General

Strengthening Pathways North (SPN) is NMU's coordinated effort to strengthen support for American Indian and Alaska Native students and to deepen the university's partnerships with Tribal Nations in our region. It is funded by a grant from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) and runs through September 2027. 

No. SPN is a funded initiative with a dedicated coordinator based in Academic Affairs, but working across the university. SPN serves as the connective tissue between people and programs that already exist, plus working collaboratively to build what is missing.

The Tribal Nations of this region have been here for many generations, and NMU occupies that ground. Strategy 1.2 of Our Compass, NMU's strategic plan, commits the university to nurturing Indigenous perspectives, programs, and peoples in order to honor, learn from, and partner with those nations. SPN is how that commitment is currently staffed, funded, and tracked.

It means Indigenous ways of knowing shape how the university supports students, not just what it teaches about. Our stated success outcome is earning recognition that NMU has strengthened student support programs by integrating Indigenous thinking methodologies responsive to the social and cultural needs of Native American students.

Students

Paid and supported opportunities to do meaningful work in Indian Country: internships with Tribal Nations, professional conferences, research experiences. A specific focus of this work is removing the cost barriers that keep students from saying, “yes.”

Not at all. CNAS is a core partner in SPN and helps lead the work. SPN adds coordination and resources alongside what CNAS already does.

Come to a listening session, apply for one of the funded experiences, or reach out directly. Contact information can be found on SPN's main page.

Tribal Communities

Through regular listening sessions with Tribal Nation leadership, NMU-enrolled Indigenous students, and alumni. What we hear shapes program development, recruitment partnerships, and recommendations to university leadership. The point of listening is to change something.

Brynn Jannetta, SPN Coordinator at bjannett@nmu.edu or (906) 227-1397. We welcome conversations about internships, research, recruitment pathways, and anything else worth exploring together.

NMU Faculty and Staff

Start with a conversation before a proposal. Contact the SPN Coordinator who can point you toward existing relationships and protocols so your work builds on what is already there instead of duplicating an ask.

Ask us. The SPN Coordinator can connect you with what is already available: faculty curriculum workshops, guidance on bringing Indigenous content into a course you already teach, and a read on what students told us in listening sessions about where the friction actually is. If a student is struggling and you are not sure where to send them, that is also a good reason to reach out. Our cross-divisional team exists so no one has to figure out the referral path alone.

Our team is campus-wide. Here are our current committee members and their respective offices:

  • Brynn Jannetta, Strengthening Pathways North Coordinator, SPN
  • April Lindala, Department Head, Native American Studies
  • Dale Kapla, Associate Provost, Provost's Office
  • Andie Balenger, Advisor, Student Success Office
  • Brad Hamel, Director, Global Campus
  • Ellen Koski, Assistant Director, Institutional Effectiveness
  • Erika Greeley, Associate Director, Admissions
  • Jason Nicholas, Director, Institutional Effectiveness
  • Jeff Gagnon, Assistant Director, Financial Aid
  • Justin Schapp; Assistant Director; Office of Opportunity, Empowerment & People
  • Pamela Valdez, Community Member
  • Sarah Carlson, Associate Professor, Social Work
  • Shawnrece Butler; Assistant Vice President; Office of Opportunity, Empowerment & People
  • Tesse Sayen, Director of Research Development, Graduate Studies & Research
  • TJ Derwin, Community Member
  • Tyler Dettloff, Director, Center for Native American Studies
  • Vera Ergeson, Student
  • Susy Ziegler, Dean, Graduate Studies & Research
  • Amber Essenmacher, Admissions Counselor, Admissions
  • Jessica Jones, Executive Director of Optimization & Excellence, Student Experience
  • Tracy Wascom, Associate Professor, School of Art & Design

Accountability

Progress is reported through Our Compass action plans and reviewed alongside the other strategies within the strategic plan. An independent external evaluator, NORC at the University of Chicago, is assessing the grant-funded work.

The grant ends in September 2027. The university’s commitment does not. The work of this period is meant to establish practices and relationships NMU carries forward on its own footing.