Mikenzie Frost (BA 2015) is the new Lansing bureau reporter for WBPN-TV in Traverse City. She joined the news team in July and covers "all things politics and public policy" in the state capital. Frost grew up in metro Detroit. She studied multimedia journalism at NMU, then became a reporter and later evening anchor for KTVH in Helena, Mont. A 30-minute special she wrote, shot and produced about the charms and challenges of rural education in Montana won "Best NonCommercial Program of the Year" in 2018 from the Montana Broadcasters Association. She also won a 2017 second-place award for "Best Newswriting" for a piece on a 30-year cold case.

Frank Pergande ('96 '02) is the new the TRIO Upward Bound academic coordinator at Finlandia University. He earned his bachelor of arts in English and his master of arts in creative writing from NMU. Pergande previously taught English at NMU, Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea and the Marquette Prison through Jackson College. 

Traci Dietz, a Northern Michigan University student-veteran from Negaunee, won second place in the photography category of the 2018 National Veterans Creative Arts Competition. The senior photography major entered a local competition through the Iron Mountain VA Medical Center. Her first-place finish qualified her for the national judging process. Dietz’s winning submission is an image titled “broken.”

What began as a surfing and camping trip in 2010 has evolved into a mission for NMU nontraditional student Billy McCoy of Florence, according to a story in his hometown paper, the "Florence Mining News." The French language and literature major plans to leave in August to study abroad at Institute Francais du Congo, a private school run by the French government in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo. Before classes start, he will serve an internship at Mwana Villages, which serves mothers and orphans in the impoverished area of Pointe Noire, Congo. This will be his second trip volunteering for the organization.

Northern Michigan University offers one of the most affordable online Master of Public Administration (MPA) degrees in the nation, according to a new ranking by bestvalueschools.com. NMU’s program is offered 100 percent online. It is designed for both current public administration professionals and those who are new to the field, with a concentration in criminal justice, human resources, state and local government, or public management.