Volume 9, Issue 1 – August 17, 2009
Dear NMU Community Connection Member,
Students begin arriving on campus next week for Welcome Weekend (www.nmu.edu/welcomeweekend) Wednesday, Aug. 19. Already I can feel the vibrancy of the campus increasing. I love this time of year, but I have to admit that this particular summer seemed to disappear in a blink. If you can, please consider welcoming our students and their families – with your yellow and green window cards, messages on marquee signs and such. You’d be surprised how many people comment on the visual support of the university and its students. I always take great pride in acknowledging that NMU is a “community-engaged” university and the community is a “university-engaged” community.
HAPPY 110TH BIRTHDAY NMU: This academic year marks Northern Michigan University’s 110th anniversary. The first day of classes at Northern were held Sept. 19, 1899. We’re celebrating the milestone throughout the year. It’s a good time to remind ourselves that Northern has survived fires, flu epidemics, recessions, the Great Depression, wars – including two World Wars – the Civil Rights movement and other major societal changes and the immensely rapid periods of technology advancement. Change and challenge – that’s what we face today, but it’s not a new notion. All of these situations challenged Northern in their respective days, but look at the fine university that has emerged through the difficulties.
YOU’RE INVITED: Tuesday, Aug. 18, is the final day for businesses to sign up for Fall Fest on Monday, Aug. 24. Interested parties should contact Nikki at the Lake Superior Community Partnership (226-9658). The public is invited to attend the university’s convocation ceremony at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19 in room 102 of Jamrich Hall. You are also invited to the official launch of Northern’s WiMAX network at 3 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 20, in the Superior Dome. Please join us to celebrate this major milestone. There will be a demonstration of the WiMAX network in use. Light refreshments will be served. The WiMAX launch kicks off NMU’s “Tech Turns 10” campaign, recognizing Northern’s decade of technology leadership in higher education.Ten years ago NMU started its campus-wide laptop program, making us one of the largest laptop universities in the world. At Thursday’s event, attendees can see an exhibit of NMU’s technology over the years.
WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL? It’s fitting that the WiMAX launch is what kicks off the second decade of our campus-wide technology program as it emphasizes the original goal of the laptop program 10 years ago – equal access to high-quality technology. With laptop computers being part of tuition and fees at NMU, all full-time students have the same access to high-caliber technology, regardless of their financial status. WiMAX, the next generation of wireless, allows NMU to help off-campus students in Marquette to have Internet access 24/7 in the same way that those students who live on campus do, thus expanding the learning environment. Our plan is to continue to grow the network throughout the county over time. What exactly is WiMAX? It’s a wireless signal that has broad access unlike WiFi's targeted, hot-spot focus. There are only 59 WiMAX license holders in the world and NMU is one of them. Northern’s WiMAX network will be one of the largest active networks. In fact, one of our technology partners estimates NMU will make up 10 percent of the world’s WiMAX use. We’ve also been able to use our WiMAX capabilities to assist government agencies in the City of Marquette, as well as Chocolay and Marquette Townships. We'll also be working with K-12 schools to enhance their wireless networks where there are opportunities to do so. Consider that what we are doing now in Marquette today is what many rural communities around the nation are hoping to do in the future.
MORE BIG NEWS: In July, NMU became the first McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program in the Upper Peninsula. There are only 185 McNair institutions in the nation! Our McNair grant funding is $880,000 over four years. The program provides federal grants to universities to prepare low-income, first-generation college students and students from groups underrepresented in graduate education, for doctoral study. NMU will sponsor 25 McNair scholars each year. … Psychology professor Adam Prus received an addition to his current National Institutes of Health grant for research to test a new class of drugs that treat the attention and memory problems caused by schizophrenia as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding. The additional funding will be used to buy equipment so he can expand the number of students that currently work in his lab.
RECOGNIZED: Neil Cumberlidge, biology professor, is the first author of a scientific article about the results of a global assessment that judged over 200 species of freshwater crabs to be threatened with extinction and placed them on the IUCN’s Red List. This major study was published in Biological Conservation and has been picked up my media all over the world. The worldwide research program led by Dr. Cumberidge involved 15 other scientists, took more than three years and covered 120 countries and 5 continents. In addition, Dr. Cumberlidge and his freshman fellow Kirstin Meyer, a zoology major and an honors student, have co-authored a scientific article about the discovery of a new species of freshwater crab from Madagascar. This publication will appear in the next issue of ZooKeys, an on-line taxonomic journal. The research itself is impressive, but the fact that a freshman participated and then co-authored the article is extraordinary, and just would not happen at most universities. …Two NMU students and two employees passed the exam required to become certified as a LEED Accredited Professional: Michael Andary, construction management professor, and Brandon Sager, NMU’s sustainability coordinator, along with senior Bobby Mantz and May graduate Jim Conlin. This program distinguishes building professionals who have demonstrated a thorough understanding of green building practices and principles, along with the LEED Rating System.
