The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center was recently awarded $12,500 from the NMU Wildcat Innovation Fund to start a folk music summer camp for high school students. The camp will take advantage of Marquette’s rich folk music resources, including faculty and community members with a strong background in performing and playing folk music. The camp will run July 18-21, preceding the annual Hiawatha Traditional Music Festival in Marquette.

The Beaumier Coffee House Series will present the Union Suits and the duo, John Gillette & Sarah Mittlefehldt. They will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, in the Black Box Theatre in Northern Michigan University’s McClintock Building. The suggested donation is $5 for adults and $1 for students.

NMU alumnus Brendon Ewers is among those eagerly anticipating the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He will play double duty on opening weekend, watching the film as a diehard fan of the series and also greeting theater patrons before some shows dressed as a Stormtrooper. Ewers is a member of the 501st Legion, billed as “the world’s definitive Imperial costuming organization.” The legion and its subgroups, such as the Great Lakes Garrison to which Ewers belongs, provide a network for fans to research and develop screen-quality Star Wars props and costumes. Members also serve their communities and various charitable organizations. 

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees today approved a revised general fund operating budget of $105.7 million for 2015-16, a decrease from the $108.3 million previously approved at the board’s July meeting. The revised budget includes estimated cost-saving measures in general categories to counter a $2.6 million shortfall in tuition and fee revenue associated with this year’s enrollment decline.  

Food typically plays a prominent role in holiday celebrations with family and friends. It also can serve as a distinctive representation of a particular region. Matthew Gavin Frank, author and NMU English department faculty member, has served up a holiday gift idea for foodies and general readers alike. His latest book offers a richly illustrated culinary tour of the United States with 50 signature dishes and a “radical exploration of our gastronomic heritage.” It is titled The Mad Feast: An Ecstatic Tour Through America’s Food.  

Due to an interference issue between the NMU WiMAX and LTE broadband networks, the timeline to retire the NMU WiMAX network is being accelerated, according to Dave Maki, chief technology officer. 

A Northern Michigan University event held in conjunction with Fall Fest received honorable mention in the awards program sponsored by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District V. It was entered in the “excellence in special events-individual event” category and was a collaborative effort of Alumni Relations, the NMU Foundation, University Marketing and Communications and outside vendors. The event was titled “Follow the Trail: Connecting the Campus to the Importance of Alumni Engagement and Private Giving.”

Northern Michigan University faculty members were honored at the annual Celebration of Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship ceremony. Recipients and their awards are: Maggie Moore of the School of Health and Human Performance, Excellence in Teaching; Steve Hughes of Art and Design and Mounia Ziat of Psychology, Excellence in Scholarship; and Scott Demel of Sociology and Anthropology, Breanne Carlson and Chris Kirk of Health and Human Performance and Kristi Robinia of the School of Nursing, Technology Innovation. 

William McCants, author of The ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State, will participate in a phone conference at Northern Michigan University. A panel discussion will follow. The event is scheduled from 1:30-3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16, in 1318 Jamrich Hall. 

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees will hold its next regularly scheduled meeting Thursday and Friday, Dec. 10-11. Committee meetings will be held Thursday afternoon and the formal (business) session will be held from 10-11:30 a.m. Friday. For the detailed agenda and supporting materials, visit www.nmu.edu/boardbook. 

Nick Dupras’ vintage aesthetic has earned many double takes across campus. Some eyes gravitate toward his impressive handlebar mustache. Others focus on his hand-tailored suits, such as the three-piece linen ensemble with matching eight-dart cap for warmer weather. With winter’s arrival, he shifts to pinstripes and wears protective spats over his classic shoes. You might even catch a glimpse of Dupras adjusting his prescription monocle or checking the time on an antique pocket watch suspended from a chain he made. The adjunct history instructor projects a dignified, 1930s vibe that commands attention in a modern context. But if Dupras’ style truly reflected his academic specialty, he would be shrouded in a suit of medieval armor.

Northern Michigan University senior and McNair Scholar Tiaira Porter received an award for presenting one of the top 15 neuroscience research posters, from 300 submissions in the discipline, at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students in Seattle, Wash. She also was invited to apply for a post-baccalaureate fellowship with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Porter is a biology major, chemistry minor and recipient of the Paulus McNair Scholarship through the NMU Foundation. She attended the conference with her research mentor and NMU biology faculty member, Erich Ottem.

Angelina Fiordellisi and Nikki Nanos recently returned to NMU, where they met as students, to share their respective journeys in the New York and Los Angeles entertainment industries. They participated in an Inside the Actors Studio-style public forum, visited NMU theater experience classes and held individual feedback sessions with students who presented audition monologues.

NMU's Olson Library recruited Dixie, a therapy miniature horse, and several therapy dogs from Superiorland Pet Partners to provide stress relief for NMU students as they prepare for final exams. Dixie was on campus Thursday night outside the library on the academic mall. She may be back for a return engagement on Tuesday, Dec. 8. The dogs were inside the library. All of the animals received plenty of hands-on attention from NMU students.

Northern Michigan University’s mid-year commencement ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, in the Superior Dome. Of the 556 students eligible to graduate, 366 are expected to participate in the ceremony (343 undergraduates and 23 graduate students).

Northern Michigan University assistant professor Tom Isaacson and the NMU chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America received awards at the recent PRSSA national conference in Atlanta, Ga. Isaacson, a faculty member in the communication and performance studies department, received the PRSSA Hall of Fame Award. The NMU chapter he advises earned the Star Chapter Award. A delegation of 15 students accompanied Isaacson to the conference.

Northern Michigan University’s Forest Roberts Theatre will present The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris on Saturday, Dec. 12, at Coco’s Restaurant in Marquette. Two performances are scheduled: a 7:30 p.m. show with a full-course dinner (vegetarian option available); and a midnight show with appetizers. The production is a fundraiser for the NMU First Nighters Club.

Trevor Case of Chatham, Mich. will be the student speaker at Northern Michigan University’s mid-year commencement on Saturday, Dec. 12. He will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship and a double minor in anthropology and alternative energies. Lauren Larsen of Brighton, Mich., will be the student soloist.

In cases of domestic and sexual violence, the first priority is to safely distance endangered adults and children from the situation. But many survivors report they have refused or delayed opportunities to move to a secure shelter because their companion animals, often abused by the same perpetrators as a form of control or intimidation, could not be accommodated. The local Sasawin Project was established to spare pets from trauma and preserve their vital relationships with their families. The goal is to include animals in safety plans and assure them refuge so that survivors will be more likely to seek their own protection.

Several highly publicized police shootings of civilians, including a Chicago incident depicted on a newly released police video, have generated community unrest, spawned social movements such as Black Lives Matter and prompted calls for radical changes in law enforcement protocol. Some media outlets attempting to dissect the events suggested that the United States might take a lesson from five countries where officers are unarmed while on patrol and violent crime is rare: Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and Iceland. One source the media interviewed was Guðmundur “Gummi” Oddsson. The Iceland native and assistant professor of sociology at NMU studies crimes across cultures and the impact of social inequality on violence. His perspective is featured in the new “America Now” issue of Northern Magazine, the NMU alumni publication.

Michigan is now a state partner in Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP), a national public advocacy and campus action initiative of the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U). LEAP champions the importance of a 21st century liberal education—for individual students and for a nation dependent on economic creativity and democratic vitality.  

Danny Pummill, acting under secretary for benefits in the Department of Veterans Affairs, will be the keynote speaker at Northern Michigan University’s mid-year commencement on Saturday, Dec. 12. He also will be awarded an honorary doctorate of public service. The NMU alumnus graduated in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement.

Northern Michigan University associate professor Jessica Thompson and undergraduate student Jose Aburto from Cicero, Ill., won the Top Paper in Environmental Communication Award at the National Communication Association Conference in Las Vegas. They were recognized for their research titled, Ecosystem-What? Public Understanding and Trust in Conservation Science and Ecosystem Services. Aburto also gave a formal presentation highlighting the results of the paper on Nov. 19. He is a participant in the McNair Scholars Program and is pursuing a public relations major and sustainability minor. Thompson teaches courses in public relations and communication studies.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will host a presentation at Sawyer International Airport. The discussion will address Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and airline guidelines regarding acceptable luggage. There will also be handouts, examples of allowable items and a question-and-answer period.

