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Northern Michigan University is among 228 colleges and universities nationwide and one of only three public institutions in Michigan named to the 2024 Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society's Transfer Honor Roll for “creating dynamic pathways” to support transfer students. This accomplishment marks the third consecutive year Northern has been recognized for outstanding transfer student services.

The folk-jazz fusion group American Patchwork Quartet, which showcases the dynamic diversity of contemporary culture by reimagining timeless songs from America's past, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at Northern Michigan University's Forest Roberts Theatre. The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at NMU is hosting the concert.

Northern Michigan University has again partnered with Marq Tran to offer a free Friday shopping shuttle to students, faculty and staff. Those wishing to utilize the service only need to show their NMU IDs. The shuttle will operate every Friday through April 25, with the exception of Dec. 27.  

In the highly competitive arena of college athletics, some programs have ventured beyond traditional training methods to explore the value of unconventional approaches that have the potential to optimize physical and mental performance. The Northern Michigan University men's soccer team received an assist over Labor Day weekend from 2010 alumnus and Peak-Performance Coach Tim Mann. He credits his recovery from a severe auto accident to the Wim Hof Method, which revolves around three pillars: specialized breathing techniques; cold therapy; and commitment.

Past members of the NMU Moosemen rugby football team reunited to celebrate the club's 45th anniversary last weekend. To honor the milestone, they established an NMU Rugby Hall of Fame with the first 14 inductees, donated a scrum sled training apparatus to the program, and honored one of their former teammates who passed away. Both the current Moosemen and the Northstars women also hosted alumni matches at the Wright Street fields.

Northern Michigan University 2022 cosmetology graduate Mikaela Bannon will return to the Miss Michigan pageant for a third time next June after recently being crowned Miss Wayne County. The Canton resident earned $1,075 and other gifts in winning the title and three awards: people's choice; miss congeniality; and best onstage interview.

Northern Michigan University alumnus and attorney Paul Millenbach was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2025 edition in the practice area of mass tort litigation/class actions-defendants. He is a litigator and co-leader of the General and Commercial Litigation Practice Group at Foster Swift Collins & Smith PC in Southfield.

Northern Michigan University will hold a rededication ceremony for Vandament Arena, which has been newly renovated to serve a dual purpose as the home court for both Wildcat volleyball and basketball. The event is scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12. It will be followed by a reception and the volleyball team's first home game of the season at 5 p.m. against Findlay.

Northern Michigan University Theatre & Dance will present its annual Wildcat Theatre Follies, which showcases a broad array of performance talents from freshmen and sophomores in the program, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5 and Friday, Sept. 6. The event will take place in Forest Roberts Theatre and include artistic productions varying from dramatic scenes and monologues to song and dance routines as a celebration of Northern's rising performance arts stars.

Northern Michigan University Career Services, in partnership with the Nursing Department, will host an upcoming Healthcare Career Fair from 1-4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 16, in the Northern Center Ballrooms. Employers will be on campus to discuss full-time and part-time jobs, internships, and summer employment opportunities in healthcare with interested students and alumni. 

Northern Michigan University has been recognized as a STARS Gold Institution by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. STARS is the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System. An institution's score is based on the percentage of applicable points earned across five main categories: academics; engagement; operations; planning and administration; and innovation and leadership.

Northern Michigan University Alumni Relations will host "Northern Now: Talks with Tessman" at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday, Sept. 11. Alumni and friends of the Wildcat community are invited to join President Brock Tessman for a virtual chat. He will share campus updates and answer questions. The event will begin with a welcome from NMU Alumni Advisory Board President Chris Charboneau '93 BS.

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at Northern Michigan University will host an opening event for a new exhibition, "Northern Tapestry: 125 Years of Stories," at 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, in its Gries Hall gallery. In addition to a talk by Director/Curator Daniel Truckey, there will be light refreshments and snacks. The event and exhibit are free and open to the public.

As a renowned African freshwater crab expert, Northern Michigan University Biology Professor Neil Cumberlidge amassed a collection of more than 1,000 preserved specimens representing various species over his extended career. On the verge of his Sept. 1 retirement after 34 years as an educator and scholar at NMU, he recently transferred them from NMU to London to join the crustacean research collection at the National History Museum's Darwin Center.

As NMU students arrive on campus this week in advance of Fall Fest and first day of classes on Monday, it is intriguing to reflect on the institution's hurried and humble beginnings 125 years ago. After Michigan's governor signed the bill establishing Northern State Normal in Marquette in April 1899, there was too little time for a campus to take shape by fall. The first class of 32 students convened on Sept. 19 in rented quarters in old City Hall, with Dwight B. Waldo as the school's principal. By the end of the second week, 61 students had registered.

Northern Michigan University recently became the first higher education collaborator in the 12-year history of Northern Strike, one of the Department of Defense's largest joint military readiness exercises held at the largest National Guard training facility in the country. Eight NMU information assurance/cyber defense students had a rare opportunity to work alongside military cybersecurity teams from the U.S. and NATO ally Latvia Aug. 11-12. Their mission was to regain control of a network used for communications and war command that had been compromised by a foreign adversary, determine how the network was infiltrated and remediate the vulnerability.

Northern Michigan University student Sami Brown of Waco, Texas, has demonstrated her dual talents as a soccer player, entering her final season as a Wildcat, and as a singer/guitarist. She advanced through an early-stage American Idol qualifier as a high school junior and performs at Marquette-area venues in her limited free time. She will play before her largest audience yet when she opens for country duo Maddie & Tae during NMU's 125th anniversary Homecoming celebration.

Award-winning country duo Maddie & Tae will headline a free outdoor concert as part of Northern Michigan University's 125th anniversary Homecoming celebration at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, in the gravel parking lot behind the Superior Dome. Their opening act, NMU student and singer/guitarist Sami Brown, will take the stage at 6:30 p.m.

Dr. Sara Sutherland, a 2017 NMU alumna who earned a bachelor's in biology/physiology and a minor in chemistry, has joined the team of emergency medicine physicians at UP Health System – Marquette. The Munising native has come full circle after working at the hospital's information desk and as a "patient sitter" while attending Northern.