Success Story: Education executive chosen as next NMC president

Oct 14, 2019 | Intercom, Student News

October 14, 2019

Nick Nissley, an education executive with 25 years experience in leadership roles, will become the 11th president of Northwestern Michigan College following unanimous approval of a two-year contract by the college’s Board of Trustees today.

“Dr. Nissley’s proven experience in leadership and innovation make him the right leader to take our community’s college forward,” said board chair Chris Bott. “We are extremely pleased to conclude our comprehensive and transparent presidential search by officially welcoming Dr. Nissley to NMC.”

Nissley’s first day as president will be Jan. 1, 2020. An education executive whose leadership roles span K-12, community college and university settings in both the United States and Canada, Nissley describes himself as a “possibilitarian.” Leadership development at mission-driven institutions has been at the forefront of a career spent building individual and organizational capabilities that support organizational effectiveness, and innovation cultures in support of educational excellence.

“I seek to inspire others through my can-do spirit and restless determination to continually improve upon the present,” Nissley said. “Engaging the strengths of NMC’s faculty and staff, I believe the college can achieve more than was ever originally imagined.”

Currently the Executive Director of The School for Creative & Performing Arts in Cincinnati, Ohio, Nissley assumed leadership in 2015, at a crucial juncture in the history of the school, a public-private partnership.  Nissley crafted and executed a stabilization plan, including development of a new fundraising organization. With broad stakeholder engagement, he  then shifted focus to strategic planning. During his tenure the school also achieved a 100 percent graduation rate in a district with a 75 percent rate.

Immediately prior to that role, from 2010-15 Nissley served as dean of the Business Technologies division at Cincinnati State Community College, one of the largest community colleges in Ohio with more than 12,000 students. His accomplishments there included increasing first-time student enrollment, overall headcount and credit hours; expanding off-campus programming; expanded high school dual enrollment; and development of online programming, including the largest at Cincinnati State.

During his career in Cincinnati, Nissley worked with Trey Devey, current president of the Interlochen Center for the Arts and formerly with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Devey said the NMC Board made an excellent choice in Nissley, a leader who is “collaborative by nature.”

“The opportunities we need to seize in our community are going to have to be done by coalition and (Nissley) is the person to build and expand upon the community-wide teams NMC has developed,” Devey said, adding that Nissley’s integrity and honesty further round out his assets as a leader.  “Nick offers NMC and our community nothing but upside.”

A total of 67 people applied for the position as president. Search firm The Pauly Group reviewed the applicants to ensure all met the minimum criteria for the job. The Pauly group recommended 20 candidates to the presidential search committee. That committee narrowed the list to eight candidates for video interviews. The committee recommended five finalists for in-person interviews which included campus and community forums open to the public.

This is the culmination of work since Nov. 1, 2018, when president Timothy J. Nelson announced his intention to retire on Dec. 31, 2019.

“The decision came down to who was the best fit at this time, and that person is Dr. Nick Nissley,” said Bott. “His decades in leadership development, his experience across the entire education spectrum and his long track record of executing strategic priorities are a tremendous asset not only for NMC but the communities we serve in northern Michigan.”

For more information on Nick Nissley, visit nmc.edu/president.

Seasoned education executive chosen as next NMC president

Oct 14, 2019 | Intercom, Student News

Dr. Nick Nissley (click for high-resolution version)TRAVERSE CITY — Nick Nissley will become the 11th president of Northwestern Michigan College following unanimous approval of a 2-year contract by the college’s Board of Trustees Monday.

“We are extremely pleased to conclude our comprehensive and transparent presidential search by officially welcoming Dr. Nissley to NMC,” said board chair Chris Bott. “Dr. Nissley’s proven experience in leadership and innovation make him the right leader to take our community’s college forward.”

Nissley’s first day as president will be Jan. 1, 2020. An education executive who has spent 25 years in leadership roles spanning K-12, community college and university settings in both the United States and Canada, he describes himself as a “possibilitarian.” Leadership development at mission-driven institutions has been at the forefront of a career spent building individual and organizational capabilities that support organizational effectiveness, and innovation cultures in support of educational excellence.

“I seek to inspire others through my can-do spirit and restless determination to continually improve upon the present,” said Nissley, currently the Executive Director of The School for Creative & Performing Arts in Cincinnati, Ohio. “Engaging the strengths of NMC’s faculty and staff, I believe the college can achieve more than was originally imagined.”

Nissley has led The School for Creative & Performing Arts since 2015. He assumed leadership at a crucial juncture in the history of the school, a public-private partnership. Nissley crafted and executed a stabilization plan, including development of a new fundraising organization. With broad stakeholder engagement, he then shifted focus to strategic planning. During his tenure the school also achieved a 100-percent graduation rate in a district with a 75-percent rate.

Immediately prior to that role, from 2010-15 Nissley served as dean of the Business Technologies division at Cincinnati State Community College, one of the largest community colleges in Ohio with more than 12,000 students. His accomplishments there included increasing first-time student enrollment, overall headcount and credit hours; expanding off-campus programming; expanded high school dual enrollment; and development of online programming, including the largest at Cincinnati State.

