 Too Early to Gauge Election Impact on Higher Education
Because term limits required a literal overhaul of the Michigan legislature, it was obvious heading into yesterday's election that change would be the predominant theme in the state, regardless of which candidates and parties claimed victory. In the House, 83 of the 110 members are new. In the Senate, it is 29 of 38. Only one Upper Peninsula delegate is returning. But also important to higher education is a shift in leadership—not only in the governor's seat, but also with the chairs of appropriation in the House and Senate and the chair of the higher education funding subcommittee. What impact will this have on NMU? Full Story
 Library Changes Completed
Renovation projects recently
completed at Olson Library have enhanced customer service and provided
much-needed aesthetic improvements.
The reference and circulation areas
have merged into a public services desk. Identical modular furniture purchased
at the same time for both areas was integrated into one unit. Darlene
Walch (Academic Information Services) said Olson Library began
cross-training students last year in preparation for the
change. “It’s more effective and efficient
from a service standpoint” she said. Full Story
 Program Helps International Students Adjust
The College of Business and
International Programs are collaborating on a new “buddy” program. American and
international students have been interacting through group
activities such as a campus scavenger hunt and an international game night
(pictured).
Some American students have also helped with issues such as
transportation and shopping. A banquet for the international students is being
planned for January. Full Story
New Password Policy Aimed at Security
As part of its commitment to protecting data and providing a secure information technology environment, NMU has implemented a computer password policy. It requires that passwords be changed annually and be 8-16 characters in length, begin with a letter and include at least one number and one special character.
"The policy was a requirement from our external auditor, but it also helps to ensure better data security," said Felecia Flack (AdIT). "Computer hackers can easily obtain password-cracking programs that can guess simple passwords, or all-alphabetic characters, very quickly. The more complex a password is with a combination of letters, numbers and special characters, the harder it is to guess."
Employees and students will receive e-mail reminders two weeks before they need to change their passwords. |
Final Exam Cancelation Policy Revised
Faculty and students should allow for the possibility that in-class final exams will be held later than originally scheduled because of an official university closure related to weather or other unforeseen circumstances.
If the university closes for one day from Monday-Thursday of final exam week, the impacted exams would be moved to Friday.
If the university closes a second day or on Friday, those exams would be moved to Saturday afternoon.
Something to keep in mind when making end-of-semester travel arrangements. |
 Technical and Community College Programs Have New Road Map
About 16 percent of NMU students are enrolled in technical and community college (TCC) programs leading to a diploma, certificate or associate degree. These programs are featured prominently in the current issue of Horizons alumni magazine and a new five-year strategic plan specific to TCC departments was recently presented to the NMU Board of Trustees. Modeled after the university’s Road Map to 2015, the plan is designed to ensure strategic curricular goals and priorities are selected and regional workforce development objectives are met. The TCC Road Map identifies several five-year goals in four broad areas. Full Story
 NMU Engineering Technology Programs Accredited
Northern's electronic engineering technology and mechanical engineering technology bachelor’s degree programs have been accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. ABET Inc. has set the higher-education standards in the fields of applied science, computing, engineering and technology for nearly 75 years.
Full Story
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When Linda Sides started working in the gift department of the NMU Bookstore 27 years ago, the
bulk of her customers were students. 
