SPRING 2021
NEXUS PANDEMIC PIVOTS Examined close up
FUTURES FOR FRONTLINERS New paths to degrees for adult learners
TEXTBOOK HEROES
Open Educational Resource savings stack up
EDITOR’S NOTE
THE NORTHWESTERN MICHIGAN COLLEGE MAGAZINE
Nexus is published two times a year by the NMC Offce of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications and designed and printed by MyNorth Media.
For correspondence and address updates: 1701 E. Front St. Traverse City, MI 49686 (231) 995-1021
NMC BOARD OF TRUSTEES Douglas S. Bishop Chris M. Bott Michael Estes Rachel A. Johnson Laura Oblinger Kenneth E. Warner Kennard R. Weaver
NMC PRESIDENT Nick Nissley, Ed.D.
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Cari Noga EDITOR AND WRITER Diana Fairbanks EDITOR Deb Fellows EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Gail Snable ART DIRECTOR Meg Young PHOTOGRAPHER, BRAND CONSULTANT
Sam Attanasio, PHOTOGRAPHER Alan Newton, PHOTOGRAPHER Andy Wakeman, PHOTOGRAPHER
One of the questions we grappled with in this issue was whether to photograph people wearing face masks. Campus policy is unambiguous: Masks must be worn unless alone in one’s own offce. (The few faculty and staff who are on campus these days follow it strictly, to the point of making sure NMC founder Les Biederman, above, was compliant.) Yet, if we depicted everyone in a mask, readers would miss the smiles of pride and joy people have in their work here at the college. We also utilize submitted photos taken elsewhere and pre-pandemic. To keep our options open, where it was safe to do so, such as in an individual shot, we shot every subject masked and unmasked. After reviewing the images, the decision favoring unmasked was just as unambiguous. There’s something irreplaceable about a smile. Ten months into the coronavirus pandemic, we know this all too well. Yet on campus and in most other places we sacrifce smiles for safety, masking up when we venture out. On these pages, secured under social distancing protocols, we decided, for the most part, to show smiles. Enjoy them. Take care of yourselves. Happy new year. N
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MASK ON? MASK OFF?
Alumni notes and updates may be submitted at nmc.edu/alumni or e-mail alumni@nmc.edu.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Aerial View: It's A Beautiful Day
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Letter from the President
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Notes & Notables
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My NMC: Custodial Team
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Dualie Profle: Kaitlyn Watson, Grand Traverse Academy
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COVER FEATURE Pandemic Pivots
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FEATURE Futures for Frontliners
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FEATURE Textbook Heroes
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Alumni Notes
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From Our Kitchens: Becky Tranchell, Rose & Fern Café
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Get Social
* Some of the photos in this issue were taken pre-COVID, before the need to adhere to safety guidelines.
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Find out more at nmc.edu/aviation
“On the other side of COVID, the aviation talent shortage is still a very real issue our industry is facing,” Bloye said. “The projected long-term demand for pilots means great opportunities for our graduates.” N
In December 2019 Attanasio completed his bachelor’s degree in aviation management from Ferris State University. He aspires to fy for Delta. While COVID -19 will continue to impact commercial fight in 2021, NMC Aviation Director Alex Bloye said eventually, the industry expects a full recovery. Boeing’s highly-respected industry outlook, in fact, projects more than 200,000 new pilot jobs in North America by 2039.
2016 aviation graduate Sam Attanasio, an Endeaver Air pilot, snapped this shot 35,000 feet over Crystal Lake in Benzie County in January 2020. At NMC, the U.S. Air Force veteran served as lead fight instructor and mentored other students. He was the recipient of the Adult Student of the Year scholarship, one of more than $1 million in scholarships NMC awards annually.
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY
AERIAL VIEW
AERIAL VIEW
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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT NICK NISSLEY, RIGHT, PRESENTED STUDENT RICHARD CLUFF WITH HIS AWARD AS NMC APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR IN NOVEMBER.