During his career in Cincinnati, Nissley worked with Trey Devey, current president of the Interlochen Center for the Arts and formerly with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Devey said the NMC Board made an excellent choice in Nissley, a leader who is “collaborative by nature.”

“The opportunities we need to seize in our community are going to have to be done by coalition and (Nissley) is the person to build and expand upon the community-wide teams NMC has developed,” Devey said, adding that Nissley’s integrity and honesty further round out his assets as a leader. “Nick offers NMC and our community nothing but upside.”

A total of 67 people applied for the position as president. Search firm The Pauly Group reviewed the applicants to ensure all met the minimum criteria for the job. The Pauly group recommended 20 candidates to the presidential search committee. That committee narrowed the list to eight candidates for video interviews. The committee recommended five finalists for in-person interviews which included campus and community forums open to the public.

This is the culmination of work since Nov. 1, 2018, when president Timothy J. Nelson announced his intention to retire on Dec. 31, 2019.

“The decision came down to who was the best fit at this time, and that person is Dr. Nick Nissley,” said Bott. “His decades in leadership development, his experience across the entire education spectrum and his long track record of executing strategic priorities are a tremendous asset not only for NMC but the communities we serve in northern Michigan.”

Release Date: October 14, 2019

For more information:

Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications
dfairbanks@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1019

NMC Board of Trustees approves faculty contract

Oct 14, 2019 | Intercom, Student News

TRAVERSE CITY — The Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) Board of Trustees voted unanimously today to approve a new 34-month collective bargaining agreement with the NMC Faculty Association affiliates of the Michigan Education Association (MEA.)

Today’s vote comes after a 56-1 vote last week of the College’s 81 faculty members and a 3-0 vote by the four faculty chairs to accept a tentative agreement. Negotiating teams worked for 10 hours with a state mediator October 2 to reach the tentative agreement on all outstanding issues including salary and organizational flexibility.

“We are pleased to have an agreement that allows us to responsibly meet the needs of our students, faculty and taxpayers, while also giving us the ability to remain successful into the future,” said NMC Board Chair Chris Bott. “This has been our goal throughout the process and the Board appreciates the hard work of all those who have been dedicated to achieving it.” 

“We believe the contract continues to provide an excellent economic package for NMC Faculty and maintains the flexibility the College requires to be agile in an increasingly fast-changing and competitive environment, all while maintaining equity across the College’s various employee groups and communities,” said NMC President Timothy J. Nelson. “This process is a lot of work, but the college has never shied away from hard work. It’s that perseverance, and the focus on our learners, that will ensure the success of this College for years to come.”

Social Sciences Instructor and NMC Faculty Association President Brandon Everest said, “the faculty look forward to being able to put their full focus on teaching and learning and on other exciting things to come for NMC.”

Key sections of the contract include the following:

• A 15-step salary plan that maintains the current 3.71% step increase for faculty moving along the plan. Under this agreement, Faculty will receive salary increases as follows:
  • October 2019 – scale movement of 2.50% with step increase of 3.71%
  • August 2020 – scale movement of 2.50% with step increase of 3.71%
  • August 2021 – scale movement of 2.00% with step increase of 3.71%
  • Once at the top of the scale (step 15), a Faculty member will receive only the scale increases.
• A revised placement process that considers both education and relevant work experience for a starting faculty position.
• Clearer faculty evaluation process.
• Expires July 31, 2022.

Negotiating teams have been working toward this agreement since August 2018. The process included non-binding recommendations from a fact finder with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) in late August. The contracts expired December 31, 2018.

Release Date: October 14, 2019

For more information:

Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications
dfairbanks@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1019

Northwestern Michigan College celebrates community support, announces $35 million fundraising campaign

Oct 9, 2019 | Intercom, Student News

TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College today announced the public phase of the College’s most ambitious fundraising initiative in its history. Be What’s Possible, the Campaign for NMC, has a goal of raising $35 million. $28 million has already been raised through leadership gifts.

The NMC Board of Trustees moved to support the campaign at a special meeting held Wednesday, October 9, 2019, following authorization from the NMC Foundation’s Board of Directors. Be What’s Possible was then announced to the public and campus community at a noon event.

President Timothy J. Nelson, speaking at the board meeting, said, “NMC has always been the community’s college. This campaign is reflective of this legacy of commitment , and the college and community will reach a new level of achievement together.”

Four priority areas have been established for the campaign:

• The Fund for NMC – To help the college meet its highest priorities and greatest needs, The Fund for NMC provides flexible funding to meet the emerging needs of the community.
• Innovative Facilities – To create places where students and the community can connect to resources and with each other. This campaign is focused on the creation of the West Hall Innovation Center and the expansion of the Dennos Museum; gifts for other facility needs are also welcomed.
• Strong Programs – To stay at the forefront of educational innovation and drive economic growth through top-notch learning opportunities in all areas and across all programs, from language arts to engineering technology.
• Scholarships – To guarantee access for motivated learners in our community. This campaign seeks to increase the number and breadth of scholarships available to students as well as increasing funding for existing scholarships, such as the Commitment Program, Global Opportunities and merit scholarships.

