Alumni

NMU alumnus Ernest Rospierski (BS 2005) was “an unsung hero" during last year's mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, which left 17 dead, according to the chair of a commission investigating the incident. The 37-year-old social studies teacher was grazed by two bullets, then pressed himself against the stairwell door to deny the gunman's attempts to open it while he sent students fleeing toward the nearest exit. To read a South Florida Sun Sentinel feature story on Rospierski that reflects on the incident one year later, click here.

Northern Michigan University administrators say they are deeply saddened by the news that a recent NMU Board of Trustees appointee has died. Travis Weber of Detroit was appointed in October by former Gov. Rick Snyder to an eight-year term beginning Jan. 1. He had completed his orientation to the board and was scheduled to participate in his first meeting as a trustee this week.

NMU alumnus Mike Oswald (’03 BS) is among 20 individuals representing all segments of the construction industry selected as winners of the 2019 ENR Texas and Louisiana Top Young Professionals competition. He is chief operating officer for Hill & Wilkinson in Richardson, Texas.

NMU alumna Elizabeth Mowers’ first published book, A Promise Remembered, will be released March 1. The novel details the story of a man who returns to his hometown in Michigan for a brief visit. He runs into his old high school sweetheart and is reminded of everyone and everything he left behind years ago. When selecting a beautiful, romantic setting for her novel, she was inspired by Marquette and the Lake Superior shoreline.

NMU alumnus Patrick Crowley ('97 BS) will serve as the chief public defender for the new Marquette County Public Defender's Office, which was developed to meet standards recently put in place by the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission. His official start date is Feb. 4. Crowley attended the University of Dayton Law School and has practiced law since 2003, most recently at a Lansing-area firm. He has experience defending charges ranging from misdemeanors to high-level felonies and capital offenses.