October 2019

Actress Diane Guerrero from Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin will speak at Northern Michigan University about her life and activism in the wake of her parents' deportation when she was 14. She will discuss her memoir, In the Country We Love: My Family Divided, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, in the Northern Center ballrooms. 

Recent developments in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease will be the topic of the next Your Health presentation at Northern Michigan University. Scott Counts, associate professor of translational neuroscience at Michigan State University, will give the talk at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, in Reynolds Recital Hall. 

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center's new exhibition, “The 51st State?”, will open with a public reception at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11. Yooper hors d'oeuvres and refreshments will be served. Admission to the reception and exhibition is free.

As part of Northern Michigan University's Visiting Writers Program, poet Jericho Brown will give a free presentation at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17m in Jamrich 1100. Brown's first book, Please, won the American Book Award. His sophomore release, The New Testament, won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and was named one of the best of the year by Library Journal, Coldfront and the Academy of American Poets.

Northern Michigan University English professor and author James McCommons will present “George Shiras III vs. the Nature Fakers” at the next NMU Science on Tap event. McCommons' talk, which relates to his new book titled Camera Hunter: George Shiras III and the Birth of Wildlife Photography, will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, at the Ore Dock Brewing Co. Admission is free.

Northern Michigan University has received nearly $135,000 from the state's Native American Heritage Fund to expand Anishinaabe language course offerings at undergraduate and graduate levels.

Jamrich Hall's main lobby was filled with 1,100 backpacks on Monday, to represent the approximate number of undergraduate students in the country who commit suicide each year. The NMU chapter of Active Minds, a national mental health advocacy organization, brought a touring exhibit titled "Send Silence Packing" to campus. Students who paused to reflect on the display said it was a powerful way to raise awareness.

As the next step in maintaining institutional accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission, members of the NMU community will be asked over the current academic year to provide input and evidence demonstrating that Northern continues to meet accreditation standards. 

Passion doesn't require a back-up plan or have an expiration date, and it is especially powerful when used in the service of making a difference. Internationally recognized sculpture artist Kristine Poole shared those insights upon receiving her NMU Distinguished Alumni Award, and also contributed a piece of work to the DeVos Art Museum's permanent collection.

Joseph Evans of Marquette described how he made the journey from “undistinguished freshman” to a successful 34-year career in the domestic and international defense markets when he recently accepted his Distinguished Alumni Award from Northern Michigan University. He has worked with industry and government officials throughout Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.