TRANSFORMING NMC FOR A POST-PANDEMIC FUTURE Welcome to a new year, NMC family! It’s hard to believe that just last January I began my frst day as president of our college. No one could have predicted the incredible changes we would need to make in response to the unprecedented challenges we faced from the COVID-19 pandemic. While it hasn’t been easy, I have been inspired by the values that unite us as a college community and move us forward, in particular, the spirit of innovation, agility and NICK NISSLEY, PRESIDENT thoughtful risk-taking. You will see many examples of these values from our students, employees and alumni throughout the pages of this magazine. In our last Nexus magazine, I wrote to you about the 4Rs framework we adopted at the college to focus our work and lead us through the pandemic. This framework includes Refocusing, Reopening, Reimagining and Righting the ship. Focusing on these critical factors has enabled us to meet our goals of keeping our students and employees safe while limiting the disruption to learning. I am so proud of what we are accomplishing together! Since that time, we have also begun to look further into the future and add a ffth R to our framework: Reimagining our college beyond the pandemic. In other words, asking ourselves, How will we transform the college for a post-COVID future? I am excited to embark on a strategic planning process this year that will unite our communities around how to best build upon our proud history, and best serve
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our learners into the future. A project like this would be no small feat in an average year, and is uniquely ambitious during a period of such transformation as we are seeing now. But I believe that is exactly why we should undertake this critical work now, and I believe it is in the DNA of NMC to be agile and innovative when faced with great challenges. What inspires me most to continue leading through change is our learners. Even through Zoom meetings, I have made a commitment to meet regularly with a variety of student groups. I want to hear from them frst-hand about their successes and their challenges. What never ceases to move me is their resilience and perseverance. When they remain dedicated to achieving their goals, we can offer them no less in our work to help them get there. Today, with so much changing so quickly and so much uncertainty in our world, it is our responsibility to our learners to look toward the future, anticipate their needs and create an environment that will best prepare them to be successful members of our community and society. This work is not easy, but it is most important. As we embark on this process, I look forward to building a path toward our future together. My frst year as president of NMC was vastly different than I could have imagined last January, but it was afforded me the opportunity to see our students, faculty, staff and community rise to challenges and come together in incredible ways. I am truly proud to serve our NMC family and am excited to see all we can accomplish together in this new year! N
NOTES & NOTABLES
THE R/V NORTHWESTERN DEBUTED A NEW COAT OF BLUE AND WHITE PAINT THIS FALL. IT IS THE RESEARCH VESSEL UTILIZED BY NMC’S MARINE TECHNOLOGY AND FRESHWATER STUDIES PROGRAMS.
NMC, MTU TO COLLABORATE ON GREAT LAKES RESEARCH Northern Michigan University and Michigan Technological University formalized their collaborative intent with a focus on marine technology, freshwater science and professional development with a two-year Memorandum of Understanding signed in September 2020.
Michigan Tech President Rick Koubek and NMC President Nick Nissley noted their shared mission and complementary strengths in advancing Great Lakes research, as well as their mutual goal in collaborating to develop an internationally-recognized center of excellence in freshwater science and research.
NMC AWARDS $1 MILLION IN EMERGENCY FUNDS TO STUDENTS IN HALF ALLOTTED TIME
JOHNSON
OBLINGER
WARNER
INCUMBENT, 2 NEWCOMERS ELECTED TO BOARD Rachel Johnson, Laura Oblinger and Ken Warner began six-year terms on the Northwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees Jan. 1. Current board vice-chair Johnson was re-elected, and frsttime candidates Oblinger and Warner received the three highest vote totals from Grand Traverse County voters Nov. 3. The feld of seven candidates was the largest slate in 30 years.
In late April 2020, NMC received $2.1 million in federal CARES Act funds for emergency student relief and institutional support, which must be spent by May 2021. At least 50 percent is dedicated to providing emergency aid to students such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care and child care expenses. It cannot be used to cover tuition expenses. As of September 8, 705 students had received awards, averaging $1,500 per student. “I am so thankful for this fund,” said nursing student Makayla Kramer, 20, recipient of CARES Act funds and scholarships which helped with tuition. “It has really lifted a lot of fnancial issues off of my shoulders during this time.” N
Oblinger and Warner succeed K. Ross Childs and Jane T. McNabb, who did not seek re-election. ➤ Read bios on each trustee at nmc.edu/trustees
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NOTES & NOTABLES
FROM LEFT, UAS PROGRAM GRADUATE RYAN MATER, TECHNICAL DIVISION DIRECTOR JASON SLADE, CHIEF UAS INSTRUCTOR CARL ROCHELEAU, AVIATION DIVISION DIRECTOR ALEX BLOYE AND UAS PROGRAM MANAGER TONY SAUERBREY WITH NMC'S FLEET OF DRONES.
