NMU alumnus Russell Kassin has been named the 10th president in the 135-year history of Iron Mountain-based First National Bank & Trust. He graduated in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in financial management.

In his newly published book, “Classic Food and Restaurants of the Upper Peninsula,” Northern Michigan University History Professor Emeritus Russell Magnaghi explores the origins of the iconic U.P. trio: the pasty, cudighi and fudge. He also delves into the evolution of the regional diet, which was rooted in the indigenous foods consumed by Native Americans and influenced by immigrant settlers representing numerous nationalities who introduced additional fare from their home countries.

The history of Indian boarding schools was formally investigated and documented for the first time in a sobering report released in May by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Thousands of Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their homes and placed in residential schools—including five in Michigan—with the goal of assimilating them into white culture and, consequently, taking their territories. Northern Michigan University, which offers the state's only bachelor's degree program in Native American studies, has offered a course on the subject for more than 15 years.

Two Northern Michigan University alumni have been appointed to the State of Michigan's advisory board that will help to plan America250, a nationwide commemoration of the 250th anniversary and founding of the United States. Dan Truckey, a 1990 grad, is director of the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at NMU. Steve Brisson, a 1989 alumnus, is director of Mackinac State Historic Parks. Both recently participated in the advisory board's first meeting.

NMU alumna Caitlin Sternberg, who earned her environmental science degree in 2021, is the new director of outreach and communication for Citizens for a Safe & Clean Lake Superior, a Marquette County nonprofit. She previously worked as a Great Lakes Climate Corp crew leader with the Superior Watershed Partnership, partnering with diverse groups like the National Forest Service or the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community on environmental projects.