Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently appointed two NMU alumni to posts in her administration. Mark Burton (’99 BS) is her chief strategist. Capt. Joe Gasper (‘97 BA) is the new director of the Michigan State Police.
Northern Michigan University will present its second annual Snowfest, a winter semester kick-off event, on Wednesday, Jan. 16. Free activities from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. include snow biking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing demos on the academic mall. NMU students receive free access to the Noquemanon Trail Network’s interconnected year-round, non-motorized land and water trail system. They can also check out bikes, skis and snowshoes for use on the NTN at no charge.
Northern Michigan University will honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with a week-long celebration. A Day of Service will be held on Monday, Jan. 21. The event kicks off with a campus march for equality. Participants will assemble at noon in the lobby of the Forest Roberts Theatre. The march will proceed to the Lodge at The Woods student housing complex for a program titled “Poetry Without Borders: Let Freedom Ring” and light refreshments.
NMU Economics Professor David Prychitko co-edited The Market Process: Essays in Contemporary Austrian Economics. The book was published in December by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and covers issues ranging from equilibrium theory and free banking to public choice and the problems of contemporary social reform. It is an introduction to the diversity of contemporary Austrian economics and its innovative trajectory of research in the late 20th century economics.
NMU alumna and State Rep. Sara Cambensy ('02 BS '09 CER '11 MPA) was named assistant House Democratic floor leader for the 2019-2020 legislative term. Cambensy is serving her second term representing the 109th House District and previously served on the agriculture, local government and natural resources committees.
Joe Lubig, associate dean for teacher education and director for the School of Education, Leadership and Public Service at NMU, will represent public colleges and universities on Michigan's 21st Century Education Commission. Gov. Rick Snyder appointed Lubig to a three-year term. Snyder created the commission in 2016 to analyze top-performing education systems in the nation and identify issues impacting Michigan’s academic success, recommending changes to restructure Michigan’s education system.
A team of biologists, including NMU alumnus Tom Gable ('16 MS) and master's student Austin Homkes, has documented a pack of wolves in Minnesota's Voyageurs National Park that hunts fish as a seasonal food source. They even captured some night-vision video of the activity (link provided below). This discovery, along with earlier studies through the Voyageurs Wolf Project, suggests the animals' diets are more varied than previously thought.
NMU Psychological Science Professor Josh Carlson has been selected as the sixth recipient of the Quad-L Early Career Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the field of learning, memory and cognition. The Quad-L trust was founded at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque by Professor Frank Logan and his wife, Julie. It recognizes the scholarly contributions of one scientist each year.
Eleven years after a stranger savagely beat him with a pool stick outside a bar and left him for dead, Travis Thetford crossed the NMU commencement stage in his wheelchair Dec. 15 to accept his diploma. The former star athlete at Escanaba High School suffered a traumatic brain injury and left-side paralysis in the wake of the attack. He has since inspired many with his perseverance and positive attitude in tackling adversity.
The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees today received a draft of the Strategic Resource Allocation (SRA) report from the implementation task force. The SRA project aligns with the university’s strategic plan by identifying opportunities for transformational change and reallocating resources to implement them. Beginning last year, it reviewed more than 600 academic and support programs campus-wide. The draft report extends beyond the individual program summaries to recommend several transformation initiatives.
Northern Michigan University grounds crews will launch a preemptive strike against snow and ice accumulation on campus walkways in an effort to enhance safety. The new method—pre-treating pavement with a liquid agent in advance of forecasted precipitation—might seem counterintuitive. But the brine solution composed of water and 23 percent salt has proven effective in thwarting the formation of ice.
Steven Donley will not be attending Northern Michigan University’s Dec. 15 commencement to receive his MBA, only so that two graduating seniors he supervises at the local Best Buy can enjoy the morning off to participate in the ceremony. Upon hearing about his generous and unselfish gesture, NMU administrators decided to bring graduation to him at the store on Thursday. They surprised Donley by setting up an NMU backdrop, outfitting him in a cap and gown, conducting a master’s hooding ceremony and presenting him with a diploma.
Liberty Turner from Harrison Township has been selected as the student commencement speaker for the Dec. 15 graduation ceremony at Northern Michigan University. She will share her own story of transitioning through college and overcoming challenges to demonstrate how perseverance can lead to professional success.
“Due to my academic standing when I arrived at Northern, I really needed a school that wanted me to succeed just as must as I wanted to,” Turner said. “That’s why I went to Northern, but I fell in love with campus when I became engaged with the supportive community.”
NMU President Fritz Erickson summarized the Campus Master Plan at Wednesday’s meeting of the Strategic Planning and Budgeting Advisory Committee. Key elements, all of which are contingent on external funding, include strengthening the academic core and creating an expanded arts corridor with a new university-community performance venue and parking ramp.
Ford Motor Company has donated a 2013 Ford Focus to Northern Michigan University’s automotive technology program. Assistant Professor Randy Klitzke said the car introduces students to a dual-clutch transmission, which is discussed in class, but was previously unavailable to demonstrate in the shop. The feature combines elements of both manual and automatic transmissions, with two clutches—one controlling odd gears and the other even—but no clutch pedal or stick shift.
Nine Northern Michigan University faculty members were honored at the Dec. 6 Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship celebration. Award recipients were: Gary Brunswick and Jon Sherman, Excellence in Teaching; Marek Haltof and James Strain, Excellence in Scholarship; David Donovan and Jessica Thompson, Excellence in Leadership; Shirley Brozzo, Excellence in Part-time Faculty Teaching; Stacy Boyer-Davis, Excellence in Online Teaching; and Mounia Ziat, Technology Innovation.
While some college students seek the fastest track to graduation, Kerry Hytinen of Ishpeming opted for the slow, deliberate route. She earned a bachelor’s degree in writing from Northern 20 years ago and soon re-enrolled to begin work on a master’s. After detours and delays—some intentional and others not—Hytinen will receive her degree on Saturday. She said it was rewarding to complete her requirements the same semester that her daughter first enrolled at Northern, but this is not the end of Hytinen’s education.
NMU alumnus Frederick “Fritz” Nelson (BS ’73) is coauthor of a paper published by Nature Communications that suggests permafrost thaw due to global warming may damage critical infrastructure by 2050, even if the Paris Agreement targets are met. This could pose a serious threat to the utilization of natural resources and the sustainable development of Arctic communities.
Megan O’Connor of Midland will be the graduating senior commencement soloist at Northern Michigan University’s commencement on Saturday, Dec. 15. The communications major and music minor will lead the singing of the university’s alma mater, “Hail Northern,” and the national anthem. O’Connor played a major role in planning and executing the NMU Veterans Day choir concert, which raised $1,200 for the Jacobetti Home for Veterans. Those efforts recently earned her a "Director's Coin" for excellence from the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency.
NMU alumna Skye Patrick ('96 BFA) was interviewed on "CBS This Morning" about an innovative program at the L.A. County Library, where she serves as director. Patrons who are 21 and under are allowed to read away their late fees at the rate of $5 per hour. Patrick received the NMU Alumni Achievement Award during Homecoming. Watch her interview here.