A DECADE OF DRONES: COLLEGE LEADS REGION INTO NEW INDUSTRY Fall semester marked the ten-year anniversary of NMC’s Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) program, a foresighted curricular addition that has helped diversify northern Michigan’s economy. In 2010, UAS, also known as drones, were chiefy a military tool. But Tony Sauerbrey, above, far right, then NMC’s chief fight instructor, and others in the college’s traditional manned Aviation program spied opportunity ahead. Three classes in 2010 grew into a degree with a UAS speciality by 2013, ahead of the FAA’s commercial regulations established in 2016. With NMC’s signifcant lead in training time and experience, UAS students have a decided edge in the industry, growing to occupy a larger niche in northwest Michigan.
“NMC is the epicenter of all of the robotic and drone companies in the area, with an emphasis on aerial applications,” said Christian Smith, president of Interactive Aerial, a Traverse City company founded by four NMC alumni. Hands-on training is conducted on land in Yuba, donated for training by college supporters Dorance and Julia Amos. Sauerbrey says that proximity was instrumental to the program’s success. “The next ten years will be very interesting,” said Sauerbrey, now UAS program manager. “Drones are not a novelty anymore and have cemented themselves as an invaluable tool in many industries and will continue to do so.” ➤ Find out more about degree and certifcate options: nmc.edu/uas
NMC AGAIN NAMED TO BEST FOR VETS LIST FOR 2021 For the third year in a row, NMC has ranked as the No. 2 community college in the country for veterans by Military Times magazine in its annual Best for Vets list. ➤ Find out more: nmc.edu/veterans
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K E E P N M C S A F E !
Sandy Harrand, 18 years Fred Cook, 18 Pat Coy, 10 Mike Pleva, 22 Jeff Sabins, 14 Robin Maloney, 4 Dennis Christopher, 32 Deb J. (DJ), 1 Craig Shattuck, 13 Kerry McPherson, 4 Brenda Garvon, 4 Leanne Kneer, 1.5
Not pictured: Steve Fewins, Sharon Angel, Val Reynolds, Laura Mashburn, Lindsey Kimball and Linda Glaesmer, assistant director of campus services.
ANTI-COVID-19 CRUSADERS: NMC'S CUSTODIAL TEAM Tasked with keeping some two dozen buildings on four campuses clean and safe, the duties of NMC’s in-house custodial staff gained even greater importance when the college partially re -opened this summer amid the COVID pandemic. With a collective 194.5 years of experience and several NMC alumni among them, NMC is both proud and grateful for their dedication. N
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DUALIE PROFILE
Valedictorian goes viral — in a good way Kaitlyn Watson learned she was valedictorian of the Grand Traverse Academy 2020 graduating class when Principal Michelle Floering surprised her in the Traverse City Culver’s drive-through while Watson was at work. The video clip of Watson’s reaction (thrilled) has since gone viral and was featured on both "Some Good News" with John Krasinski and "The Kelly Clarkson Show" in April. (Search for both on YouTube.) While Watson had to forego a live commencement ceremony, she recorded her valedictory address, and heard it presented on a big screen at GTA's drivein style commencement.
Dual-enrolled high school students are the fastestgrowing segment of enrollment at NMC. Find out more at nmc.edu/dualenroll
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DUALIE PROFILE
SHE’S A BRAINIAC
DUAL-ENROLLED GTA VALEDICTORIAN EARNS FULL RIDE TO NMU, MAJORS IN NEUROSCIENCE Thanks to dual enrollment (DE), Kaitlyn Watson will be a junior when she returns to Northern Michigan University this month, even though she’s just starting her second semester at the U.P. school.
also offers DE classes at Traverse City West, the TBAISD Career Tech Center, and Manton High School.) Besides earning credits, she found the early introduction to college-level coursework benefcial.
The 2020 Grand Traverse Academy valedictorian earned 42 credits through dual enrollment at NMC, including Spanish, calculus, chemistry, biology, English, sociology and psychology. Now, Watson is enjoying not only the head start on college, but the direction she gained through dual enrollment.
“Being a dual-enrolled student prepared me for what college professors expect, and what is expected of you as a college student,” Watson said.
“It opened up the opportunity to explore what I was thinking about majoring in,” said Watson, 19. “It's not only saving me money, but giving me an idea what I want to do with my life.” Chemistry teacher Mary Jo Elliott was especially infuential, Watson said. “She made science exciting and interesting. She inspired me to dive deeper into it.”
