All News Releases

Mikenzie Frost (BA 2015) is the new Lansing bureau reporter for WBPN-TV in Traverse City. She joined the news team in July and covers "all things politics and public policy" in the state capital. Frost grew up in metro Detroit. She studied multimedia journalism at NMU, then became a reporter and later evening anchor for KTVH in Helena, Mont. A 30-minute special she wrote, shot and produced about the charms and challenges of rural education in Montana won "Best NonCommercial Program of the Year" in 2018 from the Montana Broadcasters Association. She also won a 2017 second-place award for "Best Newswriting" for a piece on a 30-year cold case.

Frank Pergande ('96 '02) is the new the TRIO Upward Bound academic coordinator at Finlandia University. He earned his bachelor of arts in English and his master of arts in creative writing from NMU. Pergande previously taught English at NMU, Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea and the Marquette Prison through Jackson College. 

Traci Dietz, a Northern Michigan University student-veteran from Negaunee, won second place in the photography category of the 2018 National Veterans Creative Arts Competition. The senior photography major entered a local competition through the Iron Mountain VA Medical Center. Her first-place finish qualified her for the national judging process. Dietz’s winning submission is an image titled “broken.”

What began as a surfing and camping trip in 2010 has evolved into a mission for NMU nontraditional student Billy McCoy of Florence, according to a story in his hometown paper, the "Florence Mining News." The French language and literature major plans to leave in August to study abroad at Institute Francais du Congo, a private school run by the French government in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo. Before classes start, he will serve an internship at Mwana Villages, which serves mothers and orphans in the impoverished area of Pointe Noire, Congo. This will be his second trip volunteering for the organization.

Northern Michigan University offers one of the most affordable online Master of Public Administration (MPA) degrees in the nation, according to a new ranking by bestvalueschools.com. NMU’s program is offered 100 percent online. It is designed for both current public administration professionals and those who are new to the field, with a concentration in criminal justice, human resources, state and local government, or public management.

Attorney and NMU alumnus Rock Wood ('84 BS) has joined Dickinson Wright PLLC’s Grand Rapids office as Of Counsel. He has more than 30 years of litigation experience as lead counsel in a wide range of business-related trials, including corporate mergers and acquisitions, commercial contracts, construction and real estate. He has also successfully handled numerous disputes under non-competition agreements employment issues, insurance and UCC utilized in a wide variety of industries and employment positions.

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees today recognized the “outstanding performance” of President Fritz Erickson with the approval of a new long-term presidential contract. The five-year contract places Erickson’s base salary at $385,000. It also includes a performance-based bonus component, through which he will receive $50,000 for achieving established goals in 2017-18.

The first female police captain in the United States, Frances Glessner Lee (1878-1962), was perhaps best known for her “Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death.” These exquisitely detailed, miniature reproductions of real-life crime scenes revolutionized the emerging field of homicide investigation in the first half of the 20th century, according to the Smithsonian. The state of Maryland still uses them to train forensic professionals. Northern Michigan University criminal justice students will benefit from exposure to a similar dollhouse-sized diorama this coming academic year. Marquette resident and NMU alumnus Dave Mastric ('05 BA) was commissioned to create his first nutshell study of a gruesome murder case he discovered online.

Many Great Lakes communities have reinvented or expanded their economies from logging and fishing to travel and leisure. Tourism revolving around the scenic environment offers multi-faceted economic benefits. It also requires adequate strategic planning and investment to avoid the pitfalls of popularity such as seasonal overpopulation, natural resources degradation and pollution. Two Northern Michigan University faculty members have received additional funding for their continuing efforts to promote sustainable eco-tourism. The project—already underway in Alger County—could lead to year-round economic stability in the region and serve as an innovative model statewide.

Former NMU student Bruce Konefe joined the recent rescue effort that successfully transported a Thai boys’ soccer team and coach to safety. He has lived in the country for 24 years and is a technical diving instructor who specializes in caves and shipwrecks. A friend and Navy Seals coordinator recruited Konefe to lend his expertise to the rescue planning in Chang Rai.

Two recent NMU alumni—Collin Richter ('17 BS) and Samantha DiGiulio ('16 BS)—received a National Geographic Society Early Careers Grant for a joint study on how last year’s hurricanes impacted reptiles and amphibians on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Their June project was a follow-up to independent research they completed as NMU students at the same location during an advanced field marine biology course led by Professor Jill Leonard.

NMU alumnus Barry West ('85 BS) has been named president of MicroTech in Tysons Corner, Va. According to a press release, he will be responsible for the oversight of the corporate business operations and development duties, as well as the expansion of the company's cybersecurity and cloud computing business.

Elizabeth Endelman ('16 BS) will work the sideline of high school athletic events in Tennessee this fall for Starr Regional Medical Center in Athens, which took over the sports medicine services for the McMinn County School System earlier this year. In an SRMC feature story, Endelman said completing her athletic training degree at NMU gave her opportunities most students in the field do not get to experience: "While I was there, I was lucky enough to work with Olympic athletes in weightlifting and Greco-Roman wrestling."

The NMU Center for Upper Peninsula received the 2018 Superior Award from the Historical Society of Michigan. The award recognizes historical societies, museums and other organizations that preserve and advance U.P. history. Professor Emeritus Russ Magnaghi, who was the first director when the center was established in 1994, accepted the honor on behalf of NMU at the HSM's 69th annual U.P. History Conference.

Joel W. Duling (’85 BS) is the new president of BWX Technologies' Nuclear Operations Group subsidiary in Lynchburg, Va. According to a news release, BWXTis a leading supplier of nuclear components and fuel to the U.S. government. Duling has nearly 30 years of leadership and management experience in the manufacturing and nuclear industries, including reactor operations, nuclear facility operations, armor and steel manufacturing, safety, environmental compliance and remediation.

Tyler Crisp, an NMU sophomore construction management major, is a featured summer intern on the Miron Construction website. He is working with the company on a Mills Fleet Farm store and gas station project. “My favorite part of the internship so far is having the ability to walk around the project site and look at all the different parts of the building that are being constructed,” Crisp said. “Also, being able to listen-in on how the superintendent and project manager run the project site and work with all of the subcontractors and activities that are happening on site.” To see the full feature, click here.

Zac Fosler (BS 2006) was recognized by Congresswoman Debbie Dingell on Capitol Hill, where he accepted honorable mention in the public housing category of the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition's annual Edson Awards. The AHTCC is a national trade organization of housing professionals who advocate for affordable rental housing financed using the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. Fosler is executive director/CEO of the Ypsilanti Housing Commission, which opened its New Parkridge affordable housing redevelopment project in January. Located at a former segregated housing site, New Parkridge was one of only three public housing projects nationwide honored through the awards program.

Mary Nash ('74 BSN) has announced her plans to retire in October after 43 years in nursing. She serves as chief nursing and patient care services officer for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and also associate vice president for health sciences and assistant dean for clinical affairs at the OSU College of Nursing.

Heidi Kattula ('98 MA) was a unanimous choice to become the new superintendent of East Grand Rapids Public Schools, effective Aug. 1. The board announced that it selected Kattula for "her strength in collaboration, her ability to increase student achievement through inclusion and accountability, and her experience in instructional leadership across all grade levels." She has 26 years of experience in public education, according to an EGRPS news release.