Strategic Plan

Driven by the elevated strategic priority of support for people and their well-being, and facilitated by solid financial footing attributed in part to increased enrollment, Northern Michigan University will make a $2.4 million investment that will directly impact the majority of its employees through one-time payments this fall. The NMU Board of Trustees approved the measure at a special meeting this afternoon.

Northern Michigan University WellBeing will host “Wildcat World Mental Health Day” Thursday, Oct. 10, coinciding with the World Health Organization's World Mental Health Day, which raises awareness of related issues on a global scale and mobilizes efforts in support of mental health.

Northern Michigan University's 10th day fall enrollment report shows an increase of nearly 3% in overall student headcount fueled by growth in first-time freshmen, graduate students and Global Campus online enrollment. Other strides include a record-setting retention rate and positive momentum in attracting diverse student populations, both of which align with goals identified in the university's new strategic plan.

Northern Michigan University is among 228 colleges and universities nationwide and one of only three public institutions in Michigan named to the 2024 Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society's Transfer Honor Roll for “creating dynamic pathways” to support transfer students. This accomplishment marks the third consecutive year Northern has been recognized for outstanding transfer student services.

Northern Michigan University has been recognized as a STARS Gold Institution by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. STARS is the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System. An institution's score is based on the percentage of applicable points earned across five main categories: academics; engagement; operations; planning and administration; and innovation and leadership.

Northern Michigan University recently became the first higher education collaborator in the 12-year history of Northern Strike, one of the Department of Defense's largest joint military readiness exercises held at the largest National Guard training facility in the country. Eight NMU information assurance/cyber defense students had a rare opportunity to work alongside military cybersecurity teams from the U.S. and NATO ally Latvia Aug. 11-12. Their mission was to regain control of a network used for communications and war command that had been compromised by a foreign adversary, determine how the network was infiltrated and remediate the vulnerability.

Northern Michigan University is partnering with Michigan Technological University to prepare 30 middle school science teachers to become leaders in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. The National Science Foundation is providing $2.7 million through the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program to support this six-year initiative, named Partnering to Prepare STEM Master Teachers for Michigan's Middle Schools. 

A half-dozen NMU entities collaborated on a new summer initiative to provide students in need with free bikes that had been abandoned on campus and unclaimed after reasonable efforts to contact the owners. A total of 16 bikes were distributed.

Northern Michigan University has launched the Northern Shores Storywork Writing Project Site, an initiative that aims to support teachers in developing their own writing skills and teaching practices, ultimately enhancing student achievement in writing across the Upper Great Lakes region. It is part of the prestigious National Writing Project (NWP) network.