At Northern, which offered her a full tuition scholarship, Watson is majoring in neuroscience with an integrative science minor. After earning a bachelor's degree in fall 2022 she plans to take a year off to travel, and is then considering either a Physician’s Assistant program or medical school. She advises other students considering dual enrollment to go for it. “Take any opportunity that is given to you,” Watson said. “It’s amazing how many doors can open up for you.” N
Watson started dual-enrolling in ninth grade, taking NMC classes that were offered right in the GTA building. (NMC
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PANDEMIC PIVOTS
EXAMINED CLOSE UP
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COLLEGE, COMMUNITY, ALUMNI, REIMAGINE LIFE AMID COVID-19 Last spring, as event cancellations poured in, Matt Bulloch, CEO of Traverse City manufacturer TentCraft, knew he needed a new revenue stream, and quick. After international travel restrictions ruled out student Lydia Henion’s study abroad trip to Brazil last June, she needed another experience to earn a Global Endorsement on her degree before she could transfer to the University of Michigan. At Traverse City’s Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home, an essential service that has stayed open throughout the pandemic, co-owner and 1976 alumna Peg Jonkhoff knew she needed COVID-safe ways for families to observe rituals that would bring comfort and closure. In Seattle, Microsoft program manager and 2006 alumnus Stephen Siciliano knew he needed to improve technology tools to help thousands of people still work together despite being thrust into a diaspora of home offces. The pandemic forced all four to pivot from planned, businessas-usual ways of getting things done. To reimagine new ways, all drew on skills like agility, responsiveness, foresight, collaboration and courageous creativity that were instilled at NMC. “If it weren’t for NMC Lean training, we wouldn’t have survived the pandemic,” said Bulloch of TentCraft, a longtime client of NMC Training Services. The company pivoted from mobile marketing tents for massive events like the NCAA Final Four and the SXSW festivals to medical tents for drive-through COVID testing. “We were able to shift and supply the market demand.” We take a closer look at these pivots. ➤
2020 GRADUATE MEGAN DAGEN, A FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENT.
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ALAN NEWTON FRESHWATER STUDIES STUDENTS PLANT TREES WITH THE GRAND TRAVERSE CONSERVATION DISTRICT BY THE BOARDMAN RIVER.
PIVOTING TO SERVE STUDENTS NMC’s short-term study abroad program, ranked No. 1 among Michigan community colleges, is a pride point. Henion was among seventy students poised to depart for seven different countries last spring when COVID lockdowns grounded them all. International Services Director Jim Bensley immediately got to work tapping his contacts around the globe to devise virtual experiences until travel is safe again. “We don’t want to put a pause on student engagement with the world,” said Bensley. “We would prefer them to be face-to-face, but we have to deal with the current situation, and we’ve still been able to move forward with cultural exchange.”
I defnitely feel I’m learning a lot more career-building skills. —Lydia Henon
Henion was at the top of his list. She was set to transfer to the University of Michigan to study international relations last fall, but the cancellation of the Brazil trip meant she still needed to check off the experiential criteria for her Global Endorsement. Through contacts in India, where NMC students traveled in both 2018 and 2019, Bensley found multiple internship opportunities. Henion chose to work with Myna Mahalia, a Mumbai-based foundation which employs women to make menstrual hygiene products, a subject considered taboo in much of the country.
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“It’s based on women’s activism,” Henion said. “I love that so much. I felt really inspired by it and felt (Myna Mahalia) was somewhere I could explore more on feminism at a global level.” Her weekly assignments have focused on marketing and fundraising for Myna Mahalia, especially via social media. She juggles a nine and a half hour time difference to meet with her Indian mentors, but it’s been an instructive experience since she hopes to work internationally. “I end up having to wake up really early or stay up late at night to have good communication,” Henion said. “I defnitely feel I’m learning a lot more career-building skills.” After the extra semester at NMC, she’ll transfer to U-M this month. Bensley plans to continue virtual internships after study abroad trips resume, hopefully in 2022, to increase options.
FROM LEFT: ALUMNI PEG JONKHOFF, 1976, AND BRANDON LOHR, 2010, WORKED TO MOVE FUNERAL SERVICES AT REYNOLDSJONKHOFF OUTDOORS AND ONLINE. TOP AND BOTTOM RIGHT: COVID TEST TENTS BY TENTCRAFT, TENTCRAFT.COM
Henion’s experience shows virtual stands in well for face-to-face experiences in many ways. It can even expand student access, Bensley notes, for students who can’t afford to travel internationally. However, it’s not well-suited to other programs, like NMC’s one-of-a-kind associate’s degree in freshwater studies program. “We cannot teach this on a screen,” Freshwater Studies instructor Constanza Hazelwood said. “That’s what got me thinking we must have students outdoors.” So this fall, she pivoted from the Great Lakes campus classroom where she’s taught for 11 years. She tapped nine community organizations, including the Grand Traverse Conservation District and Glen Lake Association in Leelanau County, and divided her class into small groups to work with them. Each student got project research, management, and communication experience in areas that aligned with their interests, from water quality monitoring to habitat restoration to laboratory testing.
