Around NMU

Northern Michigan University's athletic training program recently marked 25 years since its first graduate in 2001. From its humble beginnings as a small certification track, athletic training has evolved into a master's degree offered in two formats: as a 3+2 program for students who first earn a bachelor's in sports science from Northern; or as a stand-alone for students who have already completed a bachelor's degree at NMU or elsewhere.

The NMU Dance Team made program history for the third time in three years, recording its best finishes at the College Classic National Championship in Orlando. The team placed 8th in Pom and 9th in Jazz at the Division II level.

Students from NMU's Communication and Media Studies Department earned awards and competitive scholarships at the 2026 Michigan Association of Broadcasters' (MAB) Student Awards ceremony in Lansing.

“Tragedy Sound,” a play about three lifelong friends from the Upper Peninsula who become stranded on Lake Superior after accepting a reckless dare to embark on a canoe trek, is the most recent work by 1996 Northern Michigan University alumna and Mass City native Karen Saari. The winner of NMU's Panowski Playwriting Award will be presented at 7:30 p.m. May 14-16 in the Panowski Black Box Theatre.

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees has approved room and board rates for the 2026-2027 academic year, along with seven new degree programs that will go into effect this fall.

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees recognized its annual Student Achievement Award recipients just before NMU's May 2 commencement. Delany Frank of East Lansing and Halle Johnson of Green Bay, Wis. are the 2026 Outstanding Graduating Seniors. Recipients of the remaining outstanding awards in their respective categories are: Adam Nesbit, originally from rural northern California, Graduate Student; Summer Morrison of Plainwell, Student of Any Class; Dan Atkins of Marquette, Nontraditional Student; and Laura Clarkston of Bruce Township, Global Campus Student.

The Northern Michigan University Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter recently hosted the 8th annual Marquette Coffee Crawl, which drew nearly 500 participants and raised $10,200 for the Marquette Women's Center.

Northern Michigan University's Director of Choral Activities, Erin Colwitz, was selected to serve as conductor in residence at New York City's Carnegie Hall for an April 21 Masterwork Festival Chorus performance. She took full advantage of the opportunity to bring along her own singers, creating a memorable experience for 28 students from the NMU Arts Chorale and 99 members of the Marquette Choral Society, which she also directs. The delegation sang alongside professional chamber orchestra musicians and soloists who typically perform at the Metropolitan Opera and on Broadway.

A Northern Michigan University communication studies class collaborated this semester with the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center on campus to increase student awareness of and participation in the next Upper Peninsula Folklife Festival Oct. 2-4. The event features workshops, demonstrations and performances by folk artists reflecting the ethnic and cultural traditions of the region. Students conducted various levels of research and developed ideas for the center related to programming, promotion and a potential student intern to assist with both.

Northern Michigan University student entrepreneurs took center stage at the Big Pitch competition, the culminating event of NMU's annual New Business Venture Competition and one of the final events at the recent PEAK26 conference. This year, it was held in the Jacobetti Innovation Hall.