All News Releases

The second annual Great Lakes Cannabis Education Conference (GLCEC), which debuted last year as the first large-scale gathering of cannabis education in the region, will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, in the Northern Center Ballrooms at Northern Michigan University. The conference seeks to showcase developing trends in cannabis education and scholarship, as well as insights from industry leaders and experts at the forefront of the sector's evolving landscape.

Northern Michigan University's new football head coach Shane Richardson will be featured during the next Northern Now digital event at 7 p.m. EST Wednesday, April 12. The discussion will be moderated by Steve Mariucci, NFL Network analyst and show host, with special appearances by New York Jets Head Coach Robert Saleh and NMU Athletic Director Rick Comley. All four are also NMU alumni.

NoMAD, a Northern Michigan University student organization that promotes local and underground music, is hosting an event featuring female-led rock and punk bands titled “Ra Ra Rock for Your Rights” at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 8 in the Northern Center Grand Ballroom. NoMAD is short for Northern Michigan Artist Discovery.

The top three finishers in Northern Michigan University's March 29 performance competition for music majors, all of whom will receive scholarships, were: Darren Hicks, a senior from Manistique, who received first place for his performance on the marimba; Nicholas Wegrzyn, a sophomore from Buckley, who earned second on saxophone; and Noah Nettell, a sophomore from Chassell, who placed third for his piano piece. 

Officials at Northern Michigan University announced the appointment of William (Bill) Vajda as the new director of the Upper Peninsula Cybersecurity Institute (UPCI).

Rock and roll will never die. That's what members of Sunstone, a band made up of Marquette natives and former Northern Michigan University students had to say when they recently reunited after 50 years to record and release their original song, “Marquette County Line.” Despite living in different parts of the United States, songwriter Barry Seymour found a way to keep the spirit alive by recording the song remotely.

Members of Marquette's Superior String Alliance will perform at Northern Michigan University on Thursday, April 6. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in Reynolds Recital Hall.

The Northern Michigan University Percussion Ensemble will present its annual winter semester concert under the direction of professor James Strain at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 1. The concert will be held at Reynolds Recital Hall or can be virtually streamed via subscription through the School of Music, Theater and Dance Broadcast Network. 

Four women who graduated from Northern Michigan University and hold leadership positions will participate in a panel discussion to celebrate Women's History Month as part of the next Northern Now digital event hosted by NMU Alumni Relations. They will share how NMU prepared them for their careers, any obstacles they have overcome, and ways they impact the communities in which they live. The event is scheduled at 7 p.m. EST Tuesday, March 28. 

Northern Michigan University's annual Gender Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, March 31. The event will feature student projects, tables staffed by student and community organizations, and main conversation space in the Northern Center Ballroom I. Sociology assistant professor Heather Mooney will give a presentation titled "A Call for Institutional Courage" at 1:30 p.m. in the Northern Center Founders Room.

The culminating event in the NMU's College of Business' annual new business venture competition for students from all majors featured a trade show and Business After Hours, along with two "Shark Tank"-style competitions. Student Rachel Harvey won the Big Pitch, crowd favorite and best trade show presentation for Superior K9 Aquatic Therapy. 

Standing 75 yards away from two Alaskan brown bears playing in a river, NMU biology graduate teaching assistant Rylee Jensen was able to snap an award-winning photo while she was working at Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park. The picture was entered into the PetaPixel photo competition and won the grand prize: a trip to the Galapagos Islands on the National Geographic Islander II and an OM System camera with two M. Zuiko lenses.

In honor of Women's History Month, Northern Michigan University First Lady Kristin Tessman shares a short list of the historical and contemporary women she most admires, effective qualities possessed by female leaders she has encountered, and her deliberate efforts to demonstrate to her young daughters that they are capable of becoming or achieving anything they desire.

Northern Michigan University's online applied workplace leadership program is one of the best organizational leadership bachelor's degrees in the nation, according to a 2023 listing compiled by OrganizationalLeadershipEdu.org. 

More than 50 Northern Michigan University students—mostly criminal justice majors—are volunteering as role players for active shooter training scenarios being conducted this week by the Michigan State Police Emergency Support Team (ES Team) in the former hospital's emergency room. Representatives of all Marquette County law enforcement agencies are participating. One NMU student even came up with an idea for a new scenario that became part of the training.

Beverly Matherne, professor emerita of English at Northern Michigan University, has been selected as the 2023/2024 U.P. Poet Laureate. The former director of NMU's Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing and poetry editor of Passages North literary magazine is the author of seven poetry books.

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center is hosting a live virtual event, “An Evening with Jeannie Thoren,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 30. The Marquette native and NMU alumna has spent the past three decades researching the way women ski and developing specialized equipment for them, earning her a place among Skiing magazine's “Top 25 Most Influential People in Skiing in the last 50 years.” She will share her career experiences, as well as what it was like growing up skiing on Cliff's Ridge (Marquette Mountain). Participants will be able to ask questions during the live stream.

Steve Burns, best known as the original host of the long-running children's television program Blues Clues, will visit Northern Michigan University. He will participate in a moderated Q&A session titled "What Happened to Steve?" at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 28, in the Northern Center Grand Ballroom. A meet and greet will follow at 8:15 p.m. 

Northern Michigan University alumna Sharon Valascho is one of six finalists for the Detroit Red Wings Teacher of the Year, a title that comes with a $5,000 classroom grant and a virtual meet and greet with a Red Wings player. The elementary art teacher and avid hockey player earned Red Wings Teacher of the Month in January, and said she is hoping she has what it takes to clinch the overall win.

A company formed by three Northern Michigan University alumni that is focused on keeping space clear of orbital debris has earned its second straight Michigan Best Small Business award. Marquette-based Kall Morris Inc. (KMI) will be among the honorees at the 19th annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business gala on May 2 in East Lansing.