Northern Michigan University will host its 28th annual Lighting up the Holidays from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2. The event is free and open to the public. Activities at the University Center include a visit from Santa and photos, horse-drawn hayrides, face painting, free children's books, entertainment, games, crafts and refreshments.

The Northern Michigan University Regional Police Academy will hold a mandatory meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 1, for those planning to attend the 2016 academy. The meeting will run from 5-5:45 p.m. in room 132 of the Jacobetti Complex. It is intended for those who will participate in the May 2-Aug. 16 session.

Northern Michigan University has been named a 2016 Military Friendly School by Victory Media. This is NMU’s seventh consecutive appearance on the list. The designation honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide that are “doing the most to embrace military students and dedicate resources to ensure their success in the classroom and after graduation.”

Dr. Paul Clayton, an Oxford Fellow with the Royal Society of Medicine, will present “Dietary Shifts and Changes in Public Health Patterns” at Northern Michigan University. The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30, in the Jamrich Hall auditorium. The public is invited. 

Folk singer Claudia Schmidt will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, at the Marquette Regional History Center. This Beaumier Coffee House concert is co-sponsored by the Hiawatha Music Co-op and the Marquette Regional History Center. A Michigan native, Schmidt has spent more than four decades as a touring professional. She has played in North American and European venues ranging from intimate clubs to 4,000-seat theaters to festival stages before a crowd of 25,000. Schmidt has recorded 19 albums of mostly original songs, exploring folk, blues and jazz idioms featuring her acclaimed skills playing 12-string guitar and mountain dulcimer.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will host a discussion titled "Immigration: A 21st Century Challenge.” The event will explore the legal, religious and educational aspects of immigration.

Media are welcome to cover the campus visit by two NMU alumni. We now have the schedule for their classroom interactions with students Monday and Tuesday.

The UFO alien, with its lightbulb head and enormous eyes, is the 20th century's contribution to the Halloween gallery of witches, ghosts and assorted terrors. Who is this creature? How did it come to be part of our cultural landscape? What is it here to teach us about ourselves, our yearnings and our fears? David Halperin, a religious studies professor turned novelist, explores these questions and comes to some unconventional answers. He will give a presentation at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, in 1318 Jamrich Hall. The public is invited free of charge.

Brian Dudley Barrett, an independent scholar from the United Kingdom, will present "Coastal Artists' Colonies of Europe's North Sea" at Northern Michigan University. The event begins at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, in room 165 of the Art and Design Building.

Martin Reinhardt, assistant professor of Native American studies at Northern Michigan University, will present “Pre-colonization Diet and Indigenous Foods" at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, in the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center. The center is located in 105 Cohodas Hall at NMU. 

Akito Kawahara, assistant professor at the University of Florida and curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History, will present "Bat-moth interactions and ultrasound evolution" at Northern Michigan University. This NMU biology department seminar is scheduled from 4-5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, in 1322 Jamrich Hall. The public is invited. 

NMU’s DeVos Art Museum has loaned several prints by renowned wildlife photographer George Shiras III (1859-1942) to the Museum of Hunting and Nature in Paris. Shiras developed breakthrough methods for photographing animals at night in natural habitats—largely in the Upper Peninsula—and continues to be recognized for his contributions. The Paris exhibition of his work runs through Feb. 14. It features prints from the DeVos Art Museum and National Geographic magazine, which prominently showcased 74 of Shiras’ pictures in a July 1906, single-article issue titled, “Hunting Wild Game with Flashlight and Camera.”   

An NMU team won the quiz bowl event at the Michigan Athletic Trainers Society's Annual Student Educational Conference on Nov. 8. This was the first victory for NMU in the yearly competition. Fifteen state schools participate, including the University of Michigan and Michigan State. NMU's team will now represent Michigan in the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers' Association quiz bowl in March, competing against students from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. The NMU students are Duane Bair from Huntington, Ind., Tyler Hillstead of Rochester, Mich., and Justin Young of Ishpeming. Other athletic training students also attended the conference.

Angelina Fiordellisi and Nikki Nanos will return to Northern Michigan University, where they met as students, to participate in a public forum and lead workshops for NMU students. The women will discuss their experiences in the entertainment worlds of Los Angeles and New York at a forum that will follow a format similar to Inside the Actors Studio. The event is scheduled at 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, in the Panowski Black Box Theatre in the McClintock Building. NMU professor Paul Truckey will serve as the moderator. There is no admission charge.

Hanna Samir Kassab, a visiting professor in Northern Michigan University’s political science department, will give a public presentation based on her book, Weak States in International Relations Theory: The Cases of Armenia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Lebanon and Cambodia.” The event will begin at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, in 1322 Jamrich Hall. There is no admission charge.

Four NMU students designed and launched a recycling survey included in recent Marquette utility bills. They are enrolled in the senior capstone course, human impact on the environment, taught by Susy Ziegler (Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences). The main goal of the project is to gather information on community recycling knowledge and habits and make recommendations for improvement.

Two Northern Michigan University instrumental groups will perform in concert on consecutive nights. Both events begin at 7:30 p.m. in Reynolds Recital Hall. The NMU Orchestra will present a "pops" concert featuring energetic arrangements of popular film and holiday music on Wednesday, Nov. 18. The NMU Jazz Band will perform music by Sonny Rollins, Oscar Pettiford, Charlie Parker, Maria Schneider and more on Thursday, Nov. 19. Admission is free.

Artist Karen Ann Hoffman, whose traditional Iroquois raised beadwork is on display at the Neville Public Museum, recently gave a presentation at a Northern Michigan University diversity conference. Students and faculty were so inspired by her talk and a few samples of her work that a delegation from the NMU Center for Native American Studies is making a day trip to Neville on Friday (Nov. 13) to meet with Hoffman and see more than 40 of her original pieces on display. 

The Northern Michigan University French Club will present a showing of the classic silent film, La Maison du Mystère (The House of Mystery), with live grand piano accompaniment. The event begins at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, in the Ontario Room of the University Center. It is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided.

Northern Michigan University President Fritz Erickson invites community members and NMU alumni to participate in a discussion of the university's strategic plan draft. He has been meeting with campus groups to gather input throughout the semester and would like to broaden participation to obtain the perspective of as many stakeholders as possible.

The Northern Michigan University Choir and Madrigal Singers will perform holiday-themed pieces in celebration of Thanksgiving and Christmas at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, in Reynolds Recital Hall in the Hedgcock Building. Admission is free.

The Northern Michigan University music department will bring a London production to campus with a screening of the Royal Ballet's production of Swan Lake. It will take place at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, in the Jamrich Hall auditorium.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will host an author talk with Matthew Gavin Frank related to his new book, The Mad Feast: An Ecstatic Tour Through America’s Food. Frank examines a quintessential dish from each state, interweaving the culinary with personal and cultural associations of each region.  

Northern Michigan University will receive $30,000 in funding from the Michigan State Police campus sexual assault grant program. First Lady Sue Snyder recently announced the awards that will be distributed to 22 Michigan colleges and universities. The grant program encourages new approaches designed to change the overall culture of sexual assault among the college-age population. A key and innovative component of NMU’s initiative, “End Sexual Violence: 50 Shades of K(no)w,” will be outreach to regional school districts to raise awareness before students enter college.

The Northern Climate Network at Northern Michigan University will host a presentation titled "UP Forests and Climate Change: Risks, Opportunities and Ways to Adapt" on Friday, Nov. 13. Stephen Handler, climate change specialist for the U.S. Forest Service, will lead the discussion at noon in 1318 Jamrich Hall. The public is invited.

The South Superior Climbing Club at Northern Michigan University will host a screening of the annual Reel Rock Film Tour, followed by a “Midnight Madness” climbing activity, on Friday, Nov. 13. Both are open to the public.  

University Marketing and Communications will host a focus group for faculty and staff to review proposals for NMU's new graphic identity. The concepts include a new institutional logo/wordmark and an update of the athletics logo/wordmark. This is an extension of the rebranding effort started several years ago and will help with marketing the university to future students and new populations. The focus group will be held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, in the Charcoal Room of the University Center. Space is limited. Please RSVP to Suzy Swanson at suswanso@nmu.edu or x2720.

Kia Jane Richmond, an English professor at Northern Michigan University, received the Charles Carpenter Fries Award from the Michigan Council of Teachers of English. She was honored at the MCTE fall conference Oct. 30 in East Lansing. 

