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“Letters Jim Harrison May Never Read.” “Walt Whitman and His Lake Superior Baptism.” “John Lennon at the Old Marquette Inn.” “Chagall Taught Me How to Drive.” These are some of the titles featured in Northern Michigan University English Professor Russell Thorburn's latest collection of poetry, And the Heart Will Not Quicken. The book is populated by imaginative scenarios featuring pop culture, artistic and literary legends who move freely across various decades and countries.

Northern Michigan University College of Business students participated in a January short-term study-abroad experience in Panama, where they worked alongside rural and Indigenous entrepreneurs to strengthen and grow local businesses.

Venus Joy Brown describes herself as “a connector who helps people be better, do better and perform better.” This quality contributed to her recognition as one of nine “Sisters with Superpowers” by rollingout.com two years ago. It is also a guiding mantra for her career in organizational effectiveness and leadership development, her community service, and her role as a Northern Michigan University trustee.

Northern Michigan University's Music Department will host a free jazz concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, in Reynolds Recital Hall. The event will feature the NMU Jazz Band, composed of nearly 20 players representing various academic majors and directed by Mark Flaherty, along with two smaller ensembles coached by Patrick Booth.

Northern Michigan University will host two free public activities during the UP 200 Powered by NMU sled dog race on Friday, Feb. 13. A warm-up party at the Trenary Toast Café, attended by new NMU President Chris Olsen and his wife, Jennifer, is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. Complimentary coffee, hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls will be available. 

Emily Lanctot, a Northern Michigan University alumna who serves as director and curator of NMU's DeVos Art Museum, will showcase her own paintings in a Hancock exhibition titled “Salaiset Ruokaohjeet: Secret Recipes.” An opening reception will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, and the exhibition will remain on display through March 5 at Finlandia Art Gallery in the Finnish American Heritage Center.

The Northern Michigan University College of Graduate Studies and Research will host its first Winter Research Day on Thursday, Feb. 19. This event is free and open to the public. It will be held in room 1100 John X. Jamrich Hall and the adjacent atrium.

Eleven Northern Michigan University faculty members have been selected to receive 2026 Faculty Research Grants. The awards of $7,000 each support scholarly activities such as publications, the creation of artistic works, research projects, and manuscript development. The recipients and their project titles are:

Northern Michigan University will celebrate the completed renovation of Harden Hall with a rededication ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 13, in the Olson Library Atrium. The event will include refreshments, open house activities and facility tours from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Northern Michigan University Theatre and Dance will present “A Streetcar Named Desire,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Tennessee Williams, Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 19-21 and 26-28, in the Panowski Black Box Theatre. The show will be directed by assistant professor Kaitlyn Frotton.

Four Northern Michigan University students or recent alumna, from among seven NMU applicants, have achieved semifinalist status by being recommended for awards through the annual U.S. Fulbright Program competition. The final selections will be made by Fulbright committees in the host countries between March-June.

When Northern Michigan University hosted the first full cold-weather training exercise for the Region 5 Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) last March, National Ski Patrol members from Michigan were among the participants. An article about the exercise is featured in this month's "Ski Patrol Magazine," which is distributed to 30,000 patrollers nationwide, and to industry partners such as equipment manufacturers and resort operators.

Northern Michigan University 2020 economics alumnus and former Wildcat Nordic skier Zak Ketterson will compete in his first Olympics next month as a member of the U.S. cross-country ski team. The Minneapolis native was one of the best collegiate skiers in the nation as a member of NMU's team from 2016/2017 through 2020/2021. He earned multiple All-American and All-Conference honors, regional victories and a CCSA Skier of the Year award. 

Northern Michigan University Criminal Justice Professor Charlie Mesloh contributed his expertise as a former police officer and researcher on crowd-control munitions to a Jan. 26 Minnesota Star Tribune article titled “Chemical munitions can pose toxic threat.” The story addressed concerns about the ingredients in grenades and canisters being deployed in Minneapolis, and their potential health consequences.

Northern Michigan University's Black Student Union will host a "Why Black History Month?" presentation by Political Science Professor Carter Wilson at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, in Jamrich 1319. Drawing from the works of a long list of scholars—ifrom WEB DuBois and Toni Morrison to Carter G. Woodson and Basil Davidson—Wilson will demonstrate that neither world or American history can be understood without an understanding of the roles and contributions of Africans and African Americans. 

Northern Michigan University Theatre and Dance will present “Cupid's Cabaret,” an immersive and potentially interactive performance set at a 1980s high school prom. 

Northern Michigan University's Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center will unveil two exhibits in its new gallery space in 223 Harden Hall: "The Conservationists: George Shiras III, Theodore Roosevelt and the Migratory Bird Act"; and a permanent display of artifacts, photographs and stories about NMU. The opening reception begins at noon Saturday, Jan. 31.

Former Northern Michigan University student and Wildcat football player Nick Baumgartner has qualified to compete in his fifth straight Olympics at age 44 as part of the USA snowboard cross (SBX) team. The Iron River native won a gold medal in 2022 with Lindsey Jacobellis in the debut of the mixed-team SBX event, becoming the oldest snowboarder to win an Olympic medal and the oldest U.S. gold medalist since the Winter Games in 1948.

Northern Michigan University will participate in the 2026 Education Preparation Provider Collaborative, a new two-year statewide initiative designed to improve teacher preparation recruitment, retention and quality, and to form a strong foundation to help teacher preparation programs be responsive to the evolving needs of today's students. NMU is one of only five Michigan universities selected as educator preparation programs for the collaborative.