Koch Named Northern's New Provost

Susan Koch (pronounced "cook") will be the new provost and vice president for academic affairs, effective July 1. She currently serves as the dean of the graduate college and associate provost at the University of Northern Iowa.

“I was attracted to Northern Michigan University because it is a dynamic institution, proud of its heritage, with talented faculty and staff and a really optimistic, can-do attitude,” Koch said. “Also, NMU obviously plays an absolutely central role in the economic and cultural development of the region and state. All of these factors combined made Northern a desirable destination for an educator." Full Story

Higher Ed Unharmed in Governor’s Budget

The legislative cycle is just beginning, but the first indicator – Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s executive budget presented last week – reinforces education as a top priority and recognizes the key role that Michigan colleges and universities will play in the state’s economic recovery.

Despite projected revenue shortfalls of more than $800 million this year and up to $2 billion next year, her plan calls for a 2.5 percent across-the-board increase in higher education funding. Full Story

Adamini and Ziegler Join NMU Board

Gov. Jennifer Granholm has appointed Stephen Adamini of Marquette and Gilbert Ziegler of Charlevoix to the Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees through Dec. 31, 2014..

Adamini is a former state representative for the 109th district and an attorney at Kendricks, Bordeau, Adamini, Chilman & Greenlee, P.C. He succeeds Karl A. Weber, whose term expired.

Ziegler is making a return to the NMU board. His previous appointment spanned 1993 to 2001. He served as board vice chair in 1999 and chair in 2000. The NMU alumnus is president of Alken-Ziegler. He succeeds Larry C. Inman, whose term expired.            

Turkish Scholar Visits NMU

Simten Cosar, a visiting Fulbright scholar, said one of her main goals during her month-long visit to NMU is to “answer questions about the Muslim world and Turkey that arise out of a lack of knowledge and may be contributing to prejudice.”

Cosar is a political science and international relations professor at Baskent University in Ankara, Turkey. She’s also a human rights activist with Amnesty International. Her professional work addresses women’s issues. Full Story

Hello, Dolly Opens

The Tony Award-winning musical Hello, Dolly will be staged at Forest Roberts Theatre. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21-24 and Feb. 27-March 2. There will also be a 1 p.m. matinee Feb. 24. Tickets are available at all EZ Ticket outlets.

Copyright Discussed

Attorney John Blattner discussed the "four-factor fair use test" and other copyright issues during a workshop on Feb. 6. The presentation is available through Feb. 19 at Copyright. The user name is "nmu" and the password is "wildcats." Olson Library also has a Web page with related information.

Spectator Opportunities Abound

NMU employees can gain free admission to the Olympic Challenge and a Nordic skiing regional competition. They can also take kids in grades K-8 to a Wildcat basketball afternoon free of charge.

The Olympic Challenge starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14, in the Superior Dome. U.S. Olympic Education Center boxers will face Canada, Greco-Roman wrestlers will grapple with the U.S. Army squad; and women's wrestling and weighlifting will participate in intra-squad competitions. Tickets are free for faculty and staff with an ID or $2 for the public.

NMU is hosting the Central Collegiate Ski Association regionals at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 17-18, at the Al Quaal Recreation Area in Ishpeming. Winning skiers will qualify for the NCAA national championships in March. The event is free and open to the public.

The Wildcat men’s and women’s basketball teams are holding "Take A Kid to the Game Day" on Saturday. All kids in grades K-8 who are with a paid adult will be admitted free. The women’s game tips off at 1 p.m., followed by the men's game at 3 p.m. at the Berry Events Center.

Victor LaDuke (Public Safety and Police Services) has served in the law enforcement arena at NMU for almost 30 years.

As investigator, LaDuke oversees all criminal activity on campus.

“It’s not a perfect world and unfortunately, crime does occur,” LaDuke said.

LaDuke has a variety of duties in addition to investigating campus crimes. Full Story