{"id":79127,"date":"2022-01-12T14:07:29","date_gmt":"2022-01-12T19:07:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.nmc.edu\/?p=79127"},"modified":"2025-06-09T15:54:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T19:54:41","slug":"success-story-marcus-bennett-chosen-for-dei-position-fulfilling-strategic-plan-objective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.nmc.edu\/?p=79127","title":{"rendered":"Success Story: Marcus Bennett chosen for DEI position, fulfilling strategic plan objective"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>January 12, 2022<\/h3>\n<p>Longtime college staff member Marcus Bennett, Ed.D., will serve as Special Assistant to the President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) beginning July 1. This is the college\u2019s first position dedicated to DEI.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-162660 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.nmc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/marcus-bennett-2021-high-resolution-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"Marcus Bennett\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" \/>\u201cI am proud to have the opportunity to help our college grow in this area. I\u2019ve seen first hand some of the challenges our students face and am inspired by the commitment of our NMC community to create positive change,\u201d said Bennett, 45, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nmc.edu\/student-services\/tutoring-support\/first-generation-college-celebration.html\">first-generation college student<\/a> who has earned a doctorate in community college leadership from Ferris State University and a certificate on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the workplace from the University of South Florida.<\/p>\n<p>Currently associate dean of campus and residence life, Bennett\u2019s own educational journey was similar to what many new or prospective community college students face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of times we talk about access, and not everybody has access to education,\u201d said Bennett, who has worked at NMC for more than a decade. \u201cIt can be very challenging and very overwhelming.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As he considered the opportunity, the fact that NMC has made DEI a part of its just-completed strategic plan was significant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of people put out statements,\u201d Bennett said of the increased attention to racial injustice that began in summer 2020, after the murder of George Floyd. \u201cNMC put out plans of action to continue with that work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Establishment of the new position fulfills a key objective within the DEI strategic area of NMC\u2019s strategic plan, NMC Next. Expected to receive final approval from NMC\u2019s Board of Trustees later this month, the plan is the product of nearly a year of input from more than 1,000 participants including community members, alumni, faculty, staff, students and donors.<\/p>\n<p>Bennett has been a member of NMC\u2019s DEI advisory committee, chartered by President Nick Nissley in summer 2020. That committee issued a DEI benchmarking report in fall 2021. Its research and conclusions helped inform objectives and action steps in the strategic planning process, particularly around areas of student success. Bennett also credited his colleagues in NMC\u2019s Student Services and Enrollment Management departments for motivating him to do his best on behalf of students.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverybody in some shape, form or fashion has mentored me, made me feel valued and want to be here,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m just really excited about being here, the first in this role at NMC. I\u2019m hopeful I can set a trail or path that others can follow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarcus\u2019 appointment takes NMC\u2019s commitment to diversity and inclusion to the next level,\u201d Nissley said. \u201cOur research shows we have work to do in this area to help our students succeed. I believe this is a critical step to help us get there. \u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bennett is on track to complete two other certifications this year, one in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University, and another in Ethical and Inclusive Leadership from USF.<\/p>\n<p>DEI duties will comprise half Bennett\u2019s job beginning in July. He will continue as associate dean of campus life. In that role, he and his family live on NMC\u2019s main campus and he is well-known and respected by students, staff and faculty alike.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to joining NMC in 2011, Bennett was a member of the Office of Residence Life staff at Saginaw Valley State University from 2003-2011.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>January 12, 2022 Longtime college staff member Marcus Bennett, Ed.D., will serve as Special Assistant to the President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) beginning July 1. This is the college\u2019s first position dedicated to DEI. \u201cI am proud to have the opportunity to help our college grow in this area. I\u2019ve seen first hand [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-intercom","category-student-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Success Story: Marcus Bennett chosen for DEI position, fulfilling strategic plan objective - NMC Communiqu\u00e9<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.nmc.edu\/?p=79127\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Success Story: Marcus Bennett chosen for DEI position, fulfilling strategic plan objective - NMC Communiqu\u00e9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"January 12, 2022 Longtime college staff member Marcus Bennett, Ed.D., will serve as Special Assistant to the President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) beginning July 1. 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