All News Releases

Five Northern Michigan University students selected for Anna and Rich Lundin Honors Summer Research Fellowships will give presentations on their projects during a virtual symposium from 5-6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9. Through donor support, the NMU Honors Program is able to award fellows $5,000 to conduct research alongside a faculty member, focusing on a particular area of their respective major or minor. 

In response to the community spread of the COVID-19 virus, as reflected by an increased number of positive cases among off-campus students, NMU will pause recreational sports activities at the PEIF and Wildcat Fit Zone. The two facilities will tentatively reopen Monday, Nov. 16. President Fritz Erickson said the goal is to further mitigate congregating of students, faculty and staff.

NMU alumna Mallory Fischer ('15 BS) is the new communications and membership specialist for Environmental Defenders of McHenry County, a nonprofit based in her hometown of Woodstock, Ill. According to its website, Defenders' teams and committees address issues facing natural areas, water resources and open spaces, as well as decisions being made by county and city officials that could impact the environment.

Kristin Johnson, a marketing professional born and raised in Gladstone, has joined Innovate Marquette SmartZone as marketing coordinator. She is responsible for mentoring the Invent@NMU student marketing team and overseeing all of its client work. Invent@NMU's mission is to spark economic development by providing Upper Peninsula residents with resources to take their product or business ideas to market.

Northern Michigan University will host a virtual Climate@Noon presentation titled “The Color of Bunny” from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6. Assistant Biology Professor Diana Lafferty will present about how a mismatch in seasonal coat color provides a visual metaphor for how climate change may affect Earth's biodiversity. 

They toiled in Upper Peninsula mines and mills. But on weekends, the muscles forged by the sweat of their labor would be on display against some of the NFL's finest football teams. This rich deposit of U.P. football history is being unearthed in a new television documentary titled "Linked to Legends: The U.P. Teams that Played the Packers." The film by Northern Michigan University Professor Dwight Brady will debut later this month on WNMU-TV.

NMU alumnus William Provost ('20 BS, '13 MA, '10 BS) recently became the first to complete a course and certification offered through NMU's Upper Peninsula Cybersecurity Institute (UPCI), which opened on campus in May 2019. The UPCI offers non-degree and industry credentials relevant to emerging careers, augments NMU's existing cyber defense bachelor's degree and provides career exploration and training opportunities for K-12 school districts.

Northern's annual Diversity Common Reader Program (DCRP) revolves around a nonfiction book of interdisciplinary interest that advances discussions of diversity, inclusion and justice. This year's selection, Ta-Nehisi Coates' "Between the World and Me," is available free to NMU students, starting today. Two related virtual events are planned Nov. 13.

The Northern Michigan University Alumni Association will continue its Northern Now monthly digital event series with a presentation by permafrost expert and alumnus Fritz Nelson ('73 BS). His talk is titled "Hell of a Highway: Permafrost and the Development of the Alcan Project." It will begin at 7 p.m. (EST) Wednesday, Nov. 11.

Northern Michigan University Alumni Mark Mattson ('97 BS, '02 MAE) and Christian Wilson ('92 BS) were named recipients of the Michigan High School Athletic Association's (MHSAA) Allen W. Bush Award for 2020.

Communications professional Ron Beacom ('82 BA) is the new managing editor for Catalyst Midland, an online media/news company that shares stories of people and their businesses or organizations making positive changes across the region.

Northern Michigan University student organizations will offer area children a safe, drive-through "Trunk or Treating" experience on Halloween. They will decorate trunks of vehicles and have them set up from 4-6 p.m. in the PEIF parking lot at the corner of Presque Isle Avenue and Fair Street.

Jill Deno ('20 BSN), an oncology nurse navigator at OSF St. Francis Hospital in Escanaba, was selected from 13,000 nurses employed at 14 OSF HealthCare hospitals to receive the 2020 Nursing Legacy Award. The graduate of Northern's online RN to BSN program was nominated by her manager for her efforts with cancer patients. As a breast cancer survivor herself, Deno works to ensure that no one goes through the journey alone. 

Northern Michigan University's Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center and Center for Upper Peninsula Studies will present the 2020 Sonderegger Symposium Friday, Nov. 6. The event will be entirely virtual and will feature 18 sessions and 35 presenters. The theme of this year's event focuses on "Insider/Outsider" issues in the Upper Peninsula region.

The Northern Michigan University Alumni Association has launched a Wildcat Authors directory. Similar to its Wildcats Mean Business campaign supporting alumni-owned businesses, the authors directory is an effort to promote the published books of Wildcat alumni across the country and encourage the NMU community to support these authors.

NMU alumnus Brom Stibitz ('05 MPA) was recently appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as director of the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB), after serving as acting director since March. He is also the state's chief information officer, managing all aspects of cybersecurity and information technology across state government.

WNMU-TV at Northern Michigan University has joined the Michigan Learning Channel, a statewide public television partnership offering instructional content to support the education of students and to provide alternative curriculum resources for families and teachers.

Northern Michigan University's Theatre and Dance department will host its 2020-21 academic season of performances in a virtual mode in light of the COVID-19 pandemic

Northern Michigan University will restrict guests on campus for a two-week period to mitigate risks associated with rising COVID-19 cases in Marquette County , other areas of the Upper Peninsula and neighboring Wisconsin. The restrictions will be effective from 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, to Friday, Nov. 6.

Northern Michigan University and Peter White Public Library will host a presentation by Barbara Carney-Coston, author of To the Copper Country: Miheala's Journey, at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 20. The children's book is one of the 2020 selections of Two Books Two Communities. Register for the Zoom event here, by visiting nmu.edu/onebook/twobooks or the group's Facebook page. A recording will be available for later viewing.