March 2021

Leslie Warren, Northern Michigan University dean of Library and Instructional Support, has accepted an appointment as chair for the final year of her two-year term on the American Library Association's Rural, Native, and Tribal Libraries of All Kinds Committee. She will serve in the leadership role from July 1 through June 30, 2022.

Two Northern Michigan University students utilized their summer employment connections to secure virtual guest speakers from two prominent companies for NMU's Introduction to Business class taught by instructor Corinne Bodeman. One presentation resulted in a donation to the NMU Food Pantry.

A scholarship established through the Northern Michigan University Foundation will support graduating seniors who exhibit outstanding community service while attending NMU. David and Marie Blum of Ann Arbor, Mich., gifted the William and Josephine Balconi Community Service Scholarship, named in honor of Marie's late parents.

NMU's School of Nursing will hold a “Hopping Into Summer” celebration March 22-26. The event is designed to interject some fun to boost nursing students' spirits for the remainder of a particularly demanding semester, and to thank them for assisting with campus COVID-19 screenings and community vaccination clinics. It will feature decorations, contests, giveaways and treats revolving around daily themes. All activities were vetted and will comply with pandemic safety regulations.

Northern Michigan University has announced 10 students who comprise the new group of scholars in the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. Lee Xiong has also joined NMU this semester as its new program director.

NMU accounting alumnus Nick Metcalfe ('20 BS) rented a marquee on Sunday at the iconic Birmingham 8 Theatre downstate to propose to his fiancée Kiley Transit at the site of one of their first dates in high school. The Detroit Free Press highlighted their story to demonstrate that proposals in light have become “an optimistic sign of the times,” with most theaters back in business and vaccine supplies and clinics on the rise.

Five Northern Michigan University faculty members have been selected as recipients of Reassigned Time Awards for the fall 2021 semester. Each award provides up to four credit hours of release time to support scholarship activities.

Northern Michigan University is preparing to be fully operational this fall, returning to pre-pandemic levels of face-to-face instruction, services and campus activities. NMU President Fritz Erickson made the announcement during a virtual community forum March 16. He said Northern's ability to continue in-person classes and keep its residence halls open this academic year has increased his optimism for the approaching fall semester.

Dallas Seavey, who trained as a wrestler at the U.S. Olympic Education Center at NMU, won a record-tying fifth championship in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Monday morning, matching the mark of Rick Swenson. Seavey had made Iditarod history twice before: in 2005, when he became the youngest musher to run the race; and in 2012, when he became the youngest to win it.  

Mat Fraser, who trained as a weightlifter at the former U.S. Olympic Education Center at NMU, recently retired as the most decorated and dominant professional CrossFit athlete in history. He was a five-time "Fittest Man on Earth," winning the CrossFit Games title every year from 2016-2020 before announcing his retirement from competition in February.