New books at the NMC library
To find these selections and many other new titles, see the NMC library catalog.
Celebration for Hans Van Sumeren
Please join the NMC community in wishing Hans Van Sumeren all the best as he embarks on his new role at the Marine Technology Society as the Senior Director of the Ocean Enterprise Initiative. We will gather in the courtyard at the Great Lakes Campus from 2–4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 16 for light refreshments and beverages (Ballroom C in case of inclement weather). See you there!
Legal protections for pregnant and nursing mothers
At NMC, we prioritize creating a workplace that fosters inclusion and support for all employees, particularly those expecting children. To further strengthen this commitment, we’d like to inform you about two important legal protections: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and The Providing Useful Maternity Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (PUMP Act).
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) strengthens existing protections for pregnant employees by mandating that employers with 15 or more employees provide reasonable accommodations for known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. This empowers expecting employees to request adjustments that help them effectively perform their jobs.
Examples of Reasonable Accommodations under the PWFA:
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- Modifications to work schedules (e.g., temporary changes to start/end times)
- Adjustments to the physical workspace (e.g., ergonomic furniture)
- Increased access to breaks
- Breaks to express milk and access to a lactation space
How to Request a PWFA Accommodation
If you are pregnant and require accommodation due to a limitation, please reach out to your supervisor for open communication. You can simply inform them of the limitation and your need for an adjustment. There’s no requirement to specifically mention the PWFA.
If the request is easily agreed upon with your supervisor please just move forward with implementation. If the request requires some additional support or conversation, please reach out to Human Resources and we will work together to identify a reasonable accommodation that addresses the need while minimizing any undue hardship to NMC.
The Providing Useful Maternity Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (PUMP Act) mandates that employers with 50 or more employees provide a clean and private, non-bathroom space for nursing mothers to express breast milk. This space must be accessible during working hours and break times.
Additional Resources
For further information on the PWFA and PUMP Act, and your rights as an employee, we recommend visiting the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) websites.
NMC remains dedicated to supporting expecting parents. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the PWFA, PUMP Act, or your needs as an expecting parent, please do not hesitate to contact your supervisor, or Human Resources.
Additional information will be shared through policy, with specific identification of lactation spaces on NMC’s campuses in the near future. If you need any assistance identifying an appropriate space, please contact Human Resources.
Welcome our newest hires
These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
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- Maggie West – Tutoring Services Coordinator
- John Burris – Groundskeeper
Board of Trustees Executive Committee meeting
Traverse City — The NMC Board of Trustees Executive Committee will meet at 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 27 in the Gray Conference Room 202-F on the University Center campus, 2200 Dendrinos Dr., Traverse City.
The meeting notice is available here.
For more information, please contact the President’s office at (231) 995-1010.
Trustees approve NMC Thrive campus plan
TRAVERSE CITY — NMC trustees unanimously approved a new campus master plan Monday designed to allow the college to thrive by migrating spaces between campuses and significantly expanding student housing in order to make its Front Street campus a vibrant, modernized hub for learning and living.
“Central to our plan, NMC Thrive, is the goal of enhancing campus life. By consolidating student services, developing new and modern campus housing, and revitalizing our teaching and learning spaces, we are creating a more engaging, accessible, and supportive atmosphere for our students, faculty, staff and guests,” President Nick Nissley said.
NMC Thrive is the product of a yearlong, data-driven collaborative process, last undertaken in 2012, and led by an internal steering committee with guidance from consultants TowerPinkster of Grand Rapids. Input was gathered from more than 30 stakeholder groups at in-person meetings with students, employees, neighbors and community members, as well as an online survey.
The plan lays out a decade-long vision of renovations and construction and is estimated to cost between $164 and $235 million. Funds are anticipated to come from selling unused properties, state and federal assistance — which has already been received for aviation and energy projects — as well as future fundraising. Highlights by campus include:
Front Street campus:
- 2025–26: Optimize campus space and increase vibrancy by migrating several NMC departments as well as the four University Center partners now located at the University Center campus to the Beckett Building and Scholars Hall. Consolidate student services in the Osterlin Building. Cost: $10-$14 million
- Increase and modernize student housing, adding at least 73 beds to NMC’s student housing stock, an increase of 15%. Cost: $76–$93 million
- 2027–28: Demolish current apartments and rebuild them more densely, increasing capacity from 72 to 128.
