All News Releases

May multimedia journalism graduate Kobe Manzo won two of the three awards presented in the College Visual Sports Feature category by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. WUPX Station Manager Lauren Lahtinen and Assistant Station Manager Sam Colburn won two statewide awards in the College Audio category. Multimedia production major Trevor Forsythe won the Stephen A. Marks Foundation Scholarship, awarded annually to one NMU student who exhibits professional promise within the broadcast industry. All were among 13 Northern Michigan University students who attended the MAB Student Broadcast Awards event in Lansing.

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at Northern Michigan University has launched a new website, "Walking Together - Finding Common Ground," as a companion to an exhibition by the same name that is touring Indigenous communities throughout the Upper Peninsula and the Midwest. The site includes historical information about Indigenous experiences in the Michigan Native American Boarding Schools, as well as interviews with boarding school survivors. 

Northern Michigan University ranks No. 2 among small public schools nationwide that have been designated 2024-25 Military Friendly Schools by VIQTORY Media. Northern is making its seventh-consecutive appearance in the Top 10. It is also recognized as a Military Friendly Spouse School.

Northern Michigan University is a recipient of the "Best Online Masters' in Michigan" accolade bestowed by Online Master's Colleges (OMC). The site evaluated universities across various criteria including graduation and retention rates, affordability and program accreditation.

Northern Michigan University Theatre and Dance will kick off Pride Month with a Drag Cabaret at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, June 1 and 2, in the Panowski Black Box Theatre. An opening night party on Thursday will feature food, beverages, music, a photo booth and a meet and greet with the cast and team.

The three leaders of the "small but mighty" NMU Rec Sports team are featured in the cover story of the May/June issue of "CAMPUS REC" magazine. All are alumni who worked there as students. Tricia Bush stayed in her hometown after graduation and is director of campus recreation. Adam Fancher returned after a stint in the Pacific Northwest running and opening successful bike shops to serve as intramural sports and outdoor equipment manager. Katie Moe completed a graduate assistantship and took a job at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, but came back to NMU a short time later.

Northern Michigan University 1995 alumna Michele Arquette-Palermo has been promoted by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida from water policy manager to the newly created executive-level role of chief program officer, according to a CSF press release. She completed a bachelor's degree in biology/ecology from NMU and also some graduate-level coursework in biology, ecology, botany and fisheries management. 

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees has approved room and board rates for the 2024-2025 academic year. Residence halls and campus apartments are projected to be at full occupancy. The board also approved a new 16-credit, online certificate program in cannabis agriculture.

Aoi Hirose is the 42nd Sister City Scholar to study at Northern from Higashiomi, Japan. Marquette and Higashiomi have been developing deep connections since 1979, and the Sister City Scholar program provides opportunities for university students to enact and revitalize this relationship.

Northern Michigan University social work students recently traveled to India through a collaboration with the Delhi School of Social Work at Delhi University. They received real-world training in social audit processes and transparency mechanisms—skills that will prepare them to be better administrators and program managers in their careers after graduation.  

Northern Michigan University's DeVos Art Museum will host its annual children's art exhibition from May 5-26. A reception is scheduled from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, May 9, to celebrate talented elementary student artists and the educators who make the exhibition possible. It is free and open to the public.

Some of the elementary students participating in the recent Marquette Alger Young Authors Conference stopped by to read their books to NMU President Brock Tessman and First Lady Kristin Tessman. Pictured left to right are: Logan Alba, 3rd grade, Lakeview; Evie Parent, Kindergarten, Graveraet; President Tessman; Ady Akerley, 1st grade, Graveraet; Brensen Westman, 4th grade, Gilbert; Kristin Tessman; and Ansley Sundberg, 5th grade, Aspen Ridge.

Northern Michigan University students assisted the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge in achieving Certified B Corp status, which is based on using business as a powerful force for good and building credibility and trust with consumers. 

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees' Student Achievement Awards were presented to five recipients for their contributions to the quality of life at NMU. Gwendolyn Feamster from Linden, Mich., and Katarina Rothhorn of Lansing are the 2024 outstanding graduating seniors. Recipients of the remaining outstanding awards in their respective categories are: Erika Laitinen-Odbert of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., Global Campus Student; Phoebe Martin, San Jose, Calif., Nontraditional Student; Mackenzie Baranski, Caro, Mich., Graduate Student; and Mary Kelly of Plymouth, Mich., Student of Any Class.

Students from Northern Michigan University's Biology and Psychological Science Departments dominated the award categories at the 28th annual Celebration of Student Scholarship held April 18. Students shared their work with the NMU and Marquette communities by presenting research posters and oral presentations. 

Northern Michigan University's spring commencement carries added significance for Kristie Peterson of Marenisco. The mother of three has achieved her deferred dream of earning a bachelor's degree by completing the online applied workplace leadership program through NMU Global Campus. And in a case of serendipitous timing—about a week before Mother's Day—she will march in the ceremony alongside her daughter and elementary education graduate, Nadia Rosemurgy.

In her 1990 student commencement address at Northern Michigan University, Rebecca Slough encouraged her fellow graduates “to lead with integrity, not because anyone is looking, but because it's who you are.” Twenty-five years later, her daughter Kylee (Slough) Deckert stood behind the podium, urging peers to approach the future with courage and “embrace success in all of its forms—not only what we achieve in our respective careers, but the type of people we become.” It is no surprise they expressed similar themes, because Kylee said her mom and dad instilled those qualities in their three children.

Northern Michigan University's Public Relations Students Society of America (PRSSA) hosted its 6th annual Coffee Crawl in downtown Marquette. This event is held yearly in April to coincide with Sexual Assault Awareness Month.  Proceeds go directly to the Women's Center of Marquette. This year's event raised more than $6,000.

By the late 19th century, the Upper Peninsula flourished with immigrants who had come to work in the copper and iron mining and logging industries. Their children needed an education, but 75% of teachers in the area had no formal training and were likely fresh out of secondary school. Notable Marquette residents including Peter White lobbied for the establishment of what was then called a normal school—a translation of the French term école normale—to train and certify teachers in the region. The state legislature refused the first few proposals, but on April 28, 1899, Gov. Hazen Pingree signed a bill authorizing Northern State Normal School in Marquette. The pen he used on that fateful day is stored at the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center on campus.