All News Releases

Sled Hockey Event at NMU Feb. 16

Sled hockey athletes
Feb. 4, 2025 —
Northern Michigan University's Berry Events Center will host an opportunity for members of the campus and Marquette-area communities to try out sled hockey, a sport adapted for athletes with physical disabilities. This free event begins at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16; no registration is required. Protective equipment such as helmets, elbow pads and hockey gloves will be loaned to attendees who participate.

Theatre & Dance Students Earn Honors at Regional Conference

From left: Maya Moreau, Mark Simons and Liam Fisher.
Feb. 3, 2025 —
Three Northern Michigan University Theatre & Dance students earned awards at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival's (KCACTF) Region 3 conference in Madison. Mark Simons from Cadillac became the second NMU student ever to advance to nationals at the Kennedy Center with a win in the Musical Theater Intensive. Maya Moreau of Dearborn, who made history last year as the first from NMU to advance to nationals, won the Classical Acting Award. Liam Fisher of Grand Rapids received a scholarship to attend the Open Jar Institute, New York City's premiere Broadway actor training program, this summer.

Giving Tuesday Results Advance Student Support

NMU Giving Tuesday logo
Jan. 31, 2025 —
The Northern Michigan University Foundation's Giving Tuesday event in December raised more than $81,000 from 143 donors. The gifts will elevate the student experience by helping to increase the number of available scholarships, enhance programming related to the university's strategic priority of well-being, support the NMU Food Pantry, and assist students struggling with financial hardship.

NMU Money Games Feb. 7

Illustration of students playing a game
Jan. 30, 2025 —
Northern Michigan University students are invited to participate in the NMU Money Games from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7. in the McClintock Building room 106. This interactive team-based game puts students in control of a budget as they aim for the highest net worth, credit score and quality of life. 

Saleh Returns to 49ers

Robert Saleh
Jan. 30, 2025 —
Former Wildcat football player and Northern Michigan University alumnus Robert Saleh has returned to the San Francisco 49ers as defensive coordinator. Saleh had previously worked with the 49ers from 2017-2020, then served as head coach of the New York Jets for three seasons. The Dearborn native attended Northern Michigan University, where he started at tight end for four years and earned all-conference honors before graduating with a bachelor's degree in financial management in 2001. 

DCRP Book Aligns with NMU Strategic Plan

Author Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
Jan. 30, 2025 —
The book selected for this year's Diversity Common Reader Program (DCRP) at Northern Michigan University is As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson. Held annually since 2013, the DCRP revolves around a nonfiction book of interdisciplinary interest that advances discussions of diversity, inclusion and social justice.

U.P. Students Win Regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Logo
Jan. 28, 2025 —
Northern Michigan University's Northern Shores Storywork Writing Project has announced the 31 Upper Peninsula teens selected as regional award winners for the 2025 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the country's longest-running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for creative students in grades 7-12. There were 113 submissions from the Upper Peninsula, a significant increase over the eight received last year.

Former Wildcat Shine Signed by Red Wings

Red Wings Announcement on Dominik Shine's contract
Jan. 28, 2025 —
Former Wildcat hockey player Dominik Shine has signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons. The forward played for NMU from 2013-2017 and signed with the Grand Rapids Griffins as an undrafted free agent soon after. He compiled 170 points (72-98-170) and 513 penalty minutes in 462 AHL games with the Griffins, and ranked among the team leaders in scoring, assists and other categories in 40 games this season.  

Finnish Folk Supergroup Frigg to Perform at NMU

Frigg (photo by Marek Sabogal)
Jan. 28, 2025 —
The Finnish folk supergroup Frigg will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27 in Reynolds Recital Hall at Northern Michigan University. This concert will be part of the 2025 Winter Roots Festival, a collaboration between the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at NMU, Hiawatha Traditional Music Co-op, the Peter White Public Library, and the City of Marquette Arts and Culture Center. Frigg's new album, "Dreamscapes," is scheduled for release on Feb. 21.

Harris Praised for Help Identifying Human Remains

Harris (left) with Dr. Carolyn Isaac of MSU, collaborating on the assessment of one of the victims.
Jan. 27, 2025 —
Northern Michigan University's Center for Forensic Science Director Jane Harris has elevated her professional reputation, the center's profile and student hands-on learning opportunities by contributing her expertise to Operation UNITED, an effort by the FBI and law enforcement agencies in Detroit and Philadelphia to exhume the remains of unidentified victims of decades-old homicide cases. The hope is that advanced DNA testing can provide names and answers for their respective families. She was highly commended for her most recent work in letters from the former FBI director and the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD).

