Partners in Maritime Education

Northwestern Michigan College – comprehensive community college located in northern Michigan. We serve more than 50,000 learners annually. NMC offers associates degrees and professional certificates and, through our University Center, 10 partner universities grant baccalaureate, graduate and doctoral degrees. NMC's extensive extended education program offers a vast array of non-credit classes to more than 10,000 local residents annually.

Great Lakes Maritime Academy

Since 1969 the Great Lakes Maritime Academy, Michigan’s State Maritime Academy, has prepared future Merchant Marine Officers for the challenge of operating ships of all types. Curricula range from seamanship, navigation and piloting to steam & diesel engineering together with three semesters at sea aboard commercial vessels.  Along with a USCG unlimited tonnage license, qraduates enjoy 100% employment & are fully compliant with STCW’95 (Standards of Training, Certification & Watchkeeping).

Ferris State UniversityMichigan's Fastest Growing

Public UniversityStudents at Ferris State University get big-school resources with plenty of extracurricular activities in a relaxed, small-town setting in the heart of west-central Michigan. More than 170 degrees are offered through the colleges of Allied Health Sciences, Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Services, Optometry, Pharmacy, Professional and Technological Studies, and Engineering Technology.

WHERE WE WERETraditional Associates degree program, plus two years at

FSU afterward = 164 credits

Three admission applications for prospective cadets to fill out

Everything done on paper – limited use of technology available – multiple forms, limited tracking, cadets filled out the same ‘forms’ every year

Financial aid was split – NMC awarded through completion of Associates – FSU after that

Scholarships were limited too- after cadets completed NMC coursework, they were no longer ‘ours’ & they missed out on university scholarships designed for freshman

One staff member responsible for recruitment, advising and cadet relationship building

MAKING THE TRANSITION

Realizing the need to recruit and retain cadets….

Great Lakes Maritime Academy, NMC and FSU came together to make compromises – they are ‘OUR’ cadets.

CURRICULUM

NMC & FSU pared down curriculum requirements by 17 credits

NMC & FSU signed a more robust consortium agreement – not just an ‘articulation’ – they are FSU, NMC, and Maritime students from day ONE

Students take a mix of courses from all three areas, throughout the program, no longer 2 + 2 (or 3 + 2!)

Instruction happens now on multiple campuses vs. one site, using the assets of the various institutions for the cadets

ADMISSIONS & RECRUITING

Developed and implemented a two year enrollment plan including Additional staff Increased budget Comprehensive marketing

Use technology vs. paper processes ONE Application! Automatic processing Less redundancy with internal offices – NMC

admissions, registrar’s

TUITION AND FINANCIAL AID

Implemented differential tuition for Maritime curriculum – university rate

Financial aid is awarded to students by FSU for all four years

Students now have access to NMC foundation scholarships, federal and state aid, and some FSU scholarships

Now push out bill due dates for NMC/Maritime tuition to FSU due date for students with aid

RETENTION & STUDENT SERVICES

Coordinated effort with NMC Main campus – health services, tutoring, student activities

Advising – created computer based advising guides, mandatory advisor sign offs, FSU advisor visits

Orientation – revamped student orientation to include financial aid from both campuses, support services staff and advisors from NMC, FSU and Maritime

Cross institutional faculty – NMC math faculty member teaching FSU math class on NMC’s campus.

DEALING WITH CHALLENGES

Cultural – institutional and professional Political – federal, state and institutional Monetary – balancing costs, resources and

student support Academic – advising, federal and

international standards Technology – Banner is not Banner

everywhere! Public Relations – how to maintain ONE

identity of a collaborative program

ROUGH WATERS

A long history of Maritime being its own entity - they are ‘different’ – separate admissions recruiters, more rigorous admission requirements, separate student handbooks, separate buildings which lead to….

Lack of understanding and support for what the Maritime Academy does even though they are part of NMC – services were disconnected

The original consortium agreement did not detail the recruiting, admissions and financial aid parameters for either institution – left great confusion of who is doing what for whom.

ROUGH WATERS

Scholarships and financial aid – a real need to share in this process to help the student, but lack of communication and understanding of packaging procedures made it difficult to move forward

Technology that talks across campuses – we all run using Banner, but because each institution has its own home model, moving data from one place to another has been difficult.

Lack of communication…….

CONTINUED WORK

A full commitment by both institutions to help us recruit – how to tap into FSU students who are ‘unhappy’ with FSU and could come here

Scholarship monies awarded with the same parameters as current FSU students – continue to seek ways to make them ‘our’ students

Communication – between all levels; presidents, academic administrators, faculty and staff

Placement - Discrepancy between FSU admission standards and placement and NMC placement parameters

Technology Access – the need to have access across institutions to ‘see’ and use individual cadet record data