Alison Thornton and Eileen Vaughn developed a way to use the Technology Help System to handle requests for security access for our enterprise systems such as Banner, and to route them to the appropriate approver. These changes streamline the process to make it more efficient and timely. Thank you, Alison and Eileen!
Kudos to the Student Life group for ‘throwing’ one of the most successful Pine Palooza events since its inception!! All booths were full and fully staffed by vendors and NMC Students and staff. The Pine Paloosa was well organized and well attended and a very fun event! Thank you Student Life!
Kudos to Caroline Schaefer-Hills and the Viscom students for their participation in “We’re in the Movies” featured at the State Theater downtown. The event was fun and educational as it featured photos/videos of downtown Traverse City in 1940. The History Center of Traverse City is selling DVDs of this program.
Kudos to the History Department for their wonderful and informative presentation on the U.S. Constitution on Monday, September 17 for Constitution Day.
Over 40 faculty members, staff and students attended the discussion forum and engaged in good dialogue about the historical origins of the Electoral College, the challenges of opposing the Civil War in the North without being treasonous, and the modern impact of the three Civil War Constitutional Amendments.
At Monday night’s regular meeting, the NMC Board of Trustees approved a set of board-level strategic goals for fiscal year 2013 (FY13). These goals are taken directly from the college’s strategic plan, and include metrics to help us monitor our progress. This is the second year for the college to apply our integrated planning process.
The board-level goals have a focus on the college’s strategic directions with key results in learner success, financial thriveability, national and international expertise and a networked workforce.
Five individuals certified as lean office champions by NMC Training Services
On Friday, September 21, Rich Wolin, Director of NMC Training Services certified five new Lean Office Champions from the region. Kay Hall of NMC, Deb Kimball of Munson Medical Center, Amanda Rommell of Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital, Crystal Bailey of NMC Hagerty Center, and Penny Saemisch of Kalkaska Memorial Health Center celebrated their completion of a six month, 96-hour program designed to train them to apply lean manufacturing principles to their office and healthcare workplaces. Two sessions are hosted by each organization, the classroom training involves intensive hands-on activities, and each champion completes several continuous improvement projects in their workplace. “By applying lean principles to the process, we were able to shorten the lead time for Practice Pro, our newsletter for local physician practices, from eight weeks to less than four,” said Deb Kimball, physician liaison at Munson Medical Center.
Lean principles are based on the Toyota Production System and began spreading throughout American manufacturing following James Womack and Daniel Jones’ seminal work, Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation. In the last ten years, these principles have migrated from the shop floor into manufacturing offices, healthcare settings, and most recently service industries. By applying lean principles, one Wisconsin healthcare system has seen a decrease in deaths, wait time to treatment, and length of stay. All of this has resulted in a significant drop in cost of care.
NMC Training Services has been certifying lean champions for five years now, beginning with a year-long manufacturing series, of which 61 individuals have completed. The objective of the program is to enable companies to build internal capacity to support their continuous improvement journey. Two years ago Training Services started offering the lean program in its current six-month version to individuals from office and healthcare settings. Lead trainer, Heather Fraizer, PhD, acknowledges that even though the principles are the same, applying them in an information-based setting poses particular challenges. “Waste and work-arounds are more difficult to see in office settings and it helps to see examples from other offices,” said Fraizer. With the addition of the current champions, Training Services has certified 12 Lean Office Champions.
NMC Training Services offers a variety training and consulting services for organizational improvement including lean training and coaching. The next Champion certification opportunities are scheduled to start in December of 2012 for manufacturing and February of 2013 for service industries including healthcare. For more information or to register, please contact Vicki Rumbach at 5-2218 or vrumbach@nmc.edu. Additional information is also available at nmc.edu/training.
Native American writer Gordon Henry will be the featured presenter at a free Michigan Global Awareness Consortium event set for 6 p.m. Oct. 11 in the Oleson Center.
The performance will include traditional Anishinaabe stories and songs, as well as poetry and prose from Henry’s work. He will be joined by musicians Mike Gilmore and Mike Johnston. For some parts of the performance Henry will sing with a hand drum; for other parts he will recite his work, accompanied by Johnston and Gilmore.
Henry’s novel, The Light People, won an American Book Award in 1995, and his poetry, prose and essays have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies throughout the U.S. and Europe. His work is informed by long time participation in ceremonies and by his personal reflections on Anishinaabe life, place and relations. His most recent book, The Failure of Certain Charms and Other Disparate Signs of Life, published in 2007, is a collection of poetry and prose, combining the languages and imagery of dreams, songs, ceremonies, cultural memories, autobiography and Native American tales.