Field work and community partnerships have been part of the course in the past, but this time, it’s a much deeper dive. “This time the students are really engaged in the work of the organizations,” said Hazelwood. “It’s very much immersion in the professional world.”
streamed. That capability relieves families whose members are often scattered. Viewers have watched streamed services from as far as the United Kingdom, India, Saudi Arabia and China, said Brandon Lohr, audio-visual specialist at ReynoldsJonkhoff and a 2010 NMC graduate. “We had the technology and the foresight in place,” Jonkhoff said. “We literally were able to webcast, which I’m so proud of, to anywhere in the world.”
PIVOTING TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY— AND BEYOND Travel restrictions and limitations on gathering size could exact an even higher emotional toll on those who must hold funeral and memorial services amid a pandemic. But streaming services have allowed 1976 alumna Peg Jonkhoff and husband Dan to continue the tradition of caring for families that they’ve prided themselves on as owners of ReynoldsJonkhoff Funeral Home since 1992. Their YouTube channel, rjfh.tv, existed before the pandemic. But in 2020 its usage grew signifcantly, with 75 services
During the summer and fall months, Reynolds-Jonkhoff also added an outdoor tent in its garden. Only one or two funerals were held outdoors in 2019, but in 2020 it became the norm. Services were also arranged at other outdoor locations, including a baseball diamond in Lake Leelanau and a gazebo in Empire. “We’ve had to be really, really creative and fexible,” Jonkhoff said. But they’re happy to do so. “We’re here to help people cope with their loss. They’re already coping with so much.” ➤
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2006 ALUMNUS STEPHEN SICILIANO AT HIS HOME OFFICE IN SEATTLE.
Beyond northern Michigan, many communities have been served by TentCraft’s medical tents. Pre-COVID, the company had never sold to a healthcare client, but early on in the pandemic CEO Bulloch, a veteran of the Army National Guard, tapped his contacts and secured the Veterans Administration, the largest healthcare network in the U.S., as a customer. By late fall, medical tents were 90 percent of TentCraft’s work.
If it weren’t for NMC Lean training, we wouldn’t have survived the pandemic. —TentCraft CEO Matt Bulloch
A Stanford MBA, Bulloch credits Lean principles that TentCraft received from NMC training as enabling the company to make the shift. Using a plan-do-checkadjust cycle, the training helps companies gain comfort with uncertainty and rebound from failure—like a cot Tentcraft made to use inside the medical tents that didn’t sell. “I learned more from the NMC Lean training than I learned at Stanford. By far,” Bulloch said.
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He’s also proud that TentCraft’s work contributes to the fght against COVID. “The work that we’re doing is helping not thousands of people, but hundreds of thousands.”
PIVOTING TO SERVE 100 MILLION 2006 alumnus Stephen Siciliano, 33, has worked for Microsoft since 2009. His priority these days is improving Microsoft’s tools for collaboration, specifically Microsoft Teams. The application includes videoconferencing and has 115 million daily users worldwide. “How can we add new options, new capabilities, so that it’s easier to collaborate?” Siciliano said, citing examples like automatically creating a task as a follow-up from a meeting, or automatically sending out meeting notes to all participants.
Ways to make remote work and school more effective are also a priority. In the Teams video conferencing application, for instance, Microsoft added a “Classroom” view. Instead of squares for each person, it makes them appear seated in a chair, as if in a classroom or lecture hall. “They did some studies, and people were more attentive once they brought them out of their cubes,” Siciliano said. Lots of work remains, he said.
Each fall semester, the Great Lakes Culinary Institute traditionally hosts several fundraising dinners, offering students hands-on experience with menu planning, preparation and service. With in-person events off limits, both the GLCI student experience, and its scholarship bottom line appeared likely to suffer a blow.
FUNDRAISING PIVOT Enter Charcuterie To Go, a new event that served as both fnal exam and fundraiser for students in the Garde Manger class. Each student created 24 themed charcuterie boxes for pre-order and pick up.
