Around NMU

Former NFL defensive end R.K. Russell will give a keynote speech and answer questions in a moderated Q&A at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, in Jamrich 1100 at Northern Michigan University. He will also sign his memoir The Yards Between Us: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Football, which will be sold at the event and has been optioned for a TV series.

A Northern Michigan University librarian was accepted into the highly competitive American Library Association's (ALA) Emerging Leaders Program. The program accepts no more than 50 participants each year, and Emera Bridger Wilson is one of them for 2024.

Liz Preston recently discovered what many other Northern Michigan University students have come to realize: that if they present an ambitious idea they want to pursue, NMU personnel will typically lend an attentive ear, support and helpful resources that will increase their chances of making it a reality. Preston, who was diagnosed with epilepsy at 14, wanted to promote Epilepsy Awareness Month on campus and in the community in November.

NMU Trustee Brigitte LaPointe-Dunham did not have to look far for inspiration on effective leadership qualities when she became CEO of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) in July 2021. She had two prominent role models within her own family. Her grandfather, Donald LaPointe, formerly served as president and CEO and guided the KBIC through some pivotal moments of progress and growth. Her paternal grandmother, Myrtle Tolonen, had blazed a trail as the first female tribal council president.

A trio of Northern Michigan University construction management majors who are also Wildcat athletes led a senior capstone project to help remodel both the women's lacrosse and track and field team locker rooms. Their group completed the work quickly enough that they divided and conquered other upgrades for NMU Athletics, such as building counters for the soccer press box, installing shelving units for cubbies in the Superior Dome weight room, and relocating extra lockers to the women's swim and dive locker room in the PEIF.

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. 

Emily Lanctot, director and curator of the DeVos Art Museum at Northern Michigan University, launched a personal project called the Superior Observation Club, which is open to all. The club encourages participants to observe things in nature, record observations in their chosen media—written or visual—and reflect on things they value.

Bill Digneit, director of SISU: The Innovation Institute at Northern Michigan University, received the Culture of Innovation Award from Trend Hunter at the Future Festival World Summit in Toronto. He spoke on stage about the SISU innovation process and was presented with his 3D-printed rocket ship trophy by a NASA representative.

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.”