Four Marquette elementary schools will receive free books, thanks to the fundraising efforts of Northern Michigan University students enrolled in a “small group process” class taught by Sara Potter. They collected $1,400, which will be divided among Superior Hills, Sandy Knoll, Graveraet and North Star Academy.

Wisaal, an Arabic-influenced world music ensemble based in Lansing, will perform a concert as part of the Northern Nights series at Northern Michigan University. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, in Forest Roberts Theatre.

Northern Michigan University’s Forest Roberts Theatre will present the Stephen Sondheim musical, Into The Woods. Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Nov. 11-14 and Nov. 18-21, with additional 1 p.m. matinee performances on Nov. 14 and 21. The production will be performed in the James A Panowski Black Box Theatre.

Three films will be shown at Northern Michigan University in conjunction with Native American Heritage Month: Our Fires Still Burn at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12; Christmas in the Clouds at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16; and Smoke Signals at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17. All three will be shown in the Whitman Hall Commons with a discussion following each screening. The public is invited.

Historian Fred Stonehouse, a recognized authority on the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, will give a presentation marking the 40th anniversary of the tragedy through the Northern Center for Lifelong Learning. He will explain the mysterious loss of the 729-foot ore carrier with all 29 people on board on Nov. 10 1975. It is often described as the great shipwreck on the Great Lake.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will host a talk on independent travel on Wednesday, Nov. 18. Sandi Poindexter will address planning methods, safety concerns and information on rentals, hotels and hostels. She will also discuss her travels from the Netherlands to Switzerland and countries in between.

The Northern Michigan University music department will host a percussion ensemble concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, in Reynolds Recital Hall. 

Transformational change regarding campus-wide decision-making is the goal of NMU’s continuous improvement action project called the Transparency Project. A diverse team of students, faculty and staff is looking to help the university improve trust and communication between NMU decision-makers and campus stakeholders, including more transparent and “best practice” decision-making processes. An all-employee online survey regarding the current state of campus decision-making processes will be disseminated the week of Nov. 9. Employees are strongly encouraged to share their perspectives through this anonymous survey.

NMU alumna Mikaela Mayer won the lightweight division at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Women’s Boxing on Sunday, avenging her narrow loss at the 2012 trials. She defeated Youth Olympic Games champion Jajaira Gonzalez by split decision and claimed the final spot on Team USA. Mayer lives in Marquette and trains with Al Mitchell, who has trained nine male Olympians and was the U.S. Boxing team’s head coach at the 1996 Olympics. She uses NMU facilities in pursuit of her dream of making the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Mayer and fellow trials champions, middleweight Claressa Shields and flyweight Virginia Fuchs, will try to qualify in continental and world championships competition next year. 

The Decolonizing Diet Project, in which volunteers committed a full year to eating foods indigenous to the Great Lakes region, was initiated in 2012 by associate professor Martin Reinhardt of the Center for Native American Studies. The DDP has had a lingering impact on campus and beyond, particularly this year as the center ushers in Native American Heritage Month.

Erin Colwitz is the new director of choirs at NMU and musical director of the Marquette Choral Society. She is the fifth to fill this dual role and the first woman. One of Colwitz’s top priorities within the music department is a focus of the university as a whole: recruitment. She has already taken steps to convince more NMU students from all majors to participate in the campus ensembles. She also wants to strengthen connections to the quality high school music programs in the region and host a choral festival that would showcase NMU and its fine performance facility.

NMU undergraduates have the opportunity to travel to workshops, seminars and conferences across the globe, as both attendees and presenters. Alumni and other friends of NMU have supported this part of the student experience through donations both large and small to the Northern Fund. This academic year, the Northern Fund is able to provide $30,000 in support of student travel.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan will give a presentation on the revitalization of Detroit on Monday, Nov. 2, at Northern Michigan University. His talk begins at 3 p.m. in Mead Auditorium in the West Science Building. It is free and open to the public.

The Northern Michigan University Native American Student Association is hosting its 15th annual First Nations Food Taster from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at the NMU Jacobetti Complex. This year’s menu features recipes from the Decolonizing Diet Project, as well as contemporary Native American dishes. Selections include pumpkin cornbread, bison/venison meatloaf, sweet potatoes, sun butter cookies, wild rice and three sisters casserole. Elda Tate will provide Native American flute music.

Actor Sean Astin will present “Life Lessons from a Career in Film” at Northern Michigan University on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Great Lakes Rooms of the University Center. Astin is best known for his film roles as Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the title character of Rudy and Mikey Walsh in The Goonies. 

Northern Michigan University’s Forest Roberts Theatre will present a concert reading of professor Shelley Russell’s Holdin’ Our Own: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. This special event coincides with the 40th anniversary of the ship’s sinking. It begins at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, in the Jamrich Hall auditorium (room 1100). Tickets are free and available in advance at the Forest Roberts Theatre box office.

The Center for Native American Studies at Northern Michigan University will host “Indigenous Art: Past and Present” on Monday, Nov. 2. Two presenters will explore two distinct series of indigenous art. While they represent different media, eras and tribal affiliations, both illustrate the human condition and the Native American experience historically and currently. The event is scheduled from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in NMU’s DeVos Art Museum.   

NMU received a third-place Best Practices Award from the Central Association of College and University Business Officers (CACUBO) for its proposal, “Developing and Using a Performance Measures Dashboard.” The $1,500 award will be distributed by the NMU Foundation as a student scholarship.

Women working full time in the United States typically are paid just 79 percent of what white men are paid, a gap of 21 percent. And it's even worse for women of color. The Start Smart workshops offered by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) are designed to empower young women with the skills and confidence to successfully negotiate their salary and benefits for the jobs they want after they graduate. A Start Smart workshop led by a trained facilitator will be offered as a Skill Builder from 10 a.m. to noon Friday, Nov. 6, in the Brule/Cadillac Rooms of the University Center.

Campus visits are a highly effective recruiting tool because they allow students to experience the distinctive qualities of the university and community that cannot be fully conveyed through a website or brochure. But for high school students who can’t make the trip to Northern, perhaps the next best thing is to bring Northern to them. That is exactly what the Black Student Union did during an ambitious Oct. 18-22 recruiting bus trip that stopped at nine schools in the Chicago and Detroit areas. 

President Fritz Erickson recently shared conceptual renderings of a revamped University Center and replacement apartments/residence halls with the Marquette Economic Club and employees attending a strategic planning discussion. Administrators sent out a request for qualifications (RFQs) to developers for both projects.

Students in the new forensic anthropology course searched for bones, cartridge casings and other evidence at mock crime scenes marked by yellow police tape near the McClintock Building earlier this week. They were split into five teams, each of which developed a scenario and created a site for their peers to investigate.

Country singer Dustin Lynch and the Michigan-born band, Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys, will perform on Sunday, Nov. 1, at Northern Michigan University. The concert begins at 7 p.m. in the Berry Events Center.

Carlos Bertoni, executive vice president for project development at Highland Copper Company, will present “The Future of Mining in the UP: Developing New Copper Deposits” at Northern Michigan University. His talk will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, in Mead Auditorium in the West Science Building. It is free and open to the public. 

The information below has been expanded to provide some locations where NMU student volunteers will be assigned to help with yard work in the event you would like photos/video of Make a Difference Day.

A Halloween-themed community open house will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, at the new Superior Acre Permaculture garden at Northern Michigan University. The event will feature pumpkin carving and face-painting activities, donuts, cider and coffee. Costumes are encouraged. The garden is located at the intersection of Summit and Longyear, a few blocks west of the Superior Dome.

NMU alumnus Pete Stobie was named Outdoor Educator of the Year by the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education. He was one of several state educators honored for their work in bringing science and nature to students in the classroom and to the public through other creative outlets. 

Northern Michigan University’s Forest Roberts Theatre will be transformed into a fun and spooky haunted house Thursday, Oct. 29-Saturday, Oct. 31. Designed for all ages, it will feature a PG-13 version from 8-11 each evening and a child-friendly version from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Saturday. This annual event serves as a fundraiser for the First Nighters Club Scholarship Fund that supports NMU students who study and work in Forest Roberts Theatre.

