Volume 11, Issue 4 - December 8, 2011

Dear NMU Parents,

The end of the semester nears. That means holiday celebrations; semester-end projects, concerts and exhibits; and, of course, final papers and examinations.  Here are some updates that may help your students close out the semester smoothly.

FINAL EXAMS: Monday through Saturday (Dec. 12-17) is final exam week. Exams are scheduled in two-hour blocks based on the first day of when the class meets during the regular course portion of the semester. You can find the exam schedule here. If we experience inclement weather during final exam week to the extent that we need to close the university, on-campus exams will be rescheduled to Friday, and if Friday is canceled, those exams would be moved to Saturday. All exams for online courses are held at the regularly scheduled time regardless of university closures. Grades will be available at MyNMU (http://mynmu.nmu.edu) as of Thursday, Dec. 22.  

COMMENCEMENT: There are 579 seniors graduating and 376 registered to participate in next Saturday’s (Dec. 17) commencement ceremony. The ceremony takes place at 10:30 a.m. in the Superior Dome. Those walking in the ceremony need to be at the Vandament Arena in the PEIF Building by 9:30 a.m. to prepare for the lineup process. Rehearsal for commencement begins at 2:15 p.m., Friday (Dec. 16) in the Dome. Parents can learn more about the commencement ceremony at www.nmu.edu/commencement. No tickets are required to attend. The ceremony is televised on WNMU-TV and broadcast via the Internet at America One/B2 Networks at no charge, and there is more information about this available on the home page of the commencement site. Please note that the commencement ceremony may not appear on NMU’s America One/B2 Networks page until a day or two before the event. I also always remind those attending the ceremony to arrive early so that they do not miss the processional because they are delayed while trying to park. The commencement speaker is Johnnetta Cole, director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. The student speaker is Lauren Fusilier, an elementary education and special education-emotional impairment major from Stockbridge, Mich.

RESIDENCE HALL CHECK-OUT: The residence halls close for the semester break at noon on Sunday, Dec. 18, and will reopen at 8 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 12. Students living in a residence hall must sign up for an available check-out time with their resident adviser at least 24 hours before they plan to leave. All students are expected to clean their rooms, remove all perishable items and properly dispose of trash. For more information, go to www.nmu.edu/housing. The check-out process takes 10-15 minutes. Students who end the semester without a roommate and who have not been guaranteed a single room for next semester must make half the room available for the possibility of getting a roommate, which means making half the room, including drawer and closet space, available for a new student to move into. Check-out procedures were covered in meetings with students and described in fliers distributed to each student and posted throughout the residence halls.The Marketplace closes at 2 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 17, and re-opens at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 14. The Wildcat Den closes at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, and re-opens at 7 a.m., Monday, Jan. 9.  The Wildcat Den will be closed Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 13-14. Meals will be served in the Marketplace on those days.

RETURNING COMPUTERS: If your NMU son or daughter has not registered for Winter 2012 classes, he/she must return the NMU notebook computer by Tuesday, Dec. 20. Late fees begin on Wednesday, Dec. 21. Non-returning students can bring computers to Micro Repair in the Learning Resources Center (LRC), room 122, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Dec. 19-22 or to NMU Public Safety 24 hours a day on any day, including those over the semester break.  If you have questions, e-mail thinkpad@nmu.edu or call 906-227-2822.

DEAN’S AND GRADS’ LISTS: A reminder to parents of NMU students who make the dean’s list this semester or who are graduating: Please do not send your own announcement to your local newspaper. The university will send an official announcement with all the student names and achievements from your area. Your NMU student’s announcement will go to the newspaper(s) that cover the zip code your son or daughter has listed as part of their permanent address on their student record. The dean’s list will officially be released around Feb. 1, which gives students and faculty a few weeks to work on any grade disputes once the winter semester begins. The Registrar’s Office usually completes the final degree audits of all of the graduates in early February and the graduates’ list is officially released around mid-February.

HOLIDAY SHOPPING: At this time of year, NMU parents and grandparents often ask me about possible Northern holiday gifts. If you’re still shopping for your NMU student, you may want to check out the NMU Bookstore’s website at www.nmubookstore.com (or call 906-227-2480). Many items ship in 1-3 business days. Other NMU gift ideas include a recreation pass for the winter semester (recsport@nmu.edu, 227-2519) or tickets to Forest Roberts Theatre (theater@nmu.edu,  227- 2082) or the International Performing Arts Series (tickets@nmu.edu, www.nmu.edu/performingarts,  227-1032).  If you are located in Marquette or visiting the area, there are also some incredible gifts available at the School of Art and Design’s Artworks shop just inside the Art and Design Building, next to the DeVos Art Museum. Dining Services (www.nmu.edu/dining) has information on “Celebrate Good Times” gift cards that are redeemable at Temaki & Tea/Smoothie King, Starbucks and all NMU dining operations. If you are looking for Upper Peninsula gifts, I suggest you check out www.MIUpperHand.com, which features only U.P.-made items.

