maritime Academy Director of Admissions
(231) 995-1213
sfairbank@nmc.edu