Project: Community College Expansion

In 2010 North Central Michigan College (NCMC), with its main campus in Petoskey, increased programs and enrollment in Cheboygan.  This was due in part to a shared vision for growth in the college’s presence in Cheboygan on the part of the school, the community and the Cheboygan Economic Development Group (CEDG).

Project leaders for the CEDG were Joanne Welihan and Don Lewis. They worked closely with Director of Off Campus Programs, Cheboygan’s own Michele Andrews, and the new Dean of Instruction at NCMC, Dr. Christine Hammond. Together they began what is known as the Straits Area Initiative.

With the help of a newly formed Community Advisory Group, NCMC and the project leaders created a special Business Development Certificate offered in Cheboygan where the certificate could be earned entirely at the Cheboygan classrooms of NCMC. This was a first for NCMC and Cheboygan because other certificates and associate degree programs in the past have required students to finish their studies at the Petoskey campus.

The program drew nearly 60 new students into NCMC in Cheboygan and classes included Microsoft Office and Web Design for Beginners, among others.

According to Lewis and Welihan, the Community Advisory Group is already working with NCMC on expanding programs in the fall where additional certificates can be earned right here in Cheboygan.

“The college and the CEDG are targeting the kinds of programs that will give both our young and adult students a much greater advantage in seeking out and getting good jobs,” says Welihan. “We are extremely grateful to the leadership at NCMC for their support.”

Project Champions – Joanne Welihan and Don Lewis

Joanne Welihan is the former Director of the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association and committed to the values of education. She moved to northern Michigan with husband Dan in 2008 and is now engaged in both the mission of the community to improve higher education opportunities in Cheboygan and other civic organizations.

Don Lewis is a partner in Northern Lights Advertising in Cheboygan. He moved to northern Michigan from Columbus, Ohio with his wife Sally in 2009. He writes a Friday column for the Cheboygan Daily Tribune and pens articles for Cheboygan Today Magazine and the Mackinac Journal. Don is a life long marketing professional with a Masters Degree in Creative Writing from the University of Iowa and a B.A. in History from Yale University.