Our Compass at Work - Institutional Effectiveness

The Backbone of Northern Michigan University's Sustainability

By: Daniel Wolski

NMU Vision: Like the lake that inspires us, Northern Michigan University will be known as Superior, in the ways we support our people, partner with our place, and realize the potential of all our students.

This article is part of a series highlighting progress on Our Compass, NMU's strategic plan. Strategy 1.4 challenges us to embed sustainable values across curriculum, operations, and partnerships. Here's what that looks like in practice.

Northern Michigan University earned a 91 out of 99 on the 2026 Princeton Review Green College Rankings, placing NMU among the highest-rated institutions in the nation for sustainability

What Makes a School Sustainable?

        The Princeton Review scores schools on a 60–99 point scale based on three key pillars: student quality of life, career preparation for the clean-energy economy, and overall environmental responsibility. While most institutions are invited to participate, final ratings are determined by expert weighting of survey data, with a baseline score of 60 assigned if information is insufficient.

To streamline this process, the organization partners with the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Schools utilize the Sustainability Tracking Assessment & Rating System (STARS) to report their data, which reduces administrative burden while ensuring sustainability ratings remain accurate and updated annually.

Key Evaluation Criteria

        The final Green Rating score is determined by analyzing several specific operational and academic factors. These include a school’s waste-diversion rate, its use of renewable energy, and the availability of environmental studies programs for students. To read the full list of questions asked, visit the Green Rating Methodology. 

NMU’s Path to 91

        Northern Michigan University's high ranking is the result of several transformative initiatives designed to align campus operations with environmental values. A major driver of this success is the university's commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, supported by the use of SIMAP software to publicly track and report greenhouse gas emissions. These efforts have already led to a reduction in the campus carbon footprint by over 30% since 2010. Additionally, the Board of Trustees has taken a significant institutional stand by pledging to fully divest the university’s endowment from fossil fuels by 2028, while at the same time increasing sustainability-related investments. 

        On the academic and operational fronts, NMU has integrated sustainability into the core of its mission. Approximately 25% of the university’s graduates now come from programs with the sustainability focus and 20 different academic departments offer related coursework. Leadership in these areas is coordinated by a dedicated Associate Vice President of Sustainability and a Sustainability Advisory Council. Daily operations also reflect this commitment through a campus-wide single-sort recycling program and the use of a 30 panel solar array that generated 17,633 kW of electricity of clean energy in 2023.

Student-Led Sustainability Practices

        Much of Northern’s success is driven by an active student body that leads several key organizations and projects on campus. A cornerstone of this involvement is EcoReps, a peer-to-peer education program where students organize events like monthly clothing swaps, “Mend-it Monday” repair workshops, and zero waste challenges at athletic events. EcoReps also helps manage the Green Fund, an optional student-paid fee that has provided over $120,000 for student-led projects such as the campus rain garden and the large solar array near the SHINE building.

        Students also play a vital role in the university’s waste management efforts through several specialized programs. The Compost Crew consists of student workers in the Northern Lights Dining hall who help divert an average of 400 pounds of food waste from the landfill during every lunch and dinner shift. The food waste is sent to Partridge Creek Compost to help create a more sustainable future. The NMU Hoop House, a student-led collaborative learning center, also participates in smaller scale composting while growing fresh produce for the on-campus food pantry.

        Beyond these programs, a diverse range of student organizations allow students to focus on specific environmental interests. The Conservation Crew organizes local trash clean-ups and habitat restorations projects, while groups like the Apiculture Club focus on honeybee education and Green Athletics promoting sustainable changes within the athletic department. Together, these student-led efforts ensure that sustainability remains a hands-on, community-driven priority at NMU.

        If you’d like to learn more about sustainability on campus, visit the Sustainability Hub for Innovation & Environment (SHINE) dashboard.

Sustainability in the Classroom and Beyond

        At Northern Michigan University, taking care of Marquette's unique environment is woven directly into academic experiences. While many schools offer green initiatives, NMU stands out by ensuring these values reach the classroom, with over 20 different departments offering specialized coursework. This way of learning from many different areas allows students in programs ranging from Environmental Studies to Sustainable Business to gain professional expertise in modern tools like Geographic Information Systems (GIS). By the time of graduation, a quarter of the student body has completed a degree program rooted in sustainability, preparing them to lead in the emerging clean-energy economy. 

         These academic lessons are reinforced through “living laboratory” experiences that turn the campus itself into a research site. Students step outside the lecture hall to engage in native plant restoration at the outdoor learning area or study sustainable agriculture at the NMU Hoop House. Additionally, the student-led Green Fund empowers students to pitch and fund their own environmental projects. Whether through an internship or hands-on field trips, these opportunities transform passion into practical, real-world impacts.

        Throughout this combination of the school’s dedicated goal, student-led action, and academic implementation, Northern Michigan University continues to prove that a sustainable future is built one student at a time. While our current score of 91 reflects years of hard work, we are not slowing down; our campus community is already collaborating on new initiatives to push sustainability efforts even further and achieve an even higher score in the coming year.