Handwritten letters have become increasingly rare, displaced by phone calls or electronic communication to such an extent that cursive is no longer taught in some schools. It is a pleasant surprise to spot one in the mail, knowing the personal attention required by the sender. Imagine finding a supportive, encouraging letter that a stranger left in a public place to be discovered. Or receiving an entire bundle of handwritten letters sent by strangers, at the request of a friend, to help lift your spirits during a difficult time. That is the mission of the global organization, More Love Letters, and its NMU student chapter, Campus Cursive.

Invent@NMU has announced financial award opportunities for students who want to bring their product ideas and inventions to consumer markets. With support from John Hebert, NMU Foundation Board of Trustees officer and 1968 graduate, Invent@NMU now offers funding opportunities to assist 68 full-time students who want to turn their passions into actions. 

“Make a Difference Day,” a nationwide event that celebrates neighbors helping neighbors and the power all individuals have to improve someone else's life, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 24.  The Northern Michigan University Volunteer Center is coordinating the event locally. More than 1,000 student and community volunteers will help rake leaves and do other yard work for senior citizens and individuals with disabilities in the local communities of Marquette, Negaunee, Ishpeming, Harvey and Gwinn.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will offer two early November events: a guided tour of Northern Michigan University's campus; and a workshop on how to properly use spices. Each costs $3 for NCLL members and $8 for nonmembers and has an advance registration deadlines of Wednesday, Oct. 28.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will offer a Woodworkers Rally from 8 a.m. to noon Mondays, Oct. 26-Nov. 17. The workshop will convene in room 137 of the Jacobetti Complex at Northern Michigan University. 

Barry West, president of the Mason Harriman Group in Washington, D.C., and 35-year veteran of the information technology field, will give a free public presentation at Northern Michigan University. He will discuss leadership as the key ingredient for today’s business executives. West is returning to his alma mater as the executive in residence for the NMU College of Business. His talk will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, in the Huron Room of the University Center. A reception will follow in the adjacent Erie Room.

The next Your Health community presentation, “Healthy Communities Start with Healthy Kids,” will be held on Thursday, Oct. 29, at Northern Michigan University.

Northern Michigan University students in a forensic anthropology course taught by Scot Demel and Bob Hanson will be exploring mock crime scenes set up on campus in search of bones, cartiridge casings and other evidence.

Thousands of new species of animals are described each year. Few are mammals and even fewer of those are as large as a standard school bus. While it may seem hard for a whale to hide, it took two years for a team of conservation biologists, including NMU professor Alec Lindsay, to provide the first-ever scientific documentation of the extremely rare “Omura’s whale” living in the wild off the coast of Madagascar. They just published the first descriptions of this species in the Royal Society Open Science journal on Oct. 14.

Robin Sloan, author of the One Book One Community selection, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, will give a free public presentation and book signing at Northern Michigan University on Tuesday, Oct. 20. The event begins at 7 p.m. in 1100 Jamrich Hall.

The Northern Climate Network at Northern Michigan University will continue its monthly presentation series with a discussion of Marquette’s Climate Change Adaptation Task Force” on Friday, Oct. 16. Bob Kulisheck, retired NMU political science professor, will give the talk at noon in 1318 Jamrich Hall. The public is invited.  

Daniel Wilbern, a Northern Michigan University physics student from Cary, Ill., completed a 10-week undergraduate research experience at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont in advance of the fall semester. The department he worked in focused on high-energy physics analysis for the ATLAS experiment at CERN, European Organization for Nuclear Research, whose particle physics lab is located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Amit Bhattacharyya, the lead data scientist at Teachers Pay Teachers, will give a presentation on data science hosted by the NMU physics department. Data science uses skills from numerous disciplines across the social and physical sciences to extract knowledge or insights from large volumes of data. This talk will focus on some of the basic issues that a data scientist is faced with and skills that help along the way. It will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, in Mead Auditorium in the West Science Building. 

The Northern Michigan University Board and Ski club will host a premiere of the movie, 2023 Thirtytwo, at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, in 1100 Jamrich Hall.

Clayton Queen, a Northern Michigan University environmental science major from Cedar, recently completed grant-funded field work on Alaska’s North Slope as part of the international Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) IV program. He was the only undergraduate student on the team and worked alongside NMU alumnus Frederick “Fritz” Nelson, one of the researchers who established the program more than two decades ago.

Four Northern Michigan University physics students returned to campus this fall with the value-added benefit of summer research conducted at different locations. One was Biidaaban "Daabii" Reinhardt of Gwinn, who went to the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo.  

Former Green Bay Packers strong safety LeRoy Butler will speak at Northern Michigan University about how he overcame physical problems as a child to become a four-time Pro Bowl honoree and Super Bowl champion. His presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, in the University Center Great Lakes Rooms. Admission is free for NMU students and $2 for the general public.

A new exhibition titled “Off the Grid,” about the quest of people to achieve a self-sufficient lifestyle in the Upper Peninsula, will open Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at Northern Michigan University. An opening reception featuring refreshments and hors d’ouevres is scheduled from 2-4 p.m. in 105 Cohodas Hall. Admission is free. 

Invent@NMU, which helps clients bring product ideas and inventions to consumer markets, was the subject of a complimentary tweet yesterday by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. It also received the Next Generation Best Place to Work Award at the 40 Below birthday bash honoring Marquette County young professionals. Students from Invent@NMU accepted the honor at the late September event.

Northern Michigan University 2015 public relations graduate Jordan Paquet recently completed a digital marketing internship with Helly Hansen, a European outdoor sportswear company based in Oslo, Norway.

The Northern Michigan University Madrigal Singers, University Chorus and Lake Effect Show Choir will perform a concert that explores matters of the heart. Material will range from romantic classical composers to Disney’s Frozen soundtrack and other love songs.

The Central Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan University Archives will host two October events in celebration of American Archives Month. An open house and presentation titled “The Embezzling Bishop” is scheduled Thursday, Oct. 15. A presentation on the archives’ role in documenting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community history will take place Thursday, Oct. 29. Both are free and will be held in room 126 of the NMU Learning Resources Center.

A local vet has been selected for home improvements to be completed by the NMU Constructors and volunteers through the NMU Volunteer Center. 

Northern Michigan University has received a grant to host three AmeriCorps members who will act as mentors/coaches for 50 high school students to help them prepare for postsecondary education. Those stationed at NMU through the Mentoring to Access Corps are Jeff Spagenburg, Jeri Hall and NMU alumnus Andy Cretens. Each had to demonstrate passion about creating equitable opportunities and addressing barriers so that youth can attend college and commit to 1,700 hours of service over one year.

A professional development conference titled “Learning to Lead: Moving Up the Company Ladder” will be hosted by Northern Michigan University Continuing Education and Workplace Development on Thursday, Nov. 5. Participants will gain an understanding of the ins and outs of managing people and teams, learn how different leadership styles impact the workplace, and receive guidance in navigating basic employment laws.

Northern Michigan University records analyst Sara Kiszka has earned the Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) certification from the Society of American Archivists. The society developed a DAS curriculum and certificate program as part of its commitment to providing education/training that ensures archivists adopt appropriate practices for appraising, capturing, preserving and providing access to electronic records.

Northern Michigan University has received $213,000 from the U.S. Department of Education to continue the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program through Sept. 30, 2016. This program is designed to increase graduate rates and post-baccalaureate success among first-generation, low-income students and students from a minority population under-represented in graduate education.

Northern Michigan University students delivered 60 care packs intended for guests of Room at the Inn, Marquette's emergency homeless shelter and warming center. The packs included gloves, hats, socks, reusable water bottles, toiletries and snacks.

Award-winning poet Kazim Ali will give a reading at Northern Michigan University as part of the English department's Visiting Writer Series. The event will begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, in the University Center Charcoal Room. It is free and open to the public.

The Northern Michigan University Student Nurses Association (SNA) will hold a "Run For Shelter" 5K run/walk on Saturday, Oct. 17. The SNA is donating all proceeds to Janzen House, a non-profit shelter for low-income, potentially homeless people in the Marquette area.

NMU alumna Rebecca Thompson ('09 BS) has accepted a position as the new (and first) executive director of Good Jobs Now, a grassroots organization working to build a fair economy through organizing low-income workers and communities of color in Detroit. 

Northern Michigan University was returned funds of about $9 million as a result of an error in billings by the Michigan Public State Employees Retirement System (MPSERS) that occurred over the past nearly two decades. NMU President Fritz Erickson said the funds will be designated for future payments on NMU’s share of the MPSERS unfunded pension liability, which exceeds $40 million that will be owed through 2036.