“The lives of virtually everyone in this community have been made better – directly or indirectly – by this amazing place’” said campaign co-chair Bruce Byl. “This is our chance to say thank you… and to continue NMC’s strong legacy. We have always counted on NMC. Now it’s time for NMC to count on us.”

Pivotal gifts to this campaign have included ten gifts for $1 million or higher, designated in support of programs, scholarships, and facilities. “We believe that the response shown by the community so far is clear evidence of the appreciation and support that the college has in our community,” said campaign co-chair Susie Janis. “We are very grateful to the donors who have already stepped forward to be the leaders of this important endeavor.”

During the public phase of the campaign, the college will reach out to all NMC alumni, as well as the regional community, to enlist support. The public phase of the campaign will intersect with three landmark events in the life of the college: the retirement of President Nelson and the transition to new leadership, the completion and opening of the West Hall Innovation Center, and the 70th anniversary of the founding of the college.

For more information about Be What’s Possible, visit nmc.edu.

Northwestern Michigan College is a publicly-funded community college that serves more than 50,000 learners annually throughout the Grand Traverse region and beyond. NMC offers associate degrees, professional certificates and bachelor’s degrees. The college is home to the Great Lakes Water Studies Institute, the Great Lakes Maritime Academy, the Great Lakes Culinary Institute as well as nationally recognized aviation and unmanned systems programs. For more information, visit Northwestern Michigan College at nmc.edu.

Founded in 1981, Northwestern Michigan College Foundation assists Northwestern Michigan College in realizing its mission and vision by securing new resources, maximizing return on existing resources, acting as ambassadors to the community, and complementing and resourcing the work of the college’s trustees in shaping NMC’s future.

Release Date: October 9, 2019

For more information:

Rebecca Teahen
Associate Vice President for Resource Development & Executive Director, NMC Foundation
rteahen@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1855

Success Story: Public phase of $35 million campaign opens

Oct 9, 2019 | Intercom, Student News

October 9, 2019

NMC today kicked off the public phase of the most ambitious fundraising initiative in its history. Be What’s Possible, the Campaign for NMC, has a goal of raising $35 million in four priority areas.

Eighty percent, or $28 million, has already been raised through leadership gifts. The priority areas are:

• The Fund for NMC – Flexible funding to help the college meet its highest priorities and greatest needs.
• Innovative Facilities – To create places where students and the community can connect to resources and with each other. Focused on the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center and the expansion of the Dennos Museum, gifts for other facilities are also welcome.
• Strong Programs – To stay at the forefront of educational innovation and drive economic growth through top-notch learning opportunities in all areas, from language arts to engineering technology.
• Scholarships – To guarantee access for motivated learners in our community. This campaign seeks to increase the number and breadth of scholarships available to students as well as increasing funding for existing scholarships.

Be What’s Possible campaign co-chair Susie JanisThe $35 million goal is more than ten times higher than the college’s most ambitious prior campaign, $3 million for the Great Lakes campus, which opened in 2003-04. Since 2016 the college has been the recipient of ten gifts of $1 million or more, designated in support of programs, scholarships, and facilities, which established the evidence of support for the $35 million goal.

“We believe that the response shown by the community so far is clear evidence of the appreciation and support that the college has in our community,” said campaign co-chair Susie Janis. “We are very grateful to the donors who have already stepped forward to be the leaders of this important endeavor.”

President Timothy J. Nelson said, “NMC has always been the community’s college. This campaign is reflective of this legacy of commitment, and the college and community will reach a new level of achievement together.”

To give to Be What’s Possible, visit nmc.edu/give or call (231) 995-1021.

NMC faculty vote to approve contract, Board of Trustees to vote at October 14 meeting

Oct 8, 2019 | Intercom, Student News

TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) Faculty Association affiliates of the Michigan Education Association (MEA) voted today 56–1 to approve a new collective bargaining agreement. The ratification vote followed a 10-hour negotiation with a state mediator last week in which a tentative agreement was reached on all outstanding issues including salary and organizational flexibility.

The NMC Board of Trustees will now review and vote on the proposed contract at an October 14 meeting.

“We are pleased to have made additional progress toward an agreement, that achieves our goal of securing a contract that supports our faculty and is responsible to our students, and taxpayers,” said NMC Associate Vice President of Human Resources Mark Liebling.

Social Sciences Instructor and NMC Faculty Association President Brandon Everest said, “the faculty look forward to being able to put their full focus on teaching and learning and on other exciting things to come for NMC.”

Bargaining teams reconvened on October 2 for negotiations after the release of a non-binding Fact Finder’s Report from the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) on remaining issues in late August. The contracts expired December 31, 2018.

Release Date: October 8, 2019

For more information:

Diana Fairbanks
Executive Director of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications
dfairbanks@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1019