- 2028–29: Demolish East Hall and rebuild it in the style of North Hall. This would reduce occupancy from 238 to 155. Options to add floors could increase capacity to 275.
- 2030–31: Build what would become a third residence hall with a capacity of 100 on what is presently a parking lot.
- 2033–34: Develop a portion of the college’s vacant 55-acre property north of Eastern Avenue. More than half of the site, 33 acres, would remain preserved as a forested area with walking paths, while a 22-acre parcel would become a mix of housing and educational facilities. Cost: $49–98 million
University Center campus: Becomes managed as a real estate asset. Greenspire High School has a lease to occupy most of the north wing until 2033.
Aero Park Campus: A new hangar for the aviation department which will break ground this fall and renovations to the Parsons-Stulen Building. Cost: $7.2-$7.4 million
Great Lakes Campus: Renovate culinary labs in 2031. Cost: $658,000–$987,000
Rogers Observatory: No recommended changes
Other properties: Sell two and possibly three undeveloped parcels to support the other recommendations: the Appel property on the Boardman River in Blair Township, the Tezak property in Benzie County’s Almira Township and a third parcel in Mayfield Township, north of Buckley.
Release date: June 25, 2024
For more information:
Cari Noga
NMC Communications Director
cnoga@nmc.edu
(231) 392-1800 (Call or text)
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE
Northwestern Michigan College does not discriminate in admission, campus activities, education, employment, housing, public accommodation or public service on the basis of age, color, creed, disability, gender identity/expression, handicap, height, marital or familial status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, service in the military, veteran’s status, weight, or any other legally protected status under federal, state, or local law. No act of retaliation shall occur to any person making a charge, filing a complaint, testifying or participating in any discrimination investigation or proceeding. nmc.edu/non-discriminationTrustees approve FY ’25 budget, tuition rates
TRAVERSE CITY — A balanced budget and tuition rates and fees for the 2024-25 academic year were approved unanimously by the Northwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees Monday.
Most tuition rates will rise 3 percent, below the May 2024 inflation rate of 3.3 percent. In-district (Grand Traverse County residents) tuition rates will increase from $122 to $126 per contact hour. Fees will increase $1 per contact hour, from $33 to $34 per contact hour.
For the average in-district student taking 24 contact hours in a two-semester academic year, that means an increase of $120 ($96 in tuition, $24 in fees).
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Category |
2023–2024 rate/contact hour |
2024–2025 rate/contact hour |
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In-District |
$122 |
$126 |
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Out-of-District |
$261 |
$269 |
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Out-of-State |
$340 |
$350 |
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International |
$383 |
$394 |
A table of tuition rates for all residencies and programs is available here (p. 75). NMC tuition is about one-third the cost of in-state tuition at a four-year public university.
“NMC is committed to offering a strong educational value. We also are actively exploring other ways to increase revenue, to offset the rising costs we face,” said NMC President Nick Nissley.
For example, also at Monday’s meeting trustees approved a 10-year master plan which calls for significantly expanding student housing to boost that revenue stream. Earlier this year trustees also approved a new, lower dual enrollment tuition rate in an effort to increase enrollment among high school students. Local school districts, not families, pay for dual enrollment tuition.
Tuition amounts to 42 percent of NMC’s budget. State aid (29 percent) and property taxes (25 percent) are the two other primary revenue sources.
Thanks to community donors the college also awards more than $1 million in institutional scholarships annually. Adults over 21 who don’t already have a degree are eligible for a state scholarship, Michigan Reconnect, which pays 100 percent of in-district tuition. The high school class of 2024 is also eligible for up to $2,750 per year through the Michigan Achievement scholarship.
