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Northern Michigan University alumna Jess Parker is in the process of writing a children's book, a departure from her previously published award-winning collection of poems titled Star Things. She said she is excited to be able to continue her writing and branch out to other genres.

First-year college students may have some trepidation when they move into campus housing with a stranger, wondering whether it will be a good fit. For a group of seven Northern Michigan University alumni, it turned into an opportunity to grow friendships to last a lifetime. They had such a positive experience in the former Gant hall that they moved into an off-campus house together and continue to meet annually 30 years later.

Writer JJ Peña, who has a story featured in The Best Microfiction 2020 anthology, will be the next guest writer hosted by Northern Michigan University's Visiting Writers Program. The event takes place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov 10, in the Northern Center Peninsula I room. Admission is free.

Northern Michigan University graduate Emily Doskey ‘14 BSN and her husband, Luke Doskey—both Houghton natives—are in the Top 50 in Michael Bublé and Derek Hough's national "Higher" Dance Contest. They are hoping to crack the Top 25 in public voting that closes early Sunday at 3 a.m. EST. The couple entered the competition by submitting a video of them dancing the Argentine tango to Bublé's song "Higher."

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center is hosting the 22nd installment of the Sonderegger Symposium, a series of presentations about Upper Peninsula topics revolving around a theme, from 8 a.m. to 5:35 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, in the Northern Center Ballroom III. Admission is free. Attendees will be provided a free lunch, during which the U.P. Folklife Awards will be presented. 

The Irish folk band Altan is coming to Northern Michigan University as a part of the Beaumier Heritage Concert series. The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, in the Northern Center Ballrooms.

Historic photograph preservationist Jack Deo of Marquette and local quilter and textile preservationist Alice Johnson are the 2022 recipients of the Upper Peninsula Folklife Awards presented by the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at Northern Michigan University. They will be honored at noon Friday, Nov. 4, at the Sonderegger Symposium luncheon in Ballroom III of the Northern Center. The event is free and open to the public. 

Several members of the NMU Student Veterans of America organization, along with alumni veterans, participated in the "Ghosts of Lighthouse Point" fundraiser Oct. 20-22, which raised more than $4,000 for the Marquette Maritime Museum. The annual event also gathered hundreds of pounds of nonperishable donations for the NMU Food Pantry.

Northern Michigan University alumna Megan Persons is one of the Grand Rapids Business Journal's “40 Under 40” award recipients. The annual awards program, celebrating its 20th year, honors dynamic young professionals who have achieved personal success and make significant civic contributions to West Michigan. Persons graduated in 2012 with a major in secondary education/history and a minor in gender studies. She is the enrollment equity coordinator for Grand Rapids Public Schools.

Northern Michigan University alumnus Matthew Bizoe is among the 16 individuals selected by the Michigan Arts and Culture Council for its 2022-23 cohort of Rising Leaders. He is the marketing manager for Krasl Art Center in Saint Joseph, Mich. Bizoe is responsible for developing marketing strategies for exhibitions, education, development and events, including the nationally recognized Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff.

Northern Michigan University MBA alumnus Ben Collins was recently hired as the new general manager for Cedarburg Light & Water Utility in Wisconsin.  He previously served as manager of utility planning and projects for Marquette Board of Light and Power. 

Megan O'Connor, a 2018 Northern Michigan University graduate, has joined WZMQ-TV 19 for a weekly segment that launched earlier this month. O'Connor talks about popular events and top Upper Peninsula trends in “What's UP with Megan,” which airs at 6 p.m. each Tuesday.

Northern Michigan University's Pride of the North marching band, under the direction of Professor Stephen Grugin, is taking its show on the road for performances in the Grand Rapids and Gaylord areas Oct. 21-23. The 140-member group will provide halftime entertainment for two football games and perform a downtown concert on the return trip to Marquette.

The Northern Michigan University Percussion Ensemble holding its first concert of the season at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, in Reynolds Recital Hall. Admission is free and open to the public.

Northern Michigan University's hospitality management and cosmetology programs will host a community open house for their new facilities in the Northern Center from 3-8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3. In addition to touring the spaces, attendees are invited to share ideas for names for the new restaurant and salon, both of which are open to the public.

Northern Michigan University alumnus Jeff Vande Zande will give a reading from his newly published fifth novel, "Rules of Order," at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, at Peter White Public Library. The 1993 graduate had previously published a short story collection and was inspired to expand upon one of the pieces contained within it. Soon after Vande Zande began the project, his writing intensified during the early stage of the pandemic. He managed to complete a book-length draft in only six weeks.

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at Northern Michigan University is featuring an exhibition titled “Above/Under the Surface: The Fisheries of the Upper Great Lakes” through December in its Gries Hall gallery. The exhibition looks at the changes that have taken place in the fish populations and the impact of human beings on native fish species. Admission is free.

Northern Michigan University Theatre & Dance will present its first-ever devised production, in which the entire creative team develops the script and show collaboratively. The world premiere of Finding Home celebrates members of historically marginalized communities who have shared their experiences at NMU and in the Marquette area. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 4-5 and 9-12 in the Panowski Black Box Theatre. A sensory-friendly performance will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5.

Northern Michigan University researchers were involved in a recent collaborative study of the gut microbiome of Alaskan brown bears, which shows that the microbial life in bears' guts allows them to achieve comparable size and fat stores while eating widely different diets.

Nationally recognized suicide prevention speaker David Woods Bartley will give a free public presentation titled "Suicide is the Enemy, But Not the Target: How Shifting Our Aim Can Help Change the Outcome" at Northern Michigan University. The event begins at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, in Northern Center Ballrooms I and II.