Achievements

Five NMU faculty members received Reassigned Time Awards this semester to support scholarly activities. Their names and project titles are: Amy Hamilton (English), “Rethinking the Literary ‘Old West’: Western American Literature Before 1800”; Bao Truong (Mathematics and Computer Science), “Necessary Conditions in Multi-Objective Optimization in General Banach Spaces and Applications”; James McCommons (English), “Research for Book on George Shiras III”; Russell Prather (English), “Palimpsest Paintings for the 2012 U.P. Focus Show at NMU’s DeVosMuseum”; and Jaspal Singh (English), “Imagining Nations and Homelands: Gender and Sikh Identity in Indian and Diasporic Literature.”

NMU President Les Wong is pictured shortly after receiving the Lake Superior Community Partnership's Distinguished Service Award. The LSCP presents the award each year to one individual and one company or entity. Wong was honored at the LSCP's annual dinner held earlier this month at the University Center.

The School of Education achieved its goal of putting all 20 graduate courses online this semester. "It was to better serve our students, who come from all over the U.P. and the world," said Rodney Clarken (Education). "Everyone seems to think it is the right way to go. Our faculty members have gradually made the move over the last few years and our students have come to expect it and value it over the face-to-face meetings. This is for graduate courses only. Our undergrad courses are mostly face to face, with three optional sections offered online."

Wildcat Weekend Sets Attendance Record

Wildcat Weekend on March 19 was the largest since the program first started in 2005. Nearly 290 students and 700 guests attended the event, which is geared toward students who have been admitted or have a strong interest in NMU and would like to learn more.

"Visiting a college campus is important for gathering information, but also for testing how it feels and getting that sense of, 'Is this the place for me?'" said Gerri Daniels (Admissions). "Wildcat Weekend, as one of NMU’s visit options for prospective students, is designed to expose our guests to faculty, staff and current students and to the range of programming and experiences available to NMU students. The message from Dr. Wong, from me and from the Admissions staff is, 'This is your opportunity. Ask questions. This is why we think NMU is special. See if NMU is the place for you. We hope it is.'"

Daniels shared two anecdotes that demonstrate how Wildcat Weekend can be a powerful influence in a student's decision to attend NMU. A mother from lower Michigan called to report that her son had come to campus with NMU as one of three options he was considering. But because "the experience was amazing" and "NMU was the only school where they were able to meet directly with nursing faculty," they quickly moved Northern at the top and eliminated the others from contention. Her son registered for orientation and housing the same day. And an admitted student from Chicago, who was visiting campus for the first time, told Marcia Lovett (Admissions) how excited he was and how he knew this was the place for him. She asked, “If there was one thing I could tell Chicago-area students, especially students of color, about what made the difference for you, what would it be?” He replied, “You know, I spent a day visiting a college very close to where I live, very diverse, and I did not feel comfortable there at all. But here at NMU, I feel very comfortable; I feel at home.”

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