All News Releases

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at Northern Michigan University is featuring an exhibition titled “Above/Under the Surface: The Fisheries of the Upper Great Lakes” through December in its Gries Hall gallery. The exhibition looks at the changes that have taken place in the fish populations and the impact of human beings on native fish species. Admission is free.

Northern Michigan University Theatre & Dance will present its first-ever devised production, in which the entire creative team develops the script and show collaboratively. The world premiere of Finding Home celebrates members of historically marginalized communities who have shared their experiences at NMU and in the Marquette area. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 4-5 and 9-12 in the Panowski Black Box Theatre. A sensory-friendly performance will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5.

Northern Michigan University researchers were involved in a recent collaborative study of the gut microbiome of Alaskan brown bears, which shows that the microbial life in bears' guts allows them to achieve comparable size and fat stores while eating widely different diets.

Nationally recognized suicide prevention speaker David Woods Bartley will give a free public presentation titled "Suicide is the Enemy, But Not the Target: How Shifting Our Aim Can Help Change the Outcome" at Northern Michigan University. The event begins at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, in Northern Center Ballrooms I and II. 

A community and campus reception for recently appointed Northern Michigan University President Brock Tessman and his family will be held from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, in Ballrooms III and IV of the Northern Center. The event features special appearances by the NMU Marching Band and the NMU Jazz Combo. 

The 1926 Barnes-Hecker mining disaster that occurred in western Marquette County is the topic of the next “Evening at the Archives,” a public event hosted by The Central Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan University Archives. Jim Paquette, NMU alumnus and retired Cleveland Cliffs Iron Mining Company safety manager, will give the presentation at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3—also known as 

The book selection for the 10th anniversary of Northern Michigan University's Diversity Common Reader Program (DCRP) is "Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman's Fight to End Ableism" by Elsa Sjunneson. The DCRP revolves around a nonfiction book of interdisciplinary interest that advances discussions of diversity, inclusion, and social justice.

“Having grown up in Brighton, Mich., on a dirt road, getting my hands dirty was natural. Hard work is natural,” said Suzi Trdan, retail store manager of Starbucks and Sundre at Northern Michigan University. For Trdan, who is often smiling and eager to make connections with customers, hard work truly does seem natural.

Northern Michigan University Music Professor Barbara Rhyneer was honored as arts educator of the year at the 25th annual awards ceremony recognizing individuals who have made an impact on arts and culture in Marquette. She has been teaching and conducting the symphony orchestra at NMU since 1997.

NMU alumna Rebecca Normington, who earned a bachelor's degree in English in 1990, was appointed director of marketing communications for Security Health Plan of Wisconsin Inc., after almost 20 years in the affiliated Marshfield Clinic Health System.

Northern Michigan University alumnus Tim Hamill was hired by the Outdoor Sportsman Group (OSG) ad sales department as the national endemic account executive.

At least two of the documentaries being screened at the Fresh Coast Film Festival Oct. 13-16 in Marquette were created by NMU alumni and students. Cameron Mattson and Kevin Paczesny, who began collaborating on projects as NMU digital cinema students, will premiere "All Hop'd UP," which explores the unique craft brewing subculture that has been growing in the Marquette area since the mid-1990s. Current student Fischer Genau's first film, "From the Ground Up," is about Partridge Creek Farm in Ishpeming, where he is completing an internship.

Northern Michigan University Alumni Relations is celebrating the return of 1973 alumnus Rick Comley as NMU's athletic director with a special Northern Now digital event at 7 p.m. EST Wednesday, Oct. 19. Alumni and friends are invited to join to hear his vision for the future of NMU Athletics, and also receive updates from NMU Volleyball Head Coach Mike Lozier and NMU Women's Basketball Head Coach Casey Thousand.

Flutist and educator Adam Sadberry will be accompanied by pianist Wynona Wang for a concert on "Togetherness" on Monday, Oct. 17, as part of Northern Michigan University's Siril Concert Series. Both are award-winning musicians. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. in Reynolds Recital Hall. 

Sault Ste. Marie's Downtown Development Authority recently appointed Northern Michigan University alumna Stephanie Sprecker as the new DDA director. She completed NMU's master of public administration (MPA) program in 2022.

Northern Michigan University's Symphony Orchestra, University Choir and Arts Chorale will perform the Midwestern premiere of THE UNARMED CHILD at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16, in Reynolds Recital Hall. The nine-movement work was composed by Michael Bussewitz-Quarm, 2021 winner of the American Prize in Choral Composition, in response to gun violence against children.

Argentinian filmmaker Lucila Podestá will discuss documentary topics and her award-winning short film, which she shot with a phone after an accident during COVID-19, as a guest speaker for Northern Michigan University's Department of Languages, Literatures and International Studies. Her presentation begins at 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 10, in 109 Harden Hall. The public is invited.

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at Northern Michigan University is seeking nominations from the public for the 2022 Upper Peninsula Folklife Awards. The deadline is Oct. 16. 

This has been a year of milestones for Missie Holmquist of Marquette. In February, she was appointed by the governor to the Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees, and recently played a role in selecting NMU's next president. This spring, she marked the 20th anniversary of both her 2002 graduation from NMU with a bachelor's degree in psychology and the launch of her longtime career with Upper Peninsula Health Plan, which she now serves as president and CEO.

High school seniors who attend school and reside in the Upper Peninsula and plan to pursue studies in a health care-related field at a college or university next fall are invited to participate in an essay contest. The Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health is coordinating the contest in partnership with the Michigan Center for Rural Health and the Literacy Legacy Fund of Michigan. The essay submission deadline is Sunday, Oct. 16.