Northern Center - NMU Events and Announcements

Northern Center

Brave New World and the Rise of the Factory Farm
Stewart Cole (University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh)

Although Aldous Huxley's 1932 dystopian novel Brave New World is widely recognized as a critique of consumerism, a portrait of state control, and a cautionary bioethical fable, its significance as an ecological novel has gone under appreciated.  In his talk, Dr. Cole will demonstrate how Huxley's novel engages with several early 20th-century developments - including assembly line production and advances in agricultural technology - that helped give rise to factory farming, one of the key drivers of global heating.  Along the way, he will consider the importance of the environmental humanities for understanding and addressing the ecological crises of our time.

Northern Center

The annual employee Benefits Fair is scheduled for Wednesday, October 5th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Ballrooms III and IV of the Northern Center.  Up to one hour of released-time is available to attend.  The Fair will feature representatives from University-sponsored plans and departments such as:  NMU Health Center, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Northstar EAP, Hello Heart, TIAA and more!  Donations for non-perishable food items are being accepted for the NMU Food Pantry.

Northern Center

The College of Business at Northern Michigan University announces John Baltes (’86 BS) as the 2022 Executive in Residence and invites the NMU community to a Business After Hours community reception hosted in partnership with Lake Superior Community Partnership. The reception is open to the public and takes place on Wednesday, Sept. 28 from 5 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. in the Northern Center Ballrooms. Light bites will be provided and a cash bar will be available. The reception will include a presentation and Q&A, as well as a meet and greet with NMU campus and community members, and Marquette area business leaders.

The Executive in Residence program is designed to enrich student learning and faculty development by introducing accomplished leaders to the university community. Baltes will bring 30 years of leadership and business strategy experience, as well as a strong data systems background to the NMU community during his residence. During his visit, Baltes will also speak during several College of Business graduate and undergraduate courses, and meet with NMU faculty, staff, and student groups.

For more information on the Executive in Residence program, visit nmu.edu/business. The NMU College of Business can be contacted at business@nmu.edu.

Northern Center

The 2022 book selections of Two Books Two Communities of Marquette and Alger Counties feature two books by Canadian author Jean E. Pendziwol: The Lightkeeper's Daughters, an adult novel, and Me and You and the Red Canoe, a children's book.

Pendziwol lives in Canada and is the author of more than ten critically-acclaimed books for children, including Once Upon a Northern Night—finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award and the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award—and I Found Hope in a Cherry Tree—a 2020 Globe & Mail recommended book. Her bestselling picture book No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids (and Dragons), was selected by McDonald's Restaurants for their Happy Meal literacy program and continues to be used to teach fire safety in a number of countries including the US and UK. Jean's debut adult novel, The Lightkeeper's Daughters, was a Globe & Mail bestseller, shortlisted for the HWA Debut Crown, a BBC Radio 2 Book Club selection, and winner of the Northern Lit Award. Her books for both adults and children have been translated into more than twenty languages and are available around the world.

Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Northern Center

You are cordially invited to the public launch of a new website "Maamawi Ozhigi/Together We Grow" created by the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center and funded by a donation from NMU professor emeritus, Dr. Jon Saari (History). The event will be held in Ballroom I of the Northern Center at 4 p.m. on Thursday, August 18. Light refreshments and hors d’oeuvres will be served. No R.S.V.P is necessary.

This website is dedicated to the symbiotic relationship between the Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan University. The two live close together but not always in harmony. For this reason, we’ve used the Anishinaabemowin term “Maamawi Ozhigi” which translated into English means “Together We Grow.” This title expresses our aspiration for our lives in this common place. The articles within will look at how the people of the Upper Peninsula have helped define the university and vice versa. The articles have been written by NMU alumni, students, faculty and staff members. They incorporate not only the history of the region and university but the stories from members of the NMU community about their experiences at the university and in the U.P.

Because the relationship between the region and its people is always changing, and because there are so many stories to tell, this website will continually change and expand as well. There are three main sections to the site. The first, "What is the Upper Peninsula" looks at the history of the region and the university itself. The second, "The University for Everyone," looks specifically at the connections between NMU and the region. The third, "Living in the Upper Peninsula," is still being developed and will include opportunities for students, alumni and staff to interact through blogs related to the region's way of life. 

Northern Center

Join the UPCI for the 2022 UP Cybersecurity Symposium happening from August 30 – September 01 at the Northern Center located on NMUs main campus. Participate in information sessions, incident response planning, and workshops that will increase your ability to prevent and respond to a cyber-attack. Meet with local, state, and federal experts that will help protect and defend your organization from potential threats. This is a free event for anyone to attend and is a non-technical event with no previous cyber knowledge required.

Day 1: Connections and Resources

Day 2: Incident response planning and exercise

Day 3: Cyber resilience tips and control measures

Register now to start increasing cyber resiliency for your organization!

Northern Center

Hello all,

My name is Bill Digneit and I am the Director of SISU The Innovation Institute here at NMU.  I would like to cordially invite you to join SISU: The Innovation Institute at Northern Michigan University for a 90 minute design thinking micro credential course. This course will be taught by Dr. Garret Westlake, SISU Scholar and Executive Director Virginia Commonwealth University da Vinci Center for Innovation. Participants will receive micro credentials from both VCU and SISU for completing this learning experience and have the opportunity to practice  the principles and process of design thinking. 

Join us in the Northern Center on March 16th at 10am.  This experience is free and open to all NMU campus community members and we look forward to you joining us.  

Please let us know you are attending by completing this form.

Northern Center

My name is Bill Digneit and I am the Director of SISU: The Innovation Institute here at NMU.  I would like to cordially invite you to join us at the Northern Center for a 120 minute design thinking workshop, focused on the arts and their bright future here at NMU. This event is open to all students, staff, and faculty. We look forward to you all joining us for this exciting event. Please let us know if you have any questions. 

The world is constantly changing, making the future more than a moving target. But sometimes it feels like education has a hard time keeping up. As you build your skills for a future career, you also have to juggle the reality that you may be getting a job that doesn't even exist yet. If this is the case, how might we envision college programs that provide the skills necessary to gain a job while also preparing students for an agile, innovative future?

In this two-hour design thinking session, students will be led by VCUarts Assistant Professor Garreth Blackwell, Phd through a series of exercises to identify and ideate what NMU might look like in the future. If you have ever wanted to know more about design thinking or have an interest in what colleges will look like in the future, please join us on Thursday, March 17th at 2:00pm in the Northern Center. Let us know in advance by completing this form.

Northern Center

The Career & Summer Employment Job Fair is the only in-person job fair this semester.  It is an opportunity for companies and organizations to discuss full-time jobs, summer jobs, internships and part-time jobs with students.  There is no cost for students and alumni to attend this event. 

Win a Prize!  Students/Alumni who register in Handshake and also check in at the job fair will be placed into a drawing.  Ten winners will be selected and notified the day after the fair.   

There will be an opportunity to get a professional headshot taken at the fair!