All News Releases

College football coaching legend and NMU alumnus Lloyd Carr will be the 2024 American Heart Association's Paul "Bear" Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. The honor is given to college football's finest coaches, recognizing their outstanding achievements and extraordinary contributions on and off the field. Carr was a star quarterback at NMU, leading the Wildcats to an undefeated season in 1967. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1968 and a master of arts in education in 1970, and was inducted into the NMU Sports Hall of Fame. His 13-year coaching stint at the University of Michigan included the 1997 National Championship, five Big Ten titles and four consecutive Bowl game wins.

Northern Michigan University will offer a new faculty-led special topics course next semester that includes travel to the San Francisco Bay area to compare its urban food systems and partners with those in the rural Marquette area. Information sessions are scheduled at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, in Jacobetti room 200 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, in the Northern Center room 2214.

Emily Lanctot, director and curator of Northern Michigan University's DeVos Art Museum, recently participated in a two-week residency that brings an international consortium of artists to Monte Castello di Vibio, Italy. The gathering culminates in an exhibition of artworks and corresponding catalog.  

Northern Michigan University's Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center is featuring a landmark exhibition titled “Claiming Michigan: The 1820 Expedition of Lewis Cass.” The governor of the Michigan territory and 35 companions traveled from Detroit to what would become Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The exhibit includes a 30-foot replica voyageur canoe on loan from La Compagnie Historical Society of Minnesota, dozens of images, journal excerpts, detailed narrative information and large-format maps.

Northern Michigan University environmental studies and sustainability major Elizabeth Williams completed a three-month internship at BLOXHUB, the Nordic hub for sustainable urbanization in Copenhagen, Denmark. She pursued the opportunity as a recipient of the prestigious Voyager Scholarship created by the Obama Foundation and Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb. She states her dream is to redesign cities in ways that are equitable and financially, socially and environmentally sustainable.

Northern Michigan University's vocal ensembles, under the direction of Erin Colwitz, will present two free performances this month in Reynolds Recital Hall. The NMU Arts Chorale will join participating U.P. high school groups for the NMU Choral Festival evening concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9. It will also perform with the NMU Choir in a fall concert titled "Women in Music" at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15. 

Minneapolis-based string duo The OK Factor and award-winning Swedish quintet Jaerv will perform together as part of the Siril Concert Series at Northern Michigan University. They will present their program Traditions at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, at 7:30 p.m., in Reynolds Recital Hall.

Northern Michigan University education professors Abby Cameron-Standerford, Bethney Bergh and Christi Edge wrote and co-edited an open-source textbook titled “Pausing at the Threshold: Opportunity Through, With, and For Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices.” The book was published by Equity Press.  

Northern Michigan University's Native American Student Association will host four events on Indigenous Peoples Day Monday, Oct. 9. Activities include morning and evening celebrations, a healing march and a reception. 

Northern Michigan University professor Stacy Boyer-Davis, who also serves as assistant department head of accounting and the MBA program in the College of Business, has been appointed to the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA) Board of Directors.

Northern Michigan University's Theatre and Dance Department will host a 60th anniversary reception and inaugural alumni awards celebration to honor exceptional achievements in the entertainment arts.

The Northern Michigan University Foundation Board of Directors has announced three new members: Cain Besse of Marquette, a 2011 economics and personal finance alumnus; Nicole Blemberg of Menomonee Falls, Wis., who earned a bachelor's in English in 2004; and Lisa Tomsheck of Arlington Heights, Ill., a 1985 business administration alumna.  

The investiture of a university president is an enduring tradition in academia, typically held during or at the conclusion of the individual's first year in office. Northern Michigan University's 17th president, Brock Tessman, was formally invested with the rank during a ceremony this afternoon. The event provided an opportunity for the campus and community to welcome new leadership and celebrate successes early in Tessman's tenure that signal Northern is on an upward trajectory.

Northern Michigan University Theatre & Dance will present the musical "Monty Python's Spamalot” Oct. 12-14 and 19-20. Director and NMU assistant professor Jimmy Ludwig appeared in the original Broadway production of the show, sharing the stage with familiar veterans Tim Curry, Hank Azaria and David Hyde-Pierce.

Bruce Closser, a Marquette resident and 1967 business administration graduate of Northern Michigan University, successfully completed a Guinness World Record attempt to become the oldest person to bike across the country. At age 78, he traveled from Yorktown, Va. to Astoria, Oregon via the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail. The 4,200 mile journey traverses mountain passes, national parks and major cities.

Northern Michigan University Swimming and Diving earned Scholar All-American status for its men's and women's teams last semester from the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA). Eight women and eight men student-athletes also earned Individual Scholar All-American recognition.

Northern Michigan University's Music Department will host a jazz concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4, in Reynolds Recital Hall. The free event will feature the NMU Jazz Band, a standard big band with close to 20 members, directed by Patrick Booth, and two smaller jazz combos directed by Mark Flaherty.

Award-winning Dutch violinist Tim Kliphuis will perform as the Marquette Symphony Orchestra's guest artist at Northern Michigan University. The recital is at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8, in Reynolds Recital Hall. A masterclass with Kilphuis will also be offered from 3-4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6, in Reynolds Recital Hall.

College for Kids is returning to Northern Michigan University's Seaborg Center for children in grades K-6. Several hands-on, age-appropriate STEM classes will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 21, and on Saturday, Nov. 11. They address motion, engineering, gravity and other subjects.

Elizabeth Smart, the kidnapping survivor whose nine-month abduction garnered national news coverage and later compelled her to light the way for others as a child safety advocate and author, will speak at Northern Michigan University on Monday, Oct. 2. Her talk begins at 7 p.m. in the Northern Center Grand Ballroom and will be followed by a book signing. Tickets are $5 for the general public and free for NMU students with ID.