Strategic Plan

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.

Northern Michigan University's Northern Shores Storywork Writing Project has announced the 31 Upper Peninsula teens selected as regional award winners for the 2025 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the country's longest-running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for creative students in grades 7-12. There were 113 submissions from the Upper Peninsula, a significant increase over the eight received last year.

Four Northern Michigan University students have been selected to participate in the second cohort of NMU's Rural Leadership Fellowship Program, a public-private partnership with InvestUP that promotes immersive, project-based learning while also supporting U.P. economic and community development projects. The fellows and their project partners are: Aimee Doyle, Marquette County Emergency Management; Travis Garvey, Michigan Office of Rural Prosperity; Rachel Raak, Village of Laurium; and Miki Rogers, Partridge Creek Compost in Ishpeming.

Northern Michigan University will host a campus Sustainability Summit from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18. The event will kick off in Forest Roberts Theatre with keynote speakers Chef Bryan Flower and Courtney Gallaher from Northern Illinois University discussing their Edible Campus. Other activities are scheduled throughout the day in Jamrich Hall and the Hedgcock Atrium.

Northern Michigan University is planning a week of service activities around the theme, “Empowering Community through Action,” beginning with Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 20. The overarching goal will be to assemble and donate winter care kits to Room at the Inn to support those in need during the cold-weather months, but additional daily programming is scheduled as well.

Northern Michigan University Assistant Professor Jongeun You has been awarded one of nine Future Shocks Challenge Grants for his case study on the integration of land use and water planning in Colorado. The Future Shocks initiative, led by the IBM Center for The Business of Government and the National Academy of Public Administration, is designed to help governments identify and develop core capabilities critical to building resilience.