All News Releases

Alumnus Named Grand Rapids Library Director

Jun. 6, 2018 —

John McNaughton (BA 1999) was recently affirmed as director of the Grand Rapids Public Library. He has 17 years' experience, most recently as director of the Romeo District Library in southeast Michigan, where he helped to create a Teen Services department, re-design the lobby to improve customer services and developed a new strategic plan. McNaughton previously served as director of the Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library. He earned an English degree from NMU and his master's in library and information science from Wayne State. 

NMU Offers CPR, Basic Life Support Courses

May. 31, 2018 —
Northern Michigan University’s School of Health and Human Performance will offer three American Heart Association courses this summer: certification in both First Aid/CPR/AED and Basic Life Support; and a non-certified community Family & Friends CPR course. The schedule is contingent on demand and staff availability. Pre-registration is required. NMU students, faculty, staff, spouses and retirees receive a $10 discount on the certification courses.

NMU One of Top Colleges for Skiers

May. 31, 2018 —
The snow has melted from the slopes, but "POWDER" magazine just published "The Best East Coast Colleges for Skiers" and Northern Michigan University was among the top-five selections featured. Even the editors acknowledged the geographical conundrum of including NMU in the same category as colleges in eastern states such as Vermont and New Hampshire.

'Four the Water' Paddling Lake Superior

Image of the Four the Water members
May. 30, 2018 —
Two NMU students and two alumni comprise Four the Water, a group circumnavigating Lake Superior by kayak to raise awareness of the importance of clean water and funding for nonprofits that protect the Great Lakes. The friends reported on Facebook meeting friendly and interesting people in their first week, including a “wonderful gentleman who shared many stories with us about life on Au Train Island since the late ‘70s, including his pet wolf (not really his pet, but he has one on the island).” There was also Ben, “who taught us how he nets fish as he is a Chippewa Native, allowing us to hop on his canoe.” They will make a documentary about their journey and hope to screen it at film festivals in the Great Lakes region.

NMU EcoReps Makes Impressive Debut

May. 30, 2018 —
NMU EcoReps, a peer-to-peer educator program that focuses on environmentalism, social equity and economic vitality, made such an impressive debut in its first year that it ended the semester with Student Organization of the Year honors. Members also addressed the NMU Board of Trustees in May, lobbying for a $5 student opt-out fee for a proposed GreenFund that would support student sustainability initiatives. They were pleasantly shocked when the board voted on the spot to contribute $20,000 per semester to the organization’s operation for 2018-19 while exploring the viability of implementing a fee.

Hooper Earns Admissions Professional Award

Image of Kate Hooper
May. 30, 2018 —

Kate Hooper (BA 2010), a regional admissions counselor for Northern Michigan University, was awarded the Admissions Professional of the Year Award from the Wisconsin Association for College Admissions Counseling. She is based in Madison and works with prospective students in central and southern Wisconsin. Hooper earned her degree in public relations. She has worked for NMU for five years.

Students Assist GLCC Tree Planting Effort

May. 29, 2018 —

NMU students Breanne Wilmot (biology) and Lynnae Branham (environmental studies and sustainability) are assisting the Great Lakes Conservation Corps with a tree-planting project near Harlow Lake off County Road 550. The project is part of a Michigan DNR wildlife habitat project intended primarily for game species like white-tailed deer, with a potential trickle-down benefit for other species. Wilmot and Branham are featured in a "Mining Journal" article on the project.

Alumna Rehabilitates Birds of Prey

May. 25, 2018 —

NMU alumna Francie Krawcke is executive director of the Michigan Avian Experience, a birds of prey rehabilitation center located at her Columbia Township home, which includes more than 20 acres. After earning her bachelor's degree in interpretation and environmental education from NMU, Krawcke was a raptor educator or program director in Minnesota, South Carolina and Ann Arbor. To see an "Outdoor News" feature story on her work at her sanctuary, click here.

