Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) is a public community college located in Traverse City, Michigan. Founded in 1951, the college serves over 4,000 students. It offers associate degrees, professional certificates, bachelor's degrees through the Great Lakes Maritime Academy and Great Lakes Water Studies Institute, and bachelor's and master's degrees from partner universities.

NMC has a branch campus on Grand Traverse Bay that includes the Great Lakes Culinary Institute, Great Lakes Maritime Academy, Great Lakes Water Studies Institute, and Hagerty Conference Center. Another branch campus near Cherry Capital Airport provides programs in aviation and automotive service technology, as well as training in manufacturing, construction, renewable energy, and information technology. NMC also has an observatory called the Rogers Observatory and an ACEN-approved nursing program that has a long-standing partnership with nearby Munson Medical Center. The campus is home to WNMC, which started as a student group in 1967 and is now a community radio station broadcasting at 90.7 FM. The college also operates the Dennos Museum Center, a museum connected to the Smithsonian that displays fine art.

History

Northwestern Michigan College was created in 1951 by local teachers and scholars who were concerned about the lack of higher education in the northern part of the Lower Peninsula. The first classes began on September 17, 1951, in an empty building at Cherry Capital Airport. At that time, there were 65 students and 6 staff members. In 1956, NMC moved to a vacant piece of land at the base of the Old Mission Peninsula in Traverse City. Part of this land was given to Traverse City Area Public Schools, which started building Traverse City Senior High School and finished it in 1959.

The following individuals have served as President of NMC:

• Preston N. Tanis (1951–1970)
• Jim Davis (1970–1972)
• Committee of Five: Art Moenkhaus, Mike Ouwerkerk, Lornie Kerr, Jack McChrystal, and Willard Smith (1972–1973)
• Bill Yankee (1973–1981)
• George Miller (1981–1986)
• Lornie Kerr (acting president, 1986–1987)
• Philip Runkel (1987–1989)
• Tim Quinn (1989–1996)
• Dr. Ilse Burke (1996–2001)
• Timothy J. Nelson (2001–2019)
• Nick Nissley, Ed.D. (2020–present)

Campus

The main campus of Northwestern Michigan College, also called the Front Street Campus, is located in Traverse City, at the base of the Old Mission Peninsula. This campus is surrounded by the residential areas of Base of Old Mission and Indian Woods in Traverse City. Next to the Front Street Campus is the campus of Traverse City Central High School.

The Front Street Campus includes most of the college's academic buildings, as well as student housing and apartments. On this campus is the Dennos Museum Center, a museum of fine art connected to Northwestern Michigan College. The museum has an outdoor sculpture garden, rooms for temporary art displays, and a special collection of Inuit art from the Canadian Arctic. This collection is one of the largest and most complete in the United States.

The Northwestern Michigan College Great Lakes Campus is about 1 mile west of the Front Street Campus. This campus is home to the Great Lakes Maritime Academy (GLMA), one of six state-run maritime academies that receive support from the federal Maritime Administration. GLMA is the only U.S. Maritime Academy located on freshwater. The academy uses the T/S State of Michigan, a ship that was once used by the Navy, for training purposes.

Also located at the Great Lakes Campus are the Great Lakes Water Studies Institute, the Great Lakes Culinary Institute, a teaching restaurant named Lobdell's, and the Hagerty Conference Center.

The Aero Park Campus of Northwestern Michigan College is where the college's flight school is located. This campus offers associate and bachelor's degree programs. It is next to Cherry Capital Airport and includes hangars and a building for automotive service training.

The Boardman Lake Campus, previously called the NMC University Center, is located in Garfield Township near Boardman Lake. The campus was bought by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians in the spring of 2026. NMC is renting back space for one year to move its remaining offices. The Greenspire School is renting space on the campus through 2030, with the option to renew through 2035. NMC's University Partners—Michigan State University, Central Michigan University, Davenport University, Ferris State University, and Grand Valley State University—are now located on the Front Street Campus. These universities continue to offer select bachelor's degree completion, graduate, doctorate, certificate, and endorsement programs.

Northwestern Michigan College operates the Joseph H. Rogers Observatory, which is located on a hill south of Traverse City in Garfield Township. The observatory opened in 1981.

Notable alumni

• Jason Allen, served in the Michigan House of Representatives and Michigan Senate
• Chasten Buttigieg, LGBT activist and spouse of Pete Buttigieg, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana
• Betsy Coffia, member of the Michigan House of Representatives
• Jerry Dennis, writer
• Aaron Draplin, graphic designer
• Kevin Elsenheimer, former member of the Michigan House of Representatives
• Andrea Lynn Kritcher, nuclear engineer and physicist
• Michael Masley, instrumentalist
• Bart Stupak, former U.S. Congressman