The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees has approved a revised structure for the Academic Affairs Division, effective July 1. Extended Learning and Community Engagement, which includes the College of Technology and Occupational Sciences, will move under Academic Affairs rather than continue as a separate division.

Former NMU student and Wildcat football player Nick Baumgartner became the oldest snowboarder to win an Olympic medal and the oldest U.S. gold medalist at the Winter Games since 1948. The 40-year old Iron River native partnered with Lindsey Jacobellis to win the mixed-team snowboard cross in the event's Olympic debut in Beijing. He demonstrated resilience and determination in making his first appearance on the podium in four Olympics. 

The UP200 Sled Dog Race, an Iditarod qualifier that starts and finishes in Marquette, will officially be “powered by” Northern Michigan University, beginning in 2023. NMU will become a Gold Sled Sponsor with naming rights for the event, building on a longstanding relationship with the U.P. Sled Dog Association. The official name for the 2023 race will be “UP200 – Powered by NMU.”

Northern Michigan University Biology Professor Neil Cumberlidge co-authored a conservation assessment published in the Raffles Bulletin on Zoology on the “vulnerable to extinction” status of the world's largest land crab. The coconut crab, native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, has been disappearing off of the islands it traditionally inhabits.

What began as a work study position 28 years ago has developed into a lifelong career for Rachel Harris, director of the Center for Student Enrichment at Northern Michigan University.