The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning will present a program on how natural stone countertops are cut and finished at Stone Reflections, followed by a Dutch treat lunch at Jackson's Pit. The event is scheduled from 10:45 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14, with a registration deadline of Thursday, March 7. Cost is $3 for NCLL members and $6 for non-members. To register, call 227-2979.

Poets Francine J. Harris and Marcus Wicker will visit Northern Michigan University to read from their works and give a joint presentation at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14, in Jamrich Hall 1322. The event is hosted by the NMU Visiting Writers Program and admission is free.

At its Feb. 15 meeting, the NMU Board of Trustees approved moving Alumni Relations operations and reporting from the Extended Learning and Community Engagement Division to the NMU Foundation. According to the NMU Foundation, this realignment represents an important step in a larger restructuring effort establishing a holistic team-driven approach to advancement in preparation for the upcoming fundraising campaign.

The Woodland Sky Native American Dance Company will perform at Northern Michigan University's Forest Roberts Theatre on Friday, March 15. An educational performance for school classrooms, home-school groups and other educational organizations is scheduled for 11 a.m. A public performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the evening event are $5 and there will be a meet and greet in the lobby of FRT following the performance.

NMU President Fritz Erickson recently testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education and Community Colleges as part of the state budget process. The subcommittee is comprised of mostly new members this cycle. It requested that university leaders address formula funding, first-generation students, enrollment trends and unique attributes of their institutions in their formal remarks.