Gordon Henry is an enrolled member of the White Earth Chippewa Tribe of Minnesota. He received an MA in creative writing from Michigan State University and a PhD in English from the University of North Dakota. He is professor of English at Michigan State University. Formerly director of creative writing for MSU’s English Department, he is currently director of MSU’s Native American Institute. He is also senior editor for the Native American Studies Series.
The Michigan Global Awareness Consortium consists of Bay College, Mid Michigan Community College, North Central Michigan College and Northwestern Michigan College. The MGAC is dedicated to bringing global issues, international opportunities and information to their campuses.
If not registered to vote (or if you’re not sure!) stop by the voter registration and information table in the Osterlin Library lobby.
Volunteers from around campus and the League of Women Voters will be there every weekday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from now until the voter registration deadline on Oct. 9.
There will also be a registration and information table in the atrium of the Great Lakes Campus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, October 3.
If you are a new voter who registered by mail, you may not be eligible to vote absentee. Come find out.
Make sure your vote counts this November!
For more information, call the Osterlin Library reference desk at (231) 995-1540.
Donate a can/nonperishable item and receive a 20% off coupon for one logo item/clothing at the NMC Bookstore on Thursday, Oct. 4, National Students Day, a day celebrating student community service and social responsibility.
The coupon is good through the month of October. Your donation enters you in a drawing for an NMC hoodie.
While you’re there, pick up a handout on the many benefits of volunteering including boosting your resume! Collected food will be donated to the Father Fred Foundation.
Planning to transfer this spring or next year? Start talking to other Michigan colleges and universities now by attending the NMC Transfer Fair. Each semester over 35 colleges/universities are here to answer common questions such as available transfer scholarships, GPA requirements and programs across Michigan. Check out the list of participating colleges/universities.
NMC Transfer Fair
Tuesday, October 9, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Welcome Center, Health and Science Building and Lobby, West Hall
Thanks to all of the students and faculty/staff who are taking advantage of the new water fountains in the Tanis building and in East Hall! Within the first two weeks of installation, water bottle users frequenting these fountains have stopped 3,800 plastic bottles from going to the landfills!
Kudos to Wayne Moody for spending countless hours of his own time organizing the annual Mike McIntosh Memorial Car Show. He solicits area businesses for donations of prizes for the silent auction to raise money for student scholarships. In the current economy, this gets harder every year. It takes a huge effort to put the show together, and year after year he personally oversees every aspect of preparations. All of this takes place at the busiest time of the year – the beginning of fall semester. I can honestly say that few people would be able to get this show off the ground. The participants of the show frequently comment on how much they love attending our event and how well it is organized. It’s an honor to be involved in
helping Wayne put the show together year after year.
Kudos to Emily Magner for working tirelessly this summer coordinating orientation for new students. Her welcoming and supportive attitude with incoming students puts them at ease, and I observed her doing this time and time again for countless students. At opening conference Tim Nelson told about Emily taking care of a perspective student’s dog and watching his 11-year old son so that he could attend orientation. This gesture allowed this student to register for classes and begin his educational journey here at NMC. Emily is passionate about new students getting their needs met when first arriving on campus, and she works hard to instill those values in her student workers, and I know it spills over to others who are assisting our students. I also saw Emily work very hard over the summer planning Pine Palooza, and want to thank her for such a successful and professional event that benefited our students and makes us all proud of our college and its resources.
What is MPSERS? Am I a member of MPSERS? If I only work part-time, I’m not in the state retirement system, am I? You probably are if you are an adjunct, a supplemental employee, or a regular staff or faculty member working for NMC.
If you are an active member of MPSERS, you should have recently received notification from the Office of Retirement Services (ORS) either through your home mail, email, or both to let you know that you need to make an election on how you want your pension and/or retiree healthcare benefits handled going forward. The online election period is 9/4/12 – 10/26/12.
Online through miAccount is the only way you will be able to make your election.
For more information or to access your miAccount, go to www.michigan.gov/orsschools, and click on the miAccount section. Don’t wait – go online now and find out about the resources available to you to make your decision! Watch for more on-campus informational sessions to be announced in the future.
NMC Faulty and Staff,
I want to give a big heartfelt thank you to all of the wonderful people who have made working at NMC such a wonderful experience for the past 20 years. I will miss you all! I would like you to know that your thoughts and prayers, as well as those of my family, are what helped me to survive my stroke in August 2011. I have read every card and enjoyed every plant and flower bouquet sent to me. Your kind words inspired me to keep going on. I am doing well with my recovery and enjoying my retirement.
