Jennifer Manatine knew from an early age that she wanted to go into law, and she mapped out a strategy with the same careful research and attention to detail as an attorney preparing a legal brief.

“While I was attending Oakland University for my bachelor’s degree in Political Science/Spanish Language and Literature degree,” relates Manatine, Paralegal professor. “I earned my Legal Assistant certificate from its Continuing Education department.”

Oakland University’s Legal Assistant program was one of the first like it in the state. As the field broadened in scope and educational requirements, “paralegal” became the preferred title for an individual who assists attorneys in the preparation of legal documents and court cases. Subsequently, both Oakland and Macomb changed the names of their programs to reflect the field’s increasing emphasis on research and analysis, which were already two hallmarks of Manatine’s career.

“My professional experience inspired my teaching because I enjoyed learning about and researching various issues and then having to analyze the situation by applying the law to those issues to determine the most likely outcome,” says Manatine, who earned her doctor of law degree from the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University. “I started teaching because I wanted to share what I knew about the law with others and to open their minds.”

In addition to being able to relate to her students as a former legal assistant/paralegal, Manatine is also the mother of four, ages 15-21, who keep her in tune with changing times.  One constant throughout her 20-year teaching career, however, is the satisfaction of watching students grasp the rule of law.

“I like working with students and seeing them grow as they progress through the program,” says Manatine. “I can see them gain confidence as they start applying what they have learned.”

Manatine is licensed to practice law before the State of Michigan, the United States Eastern District Court of Michigan and the United States Supreme Court. She has been a research attorney specializing in labor law, a practicing attorney in family law, a case law editor for Lexis Publishing, a law school textbooks’ publisher, and a pro bono-mediator with The Resolution Center in Macomb County, which she continues to do.

“I still like to be involved in the legal field and work on staying active by handling small projects and volunteering,” says Manatine, who is the program advisor for Macomb’s Paralegal program. “I look at law as a puzzle and you need to gather your facts to solve that puzzle.”

Students in the program can expect to learn how to find their way around a law library, as well as through the state and federal court systems.

“I want to prepare them to not be afraid of researching and analyzing the law and facts,” says Manatine. “I want them to remember that they have the confidence and the skills to do the job we have trained them for.”

Andrea (Ande) Knesek is a world traveler. She’s been throughout Europe, as well as China and Portugal. But it was a 2017 trip to Guatemala that was the most “eye opening.”

“I went with seven other nurse educators from various states. We had never met in person until we met in Miami to fly to Guatemala City,” related Knesek of the mission she volunteered for, sponsored by the Organization of Associate Degree Nursing. “Then we took a 12-hour bus ride to a remote village where we set up a ‘clinic’ and were there a week. We treated people who had issues related to the lack of clean drinking water and sanitation problems.”

Students in the Nursing program became involved with the humanitarian effort as well. They gathered up over-the-counter pain medicine, non-prescription eye glasses and similar items, and sent them with their professor to one of Latin America’s most impoverished countries. Knesek characterized the accommodations in Guatemala as “rough,” but nothing less than she expected when she placed such a trip on her “bucket list.”

A native of Indiana, Knesek has taught in Macomb’s Nursing program for more than 26 years.  She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from Indiana University and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Oakland University. Her nursing background includes critical care, medical/surgical, hospice management, and hospital education and staff development. But after she began teaching, she found a passion that literally gets her out of bed in the morning.

“My favorite part of my teaching role is the clinical component where I can facilitate students’ transition of ‘theory’ knowledge into the actual practice of caring for patients; this is the beauty of teaching nursing. It is a gift to be able to share with students what I am passionate about, what I feel is most important in the nursing role,” said Knesek. “I have never regretted my career choice, even on the days I get up at 4:10 am to be able to get to the hospital early to make meaningful clinical assignments for my students.”

One recent morning, Knesek was greeted by six familiar faces. All of the nurses on duty in the clinical unit that day were former students of hers.

Knesek has been married to her husband Gerry, also an Indiana native, for 44 years. Retired from both GM and Macomb, where he served as an administrator, Gerry is currently teaching in the school of management at the University of Michigan-Flint. The couple have two sons, David and Michael, both married and both orthopedic surgeons in Michigan and Indiana, respectively.

In their leisure time, the couple keep active: walking, biking, kayaking, fishing and traveling, as well as spending time with their five grandchildren, aged two to nine. Knesek’s other “family” consists of her students and colleagues at Macomb.

