Located in the scenic lakes region of Wisconsin's Northwoods, Nicolet College serves as a vital source for post-secondary academics, lifelong learning, and cultural offerings for the region's residents.
Academically, the two-year community college features 31 different programs that confer associate degrees, technical/occupational diplomas, or certificates.
This includes a University Transfer Liberal Arts Program, where students can complete up to the first two years of a bachelor=s degree before transferring to a four-year college or university.
The college currently has dozens of credit transfer agreements. The majority of these are with University of Wisconsin institutions, including particularly broad agreements with UW-Madison and UW-Green Bay. Several credit transfer agreements are also in place with private four-year colleges and universities. Many agreements with both public and private institutions are also open to students in the many occupational associate degree programs at Nicolet.
The number of the credit transfer agreements is expected to continue to grow. Continued advances in distance learning are also expected, offering more options to students seeking to complete bachelor's degrees while living in the Northwoods.
The budget for Nicolet Area Technical College for fiscal year 2008-09 is just under $30 million dollars. Primary sources of funding include property taxes (62.2%), tuition and fees (10.8%), state support (7.6%), and other revenues (19.4%).
Nicolet's Center for Business and Community Education offers a wide range of customized training and technical assistance services tailored to meet the workforce development needs of business and industry. Over the years, Nicolet has worked with hundreds of organizations throughout northern Wisconsin and has helped thousands of employees enhance their job knowledge and skills. Training is delivered when and where it's needed-days, evenings, or weekends-to accommodate the schedules of both employers and employees.
In partnership with the industry experts at the NIST affiliated Northwest Wisconsin Manufacturing Outreach Center, Nicolet provides technical expertise and hands-on business assistance to help small and mid-sized manufacturers improve productivity and profitability through the application of LEAN manufacturing strategies.
The Academic Success Center at Nicolet offers a variety of instructional services that include:
The Academic Success Center is based at Nicolet's Rhinelander and Lakeland campuses and also includes nearly a dozen outreach centers in smaller neighboring communities, including the three Native American tribal communities in the Nicolet district.
As home to a significant population of older adults who have elected to retire in northern Wisconsin, Nicolet is committed to serving the lifelong learning needs of this growing demographic. Popular with older adults are the hundreds of non-credit, personal development Continuing Education classes that are offered every year.
Nicolet also has a Learning in Retirement organization that counts nearly 400 area retirees as members. This diverse group is structured around Fall and Winter/Spring sessions, each of which includes several dozen classes set in a relaxed, just-for-the-fun-of-it learning atmosphere.
Outdoor Adventure Series courses are designed to combine academic and outdoor recreational skills in a unique Northwoods atmosphere. The Outdoor Adventure Series teaches outdoor adventures and lifetime skills in venues from Lake Superior's Apostle Islands and Isle Royale to the Turtle Flambeau Flowage. The courses show students the basics or broaden their expertise in canoeing, kayaking, fly fishing, biking, birding, flora and fauna, writing, and hiking.
The Nicolet Live! Arts and Speakers Series and Nicolet College Art Gallery are mainstays for art and cultural experiences in the Northwoods.
In its 11th season, Nicolet Live! is featuring 22 different theater arts events during 2008-09. These cover a broad and diverse range of performances that include three national-caliber independent films with in-person presentations by the directors. Rounding out the series are a gospel choir; a Native American violinist; three lectures by national speakers; jazz, classical and avant-garde music concerts; two family theater performances; three folk concerts, and two community theater plays by the Nicolet Players. Past headliners have included Joan Biaz, George Winston, and Arlo Guthrie.
The Nicolet College Art Gallery features a new regional or local exhibit roughly every month. The highlight every year is the Northern National Art Competition, a juried exhibit that features about 100 of the best entries from around the United States.