I will cherish my memories with all of you. You are all terrific, dedicated people and it has been a true pleasure working with you over the years.
Thank you, again!
–Bea
Hanggai is one of the outstanding international touring bands from China. This group is a Beijing-based group of musicians who left the city’s punk rock clubs to rediscover their roots in inner Mongolia. They now perform Mongolian folk music with traditional and Western instruments and still can be heard in those Beijing clubs playing this music for enthusiastic young audiences.
NMC students can receive one free ticket for this exciting event. Students can reserve their free ticket in the Student Life Office, Dennos Museum front desk, or the Dennos Box Office.
Each student may order one additional ticket at half-price (standard tickets are $25). Please contact the Dennos Box office with further questions. All pre-ordered tickets must be picked up by 7:30 pm on the evening of the concert.
Dennos Box Office will open on September 19, 2012. Box Office hours are Wednesday – Saturday, 3 – 5 pm and one hour prior to the concert.
Date: October 10, 212
Time: 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Trainer: Heather Fraizer
Cost: $395
Location: NMC’s Parsons-Stulen building
Description: This eight-hour training would be beneficial for anyone that works with other people, including both customers and co-workers. It will provide participants an opportunity to practice effective communication skills including paraphrasing, demonstrating empathy, identifying key words, and asking open-ended questions. The training will build on these skills to introduce how to provide both positive and critical feedback effectively. Participants will have several opportunities to practice using all skills introduced.
Contact EES to register at 995-1700
The NMC Engineering Club will be having its monthly bake sale “We know Pi” on the 25th and 26th of September in the lobby of the Health & Science Building from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cookies and blueberry muffins will be available in the morning and cupcakes in the afternoon.
Following are positions currently open at NMC. For detailed information on externally posted positions, please visit NMC’s web page at www.nmc.edu/jobs Information on internal postings has been emailed.
OPEN POSTINGS
Adjunct Faculty
Adjunct Instructor – Clinical Nursing (38-443)
Adjunct Faculty-Physics Instructor (98-443)
Adjunct Faculty-Physical Education Basketball (109-443)
Adjunct Faculty-Biology (139-443)
Faculty
HVAC/R Instructor (95-443) (Full time)
Nursing Instructor – Mental Health (91-443) (Part time)
Professional Staff
Master, T-S State of Michigan (99-443)
Major and Planned Giving Specialist (137-443)
Student Employee
White Pine Press-Student Employee (66-443)
Tutor-Student Employee (82-443)
Student Lab Assistant – Biology (129-443)
Department of Learning Services Office Assistant (132-443)
Supplemental Staff
Banquet Server-Hagerty Center (41-443)
Student Financial Services-Front Desk Assistant (135-443)
The following employees are celebrating an anniversary. Please join us in congratulating them.
| Jerry Achenbach | Superintendent of the Great Lakes Maritime Academy | 2 years |
| Aaron Beach | Director of Human Resources | 2 years |
| Laura Carmickle | Senior Programmer/Analyst and Solutkon Assistant | 24 years |
| Julie Hansen | Veteran Affairs and Records/Registration Assistant | 13 years |
| Jim Nelson | Science/Math Instructor | 10 years |
| Cari Noga | Writer – Public Relations Specialist | 6 years |
| Donna Palmer | Executive Assistant – University Center | 14 years |
| Jean Rokos | Health Occupations Instructor | 31 years |
| Joseph Sanok | Counselor | 2 years |
The NMC Annual Campaign for scholarships and programs is a collaborative campaign that involves bringing together community partners and NMC partners such as you. These combined efforts make the Annual Campaign possible for NMC to award more scholarships to students than any other community college in Michigan.
As a faculty or staff member you live the mantra of Learn. Grow. Give. every day through teaching a class, advising a club, maintaining records, and contributing to the Annual Campaign. Your contributions demonstrate your commitment to helping students achieve success through higher education.
The Annual Campaign is drawing near and we at the Foundation and Resource Development are looking forward to helping you make student dreams a reality. Thank you for your support!
The chart below reflects the contributions of Faculty and Staff to the 2011-12 Annual Campaign.
Every year, Wayne Moody spends countless hours of his own time organizing the annual Mike McIntosh Memorial Car Show. He solicits area businesses for donations of prizes for the silent auction to raise money for student scholarships. In the current economy, this gets harder every year. It takes a huge effort to put the show together, and year after year he personally oversees every aspect of preparations. All of this takes place at the busiest time of the year – the beginning of fall semester.
I can honestly say that few people would be able to get this show off the ground. The participants of the show frequently comment on how much they love attending our event and how well it is organized. It’s an honor to be involved in helping Wayne put the show together year after year.