NMC’s Strategic Plan 2026–2029

Timeline

Status Updates

December 2025: At their December 15, 2025 meeting, the Board of Trustees approved the strategic plan as presented. Strategies and strategic drivers are noted below:

StrategiC IMPACT STATEMENT:

We deliver education and training that is essential for our region, and we grow through the distinctive programs that set us apart and help drive northern Michigan's future.

Strategies:

• Future-Focused Education: Equip learners for a rapidly changing world through purposeful academic pathways, durable skills, and technology literacy.

• Enrollment and Student Success: Advance enrollment and student success by removing barriers and ensuring every learner experiences the coordinated support needed to persist and achieve their goals.

• Vibrant College Community: Improve the places, systems, and supports that shape life at NMC, making it easier for students and employees to connect, succeed, and take pride in their work and learning.

Strategic Drivers:

• Living Our Brand: Strengthen NMC’s distinct identity by focusing investments on what makes the college unique and in demand among students, employees, and the community.

• Community Partnerships: Leverage strategic partnerships to deepen community engagement, drive regional prosperity, and expand opportunities for lifelong learning.

• Stewardship & Sustainability: Secure NMC's long-term vitality and growth by strategically leveraging smart resource investments, innovative funding models, optimized operations, and forward-thinking partnerships.

• People First: Foster an inclusive, supportive, and empowering environment that prioritizes the well-being, success, and continuous development of every student and employee.

The objectives are one of the most critical elements of our strategic plan. They set in motion the actions, resourcing, and priorities for the college. Objectives are being developed for each strategy by applying our values in action. These strategic drivers create the framework for objectives that reach across departments and exhibit the characteristics that our stakeholders felt were a MUST in the next plan. To do this, the “strategic drivers” will be used to develop the objectives.

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November 2025: The emerging strategic plan has moved into the action development stage. The preliminary action steps are focused on the discovery phase of the objectives and cover the time period of January through June 2026 to align with NMC’s budget and A3 cycle. Year 1 of the new plan will officially begin on July 1, 2026 and run through June 30, 2027.

In addition to continued outreach to NMC’s stakeholder groups in October and early November, the plan has had input from Leadership Council, the Strategic Plan Steering Committee, and two Board of Trustees study sessions. Formal approval of the strategic plan is expected at the December 15th meeting of the Board of Trustees.

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October 2025: Much of September and October have been focused on refining the emerging strategies and strategic drivers.

Our Purpose

• Refocus our energies and resources for the next three calendar years
• Leverage our past successes to meet the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead

The Outcome

• Conduct scenario planning based on internal and/or external environmental conditions
• Outline strategic directions that include a three-year timeframe, 2026–2029
• Set strategic goals for the institution
• Develop strategies to meet established goals
• Identify key performance indicators and targets

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To ask questions, or to provide ideas and feedback, please email strategic-planning@nmc.edu.