All News Releases

Northern Michigan University’s Forest Roberts Theatre will present a modified performance of its world-premiere ballet East of the Sun, West of the Moon aimed at children and adults who are either on the autism spectrum or have sensory issues. The goal is to preserve the entertainment value of the show so families can enjoy it together while also creating a supportive environment. The performance is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26. Free admission for those with sensory issues is made possible through private donor support.

NMU alumnus Patrick Crowley ('97 BS) will serve as the chief public defender for the new Marquette County Public Defender's Office, which was developed to meet standards recently put in place by the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission. His official start date is Feb. 4. Crowley attended the University of Dayton Law School and has practiced law since 2003, most recently at a Lansing-area firm. He has experience defending charges ranging from misdemeanors to high-level felonies and capital offenses.

“Understanding Social Motivation in Autism” is the topic of the next presentation in the Your Health Lecture Series at Northern Michigan University. Barbara Thompson of Michigan State University College of Human Medicine will be the presenter. Attendees will learn about the brain mechanisms involved in social motivation, gain awareness of individual differences in social behaviors and recognize the need for individualized interventions for disorders of social behaviors. The lecture will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, in Reynolds Recital Hall. Admission is free.

More than 300 donor-funded scholarships are available at NMU through the generous financial support of alumni, faculty/staff and friends of the university. The application system will be open Monday, Jan. 28, through Monday, Feb. 18. 

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently appointed two NMU alumni to posts in her administration. Mark Burton (’99 BS) is her chief strategist. Capt. Joe Gasper (‘97 BA) is the new director of the Michigan State Police.

Northern Michigan University will present its second annual Snowfest, a winter semester kick-off event, on Wednesday, Jan. 16. Free activities from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. include snow biking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing demos on the academic mall. NMU students receive free access to the Noquemanon Trail Network’s interconnected year-round, non-motorized land and water trail system. They can also check out bikes, skis and snowshoes for use on the NTN at no charge. 

Northern Michigan University will honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with a week-long celebration. A Day of Service will be held on Monday, Jan. 21. The event kicks off with a campus march for equality. Participants will assemble at noon in the lobby of the Forest Roberts Theatre. The march will proceed to the Lodge at The Woods student housing complex for a program titled “Poetry Without Borders: Let Freedom Ring” and light refreshments.

NMU Economics Professor David Prychitko co-edited The Market Process: Essays in Contemporary Austrian Economics. The book was published in December by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and covers issues ranging from equilibrium theory and free banking to public choice and the problems of contemporary social reform. It is an introduction to the diversity of contemporary Austrian economics and its innovative trajectory of research in the late 20th century economics.

NMU alumna and State Rep. Sara Cambensy ('02 BS '09 CER '11 MPA) was named assistant House Democratic floor leader for the 2019-2020 legislative term. Cambensy is serving her second term representing the 109th House District and previously served on the agriculture, local government and natural resources committees.

Joe Lubig, associate dean for teacher education and director for the School of Education, Leadership and Public Service at NMU, will represent public colleges and universities on Michigan's 21st Century Education Commission. Gov. Rick Snyder appointed Lubig to a three-year term. Snyder created the commission in 2016 to analyze top-performing education systems in the nation and identify issues impacting Michigan’s academic success, recommending changes to restructure Michigan’s education system.

A team of biologists, including NMU alumnus Tom Gable ('16 MS) and master's student Austin Homkes, has documented a pack of wolves in Minnesota's Voyageurs National Park that hunts fish as a seasonal food source. They even captured some night-vision video of the activity (link provided below). This discovery, along with earlier studies through the Voyageurs Wolf Project, suggests the animals' diets are more varied than previously thought.

NMU Psychological Science Professor Josh Carlson has been selected as the sixth recipient of the Quad-L Early Career Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the field of learning, memory and cognition. The Quad-L trust was founded at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque by Professor Frank Logan and his wife, Julie. It recognizes the scholarly contributions of one scientist each year.

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees today received a draft of the Strategic Resource Allocation (SRA) report from the implementation task force. The SRA project aligns with the university’s strategic plan by identifying opportunities for transformational change and reallocating resources to implement them. Beginning last year, it reviewed more than 600 academic and support programs campus-wide. The draft report extends beyond the individual program summaries to recommend several transformation initiatives.

Northern Michigan University grounds crews will launch a preemptive strike against snow and ice accumulation on campus walkways in an effort to enhance safety. The new method—pre-treating pavement with a liquid agent in advance of forecasted precipitation—might seem counterintuitive. But the brine solution composed of water and 23 percent salt has proven effective in thwarting the formation of ice.

Steven Donley will not be attending Northern Michigan University’s Dec. 15 commencement to receive his MBA, only so that two graduating seniors he supervises at the local Best Buy can enjoy the morning off to participate in the ceremony. Upon hearing about his generous and unselfish gesture, NMU administrators decided to bring graduation to him at the store on Thursday. They surprised Donley by setting up an NMU backdrop, outfitting him in a cap and gown, conducting a master’s hooding ceremony and presenting him with a diploma.

Liberty Turner from Harrison Township has been selected as the student commencement speaker for the Dec. 15 graduation ceremony at Northern Michigan University. She will share her own story of transitioning through college and overcoming challenges to demonstrate how perseverance can lead to professional success.

“Due to my academic standing when I arrived at Northern, I really needed a school that wanted me to succeed just as must as I wanted to,” Turner said. “That’s why I went to Northern, but I fell in love with campus when I became engaged with the supportive community.”

NMU President Fritz Erickson summarized the Campus Master Plan at Wednesday’s meeting of the Strategic Planning and Budgeting Advisory Committee. Key elements, all of which are contingent on external funding, include strengthening the academic core and creating an expanded arts corridor with a new university-community performance venue and parking ramp.

Ford Motor Company has donated a 2013 Ford Focus to Northern Michigan University’s automotive technology program. Assistant Professor Randy Klitzke said the car introduces students to a dual-clutch transmission, which is discussed in class, but was previously unavailable to demonstrate in the shop. The feature combines elements of both manual and automatic transmissions, with two clutches—one controlling odd gears and the other even—but no clutch pedal or stick shift.

Nine Northern Michigan University faculty members were honored at the Dec. 6 Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship celebration. Award recipients were: Gary Brunswick and Jon Sherman, Excellence in Teaching; Marek Haltof and James Strain, Excellence in Scholarship; David Donovan and Jessica Thompson, Excellence in Leadership; Shirley Brozzo, Excellence in Part-time Faculty Teaching; Stacy Boyer-Davis, Excellence in Online Teaching; and Mounia Ziat, Technology Innovation.