Don Waddell, former Wildcat hockey defenseman and NMU Sports Hall of Fame inductee, is the new president of hockey operations and general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The longtime NHL executive agreed to a multi-year contract to help turn around the franchise days after stepping down as president and general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, which registered at least one win in the Stanley Cup playoffs in six straight postseasons.

Northern Michigan University's Glenn T. Seaborg Center is partnering with the Michigan Council of Women in Technology to offer Camp Infinity, a series of week-long, hands-on sessions that introduce Marquette County girls entering grades 5-8 to computer and internet technologies. The camp will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, July 22 through Friday, July 26 at NMU. 

Northern Michigan University 2017 alumnus Benjamin Bartz of Wakefield has been appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to serve on the state's Ski Area Safety Board. He is chief of mountain operations at Midwest Family Ski Resorts, which owns the rebranded Snowriver Mountain Resort that includes the areas formerly called Indianhead and Blackjack.

Northern Michigan University 1998 BFA alumnus Kelsey Mann is directing his first feature film, Disney and Pixar's Inside Out 2, which premieres in theaters June 14. The sequel to the Academy Award-winning best animated feature returns to the mind of the original human character, Riley. She is going through puberty and encountering new emotions on top of the originals introduced in the first film. Actors Amy Poehler, Lewis Black and Maya Hawke are among those whose voices are featured in the film.

It was about this time one year ago that Yan Ciupak, associate professor of sociology at NMU, visited India for almost five weeks. She studied and experienced the yoga capital of the world, Rishikesh, and also collected data for her research project on the Buddhist Nun Empowerment movement.