March 2020

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees approved a motion to offer an $820 credit, plus a carryover of any remaining Dining Dollars to next semester, to students who check out of their residence hall rooms before 5 p.m. Friday, April 3. Students can also forego the credit and opt to remain on campus through the remainder of the semester, which ends May 2.

The stock market response to COVID-19 has fueled extensive media coverage and some consternation among investors. But on a related positive note, former Wildcat hockey defenseman, NHL player and "Survivor" contestant Tom Laidlaw helped to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange in February, before the pandemic escalated in the U.S.

When modern environmentalism posed an economic threat to extractive industries such as mining and timber, there was a movement in the Upper Peninsula to sever political ties with lower Michigan and form a new state. Dan Truckey, director of NMU's Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center, is featured in a news article about this divisive period in the 1970s.

Northern Michigan University will continue remote instruction through the end of the semester, including final exam week, and has postponed the May 2 commencement ceremony. NMU also has restricted some traffic on campus in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. A recent example is the Admissions office's decision to suspend hosting in-person visits as part of its Campus Visitor Program.

NMU alumna Elle Gallager recently found herself on lockdown in the Veneto region of northern Italy, one of the first COVID-19 hot spots in the country. Her earlier-than-planned journey back to the U.S. on March 17 was markedly different than when she left, with added declaration documentation, temperature screenings and face masks required for air travel.

NMU's College of Business is pursuing a virtual path around COVID-19 restrictions in order to wrap up its New Business Venture Competition and reward student finalists for the extensive time and effort they've invested in their proposals since last fall. The virtual event will take place at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 26. 

With recommendations for social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak, the NMU Alumni Association has picked an appropriate time to host its first Virtual Alumni Happy Hour. Based on the response to the inaugural event, scheduled from 5-7 p.m. Friday, March 20, other virtual alumni events and meetings may follow. 

Northern MIchigan University President Fritz Erickson will discuss NMU's response to the COVID-19 pandemic during a virtual town hall meeting at 2:30 p.m. Friday, March 20. The event can be viewed at nmu.edu/townhall. It will also be simulcast on WNMU-TV's Facebook. 

Many U.S. universities have shifted from face-to-face instruction to online platforms in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The conversion can be more challenging for labs and performance classes that don't lend themselves well to written material or slide presentation software. Some faculty members, including NMU Director of Dance Jill Grundstrom, are exploring innovative ways to engage students in a virtual environment.

NMU alumna Melissa (Missie) Holmquist, president and CEO of Upper Peninsula Health Plan (UPHP) in Marquette, has been appointed secretary of the Medicaid Health Plans Board of Directors. She is also one of Crain's Detroit Business' 2020 Notable Women in Health.