Articles

NMU senior Andie Balenger of Gladstone writes a weekly column on college life for the Daily Press newspaper in Escanaba. In her most recent entry, "Finding comfort in fellowship," she talks about how other political science majors at Northern—particularly those in an international studies and human rights course her junior year—have provided fellowship through the discussion-based nature of the discipline.

Northern Michigan University will honor the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. with a Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 16, at The Woods residence hall complex. All activities are open to the public. The day will kick off with a noon program and free lunch, followed by four service projects and a workshop on volunteerism.

Seventeen Northern Michigan University students who attended during the fall semester, along with NMU alumni, are among the 150 soldiers from the Michigan Army National Guard's 107th Engineer Battalion deployed Jan. 7. The unit is based in Marquette and Ishpeming. Soldiers gathered with their families and invited guests on campus before departing for southwest Asia for up to a year of duty. 

Local archeologist and Northern Michigan University alumnus Jim Paquette will present “The Find of a Thousand Lifetimes,” the story of the historic 1987 discovery and subsequent excavation of one of the most celebrated archeological finds ever uncovered in the Upper Great Lakes Region. He and fellow NMU graduate John Gorto discovered a large treasure trove of 10,000-year-old Late Paleo-Indian/Early Archaic period projectile points within the drained reservoir bed of the Deer Lake Basin near Ishpeming, confirming Paquette's belief that ancient Native American peoples had once inhabited the central Marquette County area as far back as the end of the last Ice Age.

Jimmy Bruce, a Northern Michigan University alumnus from Escanaba, is serving as a member of the Commission on Services to the Aging (CSA) through July 28, 2025. He was appointed to the role by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Northern Michigan University alumnus Andrew Mendini is in the midst of his first year as the new principal of North Elementary School in Iron Mountain, Mich. He obtained his bachelor of arts degree in social studies/elementary education in 1997, and his master's in educational administration/supervision in 2008.

Northern Michigan University alumnus Mylan Murphy has provided some creative inspiration for those seeking affordable, do-it-yourself, basketball-themed gifts and decor for the holiday season. Through his “Motivated by Mylan” business, the former Wildcat player has become a TikTok star for videos of him crafting basketballs into a variety of items, from Christmas trees and ornaments to everyday shelves, planters and clocks.

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees approved two capital and long-term maintenance projects: a $550,000 budget for the design phase of a science complex research and teaching lab addition budgeted for $11.7 million; and $2.5 million in renovations to Vandament Arena to accommodate both NMU volleyball and basketball.

Wika Nadera from the Philippines completed a semester at NMU through the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program, which provides scholarships to outstanding undergraduate students from around the world for non-degree full-time study combined with community service, professional development and cultural enrichment. He focused on art and design classes at NMU; in his home country, he is a fourth-year student in visual communication.

Northern Michigan University 1997 history alumnus Philip Webb completed Spain's famous pilgrimage trail, El Camino de Santiago—also known as “The Way”—walking 621 miles over 38 days on the longest, most arduous route. The UNESCO-listed trail originated in medieval times, when pilgrims made a spiritual journey to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela to visit the reported tomb of the Apostle Saint James. Now more than 300,000 people from all over the world traverse it each year for a variety of reasons. Webb's pilgrimage was fueled by a desire to deepen his Catholic faith, engage in self-reflection and raise money for a charitable cause.