University Partners celebrate move to Front Street Campus
CMU, Davenport, FSU, GVSU now located on Front Street Campus
TRAVERSE CITY — NMC’s University Partners will celebrate their new location in the James Beckett Building on the Front Street Campus, enabling them to more closely serve NMC students, with an open house from 3-5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23.
“Partners in Possibility: Opening doors to stronger collaboration, greater access, and a shared future” will celebrate the move to Beckett in August, in conjunction with the start of the fall semester. About half of NMC students transfer to complete a four-year degree.
“We’re evolving from a physical hub to a more integrated partnership model, one that reflects how students learn today,” said President Nick Nissley. “Students increasingly seek flexibility: hybrid options, online support and services across multiple locations, not just in a single building.”
Representatives from each partner – Central Michigan University, Davenport University, Ferris State University, Grand Valley State University and Michigan State’s Institute of Agricultural Technology – will speak at the event. University Partner programs are concentrated in the areas of business, education and health and human services.
The physical move builds upon programmatic changes the universities and NMC have already made to create more seamless degree pathways. NMC offers Direct Connect programs with Davenport, Ferris and Grand Valley, for instance. These students are admitted to both the university and NMC simultaneously, with comprehensive, collaborative support, and guaranteed credit transfer.
“The building may change, but the opportunity stays right here in Traverse City,” Nissley said. More than 10,000 area students have earned a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree since the University Partners were established in 1995, in response to the community’s desire for advanced degree options in Traverse City.
NMC’s former University Center campus on the west side of Boardman Lake has been renamed the Boardman Lake campus, in alignment with the geography-based identity used for other campuses. It remains the home of NMC’s business and human resources offices, Extended Education & Training, the NMC Foundation and Strategic Initiatives office. Greenspire High School has a lease through 2030 for much of the second floor.
As part of NMC’s campus master plan, trustees will determine longer-term plans for the Boardman Lake campus property.
Release date: September 8, 2025
For more information:
Cari Noga
NMC Communications Director
cnoga@nmc.edu
(231) 392-1800 (Call or text)