Northern Michigan University's School of Art and Design is hosting its Fall 2025 Senior Exhibition at the DeVos Art Museum. A closing reception is scheduled from 7-9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, with an awards announcement at 8 p.m. 

Jesse Koenig commutes daily from his home in L'Anse to Northern, his alma mater, where he serves as a senior success adviser for multiple academic departments. Given his time on the road for his profession, it is perhaps not surprising that Koenig was behind the wheel when he received a phone call about an achievement related to one of his favorite personal pastimes: creative expression through prose. He was recently selected for a two-year term as the new U.P. Poet Laureate.

Northern Michigan University is featured in the Princeton Review's Guide to Green Colleges: 2026 Edition. NMU earned a GreenScore of 91 points out of 99, securing a spot on the list of 388 unmarked colleges that meet the standards for practicing and promoting environmental responsibility. This is NMU's second appearance in the guide.

The NMU Food Pantry is on track to record its highest usage ever, topping the 2,000+ visits last year. Thanks to a collaboration with the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) program, there are now greens and herbs to expand the pantry's offerings in Gries Hall and at its satellite location in the Jacobetti Complex. Two CEA students are engaged in a service-learning initiative to grow the fresh, nutritious produce for their peers in hydroponic units funded through part of a $125,000 Swipe Out Hunger grant.

Northern Michigan University students had an opportunity to design and prepare original dishes that they recently presented to their professor and a team of alumni representing the Delft Bistro in downtown Marquette. The restaurant is running select creations as a special feature menu Dec. 1-28, and students whose dishes were chosen will receive a complimentary dinner at the Delft for themselves and a guest to celebrate their achievement alongside classmates.

Students at Northern Michigan University are helping to map Marquette County's waste stream and reimagine how communities can keep materials in use longer through the SpheriCity Project. NMU is one of 11 universities selected to participate in the national research initiative, which aims to create a more sustainable approach to materials management.