Berrys Are Leaders in Lifetime Giving to NMU

John and Shirley Berry (left) with Kristin and Brock Tessman, NMU's president, in the Northern Center
Jan. 27, 2025 —
Northern Michigan University alumnus John Berry Jr. has continued the philanthropic legacy passed down by his grandfather and father, whose entrepreneurial success heading the largest Yellow Pages advertising agency in the United States inspired them to give back to future generations in ways that reflected their core values, including education. John and Shirley Berry have become the leaders in lifetime giving to NMU, surpassing $10 million. Their most recent gifts of $3.5 million include $2 million to endow in perpetuity the College of Business Deanship in their names, and $1 million as an expendable fund to support the Northern Enterprise Center, the future home of the College of Business.

Rural Leadership Fellows Advance U.P. Projects

Rural Leadership Fellowship logo
Jan. 27, 2025 —
Four Northern Michigan University students have been selected to participate in the second cohort of NMU's Rural Leadership Fellowship Program, a public-private partnership with InvestUP that promotes immersive, project-based learning while also supporting U.P. economic and community development projects. The fellows and their project partners are: Aimee Doyle, Marquette County Emergency Management; Travis Garvey, Michigan Office of Rural Prosperity; Rachel Raak, Village of Laurium; and Miki Rogers, Partridge Creek Compost in Ishpeming.

Alumna's 'To Be Marquette' Novel Published

"To Be Marquette" book cover and author Sharon Dilworth (photo by George Lane)
Jan. 27, 2025 —
Northern Michigan University factors prominently in the third novel by 1981 English and French alumna Sharon Dilworth. "To Be Marquette" weaves in some factual elements from her time as a student—namely the controversial government-funded Project ELF and associated protests about its potential adverse effects on the environment. It also references familiar community landmarks and pays homage to the area's natural beauty. Dilworth said her growing concerns about climate change made her reflect on her NMU experience and reminisce with fellow alumni in recent years, which inspired her to write the book.

Keith Third at IRONMAN World Championship

Keith at the New Zealand competition
Jan. 27, 2025 —
Sharon (Frifeldt) Keith, a 1977 Northern Michigan University nursing graduate, competed in the Half-IRONMAN World Championship in New Zealand last month. She placed third among women in her 70-74 age group, swimming 1.2 miles in open water, biking 56 miles, then running 13.1 miles with no breaks in between. Keith's extended involvement in endurance events inspires younger athletes she trains with in Honolulu. It also enables her to make up for some lost time, as she was a relatively late bloomer in the sporting arena.    

NMU Sustainability Summit Feb. 18

SHINE (NMU Sustainability Hub for Innovation & Environment) graphic
Jan. 24, 2025 —
Northern Michigan University will host a campus Sustainability Summit from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18. The event will kick off in Forest Roberts Theatre with keynote speakers Chef Bryan Flower and Courtney Gallaher from Northern Illinois University discussing their Edible Campus. Other activities are scheduled throughout the day in Jamrich Hall and the Hedgcock Atrium.

NMU Alumni Events Planned in Green Bay

Green Bay Gamblers logo
Jan. 22, 2025 —
Northern Michigan University Alumni Relations is hosting two Green Bay-area events for alumni and friends: a free gathering featuring immersive game experiences, appetizers and a cash bar from 6-8 p.m. CST Friday, Jan. 31, at The Turn Restaurant Lounge; and NMU night at the Green Bay Gamblers hockey game at 6:05 p.m. CST Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Resch Center. President Brock Tessman will attend both events.

Alumnus Joins Public Health Advisory Council

Nicholas Derusha
Jan. 20, 2025 —
Northern Michigan University 2013 MPA graduate Nicholas Derusha of Newberry has been reappointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to the Public Health Advisory Council. He serves as the director and health officer of the Luce-Mackinac-Alger-Schoolcraft District Health Department. He is also a member of the Michigan Center for Rural Health Board of Directors, a member of the Northern Health Foundation Board of Directors, and treasurer for the Helen Newberry Joy Hospital.