All News Releases

Northern Michigan University Marketing Professor Gary Brunswick has been selected as the Dec. 15 commencement speaker through a nomination process overseen by the ASNMU student government organization. 

Brunswick said he was initially surprised that students selected him to be the commencement speaker, but is honored to accept the invitation.

Northern Michigan University has received about $15,400 through the Michigan Campus Sexual Assault Grant Program to support an awareness campaign titled “Consent: Back to Basics.” The topic plays a pivotal role in sexual assault cases, yet student feedback obtained through an NMU survey supported by a previous program grant indicated that a number of students do not have a clear understanding of what constitutes consent.

An Internal Campaign Planning Committee composed of faculty, staff and students will facilitate the collection of proposals and opportunities with broad university scope that, with potential philanthropic investment, would enhance Northern’s levels of innovation and excellence. The committee will be responsible for developing and presenting recommendations to the NMU Administration, the NMU Foundation and their respective boards as part of the ramp-up to a proposed campaign currently scheduled to begin in 2020.

Bruno Amilcar of Maputo City, Mozambique in East Africa, is one of three students attending NMU this fall through the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (UGRAD). The program is designed to promote cultural exchanges between American institutions of higher learning and foreign students. Amilcar is a junior political science major with a minor in theater. He is anticipating his upcoming role as Father Christmas in the NMU production of Scrooge! 

The U.S. Department of State assigned Amilcar to the UGRAD program at NMU through a scholarship.

Northern Michigan University is moving to a two-factor authentication (2FA) system that adds an extra layer of security to MyNMU and GSuite services in order to prevent hackers from obtaining users’ personal data. It will be required by May 1 and is a response to a series of recent phishing emails, which attempted to obtain sensitive information by disguising as trustworthy NMU entities. In one October incident, the bank account details of 53 NMU community members was compromised by emails that looked like they were coming from the Vielmetti Health Center.

Monica Prelle is one of two visiting professors for the English Department at Northern Michigan University. This is her first teaching position, but she hopes her 15 years as a freelance journalist will give her credibility in emphasizing the importance of truth and ethics in the media to her students.

Northern Michigan University’s Forest Roberts Theatre will introduce a few surprising twists to its longstanding holiday production of Scrooge!, a musical retelling of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12–Saturday, Dec. 15, with additional shows at 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16.

Northern Michigan University's DeVos Art Museum is hosting the School of Art and Design's Fall 2018 Senior Exhibition. The work of graduating seniors from all concentrations is being showcased. The exhibition will end with a closing reception from 7-9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14. It is free and open to the public. 

Northern Michigan University's music department will host its third annual Holiday Collage Concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, in Reynolds Recital Hall. It is free and open to the public, but donations are appreciated. The concert will feature the NMU band, choirs, orchestra and a variety of student soloists and ensembles. 

A Northern Michigan University Mexican theater class will perform two plays starting at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 4, in room 2902 of the West Science building. They will be presented in Spanish, with English subtitles. Total run time for both is about 45 minutes. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.

NMU alumnus David Meinert (’82 BS, ’84 MBA) will become the new dean and David D. Glass Distinguished Leadership Chair of Missouri State University’s College of Business on Jan. 1. He has been interim dean for the past year, according to a press release. Meinert previously served as associate dean of the college and director of the Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) and Executive Master of Health Administration programs. He started working at Missouri State as a computer information systems assistant professor.

NMU alumnus Tim Smith ('03 BS), general manager of Waterville Valley Ski Resort in New Hampshire, was featured in a GoNOMAD story on the energy savings two ski areas in the state have realized via new gear. Waterville Valley has new snow guns that make better quality snow with a 90 percent reduction in electric costs. Smith also implemented Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), a state-of-the-art lift access system that knows electronically if skiers belong there and makes dangling ski passes on wires obsolete. He has started a new business to install RFID systems at other ski areas.

Reem Hakeem, an international student from Egypt, is one of three participants in the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (UGRAD) attending NMU this fall. The program is designed to help foster cultural exchanges between students from other countries and American institutions of higher learning.

Hakeem is a freshman dentistry major with a minor in history. She was selected for the UGRAD program at NMU by a scholarship from the U.S. Department of State back at her university in Egypt.

NMU alumnus Jerry Glanville ('64 BS), who played linebacker for the Wildcats and was head coach of two NFL teams, just wrapped up his first season as defensive coordinator for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. He served as a guest coach of the team in 2017. The Ticats finished the season Nov. 18, with a loss to the Ottawa Redblacks in the East Division final.

Recent NMU graduate Michelle Perttunen has joined the construction and real estate development company Mortenson as a field engineer in Milwaukee, according to BizTimes.com. She graduated from NMU with degrees in engineering design and mechanical engineering technology while completing an engineering internship with American Instrument & Implant.

The Northern Michigan University Regional Police Academy will host a mandatory meeting for those planning to attend the next academy at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29, in room 132 of the Jacobetti Complex. The meeting will last about one hour. Attendees will receive documentation covering the enrollment process and should bring their drivers licenses. The 2019 police academy begins in May. To sign up for the meeting, call 906-227-1408.

Northern Michigan University's Native American Student Association will host a screening of the movie Wind River. The event is scheduled from noon -2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27, at the Whitman Hall commons. It is free and open to the public.

This film follows a veteran hunter as he helps an FBI agent investigate the murder of a young woman on a Wyoming Native American reservation. A discussion will follow.

NMU alumnus Matthew Torreano ('07 BS) of Marquette was appointed to the seven-member Michigan Ski Area Safety Board, which licenses and regulates ski areas and lifts. Torreano is an outreach specialist with the Michigan DNR and an avid skier who previously worked as a ski instructor at Marquette Mountain. He earned his bachelor’s degree in recreation management from NMU. Gov. Rick Snyder appointed Torreano to represent public members from the Upper Peninsula with ski experience. He will serve on the board through June 8, 2022.