Feature/Profiles

Jesse Koenig commutes daily from his home in L'Anse to Northern, his alma mater, where he serves as a senior success adviser for multiple academic departments. Given his time on the road for his profession, it is perhaps not surprising that Koenig was behind the wheel when he received a phone call about an achievement related to one of his favorite personal pastimes: creative expression through prose. He was recently selected for a two-year term as the new U.P. Poet Laureate.

Chris Standerford, director of both the Seaborg Center at NMU and the MiSTEM Network's central U.P. region, recently received the 2025 Volunteer of the Year Award from the MiWorks! Association. He was honored for being a longtime champion of education and workforce development, particularly related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers.

Rum Runner's Cove, a site just east of Wetmore Landing that was once used for smuggling during prohibition, is popular among NMU students who enjoy cliff jumping from its large rock into Lake Superior. But when a group of friends was there in late August and one fell from the slick surface and injured herself on a boulder below before tumbling into the water, nursing major Cara Hartley of Bloomfield Township was quick to assess the situation and provide help.

Tucker McLain, a first-generation student who earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in creative writing in May, has become only the fifth person in Northern Michigan University history to receive a Fulbright, the flagship award program for international academic exchange opportunities. He is also the first from NMU whose grant will support research abroad. He will depart for Estonia in September for a nine-month exploration of the country's literary landscape.

Northern Michigan University history professor Kathryn Johnson has conducted four oral history interviews with global pioneers in open, distance and digital education. They include Professor Asha Kanwar, former president of the Commonwealth of Learning,; Professor Alejandro Pisanty, a Mexican scholar and early advocate for educational technology; Dr. Tony Bates, whom she describes as one of “the godfathers of distance education in Canada”; and Professor Rosibel Vicquez Abarca, a prominent leader in the field in Costa Rica. All will soon be published in scholarly journals, including one for which Johnson serves as the oral history section editor.

Gavin Leach, a Northern Michigan University alumnus who has worked at NMU for 36 years—the last 18 as vice president for Finance and Administration–has been appointed NMU's interim president while a nationwide search is conducted for the next leader to fill the role. His appointment was announced at the May 2 NMU Board of Trustees meeting.

Rosalva Brito, a criminal justice major and Spanish minor from Chicago, will be the student speaker at Northern Michigan University's May 3 commencement. The first-generation student said she chose to attend NMU primarily because of scholarships she qualified for as the dependent of a veteran that made the cost more affordable, and because of its safe, friendly and beautiful environment.

Ari Koontz, a third-year graduate student in Northern Michigan University's MFA program, has finalized a book deal with Macmillan Publishing for their debut young adult novel, "Just Ask Elsie."

Northern Michigan University sophomore Henry Moore, who shares the same name as one of the most influential modernist sculptors of the 20th century, is making his mark at NMU in a different artistic pursuit: theater. He plays Peter in the current production of "Jesus Christ Superstar." 

Daniel and Pamella DeVos have continued their philanthropic support of Northern Michigan University through a recent $2 million gift from the Daniel & Pamella DeVos Foundation. Half of this donation will be added to the permanent endowment of the DeVos Art Museum, ensuring its continued excellence. The remaining $1 million will be directed toward a fund aimed at advancing programs and facilities related to the development of an NMU arts district that will benefit the university and Marquette communities.