November 2025

Northern Michigan University senior McKenna Wnuk (wen-UHK) of Lapeer, Mich., will take advantage of a rare opportunity to compete in the Alpine Luge World Cup in Italy and Austria during the holiday break between semesters. She is the newest member of the U.S. team that trains at Negaunee's Lucy Hill, the only full-length natural luge track in the country. 

Northern Michigan University's Police Department will hold its annual Food for Fines event Dec. 1-12.  In partnership with the NMU Food Pantry, students and staff can donate one regular-sized grocery bag of non-perishable, non-expired food items and/or personal care products to alleviate $25 worth of parking citations.

Northern Michigan University Theatre and Dance will present a family-friendly, “amped-up spectacle” of the holiday classic "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" Dec. 4-6 and 11-13. On a related note, Theatre and Dance will bring back its “Letters to Santa” campaign in collaboration with Honor Credit Union. Children who participate will receive a buy one-get one ticket offer for this or a future NMU production. 

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the nation's longest-running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for creative writers and artists nationwide in grades 7-12, are accepting entries. More than $450,000 in monetary prizes—the most in program history—will be awarded. The submission deadline for U.P. students is 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3. The Northern Shores Storywork Writing Project site at Northern Michigan University serves as the Upper Peninsula affiliate of the awards.

Northern Michigan University alumna Beth Rodenhuis was recently appointed by as executive vice president, chief operating officer, and business architect at Northwestern Mutual, a financial security company based in Milwaukee. She is responsible for technology and digital strategy with oversight of strategic execution and prioritization of the company's strategy, platform and operating model design, technology health and enterprise architecture.

Michigan State Police First Lt. Jay Peterson, a 1995 NMU justice studies alumnus,  recently became the new commander of the MSP Hart Post. He oversees all operations serving Oceana, Lake, Mason and Newaygo counties. 

Northern Arts and Entertainment will present a concert for NMU students featuring musical acts Adam Paddock and iDKHOW (I Don't Know How But They Found Me) on Thursday, Nov. 20 in the Northern Center Ballrooms. Doors open at 6 p.m., with opening act Paddock at 7 and headliner iDKHOW at 8

Northern Michigan University is featured in the Princeton Review's Guide to Green Colleges: 2026 Edition. NMU earned a GreenScore of 91 points out of 99, securing a spot on the list of 388 unranked colleges that meet the standards for practicing and promoting environmental responsibility. This is NMU's second appearance in the guide.

The DeVos Art Museum at Northern Michigan University is hosting a new exhibit titled “SAME AS NEVER [anything to get out of here, right?]” through Dec. 15.

Brass Queens, a female-led brass band from Brooklyn featuring all-female horns with a sound that is deeply inspired by the New Orleans tradition, will perform at Northern Michigan University. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, in Reynolds Recital Hall.