NMU Alumni Relations - NMU Events and Announcements

NMU Alumni Relations

Alumni and friends are invited to join President Brock Tessman for a chat on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, at 7 p.m. Eastern. President Tessman will share campus updates, answer questions, and virtually connect with alumni and friends of the Wildcat community. The event will begin with a welcome from NMU Alumni Advisory Board President Chris Charboneau ’93 BS.

Questions will be taken live during the event via the Q&A function on Zoom, and alumni can submit questions ahead of time during registration. Registration is required. Once alumni and friends register, they will receive the Zoom link to join the conversation. Those who register are automatically entered into a t-shirt drawing and five winners will be chosen during the event.

NMU Alumni Relations

Join Chef Alden MacDonald CEC ’10 BS, instructor in NMU’s Hospitality Leadership program, on Wednesday, December 13 at 7 p.m. Eastern for a virtual cooking segment to help prepare you for the holidays! Alongside Hospitality Management student Faith Roush, Chef Alden will evoke nostalgia with appetizer recipes perfect to bring to any gathering (including a delicious hot apple cider!). She will be cooking inside the state-of-the-art teaching kitchen at the Northern Center and guests will get a behind-the-scenes look at the facility virtually.

Participant questions will be shared live with the chefs. The event is free and registration is required. Once you register, you will receive the link to the live stream.

NMU Alumni Relations

Your NMU community is your biggest resource...use it!

We invite you to join Wildcats Connect, an online platform designed to connect Wildcat students and alumni together. Looking for internship opportunities? Want to connect with someone currently doing your dream job? Interested in resume or grad school application feedback? A simple ask and offer online platform, Wildcats Connect allows you to utilize the biggest resource you have at your fingertips – fellow Wildcats! This is an opportunity to build lasting relationships, propel your career forward, and make connections that will stick.

NMU Alumni Relations

He’s back! We are celebrating the return of Rick Comley ’73 MAE as the NMU Athletic Director with a special Northern Now digital event on Wednesday, October 19 at 7 p.m. Eastern. Alumni and friends are invited to join us to hear Rick’s view for the future of NMU Athletics, and also receive updates from NMU Volleyball Head Coach Mike Lozier and NMU Women’s Basketball Head Coach Casey Thousand.

Former NMU basketball player and physical education graduate Karla McCutcheon ’00 BS will moderate the event and share participant questions LIVE with Rick and coaches. The event is free and registration is required. Once you register, you will receive the link to the live stream.

NMU Alumni Relations

Let’s kick off the holiday season with some nostalgic recipes and celebrate the new Hospitality Management facility in the Northern Center! Join us on Wednesday, November 16 at 7 p.m. Eastern as we welcome Chef Alden MacDonald CCC ’10 BS, executive chef of Dining Services at Northern Michigan University, for a cooking segment inside the state-of-the-art kitchen at the Northern Center – the new home for the NMU Hospitality Management program. Chef Alden, joined by current Hospitality Management student Trixie Maguran Jacobson, will showcase recipes that hold significance for their love of food and provide a behind-the-scenes look at the new facility and equipment.

Dianne Stone ’10 BS, director of Northern Center/Event Services at NMU, will moderate the event and share participant questions LIVE with the chefs. The event is free and registration is required. Once you register, you will receive the link to the live stream.

NMU Alumni Relations

Join us on Wednesday, February 22 at 7 p.m. Eastern for a virtual event as we welcome a panel of alumni to celebrate Black History Month! All working in various professions, these alumni will provide insight into how their education at NMU prepared them for their careers, discuss any obstacles they have overcome and share ways they impact the communities in which they live.

