Published: April 20, 2008 09:41 am      

NMC student data at risk after theft

TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College officials are sending letters to about 1,600 past students whose personal information is at risk after a laptop computer was stolen in New York.

The computer was stolen March 13 from a school consultant working for SunGard Higher Education, which provides NMC's data management systems. The computer contained personal information on 1,611 people who attended NMC in 2003, including about 40 employees, college officials said.

"Most of those who are affected are students who had transactions with NMC around March of 2003," college spokesman Paul Heaton said.

NMC mailed letters to students whose information could be at risk. SunGard, at NMC's request, also will pay for one year of credit monitoring services for those students, Heaton said.