December 2022

Northern Michigan University alumnus Mylan Murphy has provided some creative inspiration for those seeking affordable, do-it-yourself, basketball-themed gifts and decor for the holiday season. Through his “Motivated by Mylan” business, the former Wildcat player has become a TikTok star for videos of him crafting basketballs into a variety of items, from Christmas trees and ornaments to everyday shelves, planters and clocks.

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees approved two capital and long-term maintenance projects: a $550,000 budget for the design phase of a science complex research and teaching lab addition budgeted for $11.7 million; and $2.5 million in renovations to Vandament Arena to accommodate both NMU volleyball and basketball.

Wika Nadera from the Philippines completed a semester at NMU through the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program, which provides scholarships to outstanding undergraduate students from around the world for non-degree full-time study combined with community service, professional development and cultural enrichment. He focused on art and design classes at NMU; in his home country, he is a fourth-year student in visual communication.

Northern Michigan University 1997 history alumnus Philip Webb completed Spain's famous pilgrimage trail, El Camino de Santiago—also known as “The Way”—walking 621 miles over 38 days on the longest, most arduous route. The UNESCO-listed trail originated in medieval times, when pilgrims made a spiritual journey to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela to visit the reported tomb of the Apostle Saint James. Now more than 300,000 people from all over the world traverse it each year for a variety of reasons. Webb's pilgrimage was fueled by a desire to deepen his Catholic faith, engage in self-reflection and raise money for a charitable cause.

One of Northern Michigan University's charter schools, Walton Charter Academy in Pontiac, is among five 2022 Building the Hope Schools in Michigan recognized by the Education Trust-Midwest for outstanding pre-pandemic academic progress and growth among underserved student groups. All offer strategies that can be leveraged to help students recover from learning loss attributed to COVID-19.

Northern Michigan University's Julie Rochester received the prestigious David Knight Award at the 2022 NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative Association (FARA) Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. The award is presented yearly to an individual who has provided outstanding service to the organization. Rochester spent six years on the FARA Executive Committee, in capacities including D2 representative, vice president and president. 

Northern Michigan University's DeVos Art Museum is hosting the School of Art and Design's Fall 2022 Senior Exhibition. The works of graduating students from all concentrations will be shown. The exhibition will end with a closing reception from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 16, with awards being presented at 8 p.m. that same night. The event is free and open to the public.

Northern Michigan University alumna Jackie Jahfetson has been hired as a full-time reporter for The Bismarck Tribune, writing about energy and environmental issues in North Dakota.

Northern Michigan University alumnus Bruce Remington, a member of the technical staff at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has been honored with the American Physical Society's (APS) 2023 George E. Duvall Shock Compression Science Award. The award recognizes contributions to understanding condensed matter and non-linear physics through shock compression.

Northern Michigan University students enrolled in a new course this semester had to interview for a spot on the limited roster, undergo a background check and sign a non-disclosure agreement. They also lock up their cell phones and laptop computers before they enter the associated classroom/lab, and pore over materials retrieved from a storage room that was re-keyed for restricted access. Such precautions are necessary because the students are tasked with re-examining and digitizing the entire file for an actual Upper Peninsula cold case that began as a missing person's report and shifted to a homicide.