The event will be moderated by MarLanaysia Rosser, NMU’s Black Student Union president, and panelists include:

• Victor Fairley ’12 BS, field training deputy and community outreach and recruitment coordinator at the Kent County Sheriff’s Department
• Chris Warner ’09 BSW, juvenile probation officer in Kent County, Michigan and program coordinator of The Chosen Academy, which aims to bring affordable basketball skills training and mental health counseling to players in the Grand Rapids area
• Taylor Johnson ’14 BA, realtor associate at Keller Williams Realty, Inc.
• Brianna Sartin ’22 BS, content creator and account coordinator for Buzz Advertising Agency

MarLanaysia will share audience questions LIVE with the panelists. The event is free and registration is required. Once you register, you will receive the link to the live stream.

NMU Alumni Relations

Join us as we welcome local archeologist Jim Paquette ’74 BS as he details “The Find of a Thousand Lifetimes,” the story of Michigan’s historic 1987 discovery and subsequent excavation of one of the most remarkable archaeological finds ever uncovered in the Upper Great Lakes region. A 2022 Alumni Achievement Award recipient, Jim will recount his fascinating story of this celebrated archaeological discovery, which was identified alongside fellow NMU graduate John Gorto ’74 BS, ’76 MA. The duo discovered a large treasure trove of 10,000-year-old Late Paleo-Indian/Early Archaic period projectile points while conducting an archaeological survey within the drained reservoir bed of the Deer Lake Basin near Ishpeming, Michigan. The 1987 unearthing of this cache of incredibly ancient stone spear points in Ishpeming Township has since been described by researchers as being “the Upper Peninsula’s greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century.”

After the presentation, Jim will take participant questions LIVE. The event is free and registration is required. Once you register, you will receive the link to the live stream.

NMU Alumni Relations

Join Chef Alden MacDonald CEC ’10 BS, executive chef of Dining Services at Northern Michigan University, on Wednesday, June 28 at 7 p.m. Eastern for a virtual family cooking segment to help prepare you for 4th of July festivities! Chef Alden will showcase red, white and blue recipes that can be made and enjoyed by the whole family. She will be cooking inside the state-of-the-art kitchen at the Northern Center – the new home for the NMU Hospitality Management program - and guests will get a behind-the-scenes look at the facility virtually.

Dianne Stone ’10 BS, director of Northern Center/Event Services at NMU, will moderate the event and share participant questions LIVE with the chef. The event is free and registration is required. Once you register, you will receive the link to the live stream.

Northern Now is a digital event series for alumni and friends hosted by Northern Michigan University Alumni Relations. The series provides a behind-the-scenes look at NMU students, departments, athletics, and more on campus with exclusive tours, interviews, and interactive events. Stay connected to your alma mater and learn more at nmu.edu/alumni.

NMU Alumni Relations

Join Chef Alden MacDonald CEC ’10 BS, executive chef of Dining Services at Northern Michigan University, on Wednesday, June 28 at 7 p.m. Eastern for a virtual family cooking segment to help prepare you for 4th of July festivities! Chef Alden will showcase red, white and blue recipes that can be made and enjoyed by the whole family. She will be cooking inside the state-of-the-art kitchen at the Northern Center – the new home for the NMU Hospitality Management program - and guests will get a behind-the-scenes look at the facility virtually.

Dianne Stone ’10 BS, director of Northern Center/Event Services at NMU, will moderate the event and share participant questions LIVE with the chef. The event is free and registration is required. Once you register, you will receive the link to the live stream.

Northern Now is a digital event series for alumni and friends hosted by Northern Michigan University Alumni Relations. The series provides a behind-the-scenes look at NMU students, departments, athletics, and more on campus with exclusive tours, interviews, and interactive events. Stay connected to your alma mater and learn more at nmu.edu/alumni.

NMU Alumni Relations

Join us as we take Dr. Brock Tessman, NMU's 17th president, on the road to meet the Wildcat community in person.

The most updated schedule is below and more dates and locations will be released.

• June 14:  Terrace Bay Hotel, Gladstone
• July 12:  Bonfire at The Continental Fire Company, Houghton
• August 9:  Pine Grove Country Club, Iron Mountain

All events will be from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. local time.