CAMPUS

News for NMU Employees

 

Program Established at Macomb

 

Northern has entered into a one-year formal agreement with Macomb Community College to offer a loss prevention management program at MCC’s main campus in Warren. At the February university forum, President David Haynes mentioned off-campus programs as one of the “small bites” that will help NMU achieve its new enrollment goal of 2 percent growth in each of the next three years.

 

“We need to determine how much we grow on and off campus,” Haynes said at the forum. “We are one of two universities that do not offer programs off campus. In today’s higher education market, that doesn’t work. We’ll be at Macomb Community College this fall and in Grand Rapids.”

Dale Kapla (Academic Affairs) said MCC has partnered with several public and private universities over the past decade. MCC allows NMU to only offer programs not currently available from other partner institutions.

“Some schools have a minor or concentration in loss prevention management, but our major is the only one of its kind we know of anywhere,” said Kapla. “It’s offered online, but there is a population of traditional and non-traditional students who want some face-to-face interaction. A little less than 50 percent of this program at Macomb will be delivered online. The rest will be taught on site. We’re hoping for a good cohort of 15 students. Depending on the level of success we have with this program, we may expand with additional programs in the future that aren’t available through the other four-year schools that partner with Macomb.”

MCC requires that four-year institutions have a physical presence on campus, with an office displaying the NMU banner staffed by a part-time employee. MCC shares in the cost of advertising the program; NMU pays for the employee, classroom space rental and an adjunct instructor. Kapla said there is a large pool of qualified adjunct faculty in that area. The first instructor will be John Schuler, an NMU alumnus who works as a loss prevention investigator for Target.

An NMU admissions counselor from the region staffed a booth at the MCC open house yesterday. The community college also highlights partner institutions periodically and May has been designated NMU month.

Bob Hanson (Criminal Justice) oversees the loss prevention management program. Kapla said Bob Eslinger (Continuing Education and Workforce Development) will serve as the NMU contact for all off-campus programs. Northern representatives have visited Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn to explore partnerships and also Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, which already has a reverse transfer agreement with NMU.