Northern Michigan University students in an intro to entrepreneurship course create businesses from scratch on a tight timeline and gain experience in the associated accounting, finance, management and marketing aspects. The businesses are shut down when the class ends and all net proceeds are donated to area charitable organizations. Verdant Vessels, an environmentally friendly, passive clay pot irrigation system, was one of the new venture highlights last semester. Its $195 in proceeds benefitted the NMU Food Pantry.

Northern Michigan University Alumni Happy Hours will be held this summer at three Marquette alumni-owned establishments. The events are open to alumni and friends who want to network with fellow Wildcats and strengthen their ties to the NMU community in a casual environment. NMU Alumni Relations requests that attendees interested in qualifying to win NMU-themed prizes pre-register for each happy hour at nmu.edu/alumniassociation/alumnihappyhour. The schedule follows (all run from 4:30-6:30 p.m.):

The Northern Michigan University Department of Music is launching a new series titled Summer Concerts at Reynolds, which will take place on Tuesdays in June and July in Reynolds Recital Hall. This year's series will highlight the department's faculty, all of whom are highly trained professional musicians, in addition to teaching full time. One or more faculty members will be featured during each performance.

Northern Michigan University will present “Juneteenth: Week of Jubilee,” an educational and cultural event series scheduled for June 16-20. The week is dedicated to honoring American history, celebrating the contributions of African American communities, and encouraging civic learning, unity and reflection.

Six Northern Michigan University undergraduate students and six graduate students each received up to $2,000 for travel expenses to present their research or creative work at various conferences, beginning last semester and continuing through fall 2025. NMU Provost Anne Dahlman, in alignment with the university's Our Compass strategic plan, elected to use donor funds to support student travel. 

The Northern Michigan University Dance Team recorded a historic achievement by advancing to and placing in national dance competition finals for the first time. The team took 9th place in Pom and 14th place in Jazz at the Division II level at the 2025 College Classic National Championship in Orlando, Fla. Members built on the success of last year's noteworthy milestone of qualifying for national competition for the first time in NMU history.

Northern Michigan University graduate student Jenny Cho has received a $1,300 Grace H. Magnaghi Research Grant from NMU to explore the “history of the Yooper dialect and its role in the English language.” The project combines her previous master's degree in anthropology from Seoul National University with her current pursuit of a master's degree from NMU's English Department in TESOL, or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

The Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health will host an Upper Peninsula Future Health Leaders Camp this summer for regional students who will be freshmen and sophomores this coming fall. The camp is dedicated to health education and health career exploration. It is scheduled July 20-25, with options to either stay on campus for the duration or commute from home to camp each day. There will be a limit of 75 participants.

Northern Michigan University history professor Kathryn Johnson has conducted four oral history interviews with global pioneers in open, distance and digital education. They include Professor Asha Kanwar, former president of the Commonwealth of Learning,; Professor Alejandro Pisanty, a Mexican scholar and early advocate for educational technology; Dr. Tony Bates, whom she describes as one of “the godfathers of distance education in Canada”; and Professor Rosibel Vicquez Abarca, a prominent leader in the field in Costa Rica. All will soon be published in scholarly journals, including one for which Johnson serves as the oral history section editor.

Northern Michigan University's newly established staff union, the Command Officers Association of Michigan (COAM), ratified a three-year contract on May 14. Five NMU Police Department employees comprise COAM's membership: three sergeants, the training coordinator and the detective/lieutenant.

Northern Michigan University 2004  alumnus Jonathan Hare has been recognized as one of the “Best 5 Photographers to Watch in 2025” by TQS Magazine, in a feature story also shared on MSN.com. Hare earned his bachelor's degree in English/secondary education, but he has spent the past 18 years building a reputation as “one of the most sought-after wedding photographers” in Tampa and St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees has approved appointments to the Presidential Search Advisory Committee (PSAC), which will help to identify prospective candidates for NMU's next president.

Northern Michigan University 1996 alumna Skye Patrick, CEO of the massive Los Angeles County Public Library system, is one of seven recipients of the 2025 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards, which recognize individuals whose “innovative solutions to critical state challenges improve people's lives, create opportunity and contribute to a better California.” The honor also included a $350,000 grant and other resources for her organization. Patrick previously earned a national award when Library Journal named her 2019 Librarian of the Year. She is also a past NMU Alumni Achievement Award recipient.

Northern Michigan University has been selected by the Institute of International Education (IIE) to receive an IIE American Passport Project grant that will enable up to 25 NMU students to obtain their first U.S. passport and open the pathway to study abroad. In its fifth year, IIE has awarded grants to 45 institutions in the IIENetwork membership to help 1,275 Pell-eligible college students through this opportunity.

On May 18, 1675, the missionary and explorer Jacques Marquette passed away along the shores of Lake Michigan on his way back to the mission he founded in St. Ignace. To commemorate the 350th anniversary of his death, but more importantly his life and legacy, the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at Northern Michigan University is hosting a “Father Marquette 350th Commemoration” on Monday, May 19, in 1100 Jamrich Hall. The event will feature full day of presentations, films and round tables about Marquette, the Jesuit Missionaries of the region and their legacy on our region today. It is free and open to the public.

Northern Michigan University Theatre and Dance will present “Six Men Dressed Like Joseph Stalin” by Dianne Nora, winner of the Panowski Playwriting Award. With the former USSR as its backdrop, the dark comedy revolves around two men—loosely inspired by real figures—who bear such a strong resemblance to Stalin that they are forced into dangerous service as political decoys to thwart his enemies and alleviate fears for his safety. Performances are scheduled at 7:30 pm. Thursday, May 15, through Saturday, May 17, in NMU's Panowski Black Box Theatre.

Northern Michigan University Athletics and NMU Theatre & Dance will team up once again for the seventh annual Arts and Athletics Golf Outing on Thursday, June 19, at the Marquette Golf Club. The event supports both departments' students and programs. Four-person teams can play either the Heritage course for $150 per person, or Greywalls for $250 per person. Tickets include 18 holes with a cart, dinner, refreshments on the course and a thank-you gift.

Gavin Leach, a Northern Michigan University alumnus who has worked at NMU for 36 years—the last 18 as vice president for Finance and Administration–has been appointed NMU's interim president while a nationwide search is conducted for the next leader to fill the role. His appointment was announced at the May 2 NMU Board of Trustees meeting.