January 2021

Northern Michigan University has received a $100,000 grant to launch UPLINK, a collaborative, regional digital network that will enable U.P. heritage organizations to preserve historical manuscript collections and offer online public access. The two-year project is being supported by a National Archives' National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) implementation grant.

Northern Michigan alumnus and native Michigander Robert Saleh is the new head coach of the New York Jets. He spent the past four seasons as the San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator and has coached in the NFL since 2005.

Northern Michigan University MFA alumnus Krys Malcolm Belc was interviewed by Publishers Weekly about his forthcoming book, The Natural Mother of the Child. The title comes from the legal designation assigned to Belc—a nonbinary, transmasculine parent—after he gave birth to his son, Samson. 

Northern Michigan University ranks 39th nationwide in a recent listing of the "Top 50 Outdoor Colleges" compiled by Best Value Schools. 

Former Wildcat hockey player Darien Craighead, a first-year forward with the South Carolina Stingrays, is featured in a team story titled "A Rookie's Life Inside the ECHL Bubble." Craighead became the fourth NMU alumnus to sign with the Stingrays for 2020-21, joining team captain Andrew Cherniwchan, forward Justin Florek and defender Jordan Klimek.

Northern Michigan University will honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a virtual gathering based on the theme of “Civil Rights Movements Past and Present: Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation.” The event is scheduled from 11 a.m. to noon Monday, Jan. 18.

NMU alumna Susan (Gilbert) Lockhart, a junior/senior high school math and physical education teacher, was the subject of a recent newsletter spotlight for effectively channeling her passion for fitness to benefit students academically. She has taught in the Stockbridge (Mich.) Community School District for 16 years. 

NMU criminal justice alumnus Thomas Nolan (AS '05) was recently promoted to first lieutenant and commander of the Michigan State Police-Negaunee post. 

Alumni and the NMU community are invited to join the NMU Alumni Association for Northern Now on Jan. 13.