Fall Tuition Set

Northern will increase its annual resident undergraduate tuition by

2.4 percent for the upcoming fall semester.

Administrators elected to move forward and set the rates despite lingering uncertainty about state funding for higher education.

Full-time undergraduates will pay $124 more per year, or $5,334. The increase for nonresident full-time undergraduates will be 3.6 percent ($304), for an annual rate of $8,742. Full Story

Bush Speech Sets Dome Record

President George W. Bush delivered a speech to about 11,000 people during his visit to Marquette July 13, setting a new attendance record for the NMU Superior Dome.

He was introduced by Detroit Lions Coach and NMU alumnus Steve Mariucci, pictured at right. The facility has a seating capacity of 8,000 and was able to accommodate remaining visitors, who stood on the floor in front of the stage. Full Story

Bush First Sitting President to Visit NMU

The Bush rally marked the first time a sitting president has visited Northern since it first opened its doors as Northern State Normal School in 1899, according to Russ Magnaghi (History), university historian. President William Taft came to Marquette in 1911, but there is no indication that he visited campus.

“Other presidents and vice-presidents have visited Northern either before or after their terms in office,” Magnaghi added.

Police Academy Has Largest Class

The NMU Police Academy, with its largest class on record of 49, got a rare training opportunity during President Bush’s visit to Marquette. Many of the cadets assisted other law enforcement agencies with crowd and traffic control at Sawyer International Airport, in the City of Marquette, and at the Superior Dome. Full Story

vNMU

on Horizon

Faculty, staff and students are invited to serve as “content experts” for a project under way to create an interactive, 3-D game world featuring Northern’s campus. Jeff Horn (Mathematics and Computer Science) said Virtual NMU – or vNMU – has the potential to be a valuable recruiting tool.

He said the online game will appeal to prospective students from the PlayStation and Xbox generation while promoting the university and its strengths in technology and design. Full Story

Project, Parking Updates

Faculty and staff are moving back into some parts of Thomas Fine Arts. Offices and departments that will be housed in the Charles B. Hedgcock Building, including the Student Services Center, will begin the transition to the redesigned venue in early August. The Engineering and Planning photo above shows furniture being assembled in the Financial Services Office.

Reynolds Recital Hall, a 300-seat auditorium that is also part of the project, is slated to open before the end of October. The renovated Hedgcock facility will also include the new Fieldhouse Food Bar.

Work on the new Art and Design addition, which includes the DeVos Art Museum, is expected to be finished during the fall semester.

Parking lot 28, located by the Learning Resource Center, is nearly completed. It will be designated primarily faculty/staff when it reopens at the end of July. At that time, construction will begin on lot 62 between the Student Services Center and Forest Roberts Theatre. The project is expected to be finished in September. Full Story

Archives Receives Grant

The NMU Archives has received a $48,000 national grant.

It will be used to process and organize collections documenting the political activity of former Upper Peninsula lawmakers Dominic Jacobetti, Pat Gagliardi and Charles Varnum. Full Story

All-Sports Passes Available

A new all-sports pass is available to faculty and staff for NMU athletic events. It covers admission to all volleyball, football and basketball games.

The cost to employees is $35 for the first pass and $19 for each additional, with a maximum purchase of four passes per individual. The general public may also purchase all-sports passes for $95 apiece. Full Story

Future Faculty Fellowships at NMU

The King*Chavez*Parks Future Faculty Fellowship program is designed to increase the pool of Native American, Latino and African American students pursuing careers in postsecondary education. At NMU, the program is managed by Diversity Student Services. April Lindala (Diversity Student Services) said the goal is to grant at least two new fellowships per academic year.

Fellows sign an agreement that they will remain in a teaching or administrative position at public or private, in-state or out-of-state institutions for a period of time determined by the amount of their awards. If they are unable to secure such a position, the fellowship becomes a loan that must be paid back.

Shirley Brozzo (Gateway Academic Program, pictured) became a fellowship recipient when she was a graduate student in the English Department from 1992-94. Full Story