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NMU alumna Debra LaMere is a contingent faculty member in the College of Business. She also serves as senior vice president at Goodwill Industries. She has worked in the human resources (HR) field for many years, starting out as an administrative assistant at the Tilden Mine. LaMere has since held HR roles in manufacturing, healthcare, higher education and now nonprofit. 

As a geographer and landscape ecologist, Assistant Professor Adam Naito integrates field work, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing and simulation modeling to improve understanding of landscape-scale changes in vegetation and its implications for cross-scale interactions and ecosystem services in terrestrial systems. His work has spanned multiple environments, including the montane forests of northern California, Arctic Alaska, the Appalachian Mountains, Southwestern rangelands, and the North Woods and agricultural landscapes of the Upper Peninsula.

Assistant Professor of Education Cindy Basse leads and teaches in the early childhood graduate program. She launched the MAE in Early Childhood Education with four students and has been instrumental in teaching and growing the program to its current level of eighty students. She has focused her professional development on pedagogical approaches to online learning that engages students in active learning within a supportive classroom community. 

Psychological Science Assistant Professor Lin Fang is co-director of the Cognitive x Affective Behavior & Integrative Neuroscience (CABIN) Lab. Her research mainly focuses on 1) The cognitive and affective vulnerabilities to depression and anxiety: Mechanism and intervention; 2) The interaction between cognitive control and emotion regulation; 3) User experience (UX) research.

Shaun Shepard, EdD, is an adjunct professor in the College of Business. She holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration from George Washington University, and her research interests include trauma-informed pedagogy, social and emotional learning, and professional development.

Northern Michigan University Theatre and Dance will present its adaptation of the iconic rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar,” the first musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice produced for the professional stage more than 50 years ago. Show dates are Thursday-Saturday, April 10-12 and 17-19 in Forest Roberts Theatre. 

Northern Michigan University will host its 29th annual Celebration of Student Scholarship on Thursday, April 17, beginning with an opening ceremony at 9 a.m. and continuing throughout the day in Jamrich Hall. This year's event will feature a broader range of presentation formats beyond the traditional research posters and 10-minute oral presentations. Students were also invited to submit projects in the form of film and video, readings, roundtables, performances, publications, artistic displays and more.

Northern Michigan University's Music Department will present three upcoming performances featuring its percussion ensemble, a senior trombone recital, and the Open Mind experimental music ensemble.

A new article detailing the history of environmental advocacy work at Northern Michigan University and in the Upper Peninsula has been posted on a website dedicated to the symbiotic relationship between NMU and the surrounding region. "This Land is Our Land: Yooper Relationships to the Environment and NMU" was written by Graduate Administrative Assistant Abby LaForest, with support from the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center on campus, and utilizing historical records from the Central U.P. and NMU Archives.  

Two Northern Michigan University undergraduate students and an NMU alumna presented their work at the annual convention of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honor society, March 19-22 in Pittsburgh. Two came away with awards.

Two Upper Peninsula students were national award winners in the 2025 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the nation's longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in grades 7-12. Berkeley Thompson of Marquette Senior High School won a Gold Medal and American Voices Award for her poem “On Buying Pre-Stirred Almond Butter," and Hannah Josefsen of Negaunee High School won a Gold Medal and American Visions Award in art for her painting, “Fragments of Identity."

The Northern Michigan University French Program will present a free French Baking Seminar featuring BabyCakes pastry chef Lisette LaFave. The event is open to the public and scheduled from 1:30-2:20 p.m. Thursday, April 3, in Whitman Hall 136.

Forty-three former faculty, staff and administrators have been selected as “transformative leaders” as part of Northern Michigan University's 125th anniversary celebration, based on their significant positive impacts on the university. The selections were made after a committee reviewed nominations and additional historical records.

Northern Michigan University will host the 2025 Great Lakes Cannabis Collaboration Conference from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, at the Northern Center. The event will showcase developing trends in cannabis education and research, featuring insights from industry leaders and experts at the forefront of the evolving sector. The schedule includes speakers, an NMU alumni panel discussion, a networking lunch and student oral presentations/research posters.

Northern Michigan University Theatre & Dance has finalized a merger between its Wildcat Performing Arts Academy (WPAA) and Superior Arts Youth Theater (SAYT), which has been part of the Marquette community for more than 20 years and recently performed The Wizard of Oz on campus. WPAA will continue to focus on education and training, with workshops, summer intensives and other programming. SAYT will remain as the performance and design branch as it moves forward under the WPAA umbrella.

Five Green Fund project proposals for student-led sustainability initiatives on campus have been selected for implementation this year. They include pollinator habitats, bat boxes, a bike share program, birdfeeders, and apartment composting. The combined budget for all is nearly $27,000, and will be covered by the Green Fund, a student-paid fee that supports sustainable project ideas submitted by students from any major and approved through a selection process.

Over spring break, 43 Northern Michigan University students and faculty members traveled to St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, for immersive field courses in marine and terrestrial ecology, research, and destination catering. The experience provided hands-on learning opportunities in diverse environmental and culinary settings and fostered interdisciplinary collaboration.

Northern Michigan University 2017 outdoor recreation leadership and management graduate Samantha LaLonde was named Rookie of the Year at the 2025 Iditarod race in Alaska. She recorded the best time by a first-time musher, completing the longest route in Iditarod history—1,128 miles—in 15th place. 

Lexi Hagan, a 2024 Northern Michigan University business management alumna and one of the first NMU Rural Leadership Fellowship Program participants, is the new executive director of the Menominee Business Development Corporation. Her role is to attract new businesses to the area, retain existing businesses, and help them identify available grant opportunities.

Northern Michigan University's Platform Personalities will host "An Evening with Rachel Dratch." The multifaceted comedian, actress and writer is perhaps best known for her seven-year run on "Saturday Night Live," where she created many memorable characters, including Debbie Downer. She will participate in a conversation at 7 p.m. Monday, March 31, in the Northern Center Grand Ballroom. Admission is free for NMU students with ID and $5 for the general public.