All News Releases

Northern Michigan University Alumni Relations will host Alumni Fridays in Marquette County this summer. The NMU community is invited to join at various locations to connect, socialize and network with fellow Wildcats during Happy Hour. Additionally, alumni are invited to go back in time with a historical walking tour or discover campus with a virtual scavenger hunt.

Don Waddell, former Wildcat hockey defenseman and NMU Sports Hall of Fame inductee, is the new president of hockey operations and general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The longtime NHL executive agreed to a multi-year contract to help turn around the franchise days after stepping down as president and general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, which registered at least one win in the Stanley Cup playoffs in six straight postseasons.

Northern Michigan University's Glenn T. Seaborg Center is partnering with the Michigan Council of Women in Technology to offer Camp Infinity, a series of week-long, hands-on sessions that introduce Marquette County girls entering grades 5-8 to computer and internet technologies. The camp will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, July 22 through Friday, July 26 at NMU. 

Northern Michigan University 2017 alumnus Benjamin Bartz of Wakefield has been appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to serve on the state's Ski Area Safety Board. He is chief of mountain operations at Midwest Family Ski Resorts, which owns the rebranded Snowriver Mountain Resort that includes the areas formerly called Indianhead and Blackjack.

Northern Michigan University 1998 BFA alumnus Kelsey Mann is directing his first feature film, Disney and Pixar's Inside Out 2, which premieres in theaters June 14. The sequel to the Academy Award-winning best animated feature returns to the mind of the original human character, Riley. She is going through puberty and encountering new emotions on top of the originals introduced in the first film. Actors Amy Poehler, Lewis Black and Maya Hawke are among those whose voices are featured in the film.

It was about this time one year ago that Yan Ciupak, associate professor of sociology at NMU, visited India for almost five weeks. She studied and experienced the yoga capital of the world, Rishikesh, and also collected data for her research project on the Buddhist Nun Empowerment movement.

Northern Michigan University 1995 alumnus and NMU Sports Hall of Fame inductee Jim Hiller has been named head coach of the NHL's LA Kings—the team that originally drafted him. He had been elevated to interim head coach on Feb. 2, 2024, after serving as an assistant coach over the past two seasons.

The 2024 IncredibleBank Hope Starts Here Challenge, composed of a variety of running and walking events to raise funds and awareness for the Upper Michigan Brain Tumor Center (UMBTC), will be held on Saturday, June 15.The UMBTC is a collaborative effort between UP Health System, Northern Michigan University and the Superior Health Foundation. Registration ends at 11:59 p.m. June 14.

Diane White Husic, a 1981 biochemistry graduate and vice president of the NMU Alumni Advisory Board, has been appointed the inaugural leader of the new Center for the Environment at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y. She will assume her new post in July. 

May multimedia journalism graduate Kobe Manzo won two of the three awards presented in the College Visual Sports Feature category by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. WUPX Station Manager Lauren Lahtinen and Assistant Station Manager Sam Colburn won two statewide awards in the College Audio category. Multimedia production major Trevor Forsythe won the Stephen A. Marks Foundation Scholarship, awarded annually to one NMU student who exhibits professional promise within the broadcast industry. All were among 13 Northern Michigan University students who attended the MAB Student Broadcast Awards event in Lansing.

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at Northern Michigan University has launched a new website, "Walking Together - Finding Common Ground," as a companion to an exhibition by the same name that is touring Indigenous communities throughout the Upper Peninsula and the Midwest. The site includes historical information about Indigenous experiences in the Michigan Native American Boarding Schools, as well as interviews with boarding school survivors. 

Northern Michigan University ranks No. 2 among small public schools nationwide that have been designated 2024-25 Military Friendly Schools by VIQTORY Media. Northern is making its seventh-consecutive appearance in the Top 10. It is also recognized as a Military Friendly Spouse School.

Northern Michigan University is a recipient of the "Best Online Masters' in Michigan" accolade bestowed by Online Master's Colleges (OMC). The site evaluated universities across various criteria including graduation and retention rates, affordability and program accreditation.

Northern Michigan University Theatre and Dance will kick off Pride Month with a Drag Cabaret at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, June 1 and 2, in the Panowski Black Box Theatre. An opening night party on Thursday will feature food, beverages, music, a photo booth and a meet and greet with the cast and team.

The three leaders of the "small but mighty" NMU Rec Sports team are featured in the cover story of the May/June issue of "CAMPUS REC" magazine. All are alumni who worked there as students. Tricia Bush stayed in her hometown after graduation and is director of campus recreation. Adam Fancher returned after a stint in the Pacific Northwest running and opening successful bike shops to serve as intramural sports and outdoor equipment manager. Katie Moe completed a graduate assistantship and took a job at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, but came back to NMU a short time later.

Northern Michigan University 1995 alumna Michele Arquette-Palermo has been promoted by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida from water policy manager to the newly created executive-level role of chief program officer, according to a CSF press release. She completed a bachelor's degree in biology/ecology from NMU and also some graduate-level coursework in biology, ecology, botany and fisheries management. 

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees has approved room and board rates for the 2024-2025 academic year. Residence halls and campus apartments are projected to be at full occupancy. The board also approved a new 16-credit, online certificate program in cannabis agriculture.

Aoi Hirose is the 42nd Sister City Scholar to study at Northern from Higashiomi, Japan. Marquette and Higashiomi have been developing deep connections since 1979, and the Sister City Scholar program provides opportunities for university students to enact and revitalize this relationship.

Northern Michigan University social work students recently traveled to India through a collaboration with the Delhi School of Social Work at Delhi University. They received real-world training in social audit processes and transparency mechanisms—skills that will prepare them to be better administrators and program managers in their careers after graduation.