Northwestern Michigan College joined nearly 350 community colleges around the country last week by signing the Presidents for Entrepreneurship Pledge of the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE).

By signing the pledge, NMC President Nick Nissley "committed the college to undertake entrepreneurial practices that boost economic vitality in their communities," according to a statement from NMC.

The pledge includes five action steps to advance entrepreneurship, including:

-Form teams to focus on entrepreneurship
-Connect with entrepreneurs in the community
-Collaborate with industry in the local region
-Focus on business and job creation
-Share stories through events and the media

Nissley signed the pledge at the Lakebed 2030 conference, just before the winner of the second Great Lakes BlueTech Challenge was named. Naiad Technologies will receive $30,000 in seed funding. No. 2 finisher Nucleic Sensing Systems will receive $15,000 and No. 3 Lacuum AI will receive $10,000. The 2027 Great Lakes BlueTech Challenge will open in January.

Headquartered in North Carolina, NACCE is the country’s leading organization focused on promoting entrepreneurship through community colleges. The pledge is one of its foremost leadership tools.