Volume 8, Issue 8 -- Jan. 9, 2009
Dear NMU Parents,
Happy New Year! I hope 2009 brings you and your family peace and happiness, and I hope it brings your NMU student great new learning experiences, both in and outside of the classroom. Congratulations to the parents of the December graduates. A reminder that the mailing list you signed up for to receive this newsletter is in no way connected to student records. That means when your son or daughter leaves the university, you will continue to receive the NMU Parent Partnership newsletter. If you no longer wish to receive the newsletter, simply opt out using the links below or by e-mail (NMUPres@nmu.edu) or postal mail (President’s Office, Northern Michigan University, 1401 Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette, MI 49855). If you are a parent of a student who has left NMU but you wish to continue to receive the newsletter, you are welcome to do so; no action on your part is required.
TRAVELING BACK: As of today (Jan. 9), there are no storm warnings for the upcoming weekend when I know a large number of NMU students will be heading back to campus. However, the weather announcers have been saying there could be some lake effect snow and it's going to be very cold. It doesn’t sound like they expect anything drastic, but I’ve learned over the past four and half years that lake effect is somewhat unpredictable. So, we don’t anticipate poor driving conditions this weekend, but students should always be prepared for changing conditions. I’ve told you about the Dozing Discounts program in the past. To learn about other tools that help assess U.P. weather conditions, go to www.nmu.edu/parents. Speaking of driving, let me remind you about the Wildcat Shuttle, a free bus service for students to travel around campus, as well as throughout Marquette County. For students who don’t want to drive much during snowy periods, the Wildcat Shuttle may be the perfect solution. More information on the shuttle can be found on the Public Safety Web site at www.nmu.edu/wildcatshuttle.
SEMESTER BEGINS: Classes begin Monday, Jan. 12. The residence halls reopened yesterday (Jan. 8) for continuing students. The Marketplace will begin serving meals at 11 a.m. and the Wildcat Den at 2 p.m. on Sunday (Jan. 11). If you would like more information, go to www.nmu.edu/housing. Next Thursday (Jan. 15) is the last day that students can make additions to their course schedule without a signed add card and it is also the final day to register for May graduation. Already this afternoon car and people traffic on campus is increasing as some students choose to return early and new students are attending orientation. It’s always great to have the students back.
BUYING BOOKS: We have a new process this semester that will allow students to charge textbooks bought at the NMU Bookstore to their student account. To do so, a student must be registered as taking classes for the semester, be in good financial standing with the university and show two forms of photo ID. There is a $500 limit and students have 30 days to pay the bill. One of our main goals for doing this is to help those students who are expecting but haven’t yet received overage checks, student loans or military benefits from putting their books on high interest credit cards. Bookstore hours heading into the semester are 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 10, and noon-5 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 11. During the first week of classes (Jan. 12-17), the bookstore is open 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday. Students who pre-ordered their textbooks should pick them up at the front of the bookstore by 5 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 11.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES: For over a century, NMU has provided students access to an exceptional, affordable higher education. While costs of attending Northern are among the lowest in Michigan, paying for an education is still a significant expense. Privately funded scholarships help to bridge the gap of unmet need. Last year, the NMU Foundation awarded more than 300 scholarships totaling over $360,000. The deadline to apply for NMU Foundation scholarships is Friday, Feb. 16. To learn more about the application process, click here. … The deadline to apply for a Spooner Student Research Fund grant is Wednesday, Jan. 15. The fund provides monies to enhance the academic experience and professional growth of full-time students who are engaged in research and creative activities. Awards range up to $500 per project. To learn more about the Spooner grants, click here.
NEW RESUME PROGRAM: NMU has created and just launched its new online resume system for students and alumni. Think of this as NMU’s version of Monster.com. This new program is another valuable tool job-seekers can use as they prepare for life after NMU. While the system may be used by any student, it will be most beneficial for juniors looking for internships, seniors preparing to graduate and alumni making a career change. To learn more about the system, visit www.nmu.edu/ors-stu. Career Services will be promoting this new job-search tool to NMU students in the coming weeks and will be marketing this new system (and NMU graduates) to employers and recruiters nationwide. … Career Services will hold two major job fairs on campus this semester. The Summer Employment Job Fair will be held Tuesday, Feb. 17, and the Upper Great Lakes Collegiate Job Fair on Wednesday, March 18. Both will be held in the University Center. Students can find out about other job fairs around the state and region, as well as fairs for specific majors at www.nmu.edu/careers.
LOOKING FOR LEADERS: NMU’s nationally recognized leadership development initiative, the Student Leader Fellowship Program (SLFP), is accepting applications for next year’s class through Friday, Feb. 6. Successful applicants will begin the two-year program next fall. The SLFP, which emphasizes leadership at the community level, includes a two-credit leadership theory and practice course, a yearlong mentoring relationship with a local community leader and the completion of 15 skill-building workshops over the two-year period. In the second year of the program, students plan, organize and implement a community service internship of their choice. The SLFP is now in its 19th year. Applications can be picked up at the Center for Student Enrichment located in the University Center or from any residence hall staff member. To learn more about SLFP, go to www.nmu.edu/slfp.
