Department News

NMU Center for Rural Health Hosts High School U.P. Future Health Leaders Camp

May. 20, 2025 —
The Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health will host an Upper Peninsula Future Health Leaders Camp this summer for regional students who will be freshmen and sophomores this coming fall. The camp is dedicated to health education and health career exploration. It is scheduled July 20-25, with options to either stay on campus for the duration or commute from home to camp each day. There will be a limit of 75 participants.

Johnson Interviews Education Pioneers

May. 16, 2025 —
Northern Michigan University history professor Kathryn Johnson has conducted four oral history interviews with global pioneers in open, distance and digital education. They include Professor Asha Kanwar, former president of the Commonwealth of Learning,; Professor Alejandro Pisanty, a Mexican scholar and early advocate for educational technology; Dr. Tony Bates, whom she describes as one of “the godfathers of distance education in Canada”; and Professor Rosibel Vicquez Abarca, a prominent leader in the field in Costa Rica. All will soon be published in scholarly journals, including one for which Johnson serves as the oral history section editor.

Education Students Visit Wisconsin Schools

Apr. 17, 2025 —
Students from Northern Michigan University's School of Education recently traveled to Wisconsin to observe a variety of educational settings as part of a course-related field experience. The group was divided among three schools that represent a broad spectrum of student populations, offering NMU teacher candidates the opportunity to engage with diverse educational environments. They visited Danz Elementary School and Preble High School in Green Bay, and Syble Hopp School in nearby De Pere. 

Resolving Nile River Conflicts Through Science

Apr. 11, 2025 —
Grand Ethiopian Resonance Dam (GERD), the largest hydropower dam in Africa, has caused intense energy and water conflicts between Nile River countries. Scientists from around the world have conducted research and proposed solutions to help mitigate these conflicts. Dr. Jongeun You, assistant professor from the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Northern Michigan University, contributed to these scholarly efforts and co-authored a publication in Communications Earth & Environment, a Nature journal. It was recently selected as one of the Top 25 papers of 2024 by the journal. 

NMU's White Receives Two Honors

Mar. 7, 2025 —
The calendar shifted to 2025 a short time ago, but it has already been a “banner year” for Northern Michigan University assistant professor of education Kristen White. She co-authored “Teaching with Literacy Programs,” which received the 2025 Gloria J. Ladson-Billings Outstanding Book Award from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) last week. She also will be honored in March as the 2025 Michigan Reading Association Teacher Educator of the Year. It is an impressive start for a woman who said her only other award in life was “Student of the Week” in 10th grade.

You Delivers Harold Hotelling Memorial Lecture

Oct. 18, 2024 —
Northern Michigan University assistant professor Jongeun You was invited to serve as the 2024 Harold Hotelling Memorial Lecturer at Lawrence Technological University. Named for the accomplished economist, the lecture series marked its 14th anniversary on Oct. 17. It addresses timely and relevant topics in the guest speaker's area of research. Dr. You, who teaches in NMU's Political Science and Public Administration Department, presented “Policy Conflict in U.S. Energy Infrastructure Siting.”

CAMS Attends Broadcast and Sports Media Academy

Nov. 17, 2023 —
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.