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Olsen Emphasizes Enrollment at University Forum

Crossman Earns Fellowship to Study in Germany

Northern Michigan University senior Elise Crossman is one of 65 students nationwide selected to receive a highly competitive fellowship through the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX). After graduating in early May, she will spend the 2026-2027 academic year in Germany studying, interning and living with hosts on a cultural immersion program. The accounting and international studies major from Charlotte, Mich., is the second NMU recipient in two years.
Graduating senior Elise Crossman

Ruge Named NMU Commencement Speaker

Mark Ruge, a 1980 Northern Michigan University political science alumnus who grew up in Menominee, will serve as the keynote speaker for NMU's May 2 commencement. As a partner at K&L Gates, one of the largest global law firms, his practice includes a focus on the American maritime industry and the Great Lakes. He is the only lawyer ever inducted into the Great Lakes Marine Hall of Fame. Ruge previously worked for former U.P. and northern Michigan Congressman Bob Davis.
NMU alumnus Mark Ruge

Shine Nominated for Masterson Trophy

Detroit Red Wings player Dominik Shine, a former member of the NMU Wildcat hockey team from 2013-2017, has been nominated for the 2026 Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy. This award is granted each year to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Shine has a puck commemorating his first NHL goal, scored at age 32. His resolve to stick with the game contributed to his nomination by the Detroit chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA).
Dominik Shine, 2026 Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy nominee

Moose Research Team Completes Winter Collaring Effort

Northern Michigan University Biology Professor Diana Lafferty and some of her students recently concluded efforts to capture and collar moose as part of cooperative research team that also involves members of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and the Michigan DNR. The team focused its winter work on the core moose population area in the western Upper Peninsula.
Drs. Tyler Petroelje (MDNR) and Diana Lafferty (NMU) are co-Principal Investigators (pictured) along with Erin Johnston (KBIC, not pictured) in this long-term initiative to study the factors limiting moose population growth in the western UP.

Library Mural Project Nears Completion

A collaborative mural is nearing completion in the newly-remodeled Lydia M. Olson Library at Northern Michigan University. The artwork, by graphic design and ecology student Sydney Kuipers, depicts a variety of animals native to the Upper Peninsula arranged in a geometric-like pattern. It is located front and center along the wall near the information services desk. Campus and community members have assisted in painting the mural.
Olson Library Mural Design

Celebration of Student Scholarship April 16

Northern Michigan University will host its 30th annual Celebration of Student Scholarship from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, April 16, in Jamrich Hall. The event highlights scholarly and creative work by undergraduate and graduate students across all disciplines. Presentations include posters, oral presentations, artistic performances and visual art displays. This follows another celebration of student scholarly activity: the inaugural Winter Research Day held earlier this semester.  
Pictured from left: Zoe Moreno, runnerup in the Winter Research Day 3MT competition; Sarah Amidon and Dr. Susy Ziegler of NMU Graduate Studies and Research; and Sarah O’Neill, winner of the 3MT first place and People's Choice awards.

Colwitz Co-Hosts Panel at ACDA Midwestern Conference

Northern Michigan University Director of Choral Activities Erin Colwitz recently collaborated with colleague and friend Gabriela Hristova from the University of Michigan–Flint to host a panel discussion at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Midwestern conference. Their panel focused on one of the most pressing challenges facing higher education music programs today: how to serve a student population that arrives with wildly varying levels of preparation, while still maintaining the rigor the profession demands.
Erin Colwitz (left) and Gabriel Hristova

NMU Music Performances Scheduled

Northern Michigan University's Music Department will present its final ensemble concerts of the semester featuring Symphonic Band & Wind Ensemble, Trombone Choir and the NMU Orchestra. The University Choir and Arts Chorale will also join the Marquette Choral Society for two performances later this month. Admission to all but the latter is free. 

NMU Sigma Tau Delta Chapter Presents Work at International Convention

Eight representatives of the Northern Michigan University Eta Phi Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society, presented their scholarly, creative and collaborative work at the 2026 Sigma Tau Delta Annual International Convention March 29–April 1 in New Orleans, La. Chapter President Kailey Buettner won first place in creative nonfiction; Alexandria Bournonville won an honorable mention in the alumni award category; and Isabel Nameth-Beck won the chapter display award. NMU's chapter will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year.
NMU students pictured with keynote speaker Aimee Nezhukumatathil (center)

Alumnus Releases New Book

NMU alumnus J.C. Vande Zande (‘93 BS) released a new horror novel set in Michigan that continues his exploration of psychological storytelling and human struggle. “Blood of the Witness Tree” is a sequel to his earlier novel, “The Dance of Rotten Sticks,” and is set in Northern Michigan's Pigeon River Forest. It blends elements of literary fiction with horror, focusing on deeper themes such as anxiety, grief and the human condition.
J.C. Vande Zande and the cover of his new book

Salamander Migration Has New Citizen Science Component

Each spring, blue-spotted salamanders emerge from their underground burrows at Presque Isle Park in Marquette and venture across the road to lay their eggs. Northern Michigan University students have been involved in conservation, data collection and public education efforts for this annual event, but this year, the general public is invited to play a more active role in salamander migration research. Northern Michigan University Biology Department Head Jill Leonard encourages community members to participate in the Marquette Citizen Science Project.
Blue-spotted salamander (NMU Biology photo)