Northern Michigan University’s spring commencement ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 2, in the Superior Dome. Of the 991 students eligible to graduate, 889 are expected to participate in the ceremony. The keynote speaker/honorary degree recipient is NMU alumnus Barry West of the FDIC. The student speaker is Kylee Slough of Oconto, Wis., and the student soloist is Arika Egan of Mundelein, Ill.  

Media Coverage: If you are planning to cover commencement, please obtain a media pass from Identity, Brand and Marketing to gain access to otherwise-restricted areas. You can secure a pass in advance from Kristi Evans iby calling 227-2720 or on site from Kelsey Potes by calling 869-1369.

Commencement Story Ideas: Many of the graduating students have accumulated impressive achievements during their time at NMU. Here are a couple of prominent examples: 

Named both the outstanding graduating senior in physics and the NMU Board of Trustees outstanding female graduating senior--not to mention being selected as the student soloist for commencement--Arika Egan is a dual major in physics and philosophy. She worked on astronomical observation and image processing for four years starting as a Freshman Fellow and last summer as part of the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates program at the University of Wyoming. Parts of her work have been presented at the Argonne National Laboratory undergraduate research conference, and as a poster at the most recent meeting of the American Astronomical Society. In addition to her scientific interests, she is the founder of the NMU Social Justice Committee and plays in the NMU jazz band and combo. She is graduating with full university honors, after completing a capstone project based on her work tutoring students in the introductory physics classes.

Like Egan, Cole Swiston is an outstanding graduating senior in his department (biology with a focus on pre-med) and an NMU Board of Trustees Award recipient (outstanding graduating male). He has engaged in cancer research with the Upper Michigan Brain Tumor Center. He also completed a Student Leader Fellowship Program community service internship with the U.P. Children's Museum, which led to a part-time job. Swiston was among NMU students who earned a Michigan Campus Compact Award for their outstanding commitment to service learning and civic engagement. He is part of the Northern Lights acapella group, men's club soccer and the pre-med club. 

Commencement will be broadcast live on WNMU Public TV and via free streaming video online. To see the webcast, visit www.nmu.edu/commencement.