Release date: June 25, 2024
For more information:
Cari Noga
NMC Communications Director
cnoga@nmc.edu
(231) 392-1800 (Call or text)
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE
Northwestern Michigan College does not discriminate in admission, campus activities, education, employment, housing, public accommodation or public service on the basis of age, color, creed, disability, gender identity/expression, handicap, height, marital or familial status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, service in the military, veteran’s status, weight, or any other legally protected status under federal, state, or local law. No act of retaliation shall occur to any person making a charge, filing a complaint, testifying or participating in any discrimination investigation or proceeding. nmc.edu/non-discriminationCollege for Kids programming
Thanks to the instructors teaching College for Kids classes this summer. Classes began last week and continue through August. The program is a great way to introduce future for-credit students to NMC, and 12 percent do go on to enroll after graduation. New this year are classes in Benzie County. Visit nmc.edu/kids to see all the options.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Media mentions for June 24, 2024
The following college events and stories have appeared in the media recently. 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.
Cheers (NMC Foundation)
Record Eagle, June 23
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Upcoming Extended Education classes for employees
NMC’s tuition waiver benefits extend beyond credit classes—take a fitness class, learn a new hobby, or even enjoy a date night with your partner. Check out these upcoming classes! Place the class in your shopping cart in order to see the discount. View the Calendar of Classes.
Find EES in Scholars Hall 114C during College for Kids (June 17 – August 2). Our office hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Soul Stirring Serenity |
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Learn Together: Supercharged Smoothies |
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Learn Together: Whole Food Bowls |
Need help setting up your profile? Look for “EES” in the Help Desk drop down menu.
Bookstore closed June 27-28
The NMC Bookstore will be closed on June 27-28 and will reopen on Monday, July 1.
Welcome our newest hires
These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
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- Josiah Logan, student employee – Resident Assistant
- Dawn Bruchez, supplemental employee – Cafe Lobdell’s Kitchen/Dining Room Assistant
- Alex Rodgers, student employee – Resident Assistant
FY 25 Budget Town Hall Video
Thank you for joining us for the June 20 Budget Town Hall meetings to discuss NMC’s FY 25 budget with President Nick Nissley and Vice President of Finance & Administration Troy Kierczynski. Watch a video of the morning session here.
Board of Trustees regular meeting
The NMC Board of Trustees will hold its regular monthly meeting Monday, June 24 at 5:30 p.m. in the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center, Room 106/107, on NMC’s main campus. More information is available here.
For more information, please contact the President’s office at (231) 995-1010.
NMC WET Tech Student Poster Symposium
The first annual Water Quality and Environmental Technology (WET Tech) student poster symposium will be held from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Friday, July 12 at the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center room 106/107. Feel free to stop by at any time during this two-hour event. The symposium will mark the culmination of WSI 150 – Site Assessment and Remediation.
In WSI 150, the students are learning about:
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- Hydrogeology and chemistry fundamentals
- Legal framework for environmental remediation
- Risk Assessment
- Site Assessment
- Remediation strategies
- Operations and Maintenance
So far in this class, the students have written short reports about Superfund sites, other sites of interest around Michigan, and contaminants of concern. Over the next few weeks they will do a ‘deeper dive’ into a case study, selected from this summary of Brownfield projects. They will generate a written report and create a poster to present on July 12.
Please join us to celebrate the students and to learn from them about their selected Brownfield redevelopment sites in Grand Traverse County. Light refreshments will be provided.
Board of Trustees Audit Committee meeting
Traverse City — The NMC Board of Trustees Audit Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 20 in Room 104/105 of the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center.
The meeting notice is available here.
For more information, please contact the President’s office at (231) 995-1010.
NMC debuts College for Kids classes in Benzie
TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College this week debuted a robotics class in Benzie County, the first College for Kids class to be offered beyond Traverse City. An art class is scheduled for next week and a theatre class July 22–25.
Classes are offered in-person at Benzie Central Schools and GROW Benzie for students entering grades 3–8. NMC is supporting this programming by providing scholarships for students in Benzie County, and awarded $1,200 in scholarships for the robotics class. Apply online for scholarships.
