Around NMU

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees approved a contract for newly appointed President Chris Olsen and a negotiated agreement with employees in the AFSCME union at a special session held virtually this afternoon.

The Northern Michigan University Music Department will present three upcoming concerts to usher in November: Percussion Ensemble; Opera Theater Workshop; and the inaugural Wildcat Winds performance. All are free and will be held in Reynolds Recital Hall.

Northern Michigan University will host a welcome reception for incoming NMU President Chris Olsen and his wife, Jennifer. The event is scheduled from 4:30-6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10, in the Grand Ballroom of the Northern Center. Faculty, staff, students and community members are invited to attend.

At the Oct. 27 campus forum, Northern Michigan University Interim President Gavin Leach provided updates on the presidential transition, enrollment-related initiatives, facilities projects, and impacts of both the finalized state budget and federal funding cuts. Other staff members gave presentations on progress related to the Grand Challenges in “Our Compass,” Northern's strategic plan. 

Northern Michigan University's AFSCME union, which represents 119 food services staff and maintenance employees, ratified a three-year contract Oct. 27.

WNMU-TV will host a preview screening and panel discussion related to "The American Revolution," a new Ken Burns six-part, 12-hour documentary series that explores the country's founding struggle and its eight-year War for Independence. The screening is open to the public and takes place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, in the Northern Center Ballrooms on Northern Michigan University's campus. 

Northern Michigan University faculty member Theresa Camilli will discuss and premiere the late piano teacher and Marquette resident William Weber's "Lake Superior Piano Suite," a composition depicting the view atop Sugarloaf Mountain. Her solo concert is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, in Reynolds Recital Hall. A selection of Weber's never-before-seen paintings, inspired by the vivid colors and textures of the Upper Peninsula, will be available for purchase, with 100% of proceeds directly benefitting NMU music scholarships. 

Migrant workers are an instrumental part of America's agriculture industry, comprising about 68% of hired crop farmworkers in the United States from 2020-2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Despite their contributions, many encounter challenges related to their jobs. Northern Michigan University students Citlali Esparza-Salvador and Abby Martin discovered this first hand through their internships with a Grand Rapids nonprofit organization.