“If this continues for a while, we’ll have to be more creative,” he said. “We need to fgure out how do we build more of the human connection in this remote environment.” But as he works sequestered in a combo bedroom-home offce in Seattle himself, Siciliano credits how NMC initially instilled independence that’s critical to COVID times. “As folks are working from home, it’s more important than ever that you have that self-driven motivation to get the job done,” he said. “NMC was defnitely where I picked that up.”
into how to present that same (event) experience in a to-go format.” Meanwhile, the NMC Foundation pivoted smoothly in its fundraising efforts this year thanks to the comprehensive structure of its $35 million Be What’s Possible campaign.
The fundraiser sold out faster than expected, and GLCI also has a prototype fundraiser to return to if COVID continues to restrict in-person events, like the Taste of Success, the program’s largest annual fundraiser usually held in April.
One of the campaign’s four priorities, The Fund for NMC, is dedicated to the college’s most urgent needs. Crisis relief shot to the top of the list, needs as basic as short-term hotel stays for three students who had unforseen housing problems.
Chef Les Eckert, GLCI director, said students “set a precedent” with Charcuterie To Go, and thanked culinary program supporters.
Donors rallied around that need, making the second quarter of 2020 the Foundation’s secondbest ever, in terms of number of donors.
“They really missed our events. They wanted to support the students the way they have in the past,” she said, adding that personal touches, like a photo of each student and handwritten thank-yous, helped make the supporter-student connection. “There was a lot of thought put
“We know that philanthropy and giving is a way to connect—connect with your community and connect neighbors,” Foundation Executive Director Rebecca Teahen said. “People want to help. Even when times are tough, they want to have a way to help their community.” N
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FRONTLINERS REGISTERED: 489 • NEW/READMIT
CHRISTAL FROST GOES BACK TO SCHOOL RADIO PERSONALITY AMONG HUNDREDS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF FUTURES FOR FRONTLINERS FREE TUITION PROGRAM
Known to thousands in northern Michigan over her 15 years in local radio, Christal Frost Anderson is poised to take on another identity: NMC student. This month, Anderson, 41, starts classes through Futures for Frontliners, a statewide program offering free in-district community college tuition to Michiganders who worked in essential industries during the COVID-19 lockdown last spring but do not have a college degree.
CHRISTAL FROST ANDERSON
Anderson realized her job in media qualifed while interviewing someone on the air about the program last fall. And after a couple “false starts” in college, the time seemed ripe for her. “I had been thinking about going back and getting my degree,” said Anderson, a 1998 Benzie Central High School graduate who attended NMC immediately after high school and again in 2002 and 2006. “I would go back, try to do a class or two, and life would happen,” she said. But now, with one child grown and another in high school, fnishing what she started seemed possible. Futures for Frontliners sealed the deal. Eligible workers include those who worked in fnancial services, food and agriculture, health care, law enforcement,
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TED STUDENTS: 269 • CURRENT STUDENTS: 220 As of Dec.14, 2020
transportation and public works. They may pursue an associate degree or a skills certifcate while continuing to work. Anderson is one of almost 500 students taking advantage of the program at NMC. More will start in summer and fall semesters. Anderson is considering studying either criminal justice or psychology and plans to stay on the air.
online, a convenience that didn’t exist when she last attended. “You had to ft your schedule around the school. That's not how it is now, and that has made all the difference,” she said. She also plans to take full advantage of NMC’s dozens of student support services. Advising, success coaching and tutoring are just a few available. She believes that will help her avoid repeating previous false starts. “I didn’t reach out for help, and therefore I ended up dropping out,” she said. “I know I need the support.” Anderson considers Frontliners a golden opportunity, and is grateful NMC enables her to pursue it. After earning her associate degree, she plans to continue on to a bachelor’s.
“I probably won’t leave my job, I love my job,” she said. “It’s about actually accomplishing it.” The bite-size approach that Frontliners offers also appeals to her. Students need only enroll in six credits, or two classes, to maintain scholarship eligibility. Anderson will take her classes
“That’s what I love about NMC. It’s always there when you’re ready. That’s a big, big thing. It took me a long time to be ready.” Be prepared to hear more about her journey, too. “I’ll probably ask for help with homework on the air,” Anderson joked. N
Each 20-minute video in this series of NMChosted job panels features a local employer highlighting a good-paying, in-demand job available now; an NMC program representative outlining the training available and a fnancial services specialist with advice on paying for it. Available now: • Biomedical technology specialist at Munson Healthcare • Surveying Engineering Operations at Gourdie Fraser • Industrial maintenance at Sara Lee
NOT A FRONTLINER?
