August 2025

Leach's Convocation Stresses Solid Footing and Bold Thinking

Aug. 20, 2025
In his fall convocation, Northern Michigan University Interim President Gavin Leach celebrated faculty and staff achievements, along with the continuing overall enrollment growth and strong financial footing that have enabled the university to navigate the ever-changing higher education landscape more effectively than many other institutions. Not content with the status quo, Leach plans to expand efforts to explore transformational ideas that will drive innovation and progress while still supporting the university's core values and unique identity. He said bold thinking is required to make Northern distinctive in today's “hyper-competitive recruitment environment.”
NMU Interim President Gavin Leach

Presidential Search Update

Aug. 20, 2025
The search for Northern Michigan University's next president is “underway and on schedule,” with campus visits by finalists expected in late September and early October. Presidential Search Advisory Committee Chair Tami Seavoy presented a status report at today's convocation.
NMU academic logo

Weston Addition Enhances Research, Teaching

Aug. 20, 2025
Northern Michigan University's recently completed addition to Weston Hall has increased available lab space, elevating the ability of Biology and Chemistry faculty to conduct high-quality research and train students in biomedical techniques. Highlights include two specialty teaching labs: a “world-class” Cell Culture Facility; and a state-of-the-art Microscopy Suite with dedicated rooms to house each of NMU's advanced microscopes, providing a central hub for research projects.
Undergraduate student Hosanna Brindle (left) and graduate student Mikaela Fairbanks in the LeBert Lab on the second floor of the Weston addition.

Woodland Park Input Requested

Aug. 20, 2025
NMU's Sustainability Hub for Innovation and Environment (SHINE) will host two events on Tuesday, Sept. 9, to seek campus and community input on the project to develop an experiential learning forest and garden at the corner of Norwood and Neidhart Avenues, adjacent to the Woodland Park Apartments.
A portion of the Woodland Park site, with the relocated solar array (formerly near the athletic complex) in the back, and the frame for the Hoop House (formerly outside Jacobetti).

NMU Profs Among 2% of Highly Cited Scientists

Aug. 7, 2025
Two Northern Michigan University professors—Maris Cinelli from Chemistry and Ryan Stock from Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences—are among the top 2% of highly cited scientists in the world, according to the most recent listing released by Stanford University and Elsevier, one of the largest publishing companies for scientific, technical and medical research. The list shows which scientists have had the biggest impact in their fields, based primarily on how often other scientists mention their work.
Maris Cinelli and Ryan Stock

Grad Publishes, Presents Paper on CPS Workers’ View of Child Advocacy Centers

Aug. 7, 2025
Providing a coordinated response to child abuse that involves professionals from diverse fields has the potential to improve outcomes for children and advance justice. This multidisciplinary team model is implemented through child advocacy centers, and has been widely adopted to facilitate such collaboration.
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NMU Receives USFS Wood Innovation Grant

Aug. 4, 2025
Northern Michigan University was recently awarded $114,553 from the U.S. Forest Service's Wood Innovation Grant program to identify facility and process improvements for the combined heat and power plant at the Ripley Plant on campus. This is an essential step in working toward NMU's Carbon Neutrality Plan and the potential transition from natural gas to using local woodchips. 
To view news releases published before May, 2018, please visit the NMU News Bureau archive.