Coronavirus (COVID-19)
September 3, 2021 UPDATE
To: NCMC Campus Community
From: David Roland Finley, Ph.D., president
Effective September 7, 2021, North Central Michigan College will be utilizing Phase 5 of the COVID-19 Response Grid.
VACCINATION
North Central Michigan College strongly encourages all individuals accessing campus to become vaccinated against COVID-19, as this is the most effective known measure to mitigate serious illness. Contact your local health department for vaccination clinics in your geographic location or your primary care physician for vaccination options.
Please be aware that there is a COVID-19 vaccination clinic on campus September 9 from 11:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. in the Borra Learning Center. This clinic will be offered by the Health Department of Northwest Michigan. They will offer the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. This is an optional clinic and available for all. Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins will be welcomed. Call 800-432-4121 to schedule an appointment. Other recommended and required vaccines will be available upon request. Parent/guardian consent is required for minors to receive vaccinations.
Effective through October 1, 2021, with the option to extend, all individuals on campus are instructed to wear a mask over their nose and mouth while indoors on the North Central Michigan College campus.
OTHER BEST PRACTICES
Practicing good hygiene, such as proper hand washing or hand sanitizing, socially distancing (at least 3 feet), staying home when ill and completing COVID-19 testing when you have symptoms (fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea) or exposure to COVID-19, are shown to be effective methods to mitigate spread of the COVID-19 virus.
SYMPTOMS and ILLNESS REPORTING
Finally, you are instructed to stay home if you are sick or had close contact with a person with COVID-19 (within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes). You are to contact your supervisor to report that you are ill and will be absent. Your supervisor will contact North Central Michigan College’s Chief Health Office. You will be directed on what measures to take (e.g., testing, isolation, working with the Health Department of Northwest Michigan or quantitative) and be told when it is safe for you to return to campus. In the meantime, work with your supervisor to plan for missed time off or to work remotely.
PLEDGE
Please review the "Together as North Central" pledge on the North Central Michigan College website: https://www.ncmich.edu/safety/together-as-north-central-pledge.html
We thank you in advance for taking all of the steps listed above to keep yourself and those around you safe, as we work together to foster a healthy learning environment this fall.
august 23, 2021 update
To: NCMC Campus Community
From: David Roland Finley, Ph.D., president
Out of an abundance of caution, North Central Michigan College will implement an indoor mask requirement beginning on Monday, August 30, 2021. (The date previously announced was Sept. 7, 2021.)
Therefore, effective Monday, August 30, 2021, North Central will require facial coverings in all indoor settings regardless of individuals’ vaccination status, with the exception of team members working in private offices. Exemptions will be made for individuals granted accommodations through Human Resources.
Facial coverings will be required indoors, with the exceptions noted above, until October 1, 2021. During these first weeks, we will assess the impact of our mask requirement, our local COVID-19 transmission rate, and our local vaccination rate.
Updated signage will be posted at building entry points to inform visitors and our campus community of the indoor mask requirement. There will be masks available for those who do not have a mask with them.
august 10, 2021 update
To: NCMC Campus Community
From: David Roland Finley, Ph.D., president
North Central Michigan College continues its commitment to ensuring the safety of our campus community and limiting disruptions to student learning.
Effective September 7, 2021, North Central will require facial coverings in all indoor settings regardless of vaccination status, with the exception of team members working in private offices. Exceptions will also be made for individuals granted accommodations through Human Resources.
Facial coverings will be required indoors, with the exceptions noted above, until October 1, 2021. During these first weeks of the semester, we will assess the impact of our mask requirement, our local COVID-19 transmission rate, and our local vaccination rate.
To date, Emmet County remains in the second-lowest category of COVID-19 cases per million people in the state. The CDC has designated Emmet County as having a “substantial” level of community spread of COVID-19 with 62 percent of residents fully vaccinated.
COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, free, and widely available to all individuals 12 and older. While North Central is not currently requiring students or team members to be vaccinated against COVID-19, it is strongly recommended. For a list of upcoming vaccination clinics, visit the Health Department of Northwest Michigan’s website.
North Central is currently operating in Phase 6 of its Reopening Grid. Should conditions warrant, the college will re-evaluate its operating phase and communicate any modifications immediately.
Please also note that the Together as North Central Pledge has been updated on the College website. https://www.ncmich.edu/safety/together-as-north-central-pledge.html
Thank you for your continued vigilance as we work in earnest toward a healthy, successful fall semester.
june 24, 2021 UPDATE
To: NCMC Campus Community
From: David Roland Finley, Ph.D., president
Following recent action taken by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA), North Central will move to Phase 6* of its Re-Opening Plan/COVID-19 Response Grid effective Monday, June 28, 2021.
To: NCMC Campus Community
From: David Roland Finley, Ph.D., president
Following recent action taken by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA), North Central will move to Phase 6* of its Re-Opening Plan/COVID-19 Response Grid effective Monday, June 28, 2021.