Cat Packs, an NMU-initiated program that provides weekend meals to North Star Academy students from financially challenged families, will hold a rummage sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, at North Star Academy. Donations of clothing, household items, books and baked goods can be dropped off at the school between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2. 

A free workshop on the current and future applications of non-invasive and invasive Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) will be offered on Friday, Oct. 23, by Northern Michigan University’s psychology department and g.tec Guger Technologies Austria. 

Kathy Richards, Northern Michigan University’s associate vice president of engineering and planning/facilities, received the Certified Educational Facilities Professional (CEFP) credential from APPA, the association dedicated to leadership in educational facilities. The CEFP is a way to validate the knowledge and competency required of a professional in the field.

Actress and writer Prudence Wright Holmes will bring her one-woman show, Call Me William: The Life and Loves of Willa Cather, to Northern Michigan University on Saturday, Oct. 10. In 1888, Cather “astounded” her Nebraska neighbors with her mind and cross-dressing ways. She had a successful career in publishing and wrote best-selling novels My Antonia and Death Comes for the Archbishop. She won a Pulitzer Prize in 1923.

Northern Michigan University senior Larry Croschere has recently been awarded a scholarship from Indian Health Service. Croschere is a pre-dental major and Native American studies minor at NMU and is a tribal citizen of Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

REVISED: Her current position was inadvertently omitted from the first version of the release sent Sept. 29. Please use this version instead. We apologize for the inconvenience. Northern Michigan University’s Center for Native American Studies will host an Indigenous People’s Resistance Day event. It will take place at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12, in Jamrich 1322. 

Hugo Eyzaguirre and Tawni Ferrarini of NMU's economics faculty, along with J. Brian O’Roark of Robert Morris University, were honored by the Association of Private Enterprise Education (APEE). Their note, “Textbook Confessions: Government Failure” received The Journal of Private Enterprise Best Educational Note Award at the APEE international conference in Cancun, Mexico.  It appeared in the fall 2014 edition of the journal.

Dan Truckey of the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center, Hans Ahlstrom of WNMU-FM and Charles Ganzert of Communication and Performance Studies traveled to Beaver Island, Mich., to host “College of Radio Knowledge” with NMU alumnus Kevin Boyle. The Sept. 14 event featured workshops and seminars conducted with the Beaver Island Historical Society, the Beaver Island Community School and WVBI-FM Community Radio. Subjects covered included oral history and radio production/programming.

The musical group Les Poules á Colin will play at a dance being held as part of local French-Canadian Heritage Week activities. The dance begins at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Ore Dock Brewing Company. 

More than 50 NMU students, community members and families walked for climate change awareness on Saturday, Sept. 26. Members of the Northern Climate Network at NMU led the five-mile walk that took place along the shore of Lake Superior. A climate change awareness festival followed at Presque Isle Park.

Northern Michigan University offers one of the 50 most affordable online graduate degrees in curriculum and instruction in the nation, according to a ranking by topeducationdegrees.org. NMU was the only school in Michigan to make the list.

The Hunting Ground, a documentary that explores sexual assault on college campuses, will be shown at Northern Michigan University. The screenings are scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, and Thursday, Oct. 1, in Jamrich Hall 1100.

The Northern Michigan University Seaborg Center will host Coder Dojo 906, a free after-school program that teaches kids how to code and explore technology in a casual and creative environment. 

The One Book One Community program will present several free October events related to this year’s selection, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. The program encourages Marquette County and the Northern Michigan University community to share the joy of reading and the free exchange of ideas through a common book. It is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a title that honors the long history of books. 

Michael Rutledge, veteran resource representative at NMU, was recently honored for his exemplary service with a Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency coin presented by MVAA director Jeff Barnes. Rutledge provides services to veterans and their family members, on campus and throughout the Upper Peninsula, and connects them to relevant resources.

Northern Michigan University’s Telion chapter of Mortar Board was among the outstanding chapters recognized with a Silver Torch Award at the 2015 Mortar Board National Conference held recently in Phoenix, Ariz. The award recognizes those that execute all national criteria and deadlines while promoting scholarship, leadership and meaningful service to their institutions.

Superior, an independent feature film by Michigan native Edd Benda that was shot entirely in the Upper Peninsula, will be screened at Northern Michigan University on Wednesday, Oct. 14. This free event begins at 8:30 p.m. in 1100 Jamrich Hall. It is sponsored by the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center. Marquette is one of nine stops on the “Official Superior Roadshow” in Benda’s home state. The movie from Beyond the Porch Productions premiered this summer at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., as part of the Dances With Films festival. It also will be screened at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis Oct. 16-25.

President Fritz Erickson and Provost Kerri Schuiling held a town hall meeting Wednesday to discuss opportunities to move the university forward and dispel rumors swirling around a $2.6 million budget shortfall tied to the fall enrollment decline of 423 students.  

Edd Benda, a native of Birmingham, Mich., has worked as an independent filmmaker for more than seven years. Superior is his first feature film with Beyond the Porch Productions partner Alex Bell. It will be shown at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, in 1100 Jamrich Hall. This Q&A with Benda is based on a phone interview with NMU News Director Kristi Evans.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Beaumier Alumni Welcome and U.P. Heritage Center was held Saturday over Homecoming weekend. Work on the project is scheduled to begin Monday, Sept. 21. Dr. John Beaumier, a retired orthopedic surgeon and NMU alumnus, committed $1 million to the NMU Foundation for the facility. 

The Northern Michigan University Alumni Association honored three award winners at a celebration brunch over Homecoming weekend. Lisa Kelley of Buffalo, N.Y., and Jon Kukuk of Marinette, Wis., received Alumni Achievement Awards. Michael Oswald of Rowlett, Texas, was recognized as NMU’s Outstanding Young Alumni.

Northern Michigan University's Forest Roberts Theatre will present the Neil Simon comedy California Suite. It is composed of four playlets that take place in suites 203 and 204 of the Beverly Hills Hotel. Marriage, relationships and human emotion give this play a real yet humorous look in to the lives of the California Suite guests. This play contains adult themes and language.

NMU will offer the first Native American studies academic major in Michigan, beginning with the fall 2016 semester. The NMU Board of Trustees today approved a recommendation by its academic affairs committee to build upon the previously established academic minor.

Members of the Northern Climate Network will lead a climate change awareness walk and festival beginning at noon Saturday Sept. 26.

Steven Hughes, assistant professor of illustration at NMU, was among a diverse team of artists and academics selected for a prestigious five-day summer residency in Iceland through Light Grey Art Lab in Minneapolis. The collaborative journey of creative and natural exploration drew inspiration from the majestic landscape of Iceland’s southern coast: glaciers, waterfalls, hot springs, sleeping volcanoes and moss-covered lava fields.

NMU's effort to expand its network to provide Internet access for educational purposes to U.P. community colleges, Indian reservations and schools is featured in The Detroit News. The story reports that if NMU receives permission from the Federal Communications Commission, it would become the "largest independently built-out network in the United States, according to the National Educational Broadband Service Association." To read the full article, visit http://detne.ws/1UTYoBw.

The Rabbit Island 2015 Residency Exhibition will open Friday, Sept. 25, at the DeVos Art Museum at Northern Michigan University. It highlights the work of five artists, composers and writers who spent part of the summer on the remote Lake Superior island. 

The NMU Regional Police Academy will host informational meetings for the next academy at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, and Wednesday, Oct. 7, in the Jacobetti Complex. 

NMU international students who received scholarships established through the NMU Foundation recently met with the donors to show their appreciation for the support.

Here is information on two events this week that might be of media interest: the next regularly scheduled meeting of the NMU Board of Trustees; and a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Beaumier Alumni Welcome and U.P. Heritage Center.   

NMU's Forest Roberts Theatre has announced its 2015-15 production schedule. Shows include a Neil Simon comedy, musicals Into the Woods and The Secret Garden, a Fringe Festival of student-directed pieces and a few special event performances.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will lead a trail hike to Penstock, the site of former Collinsville Dam, and to the Forestville Power House. 

Local author Gretchen Preston, accompanied by her leader dog, Floyd, will present a Northern Center for Lifelong Learning program on her lifelong journey with visual impairment and Leader Dogs for the Blind in Michigan. 

