Thank you for visiting the Northern Michigan University (NMU) website. Your privacy is important to us and this privacy statement explains our information gathering and dissemination practices. Our statement outlines the information we may collect, how we protect it, how we use it, and how you can elect to change your privacy settings. By using this website, you agree to the terms of this privacy statement.

This privacy statement applies to the primary NMU website located at nmu.edu. Other NMU websites may establish different privacy statements as their needs require. 

Use of the NMU website is subject to all applicable state and federal laws, as well as university policies. More information on university policies can be found in the NMU Policy Database.


Information we collect

 

Information Gathered Automatically

Our servers and third-party service providers automatically collect information about your visit through the use of cookies, third-party tracking technologies and server logs. This information is used to make our site more usable, inform us about what areas of our site are most popular, and teach us about the technology being used by our site’s visitors. This information may be shared with other organizations or third-party service providers that have a business relationship with Northern Michigan University.

Information You Provide to Us

While using the NMU website, there are opportunities for you to provide information to us through the use of forms, messaging applications, and other web-based applications. The information you choose to share with us may be used to communicate with you, create and maintain your contact record, to send you information, to advertise to you, and for compliance purposes. Some of the information may be saved for a designated period of time to comply with the State of Michigan’s archiving policies. Information shared with us will only be disclosed to third parties who have agreed to follow NMU’s vendor privacy agreement. Information may also be shared when required to do so by state or federal law or other legal processes.

Information We Get from Others

We may obtain additional information about you from third-party sources, such as service providers, vendors, social media networks, and advertising networks to provide you with more relevant information about our services. 


How we use your personal information

We use the information we collect to communicate with you, improve our website, create and maintain your account, and for compliance purposes. 


How we share your personal information

NMU may use third parties to help us optimize and operate our website or to deliver communications. For example, we may hire a company to help us analyze our data or send information on our behalf about services in which you may be interested. Unless otherwise indicated at the time we collect your information, if we allow third parties to access the personal information we collect, we have contractual provisions in place through our vendor privacy agreement to ensure such access is for limited purposes. 


Cookies

We make use of "cookies," which are small data files stored on your computer in connection with your use of our website. We use cookies to store temporary individual user information concerning your use of this site. We may also use information gathered by cookies to measure traffic patterns on our website or tailor advertising messages to you.  A user does not need to have the cookie function of their browser enabled in order to use the NMU website, but some applications requiring a login will not function properly if it is disabled. 


Third-Party Tracking Technology

The Northern Michigan University website uses Google Analytics. This program uses cookies to help us analyze how users engage with our site. The information generated from the cookie includes your IP address. This information will be transmitted to and stored by Google on its servers. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity, and providing other services relating to Internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.

This site also uses Google Tag Manager and the conversion tracking pixel service of Facebook, Inc. These technologies help the university to display relevant ads tailored to you based on what parts of our website you viewed by placing a cookie on your machine. This cookie does not in any way identify you or provide unauthorized access to your computer.

Northern Michigan University uses Google Custom Search for the keyword search functionality found on our pages. Search terms entered into the keyword search box will be shared with Google in order to display your requested search results. No personal identifying information, beyond that which is entered into the search box, will be shared with Google Custom Search.


Opting Out or Disabling Tracking

Most web browsers allow you to remove or reject cookies through your settings. You can also visit www.allaboutcookies.org or www.youronlinechoices.com for further information about cookies on your devices. Users may opt out of Google’s use of cookies by visiting the Google Advertising opt-out page or by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. To opt out of Facebook’s tracking pixel service, visit the Facebook custom audiences page. (https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences/?entry_product=ad_settings_screen).


Social Media Login

Some applications on the NMU website have an option to use your social media account as your login credentials for that application. When you choose to log in using a social media account, you will be presented with an authorization screen asking your permission for us to collect certain information from your existing social media account. If you confirm, we will collect and store your email address, first name, and last name. If other information is being collected by the application, you will be notified of this additional information during the authorization.

We will not collect information about your friends, followers, or your activities from a linked social media account. We will not post anything to your social media account without your permission to do so.


Minors Using Our Website

Children under the age of 13 should not send any information about themselves to us, including information like your name, address or e-mail address. This website does not knowingly collect personally identifying information from children under the age of 13. In the event that we learn that we have collected such information from a child under 13 without parental consent, the information will be deleted from our database as soon as reasonably possible.

 


Changes to Our Statement

As our university grows and changes, and as technology and Internet use and practices change, Northern Michigan University may, from time to time, determine that changes in its policies, potentially including this privacy statement, are prudent. If any such changes are made, they will be posted on this website. Therefore you should review this website’s privacy statement and other policies posted on this site for potential changes when you return to the site for future visits.

This privacy statement was last updated on May 25, 2021.


Contact

Northern Michigan University takes all reasonable and appropriate steps to protect the information you share with us from unauthorized access or disclosure. Any unauthorized access or disclosure of our data will be handled in a manner consistent with state and federal laws.

Northern Michigan University will not sell or distribute personal information collected from site visitors to any third-party vendors.

Any communication or material other than your personal identifying information submitted to this website, such as questions, comments, suggestions and ideas, become the exclusive property of Northern Michigan University and may be used for any purpose whatsoever without restriction or compensation.

If you have questions or comments related to our privacy practices, wish to see the personal identifying information we have collected about you from this site, or if you believe any information we have is incorrect and you wish to correct it, please contact us at the e-mail address or phone number provided below. If we change or delete information in response to your request, we will cease to use it; however, some residual information may remain in backup records or records of deletions.

If you have other questions or comments about our privacy policies, please contact us at edesign@nmu.edu or 906-227-2720.