Northwestern Michigan College Holds First Classes

NMC’s First Day of Classes in 1951

On September 17, 1951, a bold dream took flight—quite literally—at Cherry Capital Airport. That morning, 65 students and six staff members gathered in a borrowed, vacant airport terminal for the very first classes at Northwestern Michigan College (NMC). It wasn’t a grand opening in a gleaming new building. It was a grassroots victory for a community determined to bring higher education home to the Grand Traverse region.

“In every way, the Northwestern Michigan College is a people’s college,” declared the Traverse City Record-Eagle on opening day. And it truly was. Born out of a regional desire for education and funded by people from all walks of life. NMC was built by people who refused to take “no” for an answer. When state officials said the area’s population was too small for a college, locals lobbied to change the law. When there was no building, they used donated materials, volunteer labor, and borrowed space to make it happen.

From Airport Terminal to Thriving Campus

The college’s humble beginning didn’t last long. By 1956, NMC moved from the airport to a new location at the base of Old Mission Peninsula in Traverse City. There it began developing into the multi-campus institution we know today. Over the decades, NMC expanded to include the Great Lakes Maritime Academy—the only U.S. maritime academy on fresh water. NMC grew to add the Great Lakes Culinary Institute and the Great Lakes Water Studies Institute. It also includes a thriving University Center hosting programs from major Michigan universities.

Today, NMC serves more than 3,000 students each year. They offer everything from aviation and nursing to renewable energy and fine arts. The campus is also home to the Dennos Museum Center, WNMC community radio, and the Rogers Observatory, proving that the college’s reach extends well beyond traditional classrooms.

From its start in an airport terminal to its role as a hub for higher education in Northern Michigan, NMC’s story is one of persistence, vision, and community pride. And while the college has grown immensely since 1951, its roots remain firmly planted in the grassroots spirit that first took off 74 years ago.

Marisa Fancy along with her husband and four children dreamt of moving “Up North”. They had vacationed for years in northern Michigan and in 1995 they finally made the move.

The family was always out exploring, but with 4 kids there was some limitations on what they could do. Marisa discovered the amazing network of trails in Northern Michigan after Steve died and she would walk for miles. The trails provided her with peace, comfort and solitude at a difficult time in her life. Later, after meeting Guy who would become her second husband, she learned to golf and found another passion she could enjoy in beautiful Northern Michigan.

Marisa has been the family historian, writer, and poet for as long as she can remember. She has always loved to write and has now found a creative outlet for it other than family. You can read her articles in Adventures in Northern Michigan, Northern Michigan History and Golf Up North.