Articles

After serving as a writer for NBC sitcoms, Northern Michigan University theater alumnus William Missouri Downs realized his “heart was always on the stage,” so he left Hollywood for a cabin in Colorado to focus on his passion for playwriting. Downs' latest play, a pandemic-inspired comedy titled “Asking Strangers the Meaning of Life,” is being performed at the Detroit Repertory Theatre through April 3.

Invoke, a multi-instrumental quartet originating in Austin, Texas, will perform at Northern Michigan University as part of the Siril Concert Series. The concert is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 18, in Reynolds Recital Hall. 

The Northern Michigan University Jazz Festival will include two public concerts on Thursday and Friday, March 24-25. This year's featured artist is Mike Tomaro, director of jazz studies at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Parth Pandya, an Australia-based tech executive and head of technology and data at Buzz-er, will discuss "People Analytics and Today's Manager" during a Zoom presentation hosted by Northern Michigan University's College of Business. The public is invited. His talk will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 10.

Northern Michigan University is the first institution in the United States offering courses in Asahi, a Finnish mind-body practice. Asahi is gaining traction within and around the campus community, thanks to the NMU alumna who brought it here from Finland. 

Northern Michigan University School of Art & Design alumni will be featured during the next Northern Now digital event hosted by NMU Alumni Relations. This free event is accessible to the public and will be held at 7 p.m. EST Wednesday, March 9.

Northern Michigan University has announced the winners of its recent Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. Caro Els of the School of Health and Human Performance won both first place and people's choice in the graduate student category for her presentation titled “Maximum External Load During Max Squat Protocol with Different Abdominal Stabilizing Maneuvers.” Mandy Bonesteel of Sociology won first place and people's choice among McNair Scholar participants with “The Case Against Meritocracy.”

A timely and relevant presentation on Russia and U.S. relations, including the impacts of the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, will kick off a series of three Zoom presentations with international experts hosted by Northern Michigan University's Political Science Department. 

NMU alumnus Elmer Aho of Gwinn, who passed away Feb. 20 at age 90, was a familiar fixture on local radio as the host of American Country Gold. For three decades on Saturday nights, the Marquette Music Hall of Fame inductee shared classic country tunes, told home-spun stories and played listener requests. Aho's legacy and voice will linger through a special tribute program being planned on 103 WFXD, along with continuing broadcasts of his archived shows.

The Northern Michigan University Orchestra children's concert originally scheduled for tonight has been postponed by inclement weather that closed the university. The new date will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 7, in Reynolds Recital Hall.