What’s New @ Public U. – Northern Michigan University Fall 2009 Edition
HAPPY 110th BIRTHDAY NMU: Northern Michigan University turns 110 years old this fall, having first opened its doors in September 1899. NMU is the eighth oldest of Michigan’s 15 public universities. The first class of 32 students studied on a 22-acre campus and had one major – education. Today, NMU’s nearly 9,400 students enjoy a 360-acre campus and can choose from 180 academic programs. A team of NMU public relations students have been working on preparing a yearlong (but low-cost) plan to celebrate the milestone. www.nmu.edu/aboutnmu
HIGH-TECH HITS 10 AT NMU: Northern is also celebrating another milestone – the 10th anniversary of its campus-wide technology program, which includes a notebook computer, all software and hardware, Internet access and nearly 24/7 help desk service for full-time students as part of tuition and fees. This fall, NMU will unveil its new Wi-Max network. Wi-Fi, which most people are familiar with, allows wireless capabilities for about 150 feet from an access point, but Wi-Max has much deeper penetration, sometimes allowing connection miles from an access point (depending on several geographical factors). Northern is one of very few universities in the nation granted the EBS license required to build a Wi-Max network. When it’s live, it will enable off-campus students to use their NMU laptops to access the Internet without going through a cable or phone company, thus saving students money and increasing technology-dependent educational opportunities away from campus. www.nmu.edu/tlc.
PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS: Northern’s revamping of its prestigious Presidential Scholars Competition last year was a success for both the university and students. While the qualifications to compete are high, the rewards are substantial: one in four competitors earns a scholarship that ranges from a full ride to $500 per year for four years. The competition dates this year are Nov. 1-2 and Nov. 8-9. The scholarship program is just one way NMU works to maintain affordable access to a high-quality education. In addition to having the second-most affordable tuition and fees in Michigan, NMU’s average financial aid package is $9,400. While on campus, scholarship competitors should check out NMU’s nationally recognized leadership programs – the Student Leader Fellowship Program and Superior Edge, Honors Program, Freshman Fellows Program (which provides stipends for freshmen to do academic research with faculty), and the more than 300 student organizations. www.nmu.edu/presidentialscholars, www.nmu.edu/slfp, www.nmu.edu/superioredge, www.nmu.edu/honors
RESEARCH DISCOVERIES: NMU’s biology department and Marquette General Hospital’s neuroscience team joined several years ago to create the Upper Michigan Brain Tumor Center. After UMBTC studies done in part by NMU students confirmed that the Zbtb7 gene is present in brain tumors, the center’s focus has now turned to ways to silence the Zbtb7 gene. Also last year, Honors Program student Kirstin Meyer helped to discover a new species of African crab as part of her Freshman Fellowship work. www.nmu.edu/biology www.nmu.edu/freshmanfellows
OLYMPIC BOUND: To get to the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, the world’s best short-track speedskaters must compete at NMU’s Berry Events Center. Northern is the site of the short-track Olympic Trials (Sept. 8-12) and an ISU World Cup (Nov. 12-15). The latter event is the last Olympic qualifier and more than 30 countries are expected to participate. Students will be involved in nearly every aspect of putting on these events, from taking blood samples in the doping area to interviewing Olympian Apolo Ohno in the media center, working with the physics department to test the new rink pads to serving as translators for foreign visitors. www.goldrushskate.com
LEED CERTIFIED: You may already know that NMU has three of only about 10 campus residence hall renovations in the U.S. to achieve the U.S. Green Building Council’s “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)” status. Meyland and Van Antwerp Halls received “certified” and “silver” designations, respectively, and Hunt Hall is up for “silver” status. Recently, two NMU students – Jim Conlin and Bobby Mantz – and two staff members passed testing to become LEED certifiers. www.nmu.edu/tos www.nmu.edu/housing
