July 2018

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.

Attorney and NMU alumnus Rock Wood ('84 BS) has joined Dickinson Wright PLLC’s Grand Rapids office as Of Counsel. He has more than 30 years of litigation experience as lead counsel in a wide range of business-related trials, including corporate mergers and acquisitions, commercial contracts, construction and real estate. He has also successfully handled numerous disputes under non-competition agreements employment issues, insurance and UCC utilized in a wide variety of industries and employment positions.

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees today recognized the “outstanding performance” of President Fritz Erickson with the approval of a new long-term presidential contract. The five-year contract places Erickson’s base salary at $385,000. It also includes a performance-based bonus component, through which he will receive $50,000 for achieving established goals in 2017-18.

The first female police captain in the United States, Frances Glessner Lee (1878-1962), was perhaps best known for her “Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death.” These exquisitely detailed, miniature reproductions of real-life crime scenes revolutionized the emerging field of homicide investigation in the first half of the 20th century, according to the Smithsonian. The state of Maryland still uses them to train forensic professionals. Northern Michigan University criminal justice students will benefit from exposure to a similar dollhouse-sized diorama this coming academic year. Marquette resident and NMU alumnus Dave Mastric ('05 BA) was commissioned to create his first nutshell study of a gruesome murder case he discovered online.

Many Great Lakes communities have reinvented or expanded their economies from logging and fishing to travel and leisure. Tourism revolving around the scenic environment offers multi-faceted economic benefits. It also requires adequate strategic planning and investment to avoid the pitfalls of popularity such as seasonal overpopulation, natural resources degradation and pollution. Two Northern Michigan University faculty members have received additional funding for their continuing efforts to promote sustainable eco-tourism. The project—already underway in Alger County—could lead to year-round economic stability in the region and serve as an innovative model statewide.