Nicolet Celebrates April as National Community College Month

Nicolet College has joined the 1,100 other community colleges across the country to celebrate April as National Community College Month, highlighting the vital role these institutions play in advancing personal growth and building stronger communities. 

“For more than 50 years Nicolet has never waivered from its commitment to deliver superior community college education that transforms lives and enriches communities,” said Nicolet College President Richard Nelson. 

“As we emerge from this pandemic, the college is in a strong position to continue that work for another 50 years and more. We continue to be committed to serving everyone in our district.” 

While the past year has been challenging for everyone, Nicolet continued to advance on its mission along many different fronts. Below are a just a few of the college’s recent highlights.

Nicolet enrollment bucks national downward pandemic trend 

When the pandemic hit a little more than a year ago, the sea change event forced higher education institutions across the country into uncharted waters. Two-year community colleges nationally experienced an average enrollment drop of 9.5 percent in the fall term of 2020 and another 9.5 percent drop on top of that for spring term 2021. 

But not at Nicolet. 

“We fortunately had the infrastructure in place to convert just about all classes that weren’t already in a virtual format to remote delivery,” said Erika Warning-Meyer, Nicolet dean of Enrollment. “Along with robust support services for students, Nicolet enrollments have stayed just about even to where we were before the pandemic. We are very fortunate in that regard and it all goes back to having that road map, that blueprint, in place to roll out across the college.”

Nicolet adds academic programs to meet demand 

Skills training at the college level is constantly evolving and Nicolet changes with the times by having close partnerships with local businesses to make sure the skills taught in the classroom match those that are needed in the workplace. 

“It’s an ever changing landscape and critical for Nicolet to work closely with employers to identify shifting demands for workforce skills,” said Kate Ferrel, Nicolet executive vice president of academic and student affairs. 

“We also listen to our students with an ear towards shifting trends in the types of academic programs and disciplines that they want to study. So it’s common when you combine these shifting demands to add areas of study to meet the goals of both students and employers.” 

To that end, Nicolet has added nine new academic programs over the past couple of years. These include:  

Technical Certificate - Autism Spectrum Disorder 

Technical Certificate - Family Child Care 

Technical Certificate - Forestry Equipment Maintenance 

Technical Diploma - Leadership Essentials 

Associate of Applied Science – Human Services 

Associate of Arts – Psychology Pre-major 

Associate of Arts – Visual Arts Pre-Major 

Associate of Science – Chemistry Pre-Major 

Associate of Science – Elementary Education Pre-Major

Associate of Science - Biology Pre-Major

Associate of Science - Physics Pre-Major

The GRID receives nearly $150,000 to advance economic development 

Targeted to advance entrepreneurship and business growth in the Northwoods, The GRID (Guiding Rural Innovation and Development) at Nicolet College received nearly $150,000 in grants to advance economic development in the region. 

The new funding will support a business-growth initiative that includes several elements, including creating a new, resource-rich website that will provide information and guidance on the numerous different elements that need to be in place to launch, operate, and grow a successful business. 

“Small businesses are at the heart of the Northwoods economy, making up about 80 percent of all business activity in the region,” said Toni Van Doren, Nicolet Innovation and Business Development manager and one of the founders of The Grid. 

“These grants will go a long way in helping us get new businesses off to a strong start and also help existing businesses grow their current ventures. The GRID uses our network of resources to support business builders and spark innovation and that fuels economic and community growth. 

Through its robust resource network, The GRID helped 27 Northwoods businesses find virtual training and resources, transition to online marketing and sales practices and delivery services, and navigate a host of state and federal emergency funding programs. 

Of the grant total, $100,000 came from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, $35,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and $10,000 from Associated Bank.

Promising Places to Work 

Citing its commitment to diversity and inclusive learning and work environments, Nicolet College has been selected as a 2020 Promising Places to Work award winner by two national organizations that support diversity efforts by community colleges across the country. 

The National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) partnered with Diverse: Issues in Higher Education to recognize Nicolet for its  “best-in-class student and staff recruitment and retention practices, inclusive learning and working environments, and meaningful community service and engagement opportunities.”   

Nicolet was the only college in Wisconsin and one of 16 across the country to receive a 2020 Promising Places to Work in Community Colleges award.

University Transfer expands to all-online 

 Northwoods students interested in earning a bachelor's degree can now complete the first half of that credential entirely online with classes at Nicolet College. The 60-credit all-online University Transfer degree transfers to all University of Wisconsin campuses, including UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee, as well as many other colleges, both public and private.