OPPORTUNITIES TO GET INVOLVED: This year’s U.P. Winter Special Olympics will be held on the NMU campus and around the city of Marquette on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 16-17 – the first weekend the students are back – and this event always counts on the assistance of many, many Northern students. Students and student groups interested in helping should contact the NMU Volunteer Center as soon as possible at volctr@nmu.edu, 906-227-2466 or by stopping in the office at 1205 University Center. … NMU’s First-Year Programs is looking to hire highly motivated students as teaching assistants for the Freshman Seminar (UN 100) course for the fall 2009 semester. If selected, training takes place later this semester. To learn more about the positions and application process go to www.nmu.edu/fyp.
UPCOMING EVENTS: Of course there will be lots of events again this semester. Here are a few of note. Lisa Ling, correspondent for the Oprah Winfrey Show and host of the National Geographic Channel’s “Explorer” program, will speak at NMU on Thursday, Feb. 5, in Vandament Arena. Tickets for NMU students are $1. Saturday Night Live comedian Seth Meyers will perform in Vandament on Thursday, Feb. 19. Tickets are $5 for NMU students and go on sale Monday, Jan. 12. … The next event of the NMU International Performing Arts Series (www.nmu.edu/performingarts) is Les Yeux Noirs on Tuesday, Jan. 20. The French sextet plays its own variety of gypsy and Yiddish music, with a nod to Manouche (or French gypsy) jazz. Tickets for NMU students are $6. For more information on any of these events, go to www.nmu.edu/tickets. ... First-Aid Productions will sponsor a concert free to NMU students ($10 for non-students) on Thursday, Jan. 15, that features Cursive; They Found Me, They Named Me; and DEADLY WATERS. The event takes place at 7 p.m. in the Great Lakes Rooms of the University Center. … The exhibit “Beyond Green: Toward a Sustainable Art” will open at the DeVos Art Museum (www.nmu.edu/devos) Monday, Jan. 19. The exhibit explores the ways that sustainable design philosophy resonates with the work of an emerging generation of international artists. DeVos will be the final showing of the tour that has made stops at the Museum of Art & Design, New York; The Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati and the Hoffman Gallery at Lewis and Clark College, Portland, among others.
DEAN’S AND GRADUATES LISTS: Here is my once-a-semester announcement about the dean’s and graduates lists. While we know you’re very proud of your NMU student if he/she made the dean’s list or graduated, please do not send your own announcement to your local newspaper. The university sends comprehensive announcements to literally hundreds of newspapers around the country. Editors get upset when they’ve published one announcement for an NMU student, sent by a relative, only to then receive a list from the university with more NMU students who should have been included. The dean’s list is tentatively scheduled to be distributed to the newspapers the week of Feb. 9. We give the students a bit of time once back on campus to resolve any grade disputes. To learn more about the requirements to make the dean’s list, go to this Web page. The graduates list is tentatively scheduled for distribution the week of March 2. That one takes longer to compile because we need to verify that all of the final degree requirements were met for each candidate. For both lists, which newspaper a student’s name is sent to is based on the zip code he/she has listed in the permanent address on file. Parents also have access to the online dean’s/grads list search option. Be sure you have selected the correct semester when using that tool to bring up the right list.
YOUR INPUT NEEDED: One last reminder that Northern is seeking public comment on the quality of the institution and its academic programs in preparation for a comprehensive evaluation by its regional accrediting agency. Accreditation is the stamp of approval from the governing body that reviews all federally funded colleges and universities. Northern has been accredited since 1916. NMU is formally re-evaluated every seven years. Public feedback will be accepted through Feb. 25, 2009, by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Agency representatives will visit NMU on March 25-27 to assess the university’s ongoing ability to meet accreditation criteria. The HLC requests that comments address substantive issues related to the quality of NMU or its academic programs. Submissions must be in writing and signed; they cannot be treated as confidential. Comments should be addressed to: Public Comment on Northern Michigan University, The Higher Learning Commission, 30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602. To view information about the accreditation process and the university’s participation in the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP), visit www.nmu.edu/aqip. Your input is greatly appreciated and helps NMU in its effort for continuous quality improvement.
A FINAL NOTE: As many of you who have been reading this newsletter for years know, each year I vow to take on one new learning challenge. Some years I’ve taken up learning new activities, like cross country skiing and how to ice skate, or running a marathon. Other years my goal has been focused on mastering a new topic or learning about a new part of the world. There are a lot of things in this life that a person can’t control – which has been very evident this year in the global economic crisis – but one thing we can control is our continued pursuit of learning. I challenge all of you to commit to one “learning goal” for 2009, something that stretches your mind, body or soul. I’ll be making that same challenge to the NMU students, as I do each year. Many take me up on it and then e-mail or stop me on campus to tell me about their successes and failures. To me, that is one of the greatest joys of being an educator, trying to inspire people, especially young people, to test new waters and then watching them change and transform. So, happy new year and keep learning!
Les Wong, President
Northern Michigan University
P.S. Spending a lot of my time around students but being a parent myself, I am distressed when I see your NMU student walking around the snow and cold with no jacket nor boots and, yes, sometimes shorts. Since I can’t stop and make students go home to put on their boots, can you help me by reminding them to dress appropriately? Thanks.
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