The Benefits

Attending a sustainable university like Northern Michigan University fundamentally reshapes the student and staff experience, fostering a culture where personal wellbeing is inextricably linked to the health of the environment. By integrating these values into daily life, Northern creates a supportive community that prioritizes care over convenience. This is felt in the collaborative spirit of events like the "Mend-it Monday" workshops, which encourage a mindful approach to ownership, and the shared sense of purpose found in the student-run Hoop House that provides fresh produce to peers in need. These programs do more than just reduce waste; they build a resilient network of people who value the long-term vitality of their local ecosystem.

        Beyond these immediate cultural gains, the university’s commitment to sustainability provides a unique framework for personal and professional growth. Students find themselves in an environment where ethical investment and environmental responsibility are not just abstract concepts, but institutional pledges that align with their own values. This alignment creates a profound sense of institutional trust, as seen in the university's transparent carbon tracking and its bold commitment to divest from fossil fuels. Ultimately, this holistic approach ensures that the university doesn't just produce skilled graduates, but conscientious leaders who carry a grounded, community-focused worldview into their future careers. 

        With the many majors and classes focused around sustainability and the environment, no matter what field a student chooses they will have hands-on experience with sustainable practices. With most businesses now being more centered on helping the environment, Northern preps its students for jobs and careers that make a big impact on the future of our planet. 

Evergreen

By: Daniel Wolski

NMU Vision: Like the lake that inspires us, Northern Michigan University will be known as Superior, in the ways we support our people, partner with our place, and realize the potential of all our students.

This article is part of a series highlighting progress on Our Compass, NMU's strategic plan. Strategy 3.3 meets learners where they are throughout their lives. Here's how NMU is expanding pathways to credentials.

        For over decades, Northern Michigan University has operated under a ‘60-year curriculum.” This approach supports opportunities for non-typical students to continue their education in a non-typical kind of way. However, this opportunity needs to be scaled to support the needs of the community. That’s when Evergreen was born. For people already in the work force wanting to continue their education in order to level up in life. 

A Process in the Making

An Idea

        To scale something is a challenging task. It is even more difficult when what is being rebuilt is already successful. How do you fix something that's not broken? That is what the NMU Global Campus was asked to do.

        The goal was to make it easier for people in the trades, first responders, healthcare workers, stay at home parents, real estate agents, or anyone wanting to better their skills while bringing their working experience with them. 

It Begins with a Blitz

        It takes a team for a great idea to come to life. For Evergreen, it took more than a team. Members from the community, students, staff and faculty, and other partners all played a role in building Evergreen. Extended Learning leaders from NMU met with marketing experts from Carnegie Higher Education for a two-day creative strategy blitz. 

        In 2016, Northern Michigan University established its Global Campus to provide online and distance education programs specifically designed for busy adults and students unable to attend the Marquette campus. To strengthen its presence in the competitive online market, NMU partnered with Carnegie Higher Education (formerly Sexton) to focus on lead generation and digital strategy for the program. Carnegie and NMUs Extended Learning Team came together to brainstorm strategies for a creative platform to better engage and serve the NMU Extended Learning audience. On the agenda; develop a deep understanding of NMU Extended Learning's identity and audiences, examine Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha media trends, test messaging and visuals, and to map strategies for more distinctive, effective creative expression. Why should these non-typical students come back to school or take additional classes/courses? How do we communicate the benefits of doing so? 

        To help define Northern Michigan University’s identity, workshop participants were guided through a series of questions describing the institution and its Extended Learning division. They explored foundational questions such as: How would you describe NMU as a whole? What about Extended Learning? What does the division do better than anyone else? What traits define the division in the minds of its audiences? Participants crafted short, powerful statements beginning with “we are” that help further define exactly who NMU Extended Learning is.

        The next step was to determine what the target audience would be. 50% would be non-typical learners. These people are people working full time, taking gap years, went the family route in life, etc. The other 50% was split in half, 25% are learners still in high school; dual enrolled, middle college students, concurrent. The last 25% are typical undergraduate students.

        Following this came the marketing portion of the workshop weekend. The goal was to identify patterns, gather inspiration, and uncover opportunities to make NMU Extended Learning’s communications more engaging, emotionally resonant, and aligned with the expectations of the division’s diverse students. Participants looked at different advertisements in both still form and video form. 

        By the end of the brainstorm session the result was a shared direction and clear next steps for NMU Extended Learning to stand out in the competitive landscape; where Northern will be the hub for the Upper Peninsula’s non-typical learners. 

Scaling the Results

        With the launch of NMU Evergreen, Northern Michigan University has established a permanent, flexible hub for non-traditional learners seeking professional growth. By scaling these online degrees and workforce training programs, the university provides a seamless bridge between real-world experience and academic credentials.

This initiative ensures that every Wildcat has access to a lifelong educational pathway that adapts to their unique schedule. Everyone deserves the option to continue their education. A higher education offers the ability to get that promotion, land that dream job, or help you finally open that new business that is destined to succeed. That’s what Evergreen is, an opportunity to build.