Strategic Plan

High school seniors who reside and attend school in the Upper Peninsula who plan to continue their education in a healthcare-related field are eligible to participate in the sixth annual National Rural Health Day Essay Contest. Northern Michigan University's Center for Rural Health is partnering with Michigan's State Office of Rural Health to make this possible. The submission deadline is Thursday, Oct. 30.

Northern Michigan University is seeking student applications and community project proposals for the third cohort of its Rural Leadership Fellowship Program, which offers immersive project-based learning for students while also supporting Upper Peninsula economic and community development projects. The submission deadline for both is Nov. 16.

Northern Michigan University will host the 2025 Indigenous Perspectives Symposium on Food, a gathering focused on uplifting Indigenous food systems, cultural knowledge and community health, on Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Northern Center. A free showing of the comedy-horror movie "Seeds" will precede the symposium at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22, in Jamrich Hall 1100. Writer, director and star Kaniehtiio Horn (Mohawk), who has appeared in the "Letterkenny" and "Reservation Dogs" TV series, will participate in a conversation after the viewing. 

Northern Michigan University is featured for the first time in the annual Sustainable Campus Index, which celebrates higher education institutions leading the way in sustainability. 

LIVE@NMU will kick off its fifth annual LIVE Art & Word Contest as a way to help break the stigma surrounding mental health issues and suicide, engage individuals, encourage positive mental health and showcase the talents of both high school students and adults from across the Upper Peninsula. 

Environmental Action Week at Northern Michigan University will take place starting Wednesday, Sept. 17, with the university hosting various events to highlight the role of activism and advocacy as it relates to the environment, climate and sustainability. 

In honor of World Mental Health Day, Northern Michigan University Wellbeing Promotions is gearing up for its second annual Mind Over Miles 5K at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9.

The Schultz Family Foundation First-Generation Empowerment Scholarship, which awards NMU students up to $15,000 per year up to four years, was “crafted on the notion that, while talent is everywhere, opportunity is not.” The 32 inaugural recipients engaged in pre-semester programming focused on relationship-building, connections to resources and the U.P. community, financial literacy and career readiness.

The Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health recently marked its five-year anniversary and also hosted its first U.P. Future Health Leaders summer camp for 36 students who are now freshmen or sophomores at high schools throughout the Upper Peninsula.

Northern Michigan University's recently completed addition to Weston Hall has increased available lab space, elevating the ability of Biology and Chemistry faculty to conduct high-quality research and train students in biomedical techniques. Highlights include two specialty teaching labs: a “world-class” Cell Culture Facility; and a state-of-the-art Microscopy Suite with dedicated rooms to house each of NMU's advanced microscopes, providing a central hub for research projects.