BUDGET UPDATE: There isn’t a whole lot of news to report from Lansing on the higher education funding bill. In all three versions, Michigan’s 15 universities receive base budget reductions that are backfilled with stimulus dollars. The bill has to go through Conference Committee now. We don’t anticipate knowing our funding amount until close to when the state’s fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. Of course, that makes planning our budget for this year –which we’re a quarter of the way into already as our fiscal year started July 1— difficult. In July, the NMU Board of Trustees set tuition and fee rates, raising tuition for full-time (12-18 credits) resident undergraduates by $188 per semester and $299 per semester for non-resident undergraduates. The new rates balance a 5.3 percent tuition increase with a 9.8 percent boost (or about $1 million) in university-supported financial aid and scholarships and $2.9 million in university-wide budget reductions. Because of the increases in NMU and federal financial aid support (Pell Grant), about one-third of Northern students — those with the greatest financial need — will actually be paying less in tuition this year than they did last year. If NMU receives stimulus funding this fall, the dollars will be divided among undergraduates and credited to their accounts. The tuition rate increases across the state ranged from 3.8 to 9 percent. One major complication on the financial aid award picture is how to address the Michigan Promise situation, which impacts about 1,000 NMU students. It’s very unlikely universities will have a final decision from the state about the fate of this program before October. Michigan Promise scholarships are $1,000 or $2,000 awards, so they obviously have a big impact on a student's bottom line.
ENROLLMENT PICTURE: Enrollment will have a big impact on the budget picture. Right now, we anticipate having flat enrollment or increases in the 1-2 percent range overall with a slight decrease in freshmen. The freshman dip represents as much the decreasing number of 18 year olds in the U.P., Great Lakes region and much of the nation, as it does economic factors. In other words, it’s not completely unexpected. The demographics for the traditional-aged freshman continue to decline pretty significantly over the next 7-8 years in all but a few pockets of the United States. That means NMU will have to continue to be very forward thinking and strategic in our planning for the next decade. But for this year, we’re pleased that our numbers look pretty positive.
KEY DATES: Here are some key dates for the fall semester to help you in your planning for things you do that are impacted by Northern. As mentioned earlier, classes begin Monday, Aug. 24. Homecoming Week is Sept. 19-26. The UNITED Conference is Sept. 27-Oct. 1. There are no classes due to the K-12 U.P. Education Planning Day on Friday, Oct. 9. Family Weekend is Oct. 16-17. The NMU Presidential Scholars Competition dates are Nov. 1-2 and Nov. 8-9. Wildcat Weekend, when hundreds of prospective students and their parents visit NMU, is Nov. 7. The Thanksgiving break is Nov. 25-29. Final exam week is Dec. 7-12 with commencement on Saturday, Dec. 12. Northern’s academic and activities calendars are available at www.nmu.edu/calendars.
LOTS TO DO: Schedules for many NMU activities have been posted on the Web, including for the fall and winter Wildcat athletic teams, the Forest Roberts Theatre and UNITED Conference. I say it often, but let me repeat that I hope you will join us for the wide variety of cultural, intellectual and athletic offerings on campus. Also, don’t forget about the One Book, One Community project. This year’s selection is The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien.
ALUMNI-RELATED ACTIVITIES: NMU Alumni Association members are invited to participate in the Member Appreciation Boat Cruise at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 20, aboard the Keweenaw Star. Explore Marquette's coastline with a narrated tour by maritime historian and NMU Alumni Association board member Fred Stonehouse ’70, ‘77. Tickets are $15 per person. To make reservations (it is expected to sell out), call 906-227-2610. Go to www.nmu.edu/alumni for more information. … Visit the “Hollywood Comes to Marquette County: the Making of Anatomy of a Murder” exhibit at the Beaumier Upper Peninsula Heritage Center (www.nmu.edu/heritage) until December as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the making of the movie. The exhibition explores the life of John Voelker ‘24, an NMU alumnus, attorney, judge and author (pen name was Robert Traver), including his work on the People vs. Peterson murder case, which was the inspiration for the book and the film.
OLYMPIC TRIALS: There are only 22 days until the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Short Track Speedskating get under way at the Berry Events Center Sept. 8-12. It’s going to be quite the event. Several of the skaters who have qualified for the Trials are current or former United States Olympic Education Center resident athletes. All of our country’s best short-track speedskaters are expected to participate, including stars like Apolo Anton Ohno. We anticipate large crowds, possibly sellouts on several or all of the nights of competition, so don’t delay in getting your tickets. For more information, go to www.goldrushskate.com. We’re just six months away from the Olympics in Vancouver, but you can see the Olympic speedskaters right here in Marquette in just a few days!
FINAL NOTE: In preparing to write my convocation speech, I asked the members of the President’s Council to provide me with goals that had been accomplished in relationship to the Road Map to 2015. Wow. It was quite a list. It was also a great reminder to me that despite the economic challenges and the unknowns about the future that make planning and project implementation so nerve-wracking, the NMU students, faculty and staff remain committed to great learning, great teaching and great service. There are so many wonderful things happening that I can’t help but to be excited about the future of our university. In many of these cases, we can’t accomplish our goals without the support of the community. Thank you for your unwavering support of Northern Michigan University.
Sincerely,
Les Wong, NMU President
