Veterans Day on Nov. 11 coincides with the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. Under the leadership of President James Kaye, Northern State Normal School (now Northern Michigan University) participated in WWI regionally, nationally and abroad. War-time concerns were exacerbated by another significant threat a century ago: a Spanish flu pandemic that ultimately shut down Northern for three months in the fall 1918 semester.
Canadian political theorist Ronald Beiner will present “Dangerous Minds in Dangerous Times” at Northern Michigan University. His talk is scheduled from 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, in the Ontario Room of the University Center. Admission is free and light refreshments will be provided. Beiner will explore themes from his latest book, Dangerous Minds: Nietzsche, Heidegger, and the Return of the Far Right.
Northern Michigan University’s Native American Student Association is hosting the First Nations Food Taster. The event will be held from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9, at the Jacobetti Complex commons.
The First Nations Food Taster provides guests with an array of Native American foods. Recipes from the Decolonizing Diet Project will be featured, offering traditional Native American foods. Some contemporary Native American dishes will also be available. This year’s menu may include bison stew with cranberries, turkey roast, pecan whitefish, venison and squash bisque.
Singer-songwriter Annie Humphrey, the Native American Music Awards' 2018 Artist of the Year, will perform Saturday, Nov. 10, at Northern Michigan University. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre. Her performance is in conjunction with the U.P. Beaumier Heritage Center's exhibition, Ancestral Women. Tickets are $5 for the general public and $1 for NMU students.
Northern Michigan University English professor Wendy Farkas is using an Endeavor Foundation grant to integrate civic learning into the English general education curriculum. NMU is among 24 institutions selected for funding from 134 applicants. The funding supports an Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) initiative called “Civic Prompts: Civic Learning in the Major by Design.” The initiative seeks to incorporate civic-minded studies and social responsibility as components within students’ major fields of study.
NMU Honors Program student and Wildcat football player Aaron Rochow researched the political and economic institutions in the neighboring African countries of Botswana and Zimbabwe to better understand their different development paths. He traveled to Botswana through a Lundin Summer Research Fellowship. Rochow and four other students will give presentations on their summer projects at an Oct. 25 event honoring donor Rich Lundin.
Dutch saxophonist Hans de Jong will perform at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29, at Northern Michigan University's Reynolds Recital Hall as part of the Siril Concert Series. Admission is free.
In addition to performing as a saxophone soloist and with chamber music ensembles, de Jong is a composer and teacher. He is professor of classical saxophone and chamber music at the Royal Conservatoire in Antwerp, Belgium, and artistic director/conductor for the Royal Antwerp Saxophone Project.
The NMU Orchestra and the STARS Youth Orchestra will give a joint performance at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, in Reynolds Recital Hall. They will perform three movements of the "Capriol Suite" by Peter Warlock. The concert is free and open to the public.
The STARS Youth Orchestra is a string ensemble that is part of the Soo Theatre Project in Sault Ste. Marie. A former graduate of the NMU music program, Maggie Twining, is the director of the STARS Youth Orchestra.