All News Releases

The NMU Orchestra and the STARS Youth Orchestra will give a joint performance at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, in Reynolds Recital Hall. They will perform three movements of the "Capriol Suite" by Peter Warlock. The concert is free and open to the public.

The STARS Youth Orchestra is a string ensemble that is part of the Soo Theatre Project in Sault Ste. Marie. A former graduate of the NMU music program, Maggie Twining, is the director of the STARS Youth Orchestra.

Invent@NMU launched its first kiosk Oct. 11 in Gogebic County. The kiosk allows inventors and entrepreneurs to learn about the services offered, submit an idea for a product or business and receive a response from the Invent@NMU team within three business days. It will rotate locations throughout Ironwood, Bessemer and Wakefield.

Northern Michigan University will celebrate Latino heritage by bringing one of Michigan’s top Latin bands, Orquesta Tradición, to campus for a performance in Jamrich Hall on Friday, Oct. 26. The public is invited free of charge. Orquesta Tradición is from the Grand Rapids area. The group plays South American and Caribbean-influenced salsa, merengue, bachata and cumbia music popular throughout Latin America.

Northern Michigan University’s French program is presenting its 11th annual classic silent film with grand piano accompaniment. The Phantom of the Opera, a 1925 horror film with English subtitles starring Lon Chaney in the title role, will be screened at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, in the Ontario room of the University Center. Admission is free. Pianist Robert Buchkoe will provide the music.

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at Northern Michigan University will present a three-part tapestry weaving workshop as part of its upcoming exhibition, Ancestral Women.  Award-winning weaver Mary Burns, whose work resides in private homes across the nation and reflects her love of northern woodlands and waters, will lead the workshop. The registration deadline is Friday, Oct. 26.

The Australian psychedelic rock band Pond will perform at Northern Michigan University on Saturday, Oct. 27. The opening acts will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Great Lakes Rooms of the University Center. Tickets will be sold at the doors, in cash only. No presale tickets will be available. Admission is free to NMU students and $10 for the public/non-students.  The show is hosted by NoMAD (Northern Michigan Artist Development).

Northern Michigan University will host the Ann Arbor Film Festival Traveling Tour from 7-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 25, in the NMU Art and Design Building 165. The tour features digital programs of six experimental animated, documentary and narrative videos. This event is free and open to the public.

Northern Michigan University will host an alumni reception in Houghton on Wednesday, Oct. 24. The event will feature complimentary food, drink and NMU spirit gear. President Fritz Erickson will give a campus update and the team from Invent@NMU, which helps individuals bring their product or business ideas from concept to market, will give a presentation.

The reception is scheduled from 5:15-7:30 p.m. at the Magnuson Hotel Franklin Square Inn in Houghton. RSVPs are requested through a link at nmu.edu/alumniassociation/events. 

The Gourdian Society, a Northern Michigan University student organization, is hosting meditation classes at 5 p.m. Tuesdays at the Whitman Hall Commons. Sessions are free and open to the public. The group plans to meet every Tuesday, except over NMU breaks.

The Gourdian Society’s purpose is to teach the benefits and practice of meditation through the use of outside resources and materials. It also establishes discussion-based learning, examples and practice during meetings.

Email jmolloha@nmu.edu for more information.

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center and NMU International Dancers will hold a free Ethnic Folk Dance at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16, at DanceZone. The event will feature ethnic dances from various groups represented in the Upper Peninsula, including French, Italian, Slovenian, Finnish, Swedish, Irish and more. Music will be performed by the Copper Country’s Thimbleberry Band. The dance is being held in conjunction with the current Beaumier Center exhibition, "The Immigration Experience."

The University Choir and Arts Chorale of NMU will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, at St. Peter Cathedral. Directed by Dr. Erin Colwitz, the choirs will present “Music for a Grand Space," featuring choral music suited for the acoustics of a cathedral. There is no admission charge.

Featured selections include music by Lauridsen, Palestrina, Ticheli, Culloton and Rutter to prepare for the group's performance at the 2018 American Choral Director’s Association Conference in Kalamazoo.

Bill Hawker ('95 BS) built a career in professional sports, establishing corporate partnerships for three NFL north division franchises: the Bears, Packers and Lions. Now he has returned to Green Bay as director of business development for Elevate97. The business creates and distributes marketing solutions for world-renowned retail brands. Clients include Carhartt, Calvin Klein, Pandora jewelry, Tommy Hilfiger, TaylorMade Golf and his former employer, the Packers.

Northern Michigan University’s UAW 2178 union, which represents administrative/professional employees, has ratified a three-year contract. Of the members who voted on Oct. 1, 80 percent approved the agreement.

The contract is effective Oct. 1, 2018 through Sept. 30, 2021. Terms include across-the-board 2 percent wage increases for each of the three years of the contract. The first year will also include a one-time $500 payment per employee, which will not impact base salaries.

The contract is pending approval by the NMU Board of Trustees.