“I have worked with so many talented people through the years that have supported me to learn and grow in my role as faculty,” said Knesek. “This is truly the best job I have ever had.”

Michael Mielke joined Macomb’s Mechatronics and Robotics faculty in 2015, bringing with him the experience of both an industry veteran and a former Macomb student.

“I was uncertain about what I wanted to do career-wise, so it was a logical choice to start with some general classes. Macomb provided me the necessary skills to enter the workplace and overall become successful in industry,” says Mielke, who earned an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Automotive Technology from Macomb and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Technology from Sienna Heights University. “The bonus was almost all of my credits transferred, saving me time and money.”

Starting out in the automotive field proved to be a wise choice for Mielke, although it didn’t seem like it when the school where he was teaching, MoTech Automotive Education Center, closed in the 1990s.

“I found an opportunity to continue my teaching career with Kawasaki Robotics. The robotics industry was still relatively small, and they viewed my automotive background as a good fit as I was knowledgeable about electronics and mechanical systems,” says Mielke. “It was a simple evolution from automotive technology to mechatronics and robotics.”

During his 20+ years in industry, Mielke has earned training certifications in FANUC Robotics. Siemens Level 1 Mechatronics, PMMI (a trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers) Mechatronics, Rockwell RS-Logix 500 and 5,000, and General Motors (GM) Global Common Controls, Hardware, Software and Networks.  As a trainer for Kawasaki Robotics, he instructed employees of companies that included Ford, Toyota, Chrysler and GM.  Before joining Macomb’s faculty, he was a senior trainer for FANUC America.

“What I enjoy most about teaching at Macomb is being able to share my knowledge with the students, and seeing their enthusiasm about what I am teaching,” says Mielke. “I have a few (former) students stop in to tell me their success stories. Some have obtained contract jobs with Ford and have interviews with Chrysler.”

In addition to his classroom duties, Mielke is currently working on the development of an associate degree program in robotics and certificate programs in Allen Bradly PLC and Industry 4.0. He is also involved in renovating the robotics lab on South Campus.

“All of this will help align our program with industry,” says Mielke, “and help our students become more employable.”

When he graduated from Gaylord High School, John Koss opted to spend a few years exploring the American Southwest and Florida, never knowing what to expect around the next mountain or marshland. Good training for a job that requires staying on top of a moving target like cloud computing.

“It is constantly evolving,” says Koss, Macomb’s lead professor in its Information Technology (IT) – Cloud Computing program. “Cloud computing is a real shift in the way things can be done. Resources are infinite, and you can do whatever it is you want with it.”

Koss didn’t start out aiming for the cutting edge of the computing field. In fact, he was on track toward an engineering career after earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Michigan – Dearborn.

“After college, I was doing software development for a small firm and fell in love with it,” relates Koss, who also earned a master’s degree in business administration from U of M. “I like to make things, and I loved the creativity in it.”

Encouraged by his wife, Janet, and his mother to corral his innate ability “to explain things” into a teaching position, Koss attended an adjunct faculty fair at Macomb.  He was hired to teach an intro IT class in 2003 and was persuaded by the experience to switch fields. He began teaching full time at Macomb in 2004.

“There is nothing more rewarding then helping someone. It really is true that we can change lives,” says Koss. “I can’t even tell you the number of emails that I receive from former students who tell me how much happier they are, how much more money they are making and how grateful they are that I helped them navigate through (cloud computing’s) rapidly changing maze.”

Despite his years up north and in the South and Southwest, Koss is no stranger to Macomb County. He grew up in Mount Clemens and Richmond before moving with his family to Gaylord.  Likewise, despite graduating from U of M, he is no stranger to community colleges.

“I started at Valencia Community College in Orlando,” relates I Koss. “I had a great experience there. The faculty were very enthusiastic and it propelled me to continue on for several more years in school.”

Somewhere between his travels and his studies, Koss took up snowboarding, and motorcycle riding and customization, with a machine shop of his own accommodating the latter. He also regularly supplements his formal studies with online learning so that he remains current with all the trends and developments in cloud computing.

“It is an enormous field,” says Koss, who believes Macomb’s Cloud Computing program is the only one in the nation offered at a community college. “Most are grad programs, but the structure of Macomb’s classes gives our students a practical edge.”

If he were a character in a novel, that Dickensian top hat and volume of Chaucer tucked under his arm would clearly indicate to readers that Clark Iverson is a professor of English. But it’s his ability to show students what it takes to craft a meaningful verse or sentence and the wider implications of such labors that has endeared him to them.

