Alumni

As hunters throughout the Midwest gear up for the deer hunting season, new research from the Voyageurs Wolf Project in northern Minnesota—a collaborative team that includes a Northern Michigan University professor and two alumni—sheds light on how humans are having a profound impact on wolf-deer relationships by altering forest ecosystems.

A book by 1976 NMU alumna Margaret Vainio titled Asahi: The Nordic Health Practice was a finalist in the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards in health and wellness. Asahi is a health exercise developed in Finland, which can be done by people of all ages and states of health. The movements are easy to learn are done at slow, peaceful pace in time with the breathing.

Northern Michigan University Alumni Day at the Detroit Red Wings will be celebrated on Saturday, Nov. 4, in Little Caesars Arena. Alumni and friends attending the game can join President Brock Tessman for a pre-game meetup from 4:30-6:45 p.m. in the Heritage Hall at Little Caesars Arena.

Northern Michigan University alumnus and renowned eagle researcher William Bowerman ('91 MA) was among three innovators to receive the 2023 Lowell Thomas Award from The Explorers Club, an international professional society dedicated to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration and resource conservation. The ceremony was held last weekend in Oslo, Norway. The Munising native joins an impressive list of past recipients including Carl Sagan, Sir David Attenborough, Isaac Asimov, Sir Edmund Hillary, Buzz Aldrin and Louise Leakey.

NMU alumna Michelle Perttunen, assistant project manager with Mortenson, is featured as the “Rising Young Professional of the Year” by The Daily Reporter, a construction industry news source that also honors top professionals in the field. She grew up helping her dad with house projects and earned two related degrees from Northern: a 2017 associate in engineering design; and a 2018 bachelor's in mechanical engineering technology with a concentration in design.

“Perhaps We Wrong Them,” a choreographed dance film that visually explores powerful themes relating to childhood trauma and its lingering effects on a survivor's everyday adult life, won Screendance Short of the Year at the 2023 Independent Shorts Awards International Film Festival in Los Angeles. The film was conceived and produced by 2015 NMU theater alumnus John Scheibe of Yonder Studio in Marquette and stars Karina Johnson, NMU director of dance and assistant professor. Alumna Kasey Scheibe served as production manager and Riley Owen was choreographer. All four walked the red carpet at the September awards ceremony.

College football coaching legend and NMU alumnus Lloyd Carr will be the 2024 American Heart Association's Paul "Bear" Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. The honor is given to college football's finest coaches, recognizing their outstanding achievements and extraordinary contributions on and off the field. Carr was a star quarterback at NMU, leading the Wildcats to an undefeated season in 1967. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1968 and a master of arts in education in 1970, and was inducted into the NMU Sports Hall of Fame. His 13-year coaching stint at the University of Michigan included the 1997 National Championship, five Big Ten titles and four consecutive Bowl game wins.

Northern Michigan University's Theatre and Dance Department will host a 60th anniversary reception and inaugural alumni awards celebration to honor exceptional achievements in the entertainment arts.

The Northern Michigan University Foundation Board of Directors has announced three new members: Cain Besse of Marquette, a 2011 economics and personal finance alumnus; Nicole Blemberg of Menomonee Falls, Wis., who earned a bachelor's in English in 2004; and Lisa Tomsheck of Arlington Heights, Ill., a 1985 business administration alumna.  

Bruce Closser, a Marquette resident and 1967 business administration graduate of Northern Michigan University, successfully completed a Guinness World Record attempt to become the oldest person to bike across the country. At age 78, he traveled from Yorktown, Va. to Astoria, Oregon via the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail. The 4,200 mile journey traverses mountain passes, national parks and major cities.