In a ceremony that encompassed all facets of the university – students, faculty, staff, alumni, Board of Trustees and the community at large – NMU President Chris Olsen was formally invested as the university's 19th president Friday morning.
The event highlighted the student experience at Northern and Olsen's vision for enhancing that experience for the entire student body.
“We do provide a superior experience. We have this blend of world-class faculty and staff and facilities, people who have connections and credentials to almost anywhere,” Olsen said. “We get to bring that to bear, primarily to serve students as individuals and through those personalized, special opportunities – opportunities for leadership and experiences that students can't get until they're seniors or graduate students at larger schools.”
Gathered in the Northern Center Ballrooms for the ceremony were representatives from across the university and community, as well as friends and family of Olsen, including his wife, Jennifer, and their three children.
Jennifer Olsen and NMU Board President Missie Holmquist together placed the official Chain of Office around Olsen's neck. The chain displays the official NMU seal encircled with two laurel branches, with the current president's name on an engraved banner.
During his speech, Olsen acknowledged the challenges facing higher education and set the tone for the university's future – a strategic, measured and intentional approach to accentuating the best parts of the university and finding ways to enhance the experience of all NMU students.
He cited several programs, including the Student Leader Fellowship Program and the Rural Leadership Fellowship programs, that provide students with real-world experience not typical to undergraduates.
“These opportunities help us turn out alumni who enter the workforce more prepared, and we send students to graduate school, law school and med school better prepared than those who come from elsewhere,” Olsen said.
NMU will enhance these existing opportunities, Olsen said, by offering experience grants, which will provide additional funding for students seeking high-impact learning opportunities such as internships, study abroad and undergraduate research.
Olsen, who holds a doctorate of U.S. History, looked back on NMU's impact since its inception as a college for educators in 1899, and the need for stronger public investment in regional comprehensive universities like Northern, which he called the backbone of higher education.
“I've heard thousands of stories from first-generation students whose lives and families' lives were changed by NMU and by going to college. That is the generational impact of a sort that doesn't normally, or to such a scale, happen at elite privates or so-called state ‘flagship' giant universities,” Olsen said. “We're able to meet students where they are in their academic preparation and their financial situation, and we can support them as individual human beings.”
Olsen said he is often asked by alumni how they can help the university, and he had one simple request – talk widely about their own NMU experience.
“Tell your story about Northern and tell your story about the value you've gotten here and the special experiences you got – because the experiences are special,” Olsen said. “I'm optimistic we will continue to affect the region, the state and the country positively, and most importantly to improve the lives of our students. I appreciate your support of NMU and our students and of me and my family … we're going to do great things — superior things — for years to come.”
The event opened with a land acknowledgment in Anishinaabemowin given by Native American Studies Department Head April Lindala, with an English translation provided by freshman cyber defense major Madison Knauf.
Other speakers included ASNMU President Mikayla Christenson, History Professor Alan Willis, Dean of Students Mary Brundage, former President of Indiana State University Deborah Curtis and Holmquist.
Each speaker provided their own experiences working with Olsen since he arrived on campus in January, while Curtis, Olsen's former boss at Indiana State University, outlined her time working with him prior to his arrival at Northern.
Holmquist said Olsen stood out among the initial 84 candidates seeking to be NMU's next president for his exceptional higher education leadership experience.
“It was Dr. Olsen's ability to inspire along with his deep understanding of regional comprehensive universities and their potential for success that made the NMU Board of Trustees know Chris was the right leader for this university,” Holmquist said. “From the moment we met him during the interview process, it felt like he knew Northern.”
The ceremony ended with a rendition of the Alma Mater “Northern Pride,” composed by Multimedia Journalism Professor Dwight Brady and performed by NMU students Jessica Schrader, vocalist, and Simon Claybaker, pianist.
View the full Investiture ceremony online here. For more information on Olsen's background, visit the president's website.