The Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health has received a $194,421 grant from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund to explore the feasibility of an aggregation, distribution and light food processing facility serving Marquette and Alger Counties.

The Two Books, Two Communities program, a partnership between Northern Michigan University and the Marquette and Alger County communities, has announced its 2021 community reads and associated fall events schedule. The titles are Fried Walleye and Cherry Pie, edited by Peggy Wolff, and 2021 Michigan Notable Book Award Winner Teacher/Pizza Guy, a collection of poems by Jeff Kass.   

A new teaching certificate partnership between Northern Michigan University and Bay Mills Community College will begin this fall. It is designed to prepare K-12 teachers of Anishinaabemowin language and culture. The Michigan Department of Education granted the program initial approval through June 30, 2026.

Prior to enrolling in Northern Michigan University's MFA in creative writing program, Roz Roseboro was a Heavy Reading analyst who spent more than two decades covering the telecom market. She continues to share her qualified insight and business writing skills via Light Reading columns, including one on July's Microsoft-AT&T cloud deal. In the creative realm, her essay titled “The Heaviness of Hair” is a finalist for Solstice magazine's Michael Sternberg Award for nonfiction.

Northern Michigan University will inject some added fun into Welcome Weekend activities to kick off the new academic year. A rented 60-foot tall classic ferris wheel will be set up between Jamrich Hall and C.B. Hedgcock, offering free rides to students and employees and their families, as well as the general public. The ferris wheel will operate from 3-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 20 and 21.