Strategic Plan

Five Green Fund project proposals for student-led sustainability initiatives on campus have been selected for implementation this year. They include pollinator habitats, bat boxes, a bike share program, birdfeeders, and apartment composting. The combined budget for all is nearly $27,000, and will be covered by the Green Fund, a student-paid fee that supports sustainable project ideas submitted by students from any major and approved through a selection process.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held March 11 for Gretchen's House-Marquette,  the newest satellite location for the Ann Arbor-based childcare provider, which is offered in partnership with Northern Michigan University. It is located close to campus in Messiah Lutheran Church, with its own secure entrance, three classrooms and two playgrounds.

Northern Michigan University's automotive technology program has received a brand new 2023 Ford Escape to further assist students in gaining hands-on experience with modern vehicle systems and technology they are likely to encounter in their careers. The vehicle was donated by Fox Marquette and Ford Motor Company, which also stand to benefit from the career preparation NMU provides for their potential future workforce of automotive technicians.

Northern Michigan University's 18th annual UNITED Conference will be held Monday and Tuesday, March 17-18, in the Northern Center. It revolves around the theme “Voices of the Earth: Learning, Leading and Advancing Equity Together.” Keynote speakers/presentations are: Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, author of this year's NMU Diversity Common Reader Program selection, “As We Have Always Done”; RJ Smith of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, who will address the traditional Anishinaabe game Bagodowe, or lacrosse; and an Anishinaabe theatrical performance.

The Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health received the Nonprofit of the Year Award from the Upper Peninsula Economic Development Alliance. The award was presented to Director Elise Bur at Operation Action UP's annual meeting Feb. 13.

One of the remaining Black History Month activities planned at NMU this month is a “Soul Food Sunday” buffet-style feast prepared by Yusuf Bin-Rella. The celebrated chef, farmer and advocate for cultural foodways has worked alongside Michael Twitty, culinary historian and author of The Cooking Gene. Bin-Rella is a chef at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Dejope Residence Hall, and at the TradeRoots Culinary Collective he co-founded, which is a group of Afro-culinary genealogists exploring lineage through food.

The Northern Michigan University Queers & Allies group presents its 28th annual Drag Show at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, in the Northern Center's Grand Ballroom. According to organizers, this is an opportunity to meet the lineup of some of the most talented names in drag and take pictures. 

Northern Michigan University's Berry Events Center will host an opportunity for members of the campus and Marquette-area communities to try out sled hockey, a sport adapted for athletes with physical disabilities. This free event begins at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16; no registration is required. Protective equipment such as helmets, elbow pads and hockey gloves will be loaned to attendees who participate.

Northern Michigan University has announced Black History Month activities in February, including a Soul Food Sunday buffet-style feast prepared by Madison chef Yusuf Bin-Rella, a community roller skating event, and film screenings.

The book selected for this year's Diversity Common Reader Program (DCRP) at Northern Michigan University is As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson. Held annually since 2013, the DCRP revolves around a nonfiction book of interdisciplinary interest that advances discussions of diversity, inclusion and social justice.