Presidents
- Fritz J. Erickson
- Kerri D. Schuiling,
- Brock F. Tessman
Campus
- BEAR Center moves into its own building
- Jacobetti Complex renovation
- Harden Hall renovation
- Vandament Arena renovation
Events and speakers: Authors John Green, Elizabeth Smart; Actors Josh Peck, Brian Baumgartner, Steve Burns; SNL Cast Members Sarah Sherman, James Austin Johnson; Astronaut Scott Kelly; Musicians Skerryvore, Altan, Hippo Campus, Lisa Heller, Sarah & the Sundays, Maddie and Tae, Bryce Vine, Kardemimmit, Annie Humphrey
The newly renovated Jacobetti Complex
The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in 2020 as it spread rapidly across the globe, leading to mass lockdowns, economic turmoil and 7 million deaths. The year also saw the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police officers. NASA’s Perseverance Rover landed on and explores Mars. After a contentious presidential election, the U.S. Capitol is attacked on January 6, 2021. Russia invades Ukraine in 2022. Roe v. Wade is overturned. In 2024, two assassination attempts are made on former president Donald Trump, one striking him in the ear and killing a rally participant. And we aren’t even halfway through the decade…
In a digital Spring/Summer 2020 issue of Northern Magazine, President Erickson writes: "What a semester Northern recently completed. What a semester we have in front of us. The university truly has been and is navigating unprecedented times. Although Northern has done pandemic emergency planning in the past, we have never had to implement those plans to the level we did this past spring. And students, faculty and staff have never had to participate in the level of pandemic planning we are doing now to prepare for the fall semester."
"At Northern we believe that wellbeing is multidimensional, and requires the attentive and intentional care of the whole person, including both students and employees who make up the NMU community. We are prioritizing our commitment to wellbeing by becoming part of the Okanagan Charter. Higher education plays a central role in the development of individuals, communities, societies and cultures. That's why it is so important for us to take seriously the impact we can have toward the wellbeing of our students, who will go on to have their own impact on the world."
–– Brock Tessman, NMU President
Commencement is postponed by COVID-19
Eleven students comprise the first graduating class from Northern’s medicinal plant chemistry program, which made its debut in 2017 as the only four-year degree of its kind to combine experimental horticulture and advanced analytical chemistry with an optional entrepreneurial track.
In 2022, NMU is the first Upper Peninsula institution to be designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education, a program sponsored by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security.
NMU Women's Volleyball 2021 GLIACC Champions
Students experience the April 2024 Great North American Eclipse on the Academic Mall.
A newly renovated Jacobetti Complex opens its doors in Fall 2023, with an Innovation Hall and modern, dynamic learning spaces that can change with evolving industry needs. The renovation also helps Northern toward its sustainability and carbon neutrality goals. In 2024, NMU achieves the STARS Gold rating for Sustainability in Higher Education.