Around NMU

Northern Michigan University will host a welcome reception for incoming NMU President Chris Olsen and his wife, Jennifer. The event is scheduled from 4:30-6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10, in the Grand Ballroom of the Northern Center. Faculty, staff, students and community members are invited to attend.

At the Oct. 27 campus forum, Northern Michigan University Interim President Gavin Leach provided updates on the presidential transition, enrollment-related initiatives, facilities projects, and impacts of both the finalized state budget and federal funding cuts. Other staff members gave presentations on progress related to the Grand Challenges in “Our Compass,” Northern's strategic plan. 

Northern Michigan University's AFSCME union, which represents 119 food services staff and maintenance employees, ratified a three-year contract Oct. 27.

WNMU-TV will host a preview screening and panel discussion related to "The American Revolution," a new Ken Burns six-part, 12-hour documentary series that explores the country's founding struggle and its eight-year War for Independence. The screening is open to the public and takes place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, in the Northern Center Ballrooms on Northern Michigan University's campus. 

Northern Michigan University faculty member Theresa Camilli will discuss and premiere the late piano teacher and Marquette resident William Weber's "Lake Superior Piano Suite," a composition depicting the view atop Sugarloaf Mountain. Her solo concert is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, in Reynolds Recital Hall. A selection of Weber's never-before-seen paintings, inspired by the vivid colors and textures of the Upper Peninsula, will be available for purchase, with 100% of proceeds directly benefitting NMU music scholarships. 

Migrant workers are an instrumental part of America's agriculture industry, comprising about 68% of hired crop farmworkers in the United States from 2020-2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Despite their contributions, many encounter challenges related to their jobs. Northern Michigan University students Citlali Esparza-Salvador and Abby Martin discovered this first hand through their internships with a Grand Rapids nonprofit organization.

Northern Michigan University alumni and friends are invited to join fellow Wildcats at NMU Night at the Detroit Red Wings at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, in Little Caesars Arena. A free pre-game gathering with complimentary hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar will be held from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at The Taphouse presented by Bell's Brewery.

High school seniors who reside and attend school in the Upper Peninsula who plan to continue their education in a healthcare-related field are eligible to participate in the sixth annual National Rural Health Day Essay Contest. Northern Michigan University's Center for Rural Health is partnering with Michigan's State Office of Rural Health to make this possible. The submission deadline is Thursday, Oct. 30.

Northern Michigan University Theatre and Dance will stage Ctrl+Alt+Delete, a darkly comic look at tech startups, speculative investment, and the value we assign to ideas in a rapidly evolving economy. The production runs Oct. 30–Nov. 2 and Nov. 6–9 in NMU's Panowski Black Box Theatre.