A new website dedicated to the symbiotic relationship between the Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan University will be launched with a free public event at 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 18, in Ballroom I of the Northern Center at NMU. The website was created by the Beamier U.P. Heritage Center and funded by a donation from NMU History Professor Emeritus Jon Saari.
Light refreshments and hors d'oeuvres will be served at the event. No RSVP is necessary.
Because the Upper Peninsula and NMU "live close together but not always in harmony," as stated in the description, the website's title incorporates the Anishinaabemowin term “Maamawi Ozhigi” and its English translation, “Together We Grow.”
"This title expresses our aspiration for our lives in this common place," wrote Dan Truckey, director of the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center. "The articles within will look at how the people of the Upper Peninsula have helped to define the university and vice versa. The articles have been written by NMU alumni, students, faculty and staff members. They incorporate not only the history of the region and university but the stories from members of the NMU community about their experiences at the university and in the U.P."
Because the relationship between the region and its people is always changing, and because there are so many stories to tell, this website will continually change and expand as well.
There are three main sections to the site: "What is the Upper Peninsula?" looks at the history of the region and the university itself; "The University for Everyone" focuses specifically on the connections between NMU and the region; and "Living in the Upper Peninsula" is still being developed and will include opportunities for students, alumni and staff to interact through blogs about the region's way of life.