• Production welders and engineers at Thompson Surgical Instruments ➤ To watch, visit nmc.edu/reset
NMC’S GOT THAT COVERED, TOO Other programs and more than 650 scholarships are available to help working adult students pay for a degree or certifcate, which in turn enables them to move into higher-paying jobs or change careers.
PA R T N E R S
Michigan Reconnect is one such statewide program aimed at flling the state’s skills gap by helping adults over age 25 earn a degree or certifcate. The Grand Traverse region is home to more than 19,000 adults over age 25 who do not have a degree. They’ll fnd themselves at home at NMC, where one-quarter of the student body was 25 or older in fall 2019. Students who received scholarships received an average award of $1,213, further reducing NMC’s already low in-district tuition, the eighth-lowest among Michigan’s 28 community colleges. Online classes and support services that Anderson took advantage of are available to all NMC students. ➤ Get started at nmc.edu/adult-students
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lies f d n e week
ive years after NMC began a pilot project using Open Educational Resources (OERs), a.k.a. free or low-cost textbooks, the savings to students has soared past $2 million. In 2015, ten instructors received a stipend of either $500 or an iPad, provided by an NMC Foundation innovation grant, as an incentive to redesign their courses using OERs, defned as costing less than $40. Savings have grown every semester since, as have the number of courses taught with OERs, now more than 50, and the ranks of the textbook heroes, a.k.a. faculty members, found in every academic area of the college. “I don’t want my students to break the bank on a textbook,” said philosophy instructor Sarah Montgomery-Richards.
o o m! BbO on deck, according to Pharo, once faculty can return to campus, and are able to collaborate and tailor OERs face to face.
She uses an older edition of the same textbook for two different classes, allowing students who take both to double their savings.
Likewise, Montgomery-Richards supplements her text with additional readings and online materials. Some newer textbooks have “bells and whistles” like pre-made quizzes and gamifed activities, which might be nice to have, but not worth the extra cost to students, she said.
“We’ve got to help these kids afford school. If we can fnd a good text that’s OER, we need to do so,” said history instructor Tom Gordon, whose use of OERs predates even the original heroes. Since 2007, he’s used a U.S. history book he wrote himself. It exists online, supplemented with videos to historic sites like Gettysburg, PA, that Gordon shot himself during a 2006 sabbatical.
“I have total confdence in the faculty at NMC. We are capable of coming up with some really cool stuff on our own,” Montgomery-Richards said. “Especially now with COVID, we need to be thinking about ways to help our students. One way is to do the best we can to make our materials not cost prohibitive.” N
Math instructor Deb Pharo fnds the ability to edit OERs another advantage. “Then the book refects exactly what I want,” said Pharo, the math department chair. At least four different math courses already use OERs and several more are
Student savings from free/low-cost textbooks, 2015-2020 (+$2 MILLION TOTAL) $246,800
$225,000
$212,500 $152,700 $94,900
$164,800
$92,200 $128,900
2015
$12,400
$14,200
2016
2017
fall semester
$209,900
$224,000
$39,300
$38,200
$149,500 $25,200
2018 spring semester
2019
2020
summer semester
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ALUMNI NOTES
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ALUMNI NOTES 1 LAURA (HAGAN) SILADKE, (2003-04), opened Leelanau Goods in Santa Monica, CA. After NMC she attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids and the Parsons School of Design in New York City. She moved to Los Angeles and worked for other designers before starting her own clothing line and opening the store in 2020. Merchandise is also available online at leelanaugoods.com 4 PETER WEAVER, (GLMA 2005), after over a decade of policy and advocacy work for midstream oil and gas operations, Weaver joined a small technology startup, Orbital Sidekick, which is deploying hyperspectral imaging satellites to conduct daily data collection and analysis on oil and gas pipeline infrastructure, to improve upon and replace aerial patrol services worldwide. Their frst prototype asset operated in space from the International Space Station in 2019. Their frst proprietary satellite will launch from Cape Canaveral in mid-January with more to come later in 2021.