Under Phase 6, conditions are deemed “post-pandemic,” with community spread not expected to return.
The decision to move to Phase 6 was informed by the MDHHS Recission of Emergency Orders dated June 22, 2021, which rescinded the Gatherings and Face Mask Order signed on May 24, 2021, and new rules issued by MIOSHA. This decision also takes into consideration guidance from the Health Department of Northwest Michigan.
In accordance with CDC recommendations, individuals who are not fully vaccinated are encouraged to continue face-masking, practicing social distancing, and avoiding crowds in indoor spaces.
Should conditions warrant, the college will re-evaluate its current operating phase.
As always, be smart, be safe, and stay healthy! Thank you for your continued diligence in ensuring the safety of our campus community.
*The college will operate under Phase 6 with the exception that children in indoor settings on campus are required to wear face masks.
A Health Email (health@ncmich.edu) is available to provide a method for individuals to submit issues of noncompliance or ask health-related questions.
North Central employees should log into the MDHHS MI Symptoms Web App daily before reporting to work. If the MI Symptoms App indicates that you are at risk, plan to stay home and contact your supervisor.
CAMPUS COMMUNITY UPDATES
As the global situation with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) constantly evolves, we will provide periodic updates to the campus community regarding NCMC's planning and preparedness actions. The college is vigilant at taking steps to ensure the safety of the campus community.
Stay up-to-date on the latest information and statistics from the Health Department of Northwest Michigan by visiting the COVID-19 Data Dashboard.
click here for NCMC weekly covid-19 case reporting
Together as North Central Pledge
Your Community’s College maintains the same dedication to delivering the high-quality educational experience to our students we always have, but with a transformed and evolving commitment to ensuring a safe and fulfilling return to campus on September 7.
With input from our full- and part-time faculty, staff, administration, students/parents, and state and local public health authorities, including the Health Department of Northwest Michigan, a Return to Campus Plan has been developed to encapsulate the measures we are taking to proactively protect our campus community from the spread of Covid-19.
The “Together as North Central” Pledge demonstrates our commitment to begin the Fall 2021 semester united in our efforts to guard the health and safety of everyone on campus, and we will do this together, as North Central.
return to campus plan and reopening grid
On August 20, 2020 the College issued a comprehensive Reopening Plan, the “Together as North Central” Return to Campus Plan. This plan follows and incorporates NCMC's Reopening Grid that allows for a safe return to face-to-face (F2F) learning for the Fall 2021 semester that begins on September 7.
After thoughtful research and discussion — all of it informed by recommendations from the CDC, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Safe Schools Roadmap, and guidance from the Health Department of Northwest Michigan — the North Central Reopening Grid was reviewed by our Board of Trustees on July 28, 2020.
NCMC's Reopening Grid is a fluid guideline prepared with six phases that correspond to the six phases in the Governor's MI SafeSchools RoadMap.
We are currently in Phase 5
Indicators and conditions that will support moving to the next phase or support moving back to the previous phase are based on: Governor’s Executive Orders, Legislation guided, MI SafeStart guidelines, Health Department of NW Michigan Guidance & Recommendations, campus readiness, limited reported COVID cases in communities served.
NCMC Campus Safety Video
CORONAVIRUS AID, RELIEF AND ECONOMIC SECURITY ACT (CARES Act):
NORTH CENTRAL MICHIGAN COLLEGE Use of Funds from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF)
North Central Michigan College received funds for students from the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus. Please click for information related to those funds as required by the U.S. Department of Education.
CARES - Quarterly Reporting through 9-30-20
CARES - Quarterly Reporting through 12-31-20
CRRSAA - Quarterly Reporting through 3-31-21
HEERF - Quarterly Reporting through 6-30-21
Remembering Larry Cummings
NORTH CENTRAL PROFESSOR PASSES AWAY
Professor Larry Cummings taught history and geography for 51 years
and will leave a lasting impact
North Central Michigan College Professor Larry Cummings, a fixture in the Petoskey community and an icon on the college’s campus, passed away at McLaren Northern Michigan on March 31, 2020, due to complications of Covid-19. He was 76. more information
A RENAISSANCE MAN: Larry Cummings was an NCMC, area legend
Steve Foley (231) 439-9397 spfoley@petoskeynews.com
Earlier in March and just before coronavirus had become what it is today, North Central Michigan College sociology/anthropology professor Kerri Finlayson was chatting with fellow longtime professor Larry Cummings about pedagogy.
“He (Cummings) was putting together a proposal for a sabbatical . . . more information
Coronavirus Resources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guidelines - During this rapidly evolving situation, North Central Michigan College is following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Interim Guidance for US Institutions of Higher Education.
FAQs - CLICK HERE to access an updated list of Coronavirus FAQs