“Do not be afraid to take chances and make mistakes,” extols Iverson, a writer of poetry and prose whose work has appeared in such anthologies as Abandoned Automobile. “It may not feel comfortable, but it is enormously useful for learning and development, not just as a writer but in any discipline.”

Iverson grew up in working-class neighborhoods on Detroit’s east side and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wayne State University before realizing, “I didn’t want to make psychology my life’s work.” Then, a class in urban folklore encouraged him to give literature “another try.” He earned a master’s degree in English at Wayne State, with “friends and poetry” leading him to Macomb 23 years ago.

“I believe in undergraduate education,” says Iverson. “I most enjoy seeing the veil lift from my students’ faces when they grasp something new.”

A member of the Liberal Arts Network for Development’s planning committee and a co-founder of Macomb’s annual Day of Poetry, Iverson served as faculty advisor to an on-campus writers’ club a few years back. But as students’ interests changed, membership waned.

“If a core group of motivated students wanted to establish one again,” pledges Iverson, “I’d help them in a heartbeat.”

To refresh after an academic year, Iverson enjoys “arguing, cuddling cats, reading, eating sweets and surrealism.”  And his trusty top hat?  “I wear it for professional work, never for basketball or gardening.”

This summer, however, has not been quite as refreshing as those past, with the specter of COVID-19 casting uncertainty on most everything. For his part, Iverson has been practicing social distancing at home with “a completely wonderful woman named Karen,” with whom he has been married for 39 years and shares two children and a granddaughter. And, although he would prefer to interact with students in a classroom this fall, he has taught online since March and will continue to do so until it’s safe to return to campus.

“Public health has to take priority over pedagogical preference,” he notes. “I’m just trying to think carefully about teaching in a time of pandemic and upheaval.”

During his career at Macomb, Iverson has taught first-year composition, creative and advanced creative writing, poetry, fiction, American literature and Shakespeare. But more telling is the number of former students with whom he still corresponds.

“I could fill a year’s worth of classes,” says Iverson, “with students who have kept in touch.”

If a hobby is what gives one their greatest sense of joy, Carol Plisner’s is making a difference in her students’ lives. She is a professor/faculty coordinator in Macomb’s Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) program and continues to work with patients for a community health organization, ensuring that her classroom instruction is infused with real-life versus textbook scenarios.

“I’ll come into class after working over the weekend and ask, ‘Who can help me with this case?’” says Plisner. “Some students come up with really great ideas. It makes teaching easier.”

Clinical experience, Plisner believes, is what sets Macomb’s PTA faculty apart from those at other colleges and universities. All were practicing physical therapists before they became instructors or professors, with most still working in the field.

“We are one of the only schools that can say that,” says Plisner.

Plisner grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City. But “vibrant” Boston is where she was drawn after graduating from high school. It offered the promise of tens of thousands of likeminded college students attending one of the city’s 50+ colleges and universities, the most in any U.S. urban area. Plisner decided quickly upon Boston College, but choosing a major took a little more time.

“No one guided me, and women were still being encouraged to go into what they called the ‘helping professions,’” relates Plisner. “I didn’t want to be a nurse or (at the time) a teacher, but physical therapy appealed to me, even though I had no idea what to expect.”

She earned her bachelor’s degree and began working immediately at a large medical center in the New York area, discovering she had found a profession that meshed with her values and interests.

“I learned early on about the struggles of the elderly and the disadvantaged,” says Plisner, who went on to earn a master’s degree in adult education from Central Michigan University. “Community health has been a passion of mine ever since.”

Plisner and her husband, Bruce, retired military who now manages a medical practice, were brought to Michigan in 1983 by his work. The couple’s children, Amanda and Evan, are University of Michigan graduates with careers in Los Angeles. Amanda is an attorney with the California Department of Justice and Evan is associated with a private equity firm.

Taking just a year off when her oldest child was born, Plisner has continued to work in community health for more than 25 years. But because of her colleagues, her students and the “high bar” the college sets for its programs, Plisner considers her faculty position at Macomb to be “the best job in America.”

“In (career and technical education), we have tangible evidence of the difference we make in the lives of our students. There are a number of them who never had anyone believe in them. When they get that degree and pass that exam, you have given them a sense of independence,” relates Plisner. “I have a former student of mine, a single mom, who was hired as a PTA after graduating. She called to thank me recently because she could finally afford to get her 12-year-old braces.”