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3 BETSY COFFIA, 2008, was re-elected to her seat on the Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners. She will serve a two-year term. 2 ADAM RAUPP, (GLCI 2014), has joined the team at Bonobo Winery as head chef. Raupp is a northern Michigan native and has over 25 years of experience in the industry. He loves the diverse agricultural bounty that Michigan has to offer, everything from the excellent grape growing terroir, the access to some of the best freshwater fsheries in the world, and a farming region that is second only to California in its crop diversity. 5 CAROLINA MATHER, (2016) graduated from the University of Toledo in December 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry. She has accepted a position at pharmaceutical company Sanof Pasteur in its Vaccines Industrial Affairs Development program. She is married to NMC aviation alumnus Chase Mather.
ALUMNI NOTES ART CULTURE
SAVE THE DATE! March 1, 2021: Nominations for Outstanding Alumni award due. Established in 1988, NMC’s Outstanding Alumni are selected based on their professional achievements and/or exemplary leadership in the local or global community. You can nominate online or learn more at nmc.edu/alumni 4
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7 ALEX THAYER, (2016-18), won the Alan Mulally Leadership in Engineering Scholarship to continue his engineering studies at the University of Michigan. The scholarship in honor of the former Ford Motor Co. CEO is awarded annually by the company to only 10 students nationwide. At U-M Thayer has been a member of the Solar Power Team, designing and optimizing a battery pack for a solar car, and the Mars Rover Team, working on the development of a battery management system. He also runs a micro-soldering business from his Ann Arbor home (pictured) working under a microscope on items between a grain of rice and a grain of sand in size. 6 MADISON SHARPE, (GLCI 2020), was accepted as an intern to the Disney Culinary Program at Walt Disney World in Florida. After the internship was postponed due to the pandemic, she and fellow 2020 graduate Ashley McPherson spent the summer working with Adrian Diday, a three-star Michelin chef, at Chianti Resort on Mackinac Island.
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CALLING ALL UNIVERSITY CENTER ALUMNI! Has a degree from a UC partner made a difference in your life? As the UC celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, NMC is seeking success stories from alumni. Submit yours at nmc.edu/mystory, or email ucalumni@nmc.edu
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ROSE & FERN CAFÉ
2009 CULINARY ALUMNA’S DREAM MEETS NEIGHBORHOOD NEED Becky Tranchell knew what Traverse City’s east side was missing: A restaurant offering meals that were quick, from-scratch, local, affordable, and of course, tasty. She also knew what she wanted: to support local growers; to pay good wages to her employees, GLCI alumni and students among them; and free evenings. She’s fused need, desire and delicious at Rose & Fern Café, the cozy breakfast and lunch spot she opened in 2018 at 910 E. Eighth St — yes, between Rose and Fern streets. “The vision was an affordable and local place,” Tranchell said. “I wanted it to be someplace where people could come and have conversations.” Those conversations are now snatched, since the pandemic has shifted service to take-out only, but community remains the heart of Rose & Fern. Tranchell, 32, offered deep discounts to essential and service workers in the spring. She’s also cultivated
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an all-local list of suppliers, the importance of which she learned during an internship in San Francisco while at GLCI. Her menu mixes Mexican and American favors with several vegetarian options. Her newest addition is a selection of unique baked goods — carrot cake muffns, brioche cinnamon rolls — overseen by a fellow GLCI alumna. All of the above, plus her culinary degree and instructor experience make her an entrepreneur Venture North, a regional community development fnancial institution, was proud to invest in. “Her ties to NMC, being a culinary instructor, having a fabulous feeder program,” said Laura Galbraith, executive director. “She’s really supporting a neighborhood. I’m so proud of Becky. Her dream came true.” N
FROM OUR KITCHENS
JAMMY EGGS (SOFT BOILED) INGREDIENTS: 1 ½
dozen eggs – room temperature gallon water
Bring a half-gallon of water to a boil in a medium saucepan with lid. Gently lower the eggs into boiling water and reduce temperature to medium. Cook for 7 1/2 minutes. Drop eggs into ice cold water. Peel once cooled. TIPS: Use eggs about 1 week old. Peel within an hour. Jammy eggs are delicious both hot and cold.
GREEN SAUCE Pairs well with eggs, meats and seafood! A wonderful all-purpose sauce. INGREDIENTS: ¼ ½ ¼ ½ 1 ¾ –1
cup toum or 2 T minced garlic tablespoon crushed red pepper cup lemon juice pound greens (pea shoots, parsley, dill) teaspoon salt cup extra virgin olive oil
Remove any stalky stems on greens. Pulse frst 5 ingredients in food processor until greens are broken down to the bottom quarter. Slowly stream in extra virgin olive oil until smooth and similar to a loose pesto.
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Talent, business, and community connect Northwest Michigan. We help.
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