Academic - NMU Events and Announcements

Academic

Orange Shirt Day learning circles present opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and community members to learn about Indian Boarding School experiences and about healing and justice for survivors and families.

The Learning Circles will also help participants prepare for NMU's Orange Shirt Day commemoration event on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. 

Learning Circles will be held from 6–8 p.m. on Sept. 9, 16, and 23 in the Whitman Hall Commons. 

Academic

Stop by our table in the Jacobetti Complex lobby to learn more about the Center for Native American Studies at NMU!

Sign up to receive information about upcoming events, activities, classes, and enjoy some popped manoomin (wild rice) while you visit.

Academic

Stop by our table in the Harden Hall lobby to learn more about the Center for Native American Studies at NMU!

Sign up to receive information about upcoming events, activities, classes, and enjoy some popped manoomin (wild rice) while you visit.

Academic

Stop by our table in the Jamrich Hall lobby to learn more about the Center for Native American Studies at NMU!

Sign up to receive information about upcoming events, activities, classes, and enjoy some popped manoomin (wild rice) while you visit.

Academic

Everyone is invited to N8V Dance Fitness with Michelle Reed (Lac Du Flambeau Ojibwe)! 

N8V Dance Fitness will be held Tuesdays beginning Sept. 8 at 1 p.m. in the PEIF Dance Studio. 

Bring clean gym shoes, a water bottle, and a towel. Participants will also be eligible for prizes!

Free and open to all!

Academic

Northern Michigan University invites you to this year's Indigenous Perspectives Symposium on Medicines, a one-day event dedicated to exploring the rich traditions, profound significance, and evolving future of Indigenous approaches to healing and wellbeing. 

The symposium will be held from noon–5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at NMU's Northern Center.

This year’s symposium will bring together Indigenous leaders, elders, knowledge holders, practitioners, academics, and community members to share insights on topics ranging from traditional medicinal plants and healing practices to Indigenous health education and applied seventh-generation thinking. Through a series of presentations, workshops, and communal gatherings, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the vital connection between medicine, land, language, and spirit in Indigenous communities.  

This year's symposium will also celebrate the 30th anniversary of NMU's Center for Native American Studies.

The symposium is free and open to the public. A dinner will follow, with tickets available at the following prices:

• Students: $5
• Faculty and staff: $20
• General admission: $25

Register for the symposium and purchase dinner tickets here. 

Members of Native communities, students, scholars, and journalists are especially encouraged to attend. This is a crucial opportunity to learn directly from those whose knowledge has sustained Indigenous communities for millennia. 

For more information and event highlights, visit the Indigenous Perspectives Symposium website. 

For questions about the event, please contact jschapp@nmu.edu.

Academic

The annual Clinical Sciences and Nursing "Open Lab Day" will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 28, from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. in the Science Building. 

If you're interested in a healthcare profession, join us to explore the Clinical Sciences and Nursing labs and learn more about opportunities in the healthcare field. Everyone is welcome, and we would love to have you visit!

Register here for free food, activities, giveaways, and more!

Explore Our Labs

• Clinical Laboratory Sciences: Lab 3508
• Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences: Clinic 1504
• Surgical Technology: Lab 1603
• Radiography: Lab 2610
• CLS Molecular Laboratory/Upper Michigan Brain Tumor Center (UMBTC): Room 3611
• Nursing Technology Center: Room 1609
• Nursing Lab: 1702
• Nursing Simulation Lab: Rooms 2612 A-C & F

Academic

Current and prospective students interested in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences are invited to learn more about the SLHS major, what to expect as an SLHS student, and practical ways to prepare for graduate school. 

Snacks will be provided!

Host: Dr. Heather Isaacson, SLHS Program Director
Date & Time: Sept. 9, from 2–3 p.m.
Location: Science Building, room 1607

Academic

Auditions for the NMU Orchestra will be held Tuesday, Aug. 25, 4–7 p.m. in Thomas Fine Arts (TFA) room 115. 

Those planning to audition should prepare a 60–90 second technical solo or etude and a scale. 

Register for the NMU Orchestra Auditions

First Meeting and Rehearsal Schedule

• First Meeting: Thursday, Aug. 27, 4 p.m., Reynolds Recital Hall
• First Rehearsal: Tuesday, Sept. 1, 4–5:50 p.m.
• Regular Rehearsals: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4–5:50 p.m., beginning Sept. 1, 2026 

Enrollment

All orchestra members are asked to register for one of the following:

• MU116 for .5 credit 
• MU116A for 0 credit for students at their credit limit. Contact Dr. Rhyneer, brhyneer@nmu.edu, for more information. 

Concerts

• Thursday, Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m. – Chamber Orchestra with visiting guest artists ALTAN in Reynolds Recital Hall
• Tuesday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m. – Strings Only “Big String Festival” at Marquette Senior High School
• Thursday, Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m. – Full Symphony Orchestra Final Concert in Reynolds Recital Hall

Lockers/Practice Rooms

The Music Department Office (TFA 102) checks out lockers, which are located on floor 1A.

Keyed practice rooms are available to majors. Non-majors use the open practice rooms located on floor 1A down the hall from the elevator.

Instrument Checkout

Bringing your own instrument is preferred, but a limited number of instruments (of average quality) are available for checkout on a semester basis. Contact the appropriate faculty member for availability:

• Strings: Dr. Rhyneer, brhyneer@nmu.edu
• Brass: Dr. Flaherty, mflahert@nmu.edu
• Woodwinds: Dr. Vickers, jevicker@nmu.edu; copied to Dr. Riley, striley@nmu.edu.

For questions about the NMU Orchestra or auditions, please contact Dr. Rhyneer, brhyneer@nmu.edu

Thank you for your interest!

Academic

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center, as part of its America 250 programming, presents an event about the Upper Peninsula 9/11 Oral History Project with Anna Zimmer on Wednesday, August 26, 7 p.m.  The event will be held in the Atrium of the Lydia M. Olson Library in Harden Hall on the campus of Northern Michigan University.  It is free and open to the public. Zimmer, Professor of German Studies and Assistant Director of the Honors Program at Northern Michigan University, will describe how her personal and scholarly journey from Stuttgart to Omaha to Washington, DC to Berlin, and finally to Marquette, led to the development of the Upper Peninsula 9/11 Oral History Project. 

While much has been written about national and urban responses to 9/11, even 25 years after the attacks, little exists about how rural or midwestern communities experienced that day and its aftermath. The UP 9/11 Oral History Project, conducted in collaboration with Dr. Zimmer’s Honors Program students, aims to address that gap by foregrounding regional memory, especially as shaped by geographical isolation, local institutions, and the UP’s Cold War military legacy.  

Dr. Zimmer’s research focuses primarily on twenty-first-century German-language literature and explores how authors employ literary representations of World War II memory to narrate memories of post-1990 violent conflicts and wars. Reflecting upon the broader contours of her scholarship and the America250MI guiding themes of “unfinished revolutions,” “power of place,” and “doing history,” Dr. Zimmer’s presentation will situate the UP 9/11 Oral History Project within global and local memory discourses.