Success story: Hawk Owl heads to Harvard

Aug 28, 2019 | Intercom, Student News

August 28, 2019

Add up an NMC associate degree, a thin credit history, a stint in the Navy and a love of travel and you get Harvard University sophomore Alex Walsh (NMC 2012), who will start classes in Cambridge, Mass. next week.

He’s one of just a dozen transfer students admitted among 1,600 applicants to the most venerable of the Ivy League institutions. But long odds didn’t daunt Walsh, preternaturally disposed to optimism.

“Shoot for the stars, see what happens. The worst they could say is no,” said Walsh, 27, who was also admitted to the University of Michigan and Michigan State. “Being able to find ways to push myself at NMC, challenge myself, helped put me on this path.”

“This path” started with participating in a wide range of activities and clubs at NMC, including NMC magazine, the White Pine Press, Anime Club, International Club and the NMC Policy Council. (NMC yesterday hosted Pine Palooza, an annual fair that introduces students to dozens of campus groups and organizations.) Walsh was also a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the international community college honor society. He credits PTK adviser Kari Kahler and instructors Jim Bensley, Amjad Khan and John Zachman as among his NMC mentors.

Yet when he graduated, Walsh didn’t have enough credit history to get the student loans he needed to continue his education. So he joined the military, both for the GI benefits down the road and the opportunity to travel in the short term, a love kindled in the NMC International Club. He chose the Navy specifically because it offered more opportunity to travel than other branches, and lived in Spain for more than three years and visited 25 different countries.

In 2017 he took the SAT and scored higher than he expected. Though Ivy League schools are notoriously picky about transfer students, he decided to add Harvard, Princeton and Yale to his list when his Navy contract was up. A veteran transition program, Service to School, also matched him with a mentor whom Walsh said was vital in the decision process.

He’ll enter Harvard as a sophomore and plans to major in economics and minor in government, likely international relations. An MBA or law school could follow. Walsh hopes to work in a capacity that grows the global economy, staying in touch with his love of international relations.

“I would like to be on some kind of a career path where I can provide opportunities to those who would not otherwise have opportunities,” he said. Options he wants to explore through internships include working with infrastructure and business development in central America or Asia, working with refugees of war or conflict, and serving in the Foreign Service as an economic or political adviser.

Between the GI Bill^®, Harvard scholarships and grants, Walsh said his entire tuition bill will be covered.

“That’s pretty exciting too,” he said.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

Mike McIntosh Memorial Car & Truck Show

Aug 27, 2019 | Intercom, Student News

TRAVERSE CITY — See cool cars and trucks and support students at NMC’s 14th annual Mike McIntosh Memorial Car and Truck Show Saturday, September 7.

Car enthusiasts will display their classic cars, 4X4s, dragsters, sports cars, modified late models, motorcycles and more from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at NMC’s Automotive Services Building, 2510 Aero Park Drive.

Admission is free for spectators. There is a $10 entry fee per vehicle for contestants. Registration begins at 8 a.m. Trophies are awarded for best of show in each class. Enjoy food, music, prizes and a silent auction. Student projects and vehicles will also be on display. Proceeds benefit NMC’s Automotive Program and scholarships.

The show is named for the late NMC Automotive instructor Mike McIntosh, who retired in 2004 after 34 years of service. McIntosh organized the first car show for the Automotive Program in 2004. Learn more here »

Release date: Aug. 27, 2019

For more information:

Wayne Moody
NMC Automotive Chair
(231) 995-1316
wmoody@nmc.edu

NMC Reviewing Fact Finder’s Report Recommendations In Faculty Contract Negotiations

Aug 26, 2019 | Intercom, Student News

TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) is reviewing the recommendations of the Fact Finder’s Report from the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) in the ongoing contract negotiations between the college and the Faculty Association affiliates of the Michigan Education Association.

The report was released late Thursday, August 22. The college filed a petition for Fact Finding January 17, 2019 in an effort to advance negotiations following several bargaining sessions including a State of Michigan mediator. The contracts expired December 31, 2018.

Fact Finding allows a neutral, state-appointed representative to create a non-binding report on the remaining disputes.

Executive Director of Public Relations, Marketing and Communication, Diana Fairbanks said, “The college is now reviewing and evaluating the recommendations as a whole. The next step in this process is that both sides have an additional 60 days to negotiate a contract that serves the college and our communities well today and into the future.”

Release date: August 23, 2019

For more information:

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

Special NMC Board Meetings and a New Start Time for the August 26 Regular Board Meeting

Aug 20, 2019 | Intercom, Student News

TRAVERSE CITY — The NMC Board of Trustees will hold a series of special meetings related to the NMC presidential search process, and the board’s August 26 regular meeting start time will be delayed one hour to accommodate the presidential candidate interview schedule.

On Friday, Aug. 23 at 8 a.m., the board will meet in Room 112 at the Great Lakes Campus for orientation and a review of the process for in-person interviews of the five finalists for the position. The complete meeting agenda is available here.

On Friday, Aug. 23, Monday, Aug. 26, Tuesday Aug. 27, Wednesday, Aug. 28 and Thursday, Aug. 29, the board will hold 8 a.m. interviews and 5:30 p.m. follow-up meetings with each of the finalists at the Great Lakes Campus. The complete agenda for those meetings is available here.

Finally, the board’s regular August 26 meeting at the Great Lakes Campus will begin at 6:30 p.m. rather than at its normal 5:30 p.m. start time to accommodate the presidential candidate interview schedule. The notice of the time change for that meeting is available here.

The meetings are open to the public.

For more meeting information, please call the NMC President’s office at (231) 995-1010.

Release date: August 20, 2019

For more information:

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

Interview Times and Dates Set for NMC Presidential Candidates

Aug 15, 2019 | Intercom, Student News

TRAVERSE CITY — The five finalists for the position of NMC president will take part in a series of on-campus interviews and campus and community forums between August 23 and August 29. NMC’s Board of Trustees expects to name a new president in September, with a start date of Jan. 1, 2020.

On-campus Interview Schedule

• Friday, Aug. 23 – Nick Nissley
• Monday, Aug. 26 – Tom Watkins
• Tuesday, Aug. 27 – Marsha Danielson
• Wednesday, Aug. 28 – Tim Meyer
• Thursday, Aug. 29 – Allen Goben

Daily Schedule For Each Candidate

• 8:30–10:30 a.m. – Interview with Board of Trustees
  Hagerty Center, Great Lakes Campus
• 2:30–3:30 p.m. – Campus Forum
  Milliken Auditorium
• 4–5 p.m. – COMMUNITY FORUM
  Milliken Auditorium
• 5:30–6:30 p.m. – Follow-up Meeting of Candidate with Board of Trustees
  Hagerty Center, Great Lakes Campus

A total of 67 people applied for the position of NMC president. Presidential 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. After the video interviews, the committee recommended five finalists for in-person interviews.

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

Release date: August 15, 2019

For more information:

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