Presidents
- Judith I. Bailey
- Michael J. Roy (Interim)
- Leslie E. Wong
Campus
- Hedgcock Fieldhouse converts into a student services building
- Art & Design Studios North expansion
- DeVos Art Museum
- Whitman Hall
- Magers Hall conversion back to a dorm
- Woodland Park Apartments
- NMU Golf Course
Events and speakers: Authors T.C. Boyle, Jonathan Safran Foer, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Tim O’Brien, Mary Doria Russell, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Maya Angelou; TV Correspondent Lisa Ling; NBA star Earvin “Magic” Johnson; Batman Producer Michael Uslan, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Ralph Nader, Mo Rocca, Jeff Corwin, Mike Henry, Jodie Sweetin, Jack Hanna; Musicians Everclear, Nickelback, Volcanic, Jason Mraz, Odetta, OK Go, Magic Slim and the Teardrops, MXPX, Alkaline Trio, The Bouncing Souls, Motion City Soundtrack, Plain White T’s, Dashboard Confessional, Emerson Drive, Mates of State, Josh Gracin, Bo Burnham, Third Eye Blind, Rogue Wave, Trombone Shorty, Josh Gracin, Junoon, Hinder, Ted Nugent, Henry Rollins, Jello Biafra.
Students gather in the new Hedgcock administrative building.
Terrorist attacks on 9/11, which kill alumnus Kip Taylor '85. Hurricane Katrina devastates the U.S. Gulf Coast area, destroying much of New Orleans after the city's levee system fails. Netflix begins streaming movies and TV shows through the Internet, launching a number of rival services and forever changing the entertainment industry. Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the office. Researchers announce that they have decoded the structure of a complete HIV genome.
The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is Northern’s first terminal degree, implemented in 2000.
The Superior Edge program starts in 2006, helping students to live a life that matters by combining leadership with citizenship, diversity and real-world experience. Each of the four “edges” involves 100 hours above and beyond normal degree requirements.
Northern deploys one of the largest active WiMAX networks in the country in 2009, and is one of the first universities to do so. Today, NMU’s next-generation LTE service not only provides essential internet access to the two-thirds of students who live off campus but is a service to nearly 1,000 Global Campus students, 75 communities throughout the U.P., multiple K-12 school districts, and active duty military.
NMU’s first academic program offered totally online, the Criminal Justice Department’s loss prevention management program—had its first graduate in 2009.
NMU contributes nearly $262 million and 5,000 jobs to the Upper Peninsula, according to an economic impact study in 2001.
President George W. Bush delivers a speech to about 11,000 people during his visit to Marquette on July 13, 2004, setting a new attendance record for the NMU Superior Dome.
He is introduced by NMU alumnus and Detroit Lions Coach at the time, Steve Mariucci '77 BS, '83 MAE.
It is the first time a sitting president visits campus.
125th Memories
“I was a member of Northern Arts and Entertainment, the group that brings many concerts, comedians, and shows to campus. It was such a great group to get involved with on campus. I believe it was the fall of 2007 and we were pitching ideas of who to bring to campus. A few members, including myself, loved Taylor’s new songs - "Tim McGraw" and "Teardrops on My Guitar." She was new, fresh, and yes, super young. The group had to decide on largebudget vs. small-budget acts to bring, we looked at their costs, and we took votes. Overall the group voted against Taylor Swift. Ouch. The deciding factor was that “there was just recently a country musician” and we should bring something else. Yes, we could’ve brought T-Swift to campus for $14k and spent a glorious night in the small venue becoming early Swifties. This is something that will surely never-ever be possible again. Runner-up Highlight - I did get to pick up Seth Meyers from KI Sawyer Airport.”
—Faren Peterson ‘09 BSW
DeVos Art Museum gallery is part of the Art & Design building renovation in 2005.
The first Starbucks opens in the U.P. on campus at the LRC, led then by alumnus Howard Schultz '75 BS
The north campus is evacuated as a historic flood in May 2003 leaves an indelible mark on familiar landscapes near campus—most notably, Tourist Park. An earthen levy failed at Silver Lake, sending eight billion gallons of water thrashing down the Dead River to Lake Superior, destroying the Tourist Park dam and nine bridges.
A model nuclear reactor gifted to Glenn Seaborg from Russian counterparts to note the opening of NMU’s Seaborg Science Complex . The Ishpeming native discovered plutonium and 10 other elements and was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1951.
After fully implementing the laptop computer initiative, Northern is ranked 24th most wired college in the nation according to Yahoo! Internet Life in 2002.
Superior Edge service trip