More academic programs adopt Nicolet MyWay format 

Three more academic programs converted to the highly-flexible Nicolet MyWay format where students learn at their own pace and can start a program at numerous times during the year. Programs that made the switch recently include Automotive Technology, Industrial Mechanical, and Electromechanical Technology. They join half a dozen academic programs already in the Nicolet MyWay family. These include Accounting, Administrative Professional, Business Management, IT Computer Support, IT Web Development, and Welding.

High-tech simulators advance Nursing instruction 

Nicolet College’s family of patient simulators used to train health care students recently grew by three with the addition of high-tech female birthing simulators named Victoria and her newborns Tory and Vicki. 

The mother-daughter simulators can be programmed to give students a wide variety of birthing situations, from a normal delivery to ones that present with complications. 

“Victoria and her babies will significantly expand the skills students learn related to obstetrics and give them the experience of delivering a newborn baby from a pregnant mother,” said Nicolet Nursing Instructor Dilya St. Louis. 

“When these students graduate, they’ll then take these skills out into Northwoods communities as they begin and advance in their health care careers.”

Nicolet Nursing Assistant instruction popular in high schools 

Through a collaboration with numerous Northwoods high schools, 40 high school students completed Nicolet’s three-credit Nursing Assistant technical diploma program onsite in the high schools through the Start College Now program, giving students a foundational credential to enter the health care field and meet urgent workforce needs in their local communities. Students were from Rhinelander, Tomahawk, Northland Pines, Three Lakes, Phelps, Crandon, Wabeno, and Laona high schools. 

Carlin Named Fire Instructor of the Year 

Nicolet College Fire Training Instructor Mike Carlin was named Wisconsin Fire Instructor of the Year for his efforts creating and instituting new instructional methods when the pandemic hit and most face-to-face instruction had to stop. 

Deemed essential for public safety, student firefighters were able to continue their training through the new structure Carlin created that included online instruction and small-group, hands-on training sessions that were dispersed throughout the Northwoods. 

Fellow Nicolet Firefighter Instructor Alex Kaphingst was more than impressed with Carlin’s determination and ingenuity. 

“He just wasn’t going to sit back and wait for someone else to come up with a solution,” Kaphingst said. “That’s just not the type of guy he is.” 

After giving it some thought, Kaphingst decided to nominate Carlin for the Wisconsin Society of Emergency Services Instructor of the Year, an award the statewide association recently bestowed upon him. 

“It was nothing short of phenomenal what Mike put together in a short period of time to make all of this work. He’s deeply committed to emergency services education and I think what he did in the depths of the pandemic demonstrates that,” Kaphingst said. 

All of the students finished their classes and those who were eligible received their state firefighter certifications.

Northwoods Community Garden becomes reality 

A year ago a small group of community volunteers started brainstorming the idea of establishing a community garden in the Field at Nicolet. 

This spring that idea will move from concept to reality with the official opening of the Northwoods Community Garden. 

Adjacent to the wind turbine and solar panels at the college’s Renewable Energy Center, the fenced-in garden will feature 48 beds available for community members to rent. Each plot will measure 10 feet by 20 feet and have an annual rental fee of $40. 

“We saw a significant need and desire in the area from people who wanted to grow their own food but have been unable to do so for any number of reasons,” said Pete Zambon, president of the newly-formed Northwoods Community Garden Board, which will run the garden. 

“Maybe they don’t have the space or the right conditions on their property. The new garden will give them the opportunity to experience the satisfaction of increased self-sufficiency by growing and harvesting their own abundance of healthy, natural food.” 

This spring and summer Nicolet College, in partnership with the Northwoods Community Garden Board, will offer a number of non-credit classes oriented towards gardening as well as sustainable permaculture practices that individuals can incorporate into their own property. 

For more information, visit northwoodscommunitygarden.com.

Outdoor Adventure popular during pandemic 

The Outdoor Adventure program was one of the few college programs that was able to hold in-person classes during the pandemic, attracting hundreds of students who were seeking an abundance of fresh air in the 46 classes that were on the schedule last summer and this winter. 

“It was interesting to see the level of appreciation the students had for not only being able to have the classes but also the level of COVID protection protocols the college put in place for each class,” said Terry Rutlin, Outdoor Adventure coordinator. 

“Many mentioned they would not have attended if those protocols were not in place. It was impressive to see everyone following the guidelines we put in place.”

Learning in Retirement members embrace technology in age of COVID 

The pandemic had a significant impact on the Learning in Retirement (LIR) program with a suspension of in-person classes in spring 2020. But in keeping with their mission of “learning never retires,” members embraced new technology and adapted to teaching and learning virtually. Twenty virtual classes were offered last fall, and as everyone became more comfortable with technology, spring semester classes jumped to 34. And with the added benefit of being able to participate from anywhere, 58 new members joined LIR during the past year.