Strategic Plan

The Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock—formerly part of shuttered Finlandia University and now managed by Finlandia Foundation National—has joined UPLINK, an effort to digitize Upper Peninsula historical materials to facilitate online access and preservation. The Central U.P. and Northern Michigan University Archives hosts the UPLINK website and is the principal service site in the region.

Students and faculty members from NMU's Department of Communication and Media Studies (CAMS) attended the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Great Lakes Broadcast and Sports Media Academy at Ford Field in Detroit earlier this month. They also promoted NMU's multimedia production and journalism programs to high school students. The weekend culminated in a tour of Bally Sports' behind-the-scenes operations and a chat with show host John Keating at Little Caesars Arena prior to attending NMU alumni night at the Red Wings hockey game.

Northern Michigan University senior Zoe Fess was invited to participate in the Biennial United Nations Global Indigenous Youth Forum in Rome, Italy. She joined peers representing all seven socio-cultural regions of the world to raise their voices, share concerns and work on proposals for the UN and its member states on improving the lives of Indigenous youth. Topics included climate and biodiversity action, the impacts of pesticides and ultra-processed foods, and the protection of plant genetic resources.

The Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health today announced a talent survey for Upper Peninsula healthcare providers. The objective of the project is to better understand regional healthcare talent needs as a means to improve NMU's strategic alignment across various university academic programs and build stronger partnerships with regional healthcare providers.

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at Northern Michigan University has received an $8,500 grant from Michigan Humanities to create a traveling exhibition titled Extraordinary Women of the Upper Peninsula. The exhibition will feature women from the U.P.'s 15 counties who have had a regional, national or international impact through their work in politics, science, international relations, Native American rights, literature and other fields. 

Northern Michigan University will present its 23rd annual Sonderegger Symposium exploring Upper Peninsula topics from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, in the Northern Center Ballroom. This year's theme is “Perspectives on 1820 and Beyond.” All sessions will relate to the Beaumier Center's current exhibit, “Claiming Michigan: the 1820 Expedition of Lewis Cass.”

At Monday's university forum, attendees received a budget and facilities update before learning about the priority projects identified within each of the five new administrative pillars. President Brock Tessman led off with an introduction and said a forum each semester is among the planned strategies to enhance transparency and communication on campus.

Northern Michigan University dedicated the new Presque Isle Avenue location of its Behavior Education Assessment and Research (BEAR) Center on Thursday. The university clinic and research facility provides behavior and learning support to children, adolescents and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and/or traumatic brain injury. The $2 million renovation of the two-story building features new and expanded space to accommodate treatment, observation, workroom and classroom functions.

The Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health is partnering with the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan to offer Seizure Recognition and First Aid Training on Monday, Nov. 13. The training runs from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Northern Center's Peninsula II room. It's free and open to the public, thanks to funding from the Michigan Pediatric Epilepsy Project, but a reservation is required.

Northern Michigan University is seeking student applications and community project proposals for the newly created Rural Leadership Fellowship Program, which is designed to support immersive project-based learning for students while also supporting Upper Peninsula economic and community development projects. The fellowship is a paid and scholarship-supported applied learning experience for students interested in rural economic development and public sector careers.