Registration for the art and theater classes, as well as all NMC youth summer programs, is open online and by phone. See all classes at nmc.edu/kids. Families may subscribe to receive email notifications when new programs are added by visiting nmc.edu/ees.
Release date: June 18, 2024
For more information:
Cari Noga
NMC Communications Director
cnoga@nmc.edu
(231) 392-1800 (Call or text)
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY NOTICE
Northwestern Michigan College does not discriminate in admission, campus activities, education, employment, housing, public accommodation or public service on the basis of age, color, creed, disability, gender identity/expression, handicap, height, marital or familial status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, service in the military, veteran’s status, weight, or any other legally protected status under federal, state, or local law. No act of retaliation shall occur to any person making a charge, filing a complaint, testifying or participating in any discrimination investigation or proceeding. nmc.edu/non-discriminationUpcoming Extended Education classes for employees
NMC’s tuition waiver benefits extend beyond credit classes—take a fitness class, learn a new hobby, or even enjoy a date night with your partner. Check out these upcoming classes! Place the class in your shopping cart in order to see the discount. View the Calendar of Classes.
Find EES in Scholars Hall 114C during College for Kids (June 17 – August 2). Our office hours are Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Baking Masterclass: Refreshing Summer Desserts |
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Sicilian Summer Cuisine |
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Botany Tour of Lost Lake Bog |
Need help setting up your profile? Look for “EES” in the Help Desk drop down menu.
Media mentions for June 17, 2024
The following college events and stories have appeared in the media recently. 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.
Innovative startup develops simple solution to laundry machines polluting waterways
The Cool Down, June 16
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Kids Free Fishing Day volunteers
To the volunteers who organized the annual Kids Free Fishing Day Saturday at NMC’s Great Lakes campus. NMC has been a proud partner with Rotary Club of Traverse City, Rotary Camps & Services, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Mike and Rhonda Estes, Great Lakes Children’s Museum and the Northwest Michigan Fishing Club in this Father’s Day weekend tradition for many years.
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
Café Lobdell’s reopens June 25
Café Lobdell’s, located on the second level of the Great Lakes Campus, will reopen this summer from June 25–July 31 for dine-in and carryout service. Culinary students will be making and serving handcrafted coffee and tea drinks, sweet and savory baked goods, breakfast bowls, parfaits and cafe-style to-go lunch items on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 7:30–11 a.m. Stop by to experience the tasty treats our culinary students are whipping up!
No reservations necessary. Counter service only.
Kudos!
Kudos to Kristi Hallett and the facilities fepartment. Kristi worked with me for several months coordinating with the facilities department for the community Pride Carnival with Up North Pride. She helped us foresee potential problems and always responds so quickly and kindly. We appreciate you Kristi! Also a big thanks to our facilities department for helping set up this event; there were a lot of moving parts and we are grateful for all of your help!
Kudos to Lindsey Kimball and crew. Lindsey and crew are on the ball! Being gone on the State of Michigan can provide logistical challenges when it comes to supplies. They continue to make sure our supplies are getting to GLMA during the summer months. These supplies are critical to shipboard operation and allows us to operate without missing a beat. Thank you, Lindsey and crew, for continuing to make sure our supplies get to us. You’re doing a fantastic job and it doesn’t go unseen.
Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. Please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!
Welcome our newest hires
These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
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- Emma Marion, supplemental – Writing Center
- Seth Nevins, supplemental – GLMA Culinary Intern
Board of Trustees committee, special meetings
The Board of Trustees of Northwestern Michigan College will hold three meetings on Tuesday, June 11, in the President’s office conference room on NMC’s Front Street campus, 1701 E. Front St., Traverse City, Mich.
- 2 p.m. – Policy Committee
- 3 p.m. – Building & Site Committee
- 4 p.m. – Special meeting
For more information, please contact the President’s office at (231) 995-1010.
Media mentions for June 10, 2024
The following college events and stories have appeared in the media recently. 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.
Letter to the editor: About NMC master plan
Record-Eagle, June 9
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