December 2019

Despite a major assist from Mother Nature to accelerate the start of the ski season in this region, snow-making systems are critical to many ski areas. Alumnus P.J. Britz secured a job with TechnoAlpin, a global leader in the industry, with the help of NMU's ski area business management program. 

Northern Michigan University held its third NMU Day of Giving on Dec. 3. The event raised more than $850,000, nearly double the total from last year. More than half of the gifts went to support scholarships, about $100,000 directly to departments and the remainder to designated programs and greatest need.

The NMU Board of Trustees today unanimously approved investing $5 million in a series of initiatives designed to deliver innovative academic programs and essential new services to the Upper Peninsula.

Allison Opheim will graduate from Northern Michigan University on Saturday with the assurance of a new job as a communications and public affairs contractor with the U.S. Geological Survey in Fort Collins, Colo. She said working for a federal agency fresh out of college might have seemed a daunting prospect at one time, but she now considers herself fully prepared, thanks to the confidence and competencies she gained at NMU.

A new transfer partnership between Northern Michigan University and Oakton Community College in Illinois will create a "first-of-its-kind educational pathway" for Oakton students seeking to pursue a bachelor's degree tailored to the emerging cannabis industry. Representatives from both institutions formalized the agreement at a Dec. 11 ceremony at Oakton's Des Plaines campus.

Eight Northern Michigan University faculty members were honored at the recent Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship celebration.

NMU alumnus Brian Swift's parents were killed in 2013 when a logging truck—driven by a man with THC in his system—ran a red light and careened into their car. The Escanaba native channeled his grief into a personal crusade to keep drugged drivers off Michigan roads and spare other families from enduring similar, avoidable tragedies. 

Northern Michigan University's recent production of “What We Leave Behind: Addressing Climate Change Through Dance” has been selected to perform Jan. 9 at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Region 3 event in Madison, Wis.

NMU students in a previous advanced field production course produced a documentary on the Hungarian band Söndörgő. The program will air on WNMU-TV at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10. It features concert footage from the group's performance in Marquette last April, interspersed with band member interviews.