Northern Center - NMU Events and Announcements

Northern Center

America’s Largest Classroom – What 12,400 Visitors Told Us About Climate Change at U.S. National Parks and Wildlife Refuges.

As part of Investiture Week, hear from Dr. Jes Thompson, NMU Assistant Vice President of Sustainability, and her team of student researchers as they share their research on visitors’ perspectives on climate change at U.S. national parks and wildlife refuges.

The presentation will take place on Monday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. in Peninsula II of the Northern Center. 

For more information about the Presidential Investiture of Dr. Chris Olsen and the full schedule of Investiture Week events, please visit our Investiture website. 

Northern Center

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.

Northern Center

An Investiture Celebration Dinner will be held to honor Dr. Chris Olsen as the 19th President of Northern Michigan University.

Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. with the program to follow dinner.

Proceeds will benefit Northern's new Experience Grants program for students involved in high impact learning experiences.

For more information and to purchase tickets, go to NMU.EDU/INVESTITURE-CELEBRATION.

The Investiture Ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. Friday, October 2, at the Northern Center. It is free but requires an RSVP prior by Sept. 14 at the same link as above.  For information on the weeklong schedule of Investiture activities, please go to nmu.edu/investiture.

Northern Center

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees is honored to announce the investiture of Dr. Chris J. Olsen as the University's 19th President. Dr. Olsen will officially receive the chain of command at a ceremony at 11 a.m. Friday, October 2, 2026, at the Northern Center.

The event is free, but requires an RSVP by Sept. 14 at NMU.EDU/INVESTITURE-CELEBRATION.

Students, faculty, staff and retirees should contact their academic or work department to express interest in attending.

An Investiture Celebration Dinner will also be held in honor of Dr. Olsen, taking place Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Northern Center. Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. with the program to follow dinner. Proceeds will benefit Northern's new Experience Grants program. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to NMU.EDU/INVESTITURE-CELEBRATION.

For information on the weeklong schedule of Investiture activities, please go to nmu.edu/investiture.

Northern Center

Northern's Faculty & Staff Kickoff to the 2026–27 academic year

Buffet Breakfast, 7:45–8:30 a.m.
Convocation, 8:45–10 a.m.

Host: Interim Provost Rob Winn
Featured Speakers:

• Tim Compton, chair, Academic Senate
• Jon Teichman, representative, Union Staff Leadership
• Mikayla Christenson, ASNMU President
• Chris Olsen, NMU President

Northern Center

University updates on a wide variety of topics will be available at the winter semester's University Forum. President Chris Olsen and other NMU campus leaders will provide information on:

• Enrollment projects for Fall 2026
• Information regarding summer work on university construction projects
• Updates on state budget and appropriations work in Lansing
• A preliminary look at NMU's Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget
• Progress reports on NMU's strategic plan's 3 Grand Challenges

And more ...

All NMU students, faculty, and staff, as well as the general community, are invited to attend.

Northern Center

Join us for a day of music, remembrance, and community! Lunch will be followed by our NMU Alumni Keynote speaker, retired judge Charlita Anderson White. Guided by the Theme: "The Beloved Community: Where Justice, Healing, and Hope Meet" and featuring a menu of Fried Chicken, Shrimp and Grits, Mac and Cheese, Collards, Potato Salad, Cornbread, and Sweet Potato Pie. 

This event is free for all NMU students and $14 for community members, faculty, and staff. Tickets can be purchased at nmu.universitytickets.com.

We hope to see you there!

Northern Center

Changes are coming to campus, and we want your input! The new sustainability demonstration area has two hoop houses and a solar array - what else should be there? Be part of the dreaming and designing of this new space! Join us for a SISU-hosted Design Jam with a pizza buffet. The event is for campus and community members to share their ideas for the latest sustainability addition to NMU's campus. Learn more: https://nmu.edu/shine/woodland-park

Northern Center

The Great Lakes Cannabis Collaboration Conference is hosted by Northern Michigan University and will showcase developing trends in cannabis education and scholarship, as well as insights from industry leaders and experts at the forefront of the sector’s evolving landscape. This collaborative event aims to inspire progress in cannabis education and scholarship through open dialogue, exchange of information and ideas, and celebration of student and faculty success.

The region's gathering for cannabis education and collaboration will take place on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at NMU's Northern Center.  If you would like to learn more about the event, you can visit the conference’s website.  

Northern Center

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