A scholarship established through the Northern Michigan University Foundation will support graduating seniors who exhibit outstanding community service while attending NMU. David and Marie Blum of Ann Arbor, Mich., gifted the William and Josephine Balconi Community Service Scholarship, named in honor of Marie's late parents.

NMU's School of Nursing will hold a “Hopping Into Summer” celebration March 22-26. The event is designed to interject some fun to boost nursing students' spirits for the remainder of a particularly demanding semester, and to thank them for assisting with campus COVID-19 screenings and community vaccination clinics. It will feature decorations, contests, giveaways and treats revolving around daily themes. All activities were vetted and will comply with pandemic safety regulations.

Northern Michigan University has announced 10 students who comprise the new group of scholars in the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. Lee Xiong has also joined NMU this semester as its new program director.

NMU accounting alumnus Nick Metcalfe ('20 BS) rented a marquee on Sunday at the iconic Birmingham 8 Theatre downstate to propose to his fiancée Kiley Transit at the site of one of their first dates in high school. The Detroit Free Press highlighted their story to demonstrate that proposals in light have become “an optimistic sign of the times,” with most theaters back in business and vaccine supplies and clinics on the rise.

Five Northern Michigan University faculty members have been selected as recipients of Reassigned Time Awards for the fall 2021 semester. Each award provides up to four credit hours of release time to support scholarship activities.