What’s New @ Public U. – Northern Michigan University Fall 2011 Edition

NATIONAL ROLE MODEL:  President Barack Obama chose to come to Northern Michigan University to unveil his national wireless initiative last February, saying NMU’s WiMAX network should be used as a “role model for the nation.” NMU was the first university to build and operate its own WiMAX network. This 40-square mile 4G network provides Northern students with Internet access for studying, researching, student teaching and other educational endeavors simply by logging into their university-issued notebook computer, which all full-time students receive as part of tuition and fees. President Obama said, “This university tried something new,” and he congratulated Northern on setting the rural standard for wireless communication. Dozens of NMU students helped with the presidential visit, volunteering with crowd control, VIP seating, ticketing, security, facility setup and motorcade duties.  www.nmu.edu/obama/obama_visit.shtml                 www.nmu.edu/tlc

MARQUETTE TO MILAN: Northern’s human-centered design program was invited to participate in last April’s Salone Satellite, a juried show for student and emerging designers held as part of the Internazionale del Mobile (Milan International Furniture Fair) in Milan, Italy. Seventeen NMU students exhibited prototypes of their creative research to an international audience of media, manufacturers and design professionals. NMU was among the few U.S. institutions invited to this highly selective show. “Throughout the exhibition, students were approached by press from around the world, manufacturers interested in producing their designs and others who just wanted to pay compliments for the beautiful range of ideas and products,” says Peter Pless, NMU art and design professor.  www.nmusalonesatellite.com

INTO CUBA:  In January, NMU launched a historic international partnership in Cuba, becoming one of only 16 U.S. institutions granted a license for study abroad programs in the country and the first to extend its presence beyond Havana. Two NMU students spent the spring 2011 semester studying at the University of Matanzas, east of the nation’s capital. www.nmu.edu/cuba

NEW MAJOR:  Northern has a new bachelor’s degree program this fall in fisheries and wildlife management. The program is designed to train students in both theoretical and applied aspects of fisheries and wildlife management. It is appropriate for those interested in natural resources management careers in state, federal or tribal agencies, non-profit organizations, industry or academia. Students may specialize in either fisheries or wildlife and completion of the major will result in meeting the academic requirements for professional certification in either the American Fisheries Society or The Wildlife Society. www.nmu.edu/biology

LARGEST GIFT EVER: This spring, John and Shirley Berry made a $5 million gift to NMU – the largest in school history – to establish the Berry Scholarship, an award to be given to incoming freshmen enrolled in NMU’s Honors Program and majoring in the College of Business or in STEM areas. “This gift enables Northern to attract students who would meet the admissions requirements for the most elite schools in the country, but want the well-rounded, community-centered college experience that Northern is known for,” said NMU President Wong. The first recipients are Kasey Hall of White Pigeon and Cole Swiston of Washburn, Wis., who each will receive $20,000 over four years.  www.nmu.edu/scholarshipsearch

SPEAKING OF SCHOLARSHIPS: Northern’s prestigious Presidential Scholars Competition will be held Nov. 6-7 and Nov. 13-14. The registration deadlines for the competitions are 5 p.m., Oct. 21 and Oct. 28, respectively. One in four competitors earns a scholarship ranging from a full ride (tuition, fees, room and board—top 10%)  to $500-$2,000 per year for four years. www.nmu.edu/presidentialscholars

HONORS SPOTLIGHT: The NMU Honors Program was thrust into the spotlight with the creation of the Berry Scholarship, giving preference to students enrolled in the program. The NMU Honors Program begins with a two-year, four-course sequence that allows incoming students to fulfill their liberal studies requirements with guaranteed entrance into small classes taught by top-notch faculty. In the third and fourth years, students work one on one with professors within their majors, “engaged in individualized courses of research that are generally unheard of at the undergraduate level,” says David Wood, the program’s director.  www.nmu.edu/honors

SUCCESSFUL GRADUATES: Recent NMU graduates are continuing their education after being selected for prestigious awards. Kirstin Meyer completed her zoology degree in three years, published three papers, discovered a few species of freshwater crab and will spend the next year as a researcher at the Alfred Wegener Institute of Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven, Germany, as part of the U.S. Student Fulbright Program. Biology major Andrea Ewasek was chosen for the three-year $30,000 Woodrow Wilson Foundation Fellowship toward earning a master’s in education. Exercise science graduate student Erich Petushek was selected for a three-year, $90,000 National Science Foundation research grant to study child obesity while completing a doctorate. 

LEADING BY EXAMPLE:  About 2,600 NMU students – or just under 30 percent of the student body – participate in the Superior Edge program, one of Northern’s two nationally recognized leadership programs. Superior Edge is open to all students, regardless of class, major or past leadership experience. www.nmu.edu/superioredge  … Northern’s Student Leader Fellowship Program, which annually selects 50 participants for a two-year leadership learning experience, just finished celebrating its 20th anniversary. www.nmu.edu/slfp …  NMU held two volunteer abroad trips this year, one to Belize and another to India. More than 40 students participated.  … Eight students were part of a clinical sciences global healthcare study abroad trip to Honduras during the summer where they did lab tests in clinics, helped to install water filters in schools and taught children about waterborne illness and water hygiene.  www.nmu.edu/cls

MAKE A VISIT: We encourage all interested students and their families to visit the Upper Peninsula and the NMU campus. A favorite feature during NMU visits that are pre-arranged is the one-on-one meeting with a faculty member in the student’s academic field of interest. To learn more about the NMU campus visit program, go to www.nmu.edu/visit. One way to bring a whole classroom of students to Northern without leaving your school grounds is to set up a virtual field trip. NMU offers virtual field trips on a wide variety of topics, including college preparation and exploration of specific career fields. To learn more, go to http://av.nmu.edu/k12.htm. Northern covers any connection costs related to a virtual field trip for K-12 grades.