The newly renovated Olson Library in Harden Hall opened today, and guided tours are being offered all week to introduce the campus community to the new space and services. The facility has a brighter aesthetic and appears more roomy, with plenty of soft seating and study areas.

Northern Michigan University's CO/LAB Dance Company will present a concert anchored by the premiere of “Love is a Burning Thing: A choreography tribute to Johnny Cash.” CO/LAB artistic director and assistant professor Karina Johnson choreographed the contemporary ballet piece, which uses several familiar Cash songs to showcase how people experience relationships in their lives. 

Northern Michigan University alumna Maryka Biaggio recently published her new book, “Gun Girl and the Tall Guy,” a historical novel about the 1924 crime spree of Celia and Ed Cooney in Brooklyn, N.Y.

“Northern didn't just educate me; it gave me the courage to believe I belonged in spaces where people like me weren't always welcomed, and that belief has driven everything since.” Those words are from alumna Charlita Anderson White, keynote speaker for NMU's upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service luncheon on Monday, Jan. 19. She is a retired magistrate of the Lorain County Domestic and Juvenile Court in Ohio. She is also a member of the NMU Alumni Association Advisory Board, adjunct professor at Indiana Wesleyan University and founder of the Outside Circle Theater Project.

Northern Michigan University will mark the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, Jan. 19, with three activities: a luncheon with keynote speaker Charlita Anderson White, a 1983 NMU alumna and retired magistrate of the Lorain County Domestic and Juvenile Court in Ohio; an early-access, curated tour of “Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate”—the first national art exhibition hosted by NMU's Devos Art Museum; and hands-on service projects.

Nearly 30% of Michigan's maple syrup production was wiped out by a March 2025 ice storm in the northern lower peninsula. Northern Michigan University alumnus Richard Anderson (‘78 MA), who co-founded Iron Fish Distillery, recently partnered with the Michigan Maple Syrup Association to use his business as a force for good by releasing a special edition Ice Storm Whiskey to help generate support for those impacted.

Northern Michigan University Assistant Professor Jelili Adebiyi from Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, along with two student researchers, recently shared their work with peers from across the region at the Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability Conference in Illinois. 

Benjamin Manogura, a May 2025 Northern Michigan University controlled environment agriculture (CEA) alumnus, has embarked on a new and unique position in his career. He is a research and development specialist and cultivator for Cai Foods in New Buffalo, Mich., which operates America's first indoor wasabi farm.

Northern Michigan University recently held a dedication ceremony for a new permanent display of flags in the Superior Dome representing each of the five Upper Peninsula tribal nations: the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians; the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa; and the Keweenaw Bay, Hannahville and Bay Mills Indian Communities.