NEXT SEMESTER: Here are some key dates for next semester to help you plan. Tuition and fees billing statements will be posted to each student’s online account and an e-mail sent to their NMU e-mail address by Dec. 9.  The due date for tuition and fees is Wednesday, Jan. 4. (Don’t forget that we have several options for payment plans, which you can learn about at www.nmu.edu/paymentplans). The first day of classes is Monday, Jan. 16. WinterFest takes place the week of Feb. 19-26. Spring break officially begins at 5 p.m., Saturday, March 3 and classes resume Monday, March 12. Final exam week for the winter semester is April 30-May 5 and commencement is at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 5. 

EXECELLENCE: On Thursday (Dec. 8), Northern held its annual Celebration of Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship event. The recipients of the Excellence in Teaching Award are Dr. Sandra Imdieke (Education) and Professor Amy Orf (Modern Languages); Excellence in Scholarship Award winner is Dr. Carol Strauss Sotiropoulos (Modern Languages); and recipients of the Technology Innovation Award are Dr. Craig Rademacher (Health, Physical Education and Recreation) and Dr. Mark Shevy (Communication and Performance Studies).  … Want to know what giddy science professors look like? Head over to the Seaborg Science Complex to see NMU’s brand new Olympus Fluoview confocal, laser-scanning microscope. Typically reserved for Research I universities, the equipment/software package enables faculty and students to section thin layers of cells, tissues and their components to capture multi-color 3D, rotatable images and real-time video. Learn more about this exciting acquisition. … Speaking of excellence, meet nursing major Ben Fladung of Marquette, a Purple Heart recipient who volunteers as a teaching assistant for the nursing UN100 Freshman Seminar courses. He helped his two UN100 classes develop a service-learning project to bring holiday cheer to overseas military members. Meet Ben

KOREAN OPPORTUNITIES: NMU is among the first 17 U.S. universities to partner with the Teach and Learn in Korea (TaLK) program, which offers paid internships to undergraduates who teach English in rural elementary schools in South Korea. The program is sponsored by the National Institute for International Education under the direction of the South Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. NMU International Programs screens and recommends candidates, then forwards their applications to the TaLK offices in Seoul. Those selected receive paid airfare, housing, health insurance and a monthly stipend. No Korean language skill is required. Students admitted to the program complete a four-week orientation addressing Korean culture, education and basic teaching methods. Students from any major can apply, but it is particularly well-suited to education and English majors. For more information, students should contact goabroad@nmu.edu. On a related note, Northern has signed a memorandum of understanding with Myong Ji University in Seoul and is working on a bilateral exchange agreement with Hallym University, also in South Korea. Students pay tuition to their home universities and can study at any of the other consortium universities. Business Professor Carol Steinhaus is also working on a faculty-led study abroad trip to South Korea for July 2013.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES: This semester’s senior art exhibit at the DeVos Museum is titled, “Negative Space” and runs through Friday, Dec. 16 with a  closing reception that night at 7 p.m..  If you’re in town, definitely check out this outstanding, free exhibit. … The NMU Center for Native American Studies and the NMU Press, along with the Michigan Humanities Council, recently published Voice on the Water: Great Lakes America Now, an anthology of the contemporary American Indian experience in Michigan through fiction, poetry, prose, art and craft. Many of the 88 authors and artists are NMU students, faculty and alumni. It’s an impressive piece of work. The book will soon be available in most Michigan libraries and is also available for purchase ($19.95) at area bookstores and on the NMU Bookstore website. … I recently held a university forum to update the campus on what’s happening in the eight focus areas I outlined in my fall convocation address.  You can view the presentation at www.nmu.edu/forums. ... As your sons and daughters travel to and from campus this semester break, remind them to be diligent weather watchers and to not forget about ASNMU’s Dozing Discounts program. To keep track of the weather, go to www.weather.com, www.uppermichiganssource.com, www.tv5and10.com/weather.php, the Michigan State Police road conditions site or the NMU web cam page.

A FINAL NOTE: Before settling in to write the newsletter this evening, Phyllis and I participated in NMU’s annual Lighting Up the Holidays celebration at the University Center.  Hot chocolate and goodies, horse-drawn hayrides across the snow-covered campus, carols, and a visit from Santa for the little ones -- what fun!  It’s been another very successful, productive semester at Northern, so it’s important to take time out to celebrate together. Michigan’s universities and higher education in general face many challenges in the upcoming new year and I will be discussing many of these issues with you in January.  But despite the challenges, I marvel at what the NMU students, faculty and staff manage to accomplish in each 16-week semester. I know I’m a lucky president. I feel blessed to be at a university that is valued by its local community, surrounded by faculty and staff who are focused on serving students, and to have the great opportunity to enjoy an engaged and (for the most part) satisfied student body. (If only I could give all 9,300-plus students a parking place next to the door of their most frequented NMU academic building, everyone would really be happy. )  At this time of year we often talk about peace on Earth. I truly believe that peace on Earth will be accomplished through the work of young people who understand the global perspective and issues, who utilize their critical thinking skills to the fullest, who realize the importance of good citizenship, and who care enough to take action when the opportunities arise – big or small – to promote positive change in the world.  I get to see Northern students every day who are learning how to become the people who can meet this responsibility, and because I do, I remain a firm believer that peace on Earth is possible.  Phyllis and I send our warmest season’s greetings from our family to yours.

Sincerely,

Les Wong, President
Northern Michigan University

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