The Northern Climate Network at NMU will continue its colloquium series with “What Are Other Michigan Communities Doing?” on Friday, Sept. 18. Daniel Brown, a climatologist at the University of Michigan, will give the presentation at noon in 1318 Jamrich Hall.

Michigan State University College of Human Medicine today announced a health research collaboration with UP Health System-Marquette and Northern Michigan University. The collaboration is part of MSU’s statewide initiative to bring academic health research to each of its community campuses.

NMU Homecoming runs Sunday, Sept. 13-Saturday, Sept. 19. Here are some of the more visual events for possible media coverage:

The NMU Seaborg Center will offer “Fall Weekend College for Kids” programs for students in grades K-6 on the following Saturdays: Sept. 26, Oct. 10 and Nov. 21.  

Alumnus Erich Petushek has returned to the familiar environment of the NMU School of Health and Human Performance, where he completed his master’s degree in exercise science in 2011. He will be based there as part of a new academic health research collaboration (see related story above). Petushek’s research integrates various academic disciplines with the overall goal of reducing the prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries and disorders, most commonly found in sports and the military. He is developing techniques to help predict and prevent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.

Miko Peled, an activist in the struggle for human rights and a lasting peace in Palestine/Israel, and Martin Reinhardt, a citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and NMU faculty member, will present “Settler Colonialism in the ‘Promised Lands’: Similarities and Differences Between US and Israeli treatment of Indigenous Peoples.” This discussion begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, in Mead Auditorium.

NMU's home base of Marquette is the 21st safest college town in America, according to a ranking released by The SafeWise Report.

The Upper Peninsula’s new series of cross-genre annual concerts will feature a collaboration between members of Carnegie Hall’s affiliate ensemble, Decoda, and the Americana roots duo, Red Tail Ring. They

NMU's 10th day enrollment report reflects administrators’ projections of a decrease in total headcount, but more admitted students enrolled.

NMU's UNITED conference is composed of a broad range of presentations, musical performances and film related to diversity and inclusion.

The Northern Climate Network at NMU will kick off its new colloquium series with "So, What Do We Know About Climate Science?" on Friday, Sept. 11.

A free online course in economics and personal finance for learners of all ages begins Monday, Sept. 21, and ends any time before Dec. 31.

Presentations on a variety of topics related to the Upper Peninsula will be offered at the Sonderegger Symposium XV at NMU on Friday, Sept. 11.

Several local musicians will perform “The Songs of Mark Mitchell” as part of the Beaumier Coffee House series at NMU.

Northern Michigan University's 2015 Homecoming celebration will include several events for alumni and community members.

Upper Peninsula middle school and high school teachers are invited to attend a free U.P. Science Olympiad coaches’ workshop on Friday, Sept. 25.

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan is the 2015 One Book, One Community selection.

The Copper Country premiere of the documentary Winona: A Copper Mining Ghost Town will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Calumet Theatre.

The local premiere of the documentary Winona: A Copper Mining Ghost Town 

The 2015-16 Northern Nights series will feature performances by four ensembles of diverse musical influences and increased community interaction.

NMU's Administrative/Professional union (UAW Local 2178) has voted to ratify a new three-year contract by a 109-12 margin.

NMU alumnus/grad student Aaron Payment has been appointed by President Barack Obama as a member of the National Advisory Council on Indian Education.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will host a program on the latest technologies to facilitate reading for those with limitations.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will host a guided fall color trip to the Big Spring (Kitch-iti-Kipi) and Fayette Historic State Park.

The founder of the third hospice program established in the United States will lead a Northern Center for Lifelong Learning program on hospice care.

The NMU Regional Police Academy recently held its graduation ceremony, where 14 recruits received certificates of completion.

The Northern Center for Life Long Learning will present a “Climate Change Reality Check” on Wednesday, Sept. 16.

NMU will serve as a host site for a videoconference titled “The Iran Nuclear Deal: Separating Fact from Fiction.”

Authors Leslie Jamison and Eula Bliss will hold a dual reading to kick off the 2015-16 NMU Visiting Writers Series.

Archaeology is more than the recovery of artifacts such as pottery, beads and tools that are often exhibited in museums.

Sex Signals, an unorthodox sexual assault awareness program that combines education with humor and improvisation, is coming to NMU.

NMU offers one of the 15 most affordable bachelor’s degrees in entrepreneurship nationwide, according to a ranking released by AffordableSchools.net.

NMU is the only UP school to achieve gold-level status from the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) for supporting student veterans.

Media are welcome to cover the NMU Regional Police Academy graduation ceremony and NMU President Fritz Erickson's fall convocation this week.

Northern Michigan University's fall semester begins Monday, Aug. 24. Media are welcome to cover some events leading up to the new academic year.

Paula Neville of Aurelia Studio Pottery will showcase her garden sculptures and demonstrate her creative process in an upcoming NCLL program.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning invites participants to hike a segment of the North Country National Scenic Trail on Sunday, Aug. 16.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will revisit the art of macrame during a program from 2-4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24, in 404A Cohodas Hall.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will offer a private tour of the Michigan Watercolor Society's juried exhibit at the Bonifas Arts Center.

NMU's DeVos Art Museum will unveil a new exhibit, “John R.G. Roth: Transmissive Morphology,” on Monday, Aug. 10.

Media coverage is welcome for an environmental sciences camp and a camp to introduce downstate students to the "other Michigan." Both are at NMU.

A closing concert for the Percussive Attack Camp being held at NMU is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, in Reynolds Recital Hall.

A teleconference titled “Treating the Whole Community: the Mind-Body Connection” will be offered from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, at NMU.

NMU is ranked 33rd nationwide on the list of “50 Most Affordable Online Master’s in Special Education Degree Programs 2015."

Robert Whalen, an English professor at NMU, has been awarded a $250,000 National Endowment for the Humanities Scholarly Editions Grant.

The NMU Board of Trustees today approved a $108 million general fund operating budget for 2015-16.

The NMU Board of Trustees will hold its next meeting on Thursday, July 23.

The history of the outboard motor will be the focus of an upcoming Northern Center for Lifelong Learning program on Thursday, July 30.

Invent@NMU will offer a 3D printing demonstration and presentation on how the technology is revolutionizing everything from products to architecture.

The fifth annual Blueberry Classic golf outing will be held Friday, July 24, at the NMU Golf Course in Chocolay Township.

Media are welcome to get photos/video of a Vietnam-era Huey helicopter being loaded onto a trailer for its debut in the Marquette July 4th parade.

Northern Michigan University Public Safety is seeking help from area residents that may lead to the recovery of a stolen vehicle.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will offer a digital photography class.

Yoga therapy for aches and pains will be the focus of a Northern Center for Lifelong Learning program on Thursday, July 23.

Native American students attending NMU will no longer need to be enrolled in a degree-granting program to receive the Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver.

Access to Northern Michigan University's Jacobetti Complex will be impacted this week by a municipal road project.

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees today approved a 2015-16 tuition and fees schedule.

Northern Michigan University will host a free alumni reception in Marinette on Tuesday, June 30.

Courtney Qualley of Kingsford has received the Annexstad Family Foundation Hope and Inspiration Scholarship to attend NMU.

The NMU Board of Trustees will meet at 9 a.m. Thursday, June 18.

NMU students Brandon Bissell of Adrian and Justin Brown of Bear Lake finished first among 82 teams at the Bassmaster College Series Midwest Regional.

NMU's Seaborg Center will offer a number of hands-on programs for elementary and middle school children during its 2015 Summer College for Kids.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will present a program on surgical technologists from 1-3 p.m. Monday, June 29.

NEW OPENING DATE: The opening has been postponed by unforeseen circumstances to June 20. Please use this version instead of the release sent Monday.

G. Blue Brazelton is the new leader of the master’s degree program in higher education in student affairs at Northern Michigan University.

A new exhibit opening at NMU's Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center will focus on myths and mysteries associated with the Upper Peninsula.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will host a Little Garlic (Elliott Donnell Wilderness) hike on Tuesday, June 23.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will offer an intergenerational kite-making workshop from 1-3 p.m. Wednesday, June 24.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will offer a tour to a Pine Mountain Music Festival performance of the comic opera, The Barber of Seville.

The Negaunee Senior Center will host a presentation on the Northern Center for Lifelong Learning from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 10.

