Around NMU

Northern Michigan University students have an opportunity to present their ideas for products or services to a panel of judges at the first-ever Mini Pitch competition, a complement to the annual Big Pitch event hosted by NMU's College of Business. The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. Monday, April 4. Five teams will be chosen to compete in the "Shark Tank" style format for a chance to win one of two $500 cash prizes.

Northern Michigan University will host the first-of-its-kind Great Lakes Cannabis Education Conference on Tuesday, April 19. The conference will showcase best practices in cannabis teaching and research, summarize the industry's current state and developing trends, and provide insights from employers and experts.

Northern Michigan University's Percussion Ensemble presents its spring performance at 3 p.m., Saturday April 2, in Reynolds Recital Hall. Admission is free and open to the public. 

Phyllis Michael Wong, historian, educator and former first lady of Northern Michigan University from 2004-12, will return to NMU to give a presentation on the research and writing process for her novel titled We Kept Our Towns Going: The Gossard Girls of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The event is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday, April 14, in room 224 of Lydia M. Olson Library. It will be preceded by an April 13 presentation at the Marquette Regional History Center, where Wong will discuss her novel in more detail.

The Northern Michigan University Theatre and Dance program presents “The Producers,” a Mel Brooks musical. The cast will perform at 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, April 8-9 and Wednesday-Saturday, April 13-16. A sensory-friendly performance is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, April 16. 

Northern Michigan University's Native American Student Association (NASA) and the Center for Native American Studies will host "Powwow 102: Learning to Walk Together (While Apart)." The event will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 26 on Zoom and on NASA's Facebook Live @nmunasa. This event is free and open to the public, but donations are encouraged. 

Northern Michigan University associate professor Weronika Kusek is actively monitoring the situation in Ukraine. Her interest is partly professional because she addresses the topic of refugees in her human and population geography courses. It is also personal, as recent Russian missile strikes hit perilously close to the border of her home country of Poland, where her entire family still resides.

Paul Mann of Northern Michigan University's School of Clinical Sciences is the 2022 recipient of the Stephen Young & Tricia Kinley Distinguished Faculty Award, NMU's top honor for significant professional contributions to teaching, scholarship and service. Mann is associate dean and director of the school in addition to professor. He will be recognized at NMU's April 30 commencement.

Northern Michigan University faculty members selected to receive 2021-22 awards for teaching, scholarship and leadership were honored at a March 17 celebration on campus.

Northern Michigan University Biology Assistant Professor Diana Lafferty received the 2021-22 Excellence in Teaching Award at a March 17 Celebration of Excellence on campus. The award recognizes faculty who have outstanding peer and student evaluations, are dedicated and enthusiastic, create safe and open learning environments, and experiment with innovative teaching and learning paradigms.