All News Releases

NMU Interim President Kerri Schuiling has convened a campus work group to consider a recommendation to rename the Luther West Science Building, based on information that has come to light about the late biology professor's association with the national eugenics movement during the early 1900s.

Northern Michigan University will host its 54th annual Fall Semester Job Fair from 1-4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 27, in the Northern Center Ballrooms. The job fair provides NMU students and alumni with an opportunity to discuss a wide range of career possibilities with employers. These include full-time and part-time internships and summer jobs. 

Chris Alpers, a 2006 NMU graduate, is the new chair of the USApple Association board of directors for the 2021-22 term. The third-generation grower serves as operations manager of RedPath Orchards and Alpers Farms, where he grows apples, as well as sweet and tart cherries. He is also a partner in Alpers Tree Sales in Lake Leelanau, Mich.

Mlado Ivanovic's dramatic experience as a 13-year-old refugee during the Bosnian war heavily influenced his career path and involvement in humanitarian projects. The Northern Michigan University philosophy professor has researched the moral, political and environmental factors related to forceful displacement. He has applied his discipline practically by engaging in summer projects at international refugee camps—most recently helping to develop a sustainable agriculture program in Malawi in southeastern Africa. And he has NMU students design service projects that tackle local issues.

Northern Michigan University's indoor agriculture and construction management programs are partnering with the True North Treks Foglia Foundation WALDEN Institute, a wilderness retreat facility built into the cliffs of Lake Superior near Au Train, where young adults with cancer can connect with nature. 

The Northern Michigan University Foundation has released a five-year impact report on strategic changes implemented to support fundraising for NMU. The report details enhancements in four focus areas that put the NMU Foundation in a better position to secure and manage major gifts to support innovative strides in learning, teaching, programming and operations.

Lori Blaker, recently retired president/CEO of the Bloomfield Hills-based TTi Global and a longtime advocate of gender equality and women's empowerment in the workplace, will serve as the 2021 Executive in Residence for Northern Michigan University's College of Business Oct. 18-21. 

Northern Michigan University alumna Alice Lyn Jasper is committed to diversifying outdoor recreation and environmental advocacy by identifying barriers and opportunities for people of color to develop positive relationships with nature. The Grand Rapids resident produced a related documentary titled "Color Out Here" for WGVU Public Media's "Shaping Narratives" program. She screened it at the Fresh Coast Film Festival in Marquette Oct. 16 and17.

Northern Michigan University's Department of Music will present its NMU Choral Invitational Concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 18, in Reynolds Recital Hall. The performance will feature choir students from Wausaukee middle and high school and Ishpeming and Calumet high schools. Those students will have spent the day visiting NMU's campus and rehearsing with Director of Choirs Erin Colwitz. 

Northern Michigan University Theatre and Dance presents the world premiere stage adaptation of “Above the Timberline,” a visual journey by Gregory Manchess. Show times in Forest Roberts Theatre are 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Oct. 15-16, and Wednesday-Saturday, Oct. 20-23. A sensory-friendly performance is scheduled at 2 p.m. Oct. 16.

The Northern Michigan University Regional Police Academy will host two informational meetings Oct. 27 on the campus of Bay College. They are scheduled at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. in room 221 of the Bonifas Building. The meetings are for those interested in attending NMU's Regional Police Academy, which begins May 2022 and concludes in August 2022.

NMU Alumni Relations will continue Northern Now, its monthly digital event series for alumni and friends, at 7 p.m. EST Wednesday, Oct. 13, with a panel of alumni entrepreneurs in partnership with Invent@NMU. Panelists include Joe Thiel ‘03, CEO at Innovate Marquette SmartZone and executive director of Invent@NMU; Ian Altobello ‘19, founder of The Boreal Collective; and Britta Carlson ‘12, CEO and founder of Med Pros Share.

Northern Michigan University honored Indigenous Peoples' Day Oct. 11 with an unveiling ceremony for a new sign on the academic mall acknowledging that the campus is located on the ancestral homelands of the Anishinaabe Three Fires Confederacy. The event included songs by the Morning Thunder Drum, speakers and a group procession to the Center for Native American Studies' fire site near Whitman Hall.

Former NMU student Lor Sabourin is the subject of Patagonia's latest film series, "They/Them." The film premiered Oct. 6 and follows Sabourin's season-long effort to conquer “Cousin of Death” in Sedona, Ariz. Between footage of working on and redpointing the route, the Detroit native talks about life as a member of the trans climbing community, their outreach work with queer teens, and their ongoing recovery from an eating and exercise disorder.

Northern Michigan University alumni and twin brothers Bill and Pat Digneit received a 2021 Catalyst Award from the Community Foundation of Marquette County as co-owners of the local business, Double Trouble Entertainment. Four Catalyst Awards were presented to individuals, organizations and businesses for helping to "build community through volunteerism or philanthropy and inspiring others to do the same."

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at Northern Michigan University will host a free opening reception for its new installation, “The Seventh Fire: A Decolonizing Experience,” at noon Saturday, Oct. 9, in its gallery in Gries Hall. The multimedia exhibit experience is funded in part by a grant from the Michigan Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. It will be on display through April 9. 

Northern Michigan University's 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, Mary Jo Mulligan-Kehoe, demonstrated both patience and adaptability on her journey to a highly successful career in biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and in vascular biology at Dartmouth Medical School. She retired with four patents to her name, but remains active in service to her profession, and in creating visually engaging online science presentations for students in grades 6-12. 

“All I really needed to know about teaching kindergarten I learned at Northern.” Northern Michigan University Alumni Achievement Award recipient Susan (Hlavaty) Meier uses that twist on the title of Robert Fulgham's best-selling book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, to summarize how NMU prepared her for a 32-year career in the classroom. The 1987 graduate retired last year from South Elementary School in Ithaca, Michigan. 

Northern Michigan University 2021 Alumni Service Award recipient Lina Blair is dedicated to advocating for students and removing barriers to their academic success. She has implemented services related to mental health, COVID-19 relief, housing and food insecurity as director of Student Life and Conduct at Grand Rapids Community College. 

T.J. Weber, Northern Michigan University's 2021 Outstanding Young Alumni Award recipient, is known in the fields of marketing and public policy for his research on the role political values and online misinformation have on decision-making related to vaccines, global warming and consumption. The 2011 marketing graduate was recently named the Richard & Julie Hood Endowed Professor of Marketing in the Orfalea College of Business at Cal Poly University. He is among the youngest chaired professors in the United States.