January 2022

Northern Michigan University's Theatre and Dance Department will present "Next to Normal," a rock musical that offers an intimate exploration of family, loss and mental health issues. 

Northern Michigan University faculty, staff and students, and the broader community, are invited to provide input at virtual listening sessions hosted by the NMU presidential search advisory committee and Parker Executive Search, as they develop a position description for NMU's next president. Six sessions are scheduled Jan. 26-28. All will be held in a Zoom webinar format, with the ability to view and type comments or questions for onscreen panelists.

Scholarship applications for Northern Michigan University students enrolling in the 2022-23 academic year will be available from Monday, Jan. 24, through Monday, Feb. 21. 

Northern Michigan University is the first Upper Peninsula institution to be designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE), a program jointly sponsored by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security.

Marquette couple Bob Cowell and Kathleen Olivier have established a multi-year, $1 million endowment for Northern Michigan University's hockey program. The longtime Wildcat fans said they hope their gift serves as a “catalyst” for generating additional private support critical to helping NMU compete with larger Division I programs in recruiting top talent and achieving sustained success.

Northern Michigan University will offer an eight-week, online grief support specialist program, beginning in February. The interactive, noncredit program focuses on practical tools applicable to adults, children and families that can be used personaly—or professionally by earning a certificate and continuing education hours.

Lynn Domina, Northern Michigan University English department head and professor, is launching a new webinar series titled "Let's Talk Books at NMU" on Friday, Jan. 21. Each month, she will invite a scholar with a recently published book to join her for a discussion of their work. The webinars will be held at 1 p.m. the third Friday of each month. The public is invited to join.

Northern Michigan University will honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy by hosting events on Monday, Jan. 17, beginning with a march for equality. These events are free and open to the public. Masks are required.

The family of Ben Lauren, a Northern Michigan University alumnus who was tragically killed in the line of duty as a volunteer firefighter at age 23, has established an endowed scholarship in his memory to support NMU mechanical engineering technology students. Lauren graduated from the program in 2018.

Because of a rising number of COVID cases in the region, Northern Michigan University has canceled on-campus classes for Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 10-11, and will shift to remote learning for the remainder of the week. Web and lab/clinical courses will be held as originally scheduled.