Sept. 5, 2001
Issue3

Campus Campaign Update

Contributions to This Decisive Season: The Campaign for Northern Michigan University have reached 97 percent of the $30 million goal.

“Faculty and staff giving continues at a rate of 58 percent involvement,” said Virginia Zinser (Development Fund). “That is an unprecedented level of employee giving at public higher education institutions.”

The NMU Community Campaign, launched in April, has generated five new scholarships. Some were created to honor individuals; others were established to assist NMU students in a particular area of study.

Gifts to establish new, endowed scholarships or contributions to existing endowed scholarships are eligible for a dollar-for-dollar match by the university. A total of $200,000 has been identified for endowed scholarship matching support through a challenge issued by the NMU Board of Control.

Zinser added that gifts from employees and retirees for the This Decisive Season lecture or cultural endowed series will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $250,000. To date, commitments for the cultural series total $6,225; the lecture series stands at $1,125.

“The challenge provides the unique opportunity to become involved in the support of three important projects which will benefit the entire university community,” Zinser said. “However, all gifts to any designation count in the campaign, and the Development Fund staff can help identify an area or special project that will allow employees to be a part of this first-time campaign.”

You Asked For It ...

Some people have been wondering why parking spaces in front of the University Center are now aligned vertically rather than horizontally.

Based on student input recommending snow rows as a remedy for winter-time parking problems, the university last year tested a new alignment on Lot 28 near the LRC and Hedgcock.

Carl Pace (Purchasing) said, "With these wide-open lots, parking can get kind of helter skelter when the snow falls and people aren't sure where to line up. It really reduces the number of available spots. We put in plowed snow rows in Lot 28 so people would have banks to pull up to and could get some idea of where to park."

Because the UC lot posed a similar problem, it was reconfigured before the start of the fall semester. Pace said it's easier for the plows to make long, vertical sweeps to deposit the snow at the end and create snow rows as positioning guides for motorists.

Do you have a campus-related question? If so, submit it to Advancement Gateway and we will try to answer it. Depending on volume, all questions may not appear in CAMPUS.

Santa Fe Art on Exhibit

The NMU Art Museum presents Spirited Wanderings: Santa Fe Art at the Threshold through Sept. 30.

Highlights include a presentation by Lena Bartula. The Santa Fe artist and gallery owner agreed to curate the exhibition. She will discuss “The Artist’s Journey: Premise and Process” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6. A reception will follow her presentation in the gallery.

Wayne Francis, director of the NMU Art Museum, said the theme for the exhibit originated during his last trip to Santa Fe.

“There is still the obligatory western art, but the many galleries of Canyon Road are filled with intellectual and mystical works of contemporary artists intent on pushing the boundaries of the visual language of art,” he said. “This show represents a large group of mature and emerging artists exhibiting their personal visions of the inner and outer fabric that makes up our world today.”

Ten artists are represented in the show, which is sponsored by the Friends of the University Art Museum. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 1-4 p.m. weekends.