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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has announced her second appointment to Northern Michigan University's Board of Trustees. Donna Murray-Brown of Detroit will fill a vacancy created by the resignation of a trustee who moved out of state. She is the president and CEO of the Michigan Nonprofit Association.

In each of the 40 years Marquette has had a Sister City relationship with Higashiomi, Japan, NMU's president has sponsored a student to attend the university. The 40th Japanese scholar, Ami Nakadera, recently delivered a letter from the mayor of her city to NMU President Fritz Erickson.

NMU Dining participated in a Forward Food Culinary Experience training event this week designed to help institutional food service operations incorporate more plant-based cuisine into their menus. The program is designed to meet growing global demand for more sustainable food.

Two NMU alumni were involved in a recent Upper Peninsula birthday celebration held at the Marquette Regional History Center. State Rep. Sara Cambensy introduced a House-adopted resolution commemorating Dec. 14 as the 183rd birthday of the U.P., while Mark Ruge gave a presentation on the “Frostbitten Convention” held on that date in 1836, which ensured that Michigan's boundaries would include the entire Upper Peninsula.

Al Mitchell, longtime director of the former boxing program at NMU's U.S. Olympic Education Center, was inducted Dec. 13 into the USA Boxing Alumni Association Hall of Fame. The legendary coach was in impressive company. The third class of inductees also included Olympic gold-medalists “Big” George Foreman, “Smokin'” Joe Frazier and Mark Breland.

Despite a major assist from Mother Nature to accelerate the start of the ski season in this region, snow-making systems are critical to many ski areas. Alumnus P.J. Britz secured a job with TechnoAlpin, a global leader in the industry, with the help of NMU's ski area business management program. 

Northern Michigan University held its third NMU Day of Giving on Dec. 3. The event raised more than $850,000, nearly double the total from last year. More than half of the gifts went to support scholarships, about $100,000 directly to departments and the remainder to designated programs and greatest need.

The NMU Board of Trustees today unanimously approved investing $5 million in a series of initiatives designed to deliver innovative academic programs and essential new services to the Upper Peninsula.

Allison Opheim will graduate from Northern Michigan University on Saturday with the assurance of a new job as a communications and public affairs contractor with the U.S. Geological Survey in Fort Collins, Colo. She said working for a federal agency fresh out of college might have seemed a daunting prospect at one time, but she now considers herself fully prepared, thanks to the confidence and competencies she gained at NMU.

A new transfer partnership between Northern Michigan University and Oakton Community College in Illinois will create a "first-of-its-kind educational pathway" for Oakton students seeking to pursue a bachelor's degree tailored to the emerging cannabis industry. Representatives from both institutions formalized the agreement at a Dec. 11 ceremony at Oakton's Des Plaines campus.

Eight Northern Michigan University faculty members were honored at the recent Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship celebration.

NMU alumnus Brian Swift's parents were killed in 2013 when a logging truck—driven by a man with THC in his system—ran a red light and careened into their car. The Escanaba native channeled his grief into a personal crusade to keep drugged drivers off Michigan roads and spare other families from enduring similar, avoidable tragedies. 

Northern Michigan University's recent production of “What We Leave Behind: Addressing Climate Change Through Dance” has been selected to perform Jan. 9 at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Region 3 event in Madison, Wis.

NMU students in a previous advanced field production course produced a documentary on the Hungarian band Söndörgő. The program will air on WNMU-TV at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10. It features concert footage from the group's performance in Marquette last April, interspersed with band member interviews.

Northern Michigan University professor James McCommons recently published a definitive biography of George Shiras III (1859-1942), the groundbreaking wildlife photographer who honed his techniques in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. But that work often overshadows perhaps Shiras' most notable achievement: establishing the legal foundation for what became the Migratory Bird Treaty Act while serving in Congress. 

Northern Michigan University graduating students have selected Health and Human Performance professor Scott Jordan to serve as the faculty speaker at December commencement. 

Connor Loftus of Plainwell, Mich., has been selected as the student commencement speaker for the Dec. 14 graduation ceremony at Northern Michigan University. 

NMU alumnus Scott Crady ('19 BA) is taking his degree to new heights ... literally. He spends his days in the mountains of Colorado providing photo and video services for Red Bull and Adidas. Crady captures sponsored professional climbers such as Sasha DiGiulian (Red Bull) and Molly Mitchell (Adidas) while they're in their element. 

"The New York Times" recently featured a piece written by Northern Michigan University English professor Rachel May titled "Love is Not a Tally Sheet." May reflected on adopting a son born prematurely, against her parents' strong objections, and what single parenting taught her about accepting help. May is the author of "An American Quilt" and is working on a memoir.