- LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENTNICK NISSLEY, PRESIDENT
CALLING THE HERO IN EACH OF US
I ALWAYS wondered what it would be like to be a superhero.
This spring I had a little taste when I dressed up as “Captain Hawk Owl” for our college’s Big Little Hero Race. It’s a fabulous experiential learning event hosted by our business communications students to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters.
In some ways, being the president of Northwestern Michigan College is like being a superhero. I get to help students achieve their goals and see their dreams come true! But more often than not, the real work happens a lot slower than my 5k pace and involves meetings, planning, collaboration and compromise.
We’d like to think solving complex and systemic problems can be done at superhuman speed by some masked marvel, but the reality would make for a pretty dull summer blockbuster on the big screen.
The bright side is that we all have an opportunity to be part of the solution and to be a hero in the story. In fact, it will take all of us working together to solve our community’s challenges.My job isn’t to carry the weight of the world, but to make sure NMC is at the table and part of the conversation. Especially in a community like ours, we simply cannot wait for a hero to save us. We all have to show up, do the hard work, have patience and persistence and know we are making progress, even if it isn’t done at the speed of sound.
In this issue of Nexus you will read incredible stories of how NMC faculty and staff—our real superheroes—are working to make our college and community a better place, for our students and citizens. I am so proud of our Hawk Owl heroes and am proud to be part of a community that works together to do hard things.
- NOTES & NOTABLESPRESIDENT NICK NISSLEY WAS INAUGURATED AND RECEIVED HIS PRESIDENTIAL MEDALLION AT THE 2022 COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY.
NMC STUDENT A TOP SCHOLAR NATIONWIDE
NMC student Amber Marsh is one of 15 Phi Theta Kappa members selected as a 2022 Guistwhite Scholar, and will receive a $5,000 scholarship for her baccalaureate studies.
Winners were chosen from among 2,700 applicants nationwide based on academic excellence, leadership accomplishments, and engagement in PTK, the international community college honor society. Marsh, of Kalkaska, has been president of NMC’s PTK chapter for two years and led it to its best performance ever in the organization’s Most Distinguished Chapter competition. She was NMC’s Student Government Association president in 2021-22 and active in other student groups as well.
➤ More info: nmc.edu/ptkK. ROSS CHILDSANN ROGERSK. ROSS CHILDS, ANN ROGERS NAMED 2022 FELLOWS
The two Traverse City recipients of NMC’s highest honor have supported the college for decades. Childs was a member of the NMC Foundation Board from 1990-1999 and an elected member of the Board of Trustees from 2001-2020, including two years as chair. He bookended those two decades by serving on the search committees that led to the selections of both Tim Nelson and Nick Nissley as NMC presidents. Childs and his late wife, Helen, have also supported NMC philanthropically for 35 years.
Rogers’ late husband, science instructor and 1985 Fellow Joe Rogers, spearheaded the construction of NMC’s Rogers Observatory, and she created a science scholarship as a birthday gift to him. She went on to create four scholarships, the most recent supporting students who are active in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work at the college. A longtime member of the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council, Rogers can frequently be found walking across campus, taking stock of the native plants and trees she helped to plant.
➤ See a list of all NMC Fellows since 1964 at nmc.edu/fellowsSTUDENTS STUDY ABROAD IN EUROPE, SOUTH AMERICA
NMC resumed its place as a leader in short-term study abroad experiences this spring, with 50 students traveling to the United Kingdom (nursing, above), France (humanities), Spain (culinary) and Colombia (water studies).
They are the frst trips since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and many colleges are still hesitant to travel, said Jim Bensley, director of International Services and Service Learning and co-leader of the France trip.
“We are on the leading edge,” Bensley said.
Studying abroad is one form of experiential learning and required for the global endorsement credential NMC began offering eight years ago. Bensley said that global experiences add another dimension to classroom education.
NMC also offers up to $1,000 Global Opportunities scholarships to defray the cost of the study abroad experiences.
➤ More info: nmc.edu/study-abroadNMC CREATES FIRST POSITION DEDICATED TO DEI
Longtime college staff member Marcus Bennett, Ed.D., begins serving as Special Assistant to the President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) beginning July 1.
Bennett, who holds a doctorate in community college leadership and a certifcate on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the workplace, has worked at NMC for more than a decade. He is currently associate dean of campus and residence life.
