Feature/Profiles

Jimmy Ludwig's 30-year acting career in New York City—from Broadway productions and performance art to film and television—taught him a valuable lesson: “Grit and a willingness to outwork everybody else” are far more important for sustained success than either talent, which is pervasive in such entertainment epicenters, or connections. He plans to share that sage advice with students in the new Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in acting program he is heading for Northern Michigan University Theatre and Dance.

Northern Michigan University graduate assistant Benjamin Fidler won first place in the most recent international 3-Day Novel Contest. Elijah Sparkman, an MFA graduate of NMU, also participated and advanced to the final selection. Instead of relaxing during Labor Day weekend 2021, both wrote tirelessly to create a novel or novella in 72 hours, competing against other writers worldwide. The judges take nearly a year to read hundreds of submissions and recently released the results. 

As vice chair of the NMU Board of Trustees, Alexis Hart interacts regularly with a number of Northern students. One bit of advice she shares with them is that they should avoid getting locked into a restrictive career path simply by virtue of the degree they earn and focus instead on developing the skill set to be adaptable when exciting opportunities surface, or it becomes necessary to pivot and pursue a new profession. She has learned that through her experience in the human resources field.

In his newly published book, “Classic Food and Restaurants of the Upper Peninsula,” Northern Michigan University History Professor Emeritus Russell Magnaghi explores the origins of the iconic U.P. trio: the pasty, cudighi and fudge. He also delves into the evolution of the regional diet, which was rooted in the indigenous foods consumed by Native Americans and influenced by immigrant settlers representing numerous nationalities who introduced additional fare from their home countries.

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.

NMU Ripley Heating Plant Operator David Dahlstrom's innate passion for problem solving led him to coincidentally pursue a career doing just that. 

Jessie Selissen was in 10th grade when a service member from her hometown of Boyne City was killed during an insurgent attack overseas. She vividly recalls residents lining the streets in silent tribute during the funeral procession. Now Selissen is an Air Force veteran who will graduate Saturday with a degree in multimedia production. She recently put her military background and academic experience to work producing a podcast highlighting veterans and reputable nonprofits that assist them. 

Rebecca Ulland, professor and head of the Department of Languages, Literatures and International Studies, will be the faculty keynote speaker for Northern Michigan University's Dec. 11 commencement. She was selected through a nomination process overseen by ASNMU, the student government organization.

When the new season of Survivor: the Island of Idols begins on CBS Wednesday, Sept. 25, it will feature a former NMU hockey player among its cast members.

Northern Michigan University's Board of Trustees recently approved the renaming of the New Science Facility to Kathleen Shingler Weston Hall. In honor of Women's History Month, we take a closer look at Weston, one of NMU's first female graduates who went on to complete a medical degree. She became part of the team that developed the Salk polio vaccine and was honored by President Lyndon B. Johnson as one of the nation's “Outstanding Medical Women.”