Negaunee inventor Miles Parkkonen crafted a homemade tool that makes it significantly easier to clean paintbrushes, rollers and pads.

NMU's music department is accepting registrations for its summer Percussive Attack Camp Aug. 3-7.

NMU is hosting a delegation representing the Central American Youth Ambassador (CAYA) program.

NMU will offer a manufacturing production technician diploma program in Escanaba to address the increased regional demand for employees in the field.

Melissa Orzechowski, a Northern Michigan University student from Grandville, Mich., has received a 2015 Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellows Award.

Melissa Zeglen of Marquette is the 2015 recipient of the Martha Griffiths Award presented by the AAUW Marquette Branch.

Northern Michigan University has announced its outstanding graduates from each academic department.

NMU will offer a cyber security camp for high school students from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, July 20, through Friday, July 24.

A variety of hands-on, project-based summer camps will be offered in July at NMU's Jacobetti Complex for students in grades 7-12.

The Northern Michigan University College of Business honored students with awards and scholarships at a breakfast to close out the academic year.

Eric Hoberg of the U.S. Department of Agriculture will address consequences of a "wobbling climate in a warming world" at NMU.

Kerri Schuiling is the new provost and vice president for academic affairs at Northern Michigan University.

Media are welcome to cover the Young Wildcat Scholars camp at Northern Michigan University.

David Houston Wood is the recipient of NMU's 2015 Distinguished Faculty Award for his outstanding contributions to scholarship, teaching and service.

​Media are welcome to cover the upcoming Rural Health Careers Camp at Northern Michigan University.

The NMU political science department will host two presentations this month on U.S. foreign policy.

NMU is represented in the “Top 50 Schools for Online Master’s Degrees in Public Administration” 2015 rankings compiled by topmanagementdegrees.com.

Four students received awards for their entries in the U.P. Economics Poster Contest. A ceremony was held recently at NMU

The next event in the Science on Tap monthly pub series will explore "The Face of Fear: How Our Brain is Influenced by Others' Facial Expressions."

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees today approved housing and dining rates for the 2015-16 academic year.

Folklorist/documentary filmmaker Michael Loukinen and musician/storyteller Corinne Rockow are recipients of the 2015 Upper Peninsula Folklife Award.

Students participating in the upcoming Young Authors Conference recently read their books to NMU President Fritz Erickson and Jan Erickson.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees will be held Thursday and Friday, April 30-May 1.

The NMU College of Business will offer the 2015 George A. Gustafson Accounting and Finance CPE Seminar Series.

A French-Canadian dinner featuring six courses originating in Quebec will raise scholarship funds for NMU hospitality management students.

The River Valley Bank Hope Starts Here Challenge will be held on Saturday, May 9. It raises funds for the Upper Michigan Brain Tumor Center.

Yukiko Washio, a candidate for a psychology faculty position at NMU, will present “Behavioral Principles to Reinforce Maternal Health Behaviors."

Kylee Slough of Oconto, Wis., will be the student speaker at Northern Michigan University’s spring commencement on Saturday, May 2.

NMU commencement will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 2, in the Superior Dome. Here are some helpful details for media covering the event.

Montreal-based pianist Derek Yaple-Schobert will perform Monday, April 27, at Northern Michigan University.

Art work by students from area schools will be featured at the annual Marquette Children’s Exhibition at NMU's DeVos Art Museum.

NMU's Seaborg Center will host five-day guided family camping trips to Isle Royale over the summer focused on science education in the outdoors.

Here are some end-of-semester events happening at NMU this week that media are welcome to cover.

Students Wenfei Kou and Yufeng Zhuo of China and Wilson Goh of Malaysia took top honors in two categories at NMU's New Business Venture Competition.

NMU elementary education students will assemble care packages destined for a U.S. Army medical unit in Kuwait.

Barry C. West, chief information officer/chief privacy officer for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), will speak at NMU's commencement.

A special Earth Day celebration in remembrance of late professor John Anderton will be held on Wednesday, April 22, at Northern Michigan University.

An NMU criminal justice class will conduct a mock crime scene exercise in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard on Wednesday, April 22.

Media are welcome to cover the NMU Jazz Festival. Nearly 30 middle school and high school bands/combos are scheduled to participate.

A presentation titled "Cordwood at Coalwood: Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company's Secondary Industrial Ventures" will be held Thursday at the NMU Archives.

Mary Lambert, the singer/songwriter best known for her "Same Love'"collaboration with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, will perform at 8 p.m. Friday at NMU.

NMU students pursuing a master of business administration (MBA) degree will give presentations related to current global financial issues.

NMU's College of Business will host a luncheon and panel discussion focused on the growing industry of risk management and insurance.

A new exhibit at the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center will focus on one of Michigan's least-known stories from the Civil War.

Northern Michigan University will wrap up its theater season with the the musical Little Shop of Horrors April 15-18.

Grammy-nominated jazz violinist Regina Carter will headline the Northern Nights series and the NMU Jazz Festival closing concert.

Lisa Poupart, a King Chavez Visiting Professor, will give three presentations at NMU.

An NMU alumnus has committed $1 million to the NMU Foundation for the future Beaumier Alumni Welcome and U.P. Heritage Center.

Here are some upcoming events at NMU that media are welcome to attend/cover:

NMU's 20th annual "Celebration of Student Research, Creative Works and Academic Service Learning" will be held on Thursday, April 9.

Graduating seniors of the Northern Michigan University School of Art and Design will showcase their work at the DeVos Art Museum.

An NMU exchange student from Pakistan will give a presentation on urban life, the natural world and traditions shaping her country today.

Chef, restaurant owner and author Eddie Huang will give a presentation at Northern Michigan University on Wednesday, April 8.

NMU's music department will present a high-definition screening of the London Royal Ballet’s production of Manon by Kenneth MacMillan.

The NMU Orchestra will present a concert of music featured in the movie Amadeus and composed by Wolfang Amadeus Mozart.

NMU's Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of James A. Strain, will present a concert titled “Around the World in 60 Minutes."

British organist and composer Paul Ayers will perform at Northern Michigan University on Sunday, April 19.

Northern's University Choir will perform its final concert of the academic year on Saturday, April 18.

The Altius Quartet, a string ensemble based in Colorado, will perform a free concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 4, in Reynolds Recital Hall.

Internationally accomplished ultra-runner Krissy Moehl will lead a group fun run and give a motivational talk during her April 8-9 visit to NMU.

The NMU hospitality management program will host "Motown," a five-course gala dinner with select wine pairings inspired by the city of Detroit.

The NMU music department will present an Opera Workshop at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 9, in Reynolds Recital Hall.

Five international artists will participate in a Rabbit Island summer residency, creating works that will be exhibited at the DeVos Art Museum.

Six Northern Michigan University students have received Michigan Nursing Scholarships worth up to $4,000 per year.

NMU's Student Nurses Association will hold its annual "Run for Shelter" 5K run/walk on Saturday, April 11.

An NMU dance concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 28, in Forest Roberts Theatre.

Marquette Senior High School orchestra and choral ensembles will perform a concert at Northern Michigan University in advance of their trip to Europe.

The 25th annual International Food Festival hosted by the All Nations Club will be held from 5-7 p.m. Saturday, March 28, in the Jacobetti Complex.

NMU's Public Safety and Police Services was presented with the 2015 Wildcat Wellness Health Fair's Robin Rahoi Award.

Media Advisory: NMU's new neuroscience program will give interactive Brain Awareness Week presentations in local schools on Friday, March 27.

Fueled by popular demand, there will be a second showing of the award-winning documentary Finnish Blood Swedish Heart on Thursday at NMU.

University of Arizona professor John Hildebrand will discuss insects that transmit some of the world's most devastating diseases at NMU.

The next Your Wealth public lecture at Northern Michigan University is titled “Capitalism and the Family.”

Brendan Mullan, a demographer and Michigan State University professor, will present “Demography as Destiny? Challenges for Michigan” at NMU.

Brian Carter, principal horn player in the Marquette Symphony Orchestra, will give a concert at NMU.

A new NMU initiative designed to empower women to pursue graduate degrees will host a faculty panel presentation.

NMU will host the Upper Great Lakes Collegiate Fair on March 25.

David Pilgrim will present "Is the Unites States a Post-Racial Society?"at NMU.

NMU will offer two American Heart Association courses: Heartsaver First Aid/CPR/AED; and Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers.

Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants, will give presentations at NMU

Marquette Empty Bowls, a fundraiser to help alleviate hunger and poverty, will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, March 20.

Actor Kal Penn, who put his career on hold to fill a role in President Barack Obama's administration, will speak at NMU.

Paul Andronis, NMU psychology professor and department head, will give a presentation on applied behavior analysis on Friday, March 20.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will tour the Marquette County Solid Waste Management Authority (MCSWMA) landfill site.

NMU's College of Business will host the 2015 Celebration of Entrepreneurship Conference Thursday, April 2, in the University Center.

U.P. high school teams that qualified for the state finals of the Economic Challenge have been invited to a U.P. Championship at NMU Saturday.

The next Your Health public lecture at NMU will focus on proper nutrition and physical activity as a way to combat the childhood obesity epidemic.

The 22nd annual “Learning to Walk Together” traditional pow wow will be held on Saturday, March 14, at Northern Michigan University’s Vandament Arena.

NMU will present a high-definition screening of the Royal Opera production, L’Elisir d’Amore (Elixir of Love), a comic opera by Gaetano Donizetti.

The U.P. Education Partnership, led by presidents of the U.P.'s three state universities, received the 2015 Collaborate Award at a Michigan summit.

The U.P. Area Heath Education Center (AHEC) at NMU has announced the availability of a $1,000 scholarship for a graduating high school senior.

Six international students at Northern Michigan University received the International Student Scholarship established in 1998 by the Weting family.

NMU's theater program will present the drama, A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking.

NMU jazz combos will perform a concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, in Reynolds Recital Hall.

NMU will mark Women's History Month with several March events. All are free and open to the public.

The U.S. Olympic Training Site at NMU will mark 15 years of its Greco-Roman wrestling program with a competition against the All-Navy team.

The NMU College of Business will offer a Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) prep course beginning Tuesday, March 10.

The Beaumier Coffee House Series at NMU will feature two Marquette folk acts: singer/songwriter Diana Moyle and jam-grass masters Sparrow (Three).

NMU will offer the Great Decisions global discussion series in partnership with the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan.

An Improvised Music Workshop led by cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and percussionist Michael Zerang will be held from 4-6:30 p.m. Friday, March 6.

Elect Her, a free workshop that encourages and trains college women to run for student government and future political office, will be held at NMU.

NMU's aviation maintenance program and Envoy Airlines will host a joint open house on Thursday, March 5.

Michael Kaufman, an educator and writer focused on engaging men and boys to promote gender equality and end violence against women, will speak at NMU.

A family friendly pre-game party will be held before the puck drops for the NMU-MTU hockey game on Saturday, March 7.

An NMU faculty presentation on the "gothic" in art, which was postponed by weather last week, has been rescheduled for 1:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27.

The NMU music department will present the first jazz concert of the winter semester at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, in Reynolds Recital Hall.

NMU climbed three spots in the Peace Corps’ annual list of the top 25 volunteer-producing midsized colleges and universities nationwide.

The NMU Symphonic Band featuring the Saxophone Quartet, with an opening performance by the Wind Ensemble, will perform in concert Tuesday, Feb. 24.

Please announce: If NMU evening classes are canceled (decision by 2 p.m.), the Your Health lecture scheduled tonight will also be canceled.

Two comedians performing in Marquette as part of the Black Ice Comedy Tour will visit an NMU theater class at noon Friday. Media coverage is welcome.

An opening reception for an exhibit of photographs depicting the lives of people in contemporary Finland and Finnish-America will be held Saturday.

Neuroscientist Qi Wang will present “Thalamic Synchrony and Adaptive Tradeoff Between Detection and Discrimination in Behavior” at NMU.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will offer a guided winter hike to the Eben Ice Caves.

An effort is underway to endow a Don Trost Memorial Swimming Scholarship for athletes participating in the sport at Northern Michigan University.

Two NMU vocal groups—the University Choir and Lake Effect Show Choir—will perform a joint concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22, in Reynolds Recital Hall.

Members of the Black Student Union at NMU will participate in two visual/interactive events this week as part of Black History Month.

Eliane Elias, a Brazilian pianist/singer and five-time Grammy Award nominee, will perform as part of the NMU Northern Nights series.

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center's opening reception for the exhibit, “They Left 150 Years Ago,” has been postponed because of forecasted weather.

The NMU DeVos Art Museum seeks entries from artists who live north of the 45th parallel in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota for an exhibition.

DeVos Art Museum will wrap up February with a faculty presentation on the “gothic” in art and a new display of five mini-exhibitions of student work.

A home-brewing class will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, at NMU. Advance registration is required.

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at NMU will sponsor FINNtastic February events that celebrate Finnish heritage.

Marquette County has become the first “Certified Connected Community” in the Upper Peninsula and 11th in the state.

Trace evidence analyst Dana Greely will present “CSI Cincinnati: Trace Evidence” at Northern Michigan University.

A presentation on preserving historic Harlow House by owners Melissa and Mark Curran will be hosted by the Northern Center for Lifelong Learning.

The NMU Board of Trustees today voted to reauthorize NMU’s charter with North Star Academy.

NMU President Fritz Erickson’s investiture ranged from academic tradition to the debut of seven core values that will guide future decisions.

The Northern Michigan Constructors, a community service-oriented student organization, is building and repairing barricades for the UP 200.

NMU will host a warming tent near the start of Friday's UP 200 and Midnight Run races.

We just received an updated agenda for Tuesday's formal session of the NMU Board of Trustees. The information below reflects the change.

The next Science on Tap series event will be titled “How Much Fat Can a Fat Bike Bust? Mythbusting Tall Tales of Caloric Burn and Exercise."

Clinical psychologist Julianne Kirkham will present “What is a Concussion?” at Northern Michigan University.

NMU's Jacobetti Complex will host an open house to showcase academic programs offered through the Center for Innovation and Industrial Technologies.

The first Upper Peninsula Economics Challenge for teams of high school students will serve as a regional qualifier for the Michigan finals.

The investiture celebration for NMU President Fritz Erickson will kick off Sunday, Feb. 8, with NMU Day at Marquette Mountain.

Rodrigo Vila, professor of saxophone at the Conservatory of Music of the Balearic Islands in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, will perform a concert at NMU.

Northern Michigan University’s theater program will present the drama Tribes Feb. 10-14 and Feb. 17-21.

Two folk music acts—the duo Alloatar and singer/songwriter Eli Hebel—will perform a Beaumier Coffee House concert at NMU.

A new veterans resource representative is stationed at NMU to help individuals on campus and in the community take advantage all available benefits.

The investiture of Northern Michigan University President Fritz Erickson will be held at 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9, in 1100 Jamrich Hall.

Jane Campbell of NMU is one of only eight professors nationwide chosen to attend the AACN Faculty Policy Intensive in Washington, D.C.

Northern Michigan University will host a Summer Job Fair on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

The Beaumier Upper Peninsula Heritage Center at NMU and Checker Tours will offer a chartered coach trip to Ontario and Québec.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will host a reading and discussion with 'Preparing the Ghost' author Matthew Frank.

The next Northern Nights concert will be a triple bill featuring Midwest singer-songwriters Jonathan Rundman, Erik Koskinen and Charlie Parr.

A presentation on wildlife, scenery and people encountered during a journey to Kenya and Tanzania will be hosted by the NCLL.

A committee representing Marquette and Alger Counties is promoting the availability and value of all regional technical training opportunities.

James Loewen, author of “Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong,” will give three talks at NMU on Jan. 28.

Andrea Scarpino, author of the poetry collection Once, Then and the chapbook, The Grove Behind, will hold a reading at Northern Michigan University.

NMU's Martin Luther King Jr. observance will include a March for Equality and Day of Service.

The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will offer an overview of Skype, the video chatting technology, on Wednesday, Jan. 21.

A new “Science on Tap” monthly pub series will feature informal 20-30 minute presentations geared toward the general public.

The Center for Upper Peninsula Studies at Northern Michigan University is moving forward under new leadership.

NMU is a recipient of the 2015 Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Singer/songwriter Sycamore Smith and blues duo The Cannonball Drag will perform at the next Beaumier Coffee House Concert on Saturday, Jan. 10.

Sue Demel, a singer-songwriter from the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, will lead a vocal improvisational and harmony-building workshop.