Alumni

Northern Michigan University alumnus, filmmaker and author Jeff Vande Zande will hold a screening of his short films at the Peter White Public Library. The event is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, in the library's Community Room. It is free and open to the public. 

Cooper Graves, a 2017 NMU hospitality management graduate, is the executive chef at Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar in Grand Rapids. He appeared on television Tuesday morning to promote the dining establishment as part of Grand Rapids' Restaurant Week.  

Northern Michigan University 2006 alumna Jenna Nelson will begin her role as Marquette County's first female prosecuting attorney on Monday, Nov. 27. She currently serves as Marquette County's chief assistant prosecuting attorney. She will assume office upon the resignation of current Prosecuting Attorney and NMU alumnus Matt Wiese, who was recently appointed 25th Circuit Court Judge. 

Northern Michigan University's Theatre and Dance Department marked its 60th anniversary by hosting an inaugural alumni awards celebration in late October to honor exceptional achievements in the entertainment arts. 

Dan Stencil, a 1976 NMU graduate, was recently honored twice in two days for his 43 years of service to Oakland County Parks: first by being inducted into the mParks Hall of Fame in Canton; and then with a plaque dedication at the Oakland County Farmers Market in Waterford.  

As hunters throughout the Midwest gear up for the deer hunting season, new research from the Voyageurs Wolf Project in northern Minnesota—a collaborative team that includes a Northern Michigan University professor and two alumni—sheds light on how humans are having a profound impact on wolf-deer relationships by altering forest ecosystems.

A book by 1976 NMU alumna Margaret Vainio titled Asahi: The Nordic Health Practice was a finalist in the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards in health and wellness. Asahi is a health exercise developed in Finland, which can be done by people of all ages and states of health. The movements are easy to learn are done at slow, peaceful pace in time with the breathing.

Northern Michigan University Alumni Day at the Detroit Red Wings will be celebrated on Saturday, Nov. 4, in Little Caesars Arena. Alumni and friends attending the game can join President Brock Tessman for a pre-game meetup from 4:30-6:45 p.m. in the Heritage Hall at Little Caesars Arena.

Northern Michigan University alumnus and renowned eagle researcher William Bowerman ('91 MA) was among three innovators to receive the 2023 Lowell Thomas Award from The Explorers Club, an international professional society dedicated to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration and resource conservation. The ceremony was held last weekend in Oslo, Norway. The Munising native joins an impressive list of past recipients including Carl Sagan, Sir David Attenborough, Isaac Asimov, Sir Edmund Hillary, Buzz Aldrin and Louise Leakey.

NMU alumna Michelle Perttunen, assistant project manager with Mortenson, is featured as the “Rising Young Professional of the Year” by The Daily Reporter, a construction industry news source that also honors top professionals in the field. She grew up helping her dad with house projects and earned two related degrees from Northern: a 2017 associate in engineering design; and a 2018 bachelor's in mechanical engineering technology with a concentration in design.