Executive Budget Includes 3.2 Percent Cut

The executive budget released last week by Gov. Jennifer Granholm calls for reductions in state funding for all university operations for fiscal year 2010 and a proposed tuition freeze. For NMU, the 3.2 percent cut would amount to $1.5 million. Full Story

Physics Prof, Student Research Neutrons

An experiment analyzing the internal structure of neutrons at the Department of Energy’s Jefferson Laboratory will shed more precise light on how nuclei form and interact. Will Tireman (Physics, pictured) said the data collection will lead to a “greater understanding of the stars, sun and beginning of all matter in the universe.”

Research on the tiny particles might also lead to visionary applications for computing technology, which he said is rapidly approaching the physical limit of how much smaller electronic devices can get. Full Story

First Wildcat Innovation Fund Awards Announced

The first round of Wildcat Innovation Fund awards have been announced by Provost Susan Koch (Academic Affairs, pictured). The program was established this year to provide one-time funds for new faculty and staff initiatives that target four strategic areas of the "Road Map to 2015": recruitment, retention, revenue generation and quality improvement. Full Story

New Purchasing Cards Coming

NMU has selected J.P. Morgan as its new purchasing card provider. Employees will be notified when the new cards become available next month. The university made the switch after the previous provider, G.E., sold its purchasing card program to American Express. Full Story

Laptop Panel Part of International IT Seminar

NMU administrators involved in implementing the notebook computer initiative in 2000 will lead a panel discussion titled “Laptops, Learning and Logistics: The NMU Story.” It is scheduled from 10-11:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 23, in Mead Auditorium and is open to the public. The panel is a part of the fourth annual International Information Technology Student Seminar, which is hosted this year by the NMU College of Business Feb. 23-27. The event was previously held in Madrid, Copenhagen and Helsinki. Full Story

Digital TV Transition Delayed

Local television viewers may have noticed that WNMU-TV and other Upper Peninsula stations did not make the switch from analog to digital broadcasts on Feb. 17, the date that flashed on screens repeatedly in the consumer awareness blitz leading up to the planned nationwide conversion. Congress voted earlier this month to extend the deadline to June 12. Some stations elected to move ahead with the switch as planned on Tuesday, but many—including U.P. stations—will wait until closer to the revised date. Full Story

Speedskating Tickets on Sale

Advance tickets at reduced prices are available for two premier short-track speedskating events coming to NMU: the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Sept. 8-12, which is required for athletes vying to compete in Vancouver in 2010; and the Samsung ISU World Cup Nov. 13-15.

Daily, all-event passes and VIP packages are on sale. Because tickets are already going fast for short-track races at the Olympic Games in Vancouver, some fans will have their only opportunity to see elite skaters at the Berry Events Center and the competitions have generated interest from across the country.

For more details and ticket information, go to USOEC.

Atop Lynn Walden’s desk in Disability Services sits an extensive selection of bobbleheads. Beyond their novel appearance, these bobbleheads serve a valuable self-affirming function.

As Walden explains, “When I am having a bad day I just hit this and say, ‘Guys am I doing a good job?'" When all the heads bob up and down, she grins, “It’s like having my own cheering section!”

Walden finds humor is the best way to get past difficult situations and it allows students to feel comfortable. “People have to tell me what they are the worst at in the first few minutes we meet. It’s hard to feel intimidated when you are staring at the Kool-Aid man." Full Story