University Official - NMU Events and Announcements

University Official

Join us for NMU Giving Day on April 17, 2025, as we come together to support students and the departments, programs, and teams that make our Northern community special. 

As NMU’s 125th anniversary celebration comes to a close, we have one final challenge—surpassing the 560 donors who helped us kick it off last year. Can we do it, Wildcats? Let’s show just how Wild we are for NMU!

This year’s theme, Give to What You Love, celebrates your personal connections and deep pride that make NMU a place like no other. This is your chance to make a direct impact on the causes you’re passionate about, whether it's student experiences, research, athletics, or one of the many departments that shape the Wildcat experience. Every gift, no matter the size, helps create a stronger, more vibrant university.

Together on April 17, it’s our chance to uplift our Wildcat community and show that at NMU, north never wavers.

University Official

Northern Michigan University will hold its winter semester University Forum from noon - 1 p.m. Monday, April 14, in the ballrooms of the Northern Center.  A pizza buffet and beverages will be available, or attendees are welcome to bring their own brown bag lunch. President Brock Tessman will lead the discussion. 

The primary featured topic will be changes being made related to the recent White House executive order on diversity/equity/inclusion (DEI).

Other topics include: 
Budget and state funding update
Enrollment 2025-26 outlook
Block scheduling and other big ideas

All NMU students, faculty and staff are encouraged to attend. The event is also open to the public.  

A video link of the forum will be sent campus-wide on Tuesday, April 15, for those who cannot attend the event in person.

University Official

Thursday, February 20, 2025 | 3PM | University Center | Student Scholarship Summit is a new opportunity for students to showcase their research, scholarly activity, and creative inquiry. This is a networking and poster session. A limited number of student entries will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis for this inaugural event. Awards will be issued for First ($750), Second ($450), Third places ($150), and one (1) People's Choice ($750). All are encouraged to attend. 

University Official

Join us for our February Pre-Pharmacy Meeting. Everyone is highly encouraged to attend, and we kindly ask that you RSVP on the Hub so we can get a headcount.

We’re excited to welcome Dr. Karen Ellingrod from the University of Michigan as our guest speaker. This is a fantastic opportunity to ask questions and gain insights into the field of pharmacy.

Refreshments will be provided—we hope to see you there!

University Official

Join us on January 17, 2025, from 6-8 pm – Join us for the opening reception with the faculty!

Exhibition through January 17, 2025 – March 29, 2025

The 2025 Faculty Biennial Exhibition highlights a diversity of creative achievements by participating faculty from across the School of Art and Design.

The show features the following artists Tom Adolphs, Daric Christian, Tim Cleary, Alex Fekete, Jessie Fleury, Brian Kakas, Emily Lanctot, Stephan Larson, Christine Lenzen, Michael Letts, Gabrielle McNally, Jane Milkie, Christopher Lander Moore, Jason Schneider, Tracy Wascom, and Dale Wedig.

University Official

Exhibition through January 17th, 2025 - March 29th, 2025 

The 2025 Faculty Biennial Exhibition highlights a diversity of creative achievements by participating faculty from across the School of Art and Design.

The show features the following artists Tom Adolphs, Daric Christian, Tim Cleary, Alex Fekete, Jessie Fleury, Brian Kakas, Emily Lanctot, Stephan Larson, Christine Lenzen, Michael Letts, Gabrielle McNally, Jane Milkie, Christopher Lander Moore, Jason Schneider, Tracy Wascom, and Dale Wedig.

On Friday, March 21, 2025, at 1 pm – Join us for “Still Alive”: Metamorphosis of Dutch Baroque Still Life in Japanese and American Art, a talk by Dr. Mitsutoshi Oba.

University Official

The fall semester's University Forum will provide an update on progress to date regarding action plan development for the three grand challenges of Northern's new strategic plan, Our Compass. The forum will also provide updates on current and future construction projects and Wildcat Way. Along with President Brock Tessman, featured speakers will be Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Anne Dahlman, Vice President of Finance and Administration Gavin Leach and Vice President of People, Culture and Wellbeing Rhea Dever.