“I am proud to have the opportunity to help our college grow in this area. I’ve seen frsthand some of the challenges our students face and am inspired by the commitment of our NMC community to create positive change,” said Bennett. He has also been a member of NMC’s DEI advisory committee, chartered by President Nick Nissley in summer 2020.
DEI duties will comprise half of Bennett’s job. He will continue as associate dean of campus life. Establishment of the new position fulflls a key objective within the DEI area of NMC’s strategic plan, NMC Next.
➤ Read more about the plan and see progress trackers at nmc.edu/strategic-planIN MAY, THE TIMOTHY J. NELSON INNOVATION CENTER WAS DEDICATED IN HONOR OF NMC’S IMMEDIATE PAST AND LONGEST-SERVING PRESIDENT (PICTURED WITH HIS WIFE NANCY JOHNSON). DURING HIS 2001-19 TENURE, NELSON BUILT A CULTURE OF INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP. - ADULT LEARNER PROFILENMC'S MARINE TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS, LIKE SARAH SERGENT, USE THE R/V NORTHWESTERN TO TRAIN IN THE BACHELOR'S DEGREE PROGRAM.ABOUT MARINE TECHNOLOGY
• Nation’s only bachelor’s degree program, begun in 2015
• 100 percent employment track record
• Career paths: Marine mapping and hydrography, marine construction, marine exploration, science and research and environmental monitoring
➤ More info: nmc.edu/marineDEEP WATER EXPLORER
Adult student finds success after second plunge into collegeMARINE TECHNOLOGY student Sarah Sergent’s enthusiasm for learning new things is as deep as the uncharted waters of the Atlantic that she’s now exploring.
Sergent, 38, is spending the summer as an intern aboard a research vessel, helping operate the remotely operated vehicle Jason on its four-mile deep dives into the Atlantic Ocean.
“It’s an absolute dream,” said Sergent, who as a sophomore didn’t expect to land a paid internship through the prestigious Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Boston, home of the National Deep Submergence Facility. She applied anyway, hoping the experience of the process might help her in a year or two. “I want to be able to go to these uncharted depths and see and learn things people have never known before.”
One of three ROV units operated by the NDSF, a consortium of the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Jason enables scientists to access the seafloor without leaving the ship’s deck. Just how deep is four miles? Twenty times deeper than Lake Michigan.
“Sarah continues the legacy of NMC Marine Technology students receiving prestigious internships and scholarships,” said Hans Van Sumeren, director of NMC’s Great Lakes Water Studies Institute. “Working alongside some of the world’s greatest scientists, Sarah will be part of a team that can explore the deepest depths of the ocean using some of the most state-of-the-art equipment available.”
Sergent’s achievement is all the more remarkable considering that she had to overcome self-doubt to even return to college as an adult student. She left Saginaw Valley State University nearly two decades ago when a back injury ended her pole vaulting career and cost her an athletic scholarship. She worked in behavioral health and substance abuse recovery coaching for a decade, and marked 10 years in recovery herself in March. She enrolled in the Marine Technology program in January 2021.“ THIS IS A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE INTERNSHIP AND STUDENTS APPLY FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. ”– HANS VAN SUMEREN, NMCOnce at NMC, her confidence flourished with the help of a success coach, a kind of re-entry navigator. Her foundation was further fortified with personal assistance from Van Sumeren and Marine Technology program coordinator John Lutchko on everything from course selection to preparation for the internship interview.
“It’s a testament to what this program does and the places you can go and the opportunities that are presented,” Sergent said. “It’s possible. Not just people my age, but people in recovery.”
Van Sumeren said that Sergent’s internship will only improve already outstanding job prospects when she enters the marine industry workforce. NMC’s BSMT graduates are highly sought after, with most students receiving multiple job offers. Starting salaries range from $75,000–$85,000.
“This is a highly competitive internship and students apply from all over the world,” Van Sumeren said. “Sarah’s internship experience will only open new doors for her to consider.”
Sergent will be at sea with Jason through early July. She expects to graduate with her bachelor’s degree in 2024.
“It’s amazing the things we’re capable of. We shortchange ourselves sometimes,” Sergent said. “You can change your life and have more than you could ever even fathom.” N
