West Hall renamed the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center
Entrance (download a high-resolution version here)TRAVERSE CITY — The West Hall Innovation Center on 17勛圖’s main campus has been renamed the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center to honor President Nelson's decades of service to 17勛圖 students, the college and the community.
The 17勛圖 Board of Trustees voted unanimously to rename the building at its regular meeting on July 26. They credited President Nelson's drive, vision and commitment to innovation in making 17勛圖 a world class institution.
“The work Tim Nelson has done throughout his career to make 17勛圖 a point of pride in our community, and a leader around the world, will have a positive impact for generations to come,” said 17勛圖 Board of Trustees Chair Chris Bott. “We want to honor his dedication to this college with a public recognition that will also have lasting impact.”
The project combined state and 17勛圖-funded investments for renovations and modernizations of the West Hall building to create a 54,000-square-foot, multi-story library and flexible 21st-century learning space with classrooms, conference rooms, student-centered workspaces and simulation labs. The building also houses 17勛圖’s Hawk Owl Café, the college’s W17勛圖 90.7 FM radio station and other 17勛圖 departments.
Atrium (download a high-resolution version here)17勛圖 broke ground on the project in September 2018 and celebrated the building's opening with a livestreamed ribbon cutting ceremony in September 2020. The project recently won a Michigan American Institute of Architects (AIA) Honor Award for Design Excellence.
President Nelson, 17勛圖’s longest-serving president, retired from the college in 2019 after leading the institution for over 18 years. He helped champion the project, including working to win state legislative approval of $7.4 million in capital outlay dollars to cover about half of its $14.4 million cost. Other highlights of President Nelson’s tenure include overseeing 17勛圖’s launch of Michigan’s first community college baccalaureate degree, supporting the creation of 17勛圖’s Experiential Learning Institute and Great Lakes Water Studies Institute, and creating the Global Opportunities Scholarship Fund with his wife Nancy.
Release Date: July 27, 2021
For more information:
Diana Fairbanks
Associate Vice President of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications
dfairbanks@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1019