Please join us to learn more about these topics. For those who can't attend in person, a link of the forum will be sent campus-wide on Thursday, November 7.

University Official

The inaugural Indigenous Perspectives Symposium on Art is this week, Friday, November 1st in the Northern Center.  The doors open at 8am and we are excited to showcase some great presentations, performances, and art focused activities throughout the day.  

This email includes information about the event and if you have any questions feel free to email Assistant Director of the Diversity & Inclusion Office, Justin Schapp, at Jschapp@nmu.edu. 

Registration is free and through the NMU Ticketing Office here: https://nmu.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=3525. Please Note that space is limited. 

Indigenous Perspectives Symposium on Art
 

Friday, November 1st, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
NMU’s Northern Center

This is an inaugural event focused on providing a space for Indigenous perspectives to flourish. Our purpose is to open a welcoming space for knowledge dissemination to an interested or broader audience about the intersection of art with Indigenous Peoples, Nations, communities, and lifeways. We are hosting this event to increase opportunities for creative collaborations across a wide variety of art mediums and presentations, from traditional to contemporary interpretations by sharing the story of Indigenous arts across NMU’s service area and providing discussion perspectives on impacts to campus/regional diversity and belonging.  For more information visit https://nmu.edu/indigenous-perspectives-symposium/.

Indigenous Perspectives Symposium screening of "Bring Them Home" film
Friday, November 1st, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
NMU’s Jamrich Hall Theater

"Following her Oscar-nominated role in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Lily Gladstone is narrating and executive producing a new documentary titled “Bring Them Home,” about a Blackfeet initiative to bring buffalo back to the wild and reclaim centuries of Indigenous tradition.  Directed by Blackfeet brother-sister duo Ivan MacDonald and Ivy MacDonald, as well as Daniel Glick, the 85-minute feature will premiere at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival on Feb. 24. The screening will take place at 6 p.m. and is sponsored by The Nature Conservatory. “Bring Them Home” follows a decades-long effort by members of the “Blackfoot Confederacy” to bring buffalo back to the Blackfeet Reservation. The film examines the role the buffalo, or “iinnii,” played in Blackfeet life before settlers killed millions of the species in an attempt to eradicate the tribe." - Ethan Shanfeld, Variety Online Magazine.

"Bring Them Home" trailer is located here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAK3IYj2NqI

Highlights of the Symposium are:
Keynote Speaker Jonathan Thunder
Decolonizing Diet inspired luncheon
Dance Performance by Woodland Sky Native American Dance Company
"Bring Them Home" film narrated by Lily Gladstone
Bead working workshop
Ziibiwing Center Anishinaabe Art
NMU Student Mural Art project with Sawftsea

Register for the Indigenous Perspectives Symposium on Arts at:
https://nmu.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=3525

University Official

The department of Social Work is hosting a two-day conference with presenters, panels, and discussions focusing on work with Tribal Victim Service Agencies and Native communities. Topics will include human trafficking, housing and homelessness, traditional doula services, substance use treatment, secondary traumatic stress, missing and murdered indigenous women and people, and more!

University Official

NMU will use Friday, November 8 as a day to applaud the efforts of first-gen students. We hope all first-gen students, faculty, and staff will gather with us at the Wildcat statue outside of Jamrich at 12:00pm to honor the hard fought success of all first-gen students. Immediately following the 12:00pm Wildcat photo, all are invited to join us for cookies, prizes, and a photo booth in the 1318 Jamrich Lobby from 12:30pm to 3:00pm. 

If your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) have not completed a bachelor's degree, then you are considered a first generation college student. On average, about 35% of NMU students are first generation college students. For more information, email firstgen@nmu.edu, or stop by the Dean of Students Office.