CAMPUS

News for NMU Employees

Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015

Erickson Unveils Seven Core Values

NMU President Fritz Erickson’s investiture ranged from historic academic tradition in the form of a bagpipe-led procession and chain of office presentation to the unveiling of seven core values that will guide the university’s future decisions. The values are billed as “distinctly Northern” and emerged from input gathered at 11 listening sessions with students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members. They are: celebrating community; making connections; sustaining the environment; embracing inclusion; seeking innovation; providing opportunity; and exacting rigor.

“The first step in developing a strategic plan is to identify and reinforce a set of core values that will drive decision-making on Northern’s future direction, resource allocation and priorities,” said Erickson. “Did we hit the mark? Can you see your role in any or all of these? This is truly a first draft. We are seeking feedback and then we will make revisions until there’s a substantial consensus that the words best represent Northern’s values and goals. It’s a positive thing for the campus community to have this interaction and dialogue. We intend to make the value phrases and descriptions available to the campus community in the coming week.” Full Story

 

Board Reauthorizes North Star Academy Charter, Backs County Road 595 Appeal

The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees today voted to reauthorize NMU’s charter with North Star Academy. The contract is for two years, with a two-year extension if the academy continues making progress toward goals. Full Story

 

Faculty Research Grants Awarded

Ten NMU Faculty Research Grants have been awarded for 2015. To see the recipients and their project titles, read the Full Story

 

Student Group Builds UP 200 Barricades

The Northern Michigan Constructors, a community service-oriented student organization, is building and repairing barricades that will block off Washington Street in downtown Marquette for Friday’s start of the UP 200 sled dog race.

“We like to do what we can for the community and this benefits Marquette as a whole,” said Josh Maier, president of the group. “The race organizers are providing the materials; we’re providing the free labor. The Constructors originally built the barricades 10 or 15 years ago and they’ve gotten to the point of needing TLC or being replaced, so they approached us this year to help.” Full Story

 

NMU Hosts Warming Tent at Sled Dog Start

NMU will host a warming tent on the corner of Washington and Fourth Streets (Upper Peninsula Health Plan parking lot) for Friday's start of the UP 200 and Midnight Run sled dog races. It will be open to the general public from 6-9 p.m. The free, family-friendly event features hot chocolate and cookies from Babycakes and an opportunity to meet retired Alaskan husky sled dogs Brianna and Miki. Between races, visitors will be able to pose for a photo with the dogs and a dogsled. 

The UP 200 is one of America's premier 12-dog, mid-distance sled dog races. It covers 240 miles of challenging terrain through the areas of Marquette, Grand Marais, Wetmore and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The mushers will leave Marquette Friday evening and arrive in Grand Marais sometime Saturday morning. After a layover to rest and eat, they'll head back to Marquette. The teams will arrived at the finish line at Mattson Lower Harbor Park on Sunday. 

 

Scholarship Application Deadline Friday

The application window for donor-funded student scholarships closes Friday, Feb. 13. Faculty and staff are urged to encourage students to apply. There are more than 375 scholarships available, representing a variety of majors, programs and areas. An electronic search and submission process makes it easy to apply. Students simply need to log onto their MyNMU accounts. For more information, visit Scholarships

 

Campus Closeup: Jan Paquette

Jan Paquette’s ties to Northern extend back even farther than the 39 years she has been employed by the university. She was a student at the former John D. Pierce Training School, a K-12 facility operated by the university where teacher certification candidates were trained by practicing instructors, many of whom also taught at Northern. The Marquette native grew up adjacent to campus on Schaffer Avenue and recalls riding horses on the once-open field that is now the site of the Learning Resources Center. 

Paquette’s first job on campus was as a student cook. She later landed a similar full-time position in the Quad II dining operation and, over 13 years, shifted among different campus kitchens. After briefly taking classes part time on top of her work, she abandoned her original goal of becoming a park ranger or conservationist and settled in for a long career at NMU. Full Story