A half-dozen NMU entities collaborated on a new summer initiative to provide students in need with free bikes that had been abandoned on campus and unclaimed after reasonable efforts to contact the owners. A total of 16 bikes were distributed.

Dr. Doug Roberts, former chair of the NMU Board of Trustees. He was a member of the board from 2002-10, serving as vice chair 2007-08 and chair 2009-10. 

NMU 2019 environmental science alumnus Scott Culbert was recently appointed forest ecologist and climate change coordinator with the Superior National Forest in northern Minnesota. Covering three million acres, it is the largest national forest east of the Mississippi and includes the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Payton Jacobson of Northern's Greco-Roman wrestling program is preparing for his first Olympics in Paris. The competition in his 87kg weight class begins at 5 a.m. EST Aug. 7. According to an Olympics.com feature story, the Elkhorn, Wis. native is named after the late NFL legend Walter Payton, who once lived down the street from Jacobson's mother in a Chicago suburb. The wrestler has embraced the connection, incorporating the football player's 34 jersey number into his Instagram handle and his renowned work ethic into his training regimen.