The investiture ceremony for Northern Michigan University President Brock Tessman, which celebrates a new era for NMU under new leadership, will take place at 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, at Forest Roberts Theatre. The public is invited. A reception will follow from 3-4:30 p.m. in the Grand Ballrooms of the Northern Center.
The investiture, in which a university president is formally invested with honors or rank, is an enduring tradition in academia. It is typically held during or at the conclusion of the president's first year in office. Tessman began his tenure as NMU's 17th president on Feb. 1.
Other investiture activities open to the public begin on Thursday, Sept. 28, with a panel discussion of the Okanagan Charter at 9 a.m. at the Northern Center. NMU adopted the international charter for health-promoting colleges and universities in April, becoming the 17th U.S. university and one of only two in Michigan to do so.
The Okanagan Charter is designed to be a public commitment and accountability measure for taking transformative action under a principled framework, urging institutions to step up, take action on their societal responsibility and lead by example.
Also on Thursday, a service project from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. will focus on a new room at the U.P. Children's Museum. A campus and community open house for NMU's new WellBeing Center on Lincoln Avenue will be held from 3-5 p.m., following a dedication ceremony that morning.
The investiture activities will end with President Tessman's Trail Run (5K) and Walk (one mile) on Saturday, Sept. 30. Registration and the kickoff begin at 9 a.m. and the events start at 10.
For more information, visit nmu.edu/investiture.