NMU Grad Active in Sports Video Production

Image of Tyler Schwemin
May. 23, 2018 —
Tyler Schwemin (BA '14) has held a number of video production positions in the professional and college sports arenas since graduating from NMU. For the past year, the Marquette native has worked as a graphics operator and video production technician for Professional Bull Riders Inc. He previously served as production assistant and later director of video production for the Charleston (S.C.) RiverDogs, the Class A affiliate of the New York Yankees. Schwemin also was a video producer at The Citadel, assisting in video production for a number of Bulldog athletic events. His freelance projects have included directing ESPN3 broadcasts of Citadel basketball, directing College of Charleston basketball games for the Charleston Sports Network and working for PBS’s “Charleston After America” documentary

Three NMU Buildings Closed Temporarily

May. 16, 2018 —
Northern Michigan University is closing three campus buildings as a precautionary measure to facilitate additional water testing after inconsistent lead level readings from limited test areas in each facility. The PEIF, Thomas Fine Arts and the Learning Resources Center will remain closed until NMU receives expedited independent laboratory results—potentially over the weekend—and makes a determination of whether additional investigation and testing is required. Employees in the three impacted buildings should contact their supervisors about working arrangements for the remainder of this week. Updated information will be available at www.nmu.edu/watertest.

U.P Broadband Listening Session May 24

May. 15, 2018 —
The Michigan Consortium of Advanced Networks (MCAN) will hold listening sessions across the state to gather feedback on the best ways to strengthen broadband access and connectivity in the state. MCAN Vice Chair Gavin Leach of Northern Michigan University will host the Upper Peninsula listening session. The event is scheduled from 2-3:30 p.m. Thursday, May 24, in 1318 Jamrich Hall at NMU.

U.P. Folklife Award Winners Named

May. 7, 2018 —

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center has announced the 2018 recipients of the Upper Peninsula Folklife Award. The award honors individuals who have worked to preserve and promote folk traditions, as well as organizations and businesses that have helped to promote and preserve the region's culture. The two awardees are French Canadian musician Dave Bezotte and the Trenary Home Bakery.

NMU Board Approves Tuition and Fees Schedule

May. 4, 2018 —
The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees today demonstrated its support for continued transformation led by a strategic plan that focuses on investment and innovation. Trustees approved a 2018-19 tuition and fees schedule that will generate additional investment dollars while preserving NMU’s longtime rank of second-lowest tuition and fees among Michigan’s public universities. The combined average cost for full-time resident undergraduates will be $5,280.50 per semester, an increase of $245 per semester from last year’s rate.

NMU Board Presents Student Awards

Image of reward recipents
May. 4, 2018 —
The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees presented its annual Student Achievement Awards for significant contributions to the quality of life at NMU through extracurricular activities or work in a university department. Recipients were: Meghan Hohenstein of Bloomington, Minn., Outstanding Female Graduating Senior; Adam Kall of Davenport, Iowa, Outstanding Male Graduating Senior; Samantha Black of Caledonia, Mich., Outstanding Student of Any Class; and Joseph Roberts, Outstanding Nontraditional Student. Michelle Gardiner, who will be relocating from Texas to Germany with the U.S. Air Force, received the new Outstanding Global Campus Student award.

Triplets Graduate from Same Program with 4.0 GPAs

Image of the triplets Jacob, Phillip, and Ryan
May. 4, 2018 —
It is not common for triplets to graduate from the same college, but the Rhodes brothers of Memphis, Mich., have ramped up the rarity factor at Northern Michigan University. All three will receive bachelor’s degrees on May 5 in the same major—construction management—and all have earned a perfect 4.0 grade-point average over their academic careers. They even share the same professional goal of someday running their own construction firm. The trio is composed of Jacob and Phillip, who are identical, and Ryan, who is fraternal.

NMU Brings Back RAD Course

May. 3, 2018 —
Northern Michigan University will bring back its one-credit RAD self-defense course for women in the fall. The goal of the RAD approach is to reduce victimization through informed decision-making choices and sensible action. It is a practical blend of threat-avoidance strategies and real-world assault resistance tactics.