This week the campus is celebrating its annual WinterFest, so there are all kinds of fun and crazy activities taking place. This year’s theme is, “Timbrr. Get Your Lumberjack On.” A performance by Seth Meyers of Saturday Night Live is one of the featured events. The students will hold a blood donation competition against Michigan Tech, a lumberjack look-a-like contest, human sled dog races, the traditional broomball tournament and an air band competition. The Organization for Outdoor Recreation Professionals (OORP) student group will hold its annual winter camp-a-thon, an event that never fails to impress me. I’m just happy the students are camping out in the middle of the academic mall when the temperatures are above zero instead of in a wind chill factor of 45 degrees below as it was a month ago. Check out the schedule at www.nmu.edu/winterfest.
COMMUNITY-ENGAGED CAMPUS: Despite the spiraling economy and the challenge of budget cutting, I never lose sight of the fact that great things happen at NMU everyday. For instance, Northern recently was selected for the Community Engagement Classification by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, one of only about 200 to earn that distinction since the program began. Professor Sandra Poindexter played a pivotal role in compiling NMU’s documentation of community engagement. “There is not an area on campus that does not have a community tie,” she said. “Youth and sports outreach, academic service learning and student volunteer efforts are only the tip of the iceberg. Community-based research and consulting by faculty and students, facilities and partnership planning and continued training for U.P. educators and other workforces is very strong. Community involvement is also impressive. Between the NMU Volunteer Center, Superior Edge, and Student Leader Fellowship Program, students volunteer more than 100,000 hours per year. And it was learned that, over the past three years, 49 administrators held 58 leadership positions in 76 local or regional organizations.” Institutions were classified in one of three categories: curricular engagement, outreach and partnerships or a combination of both areas. NMU received the maximum recognition by qualifying for the latter category. NMU’s application is available at www.nmu.edu/comengage.
MORE GREAT NEWS: I have another fantastic piece of news to share. Upper Peninsula natives Gloria and Bill Jackson have established a $1 million endowment through the Northern Michigan University Foundation that will ultimately fund study-abroad experiences for one student from each of the 15 U.P. counties each year. The Jacksons live in Arizona, the headquarters of their CableAmerica Corp., although they also have a home in Eagle Harbor. Gloria graduated from NMU in 1968. She said she was motivated to create the Jackson Scholars Study Abroad Endowment after NMU announced the “Road Map to 2015” strategic plan and its emphasis on providing more international experiences for students. The Jacksons, who have been tremendous supporters of NMU and the U.P.’s other colleges and universities in the past, believe that international experiences help students develop global citizenship skills necessary to succeed in the 21st century world. You can read the full press release about the gift here. We are so thankful to Gloria and Bill for this outstanding gift and the opportunity it affords U.P. students who attend NMU.
GILMAN AWARDS: Jessica Cross of Oxford, Mich., and Nancy Kenok of Homewood, Ill., have received the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship for study abroad this semester. Jessica will study in Ankara, Turkey, through mid-June. The sophomore electronic imaging major said, “I’m going to have the chance to learn about and understand a whole new lifestyle, which will help me better understand our culture as well.” Nancy left in January for a Spanish language and cultural immersion program at the University of Guanajuato in Mexico. The junior said the program aligns well with her academic major in international studies and minor in Latin American studies. “I’m confident this program will help me achieve my career goal of working in an international field that benefits people.” The two were among 600 students nationwide who received a Gilman Scholarship for the spring 2009 semester.
WHALEN RECOGNIZED: English Professor Robert Whalen has been awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship. The fellowship will allow him to work full time during the 2009-10 academic year on “The Digital Temple,” an electronic documentary edition of 17th century devotional poet George Herbert’s English verse. Professor Whalen’s goal is to transcribe and encode the verse of three essential Herbert artifacts: two manuscripts and a copy of the first edition of “Temple.” The new digital tool will allow users to view multiple-source documents simultaneously in high resolution and thoroughly examine the texts with sophisticated analysis software. “I am delighted to receive this prestigious award,” Professor Whalen said. “The NEH awards are highly competitive; that 'The Digital Temple' was selected is a tremendous vote of confidence. I am deeply honored." A prototype of the project is available here.
GOVERNOR’S BUDGET: Gov. Jennifer Granholm's executive budget was released last week and includes an across-the-board 3.2 percent reduction in university operations for fiscal year 2010, as well as a proposed tuition freeze. For NMU, the cut in state support would amount to $1.5 million. Since the executive budget was released some people have asked if we’ll back off of the budget reduction planning target of $10 million and the answer right now is no. Keep in mind that in addition to the 3.2 percent drop in state appropriations, we must anticipate about a 3 percent increase in operational expenses, or another $1.5-2 million. We don’t know how the economic picture might impact enrollment. We don’t know what will happen to the auto industry. And, remember that our budget reduction planning is for a two-year period (2010 and 2011). It takes into consideration several unknowns related to fiscal year 2011. Last Thursday’s announcement was the starting point of a long legislative process. A lot can happen between now and when the higher education bill will be signed. The state’s next revenue estimating conference is in May and that will give us a much better idea if the 3.2 percent reduction has a chance to hold. Right now, we’ll continue to discuss and explore options for cost savings and cost reductions. I want NMU to be in a position to be nimble but strategic no matter what comes our way. I am absolutely certain we can do this. I have to add that I have been so proud of the mature and calm manner that the students (and parents) have handled this process to date. I’ve had some thoughtful e-mails from students and parents and one laugh-out-loud funny one that suggested we drop the temperature in all academic buildings and suggest faculty and students wear thermal underwear. We’ll have to see how that one goes over with the campus community when we discuss all of the recommendations in more detail in March. Until then, the next step is for the President’s Council to review and discuss all of the departmental recommendations for the 6 and 10 percent reduction levels.
DATES TO NOTE: A reminder of some important upcoming dates. Spring break is Feb. 28-March 8. March 1 is the priority date to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for maximum financial aid consideration. Remember, both incoming and returning students must file in order to qualify for financial aid. Registration for summer courses begins Monday, March 16 and for fall 2009 on Friday, March 20 for seniors with subsequent classes following during the next 10 days. The last day to withdraw from a full-semester winter course with a “W” grade is Friday, March 27. A “W” grade does not count in a student’s grade point average, but it does count in courses attempted for financial aid purposes. In other words, a student withdrawing from a course because she’s really having trouble in it is a wise academic move, but making a habit of withdrawing from courses on a regular basis could hurt her ability to keep or get future financial aid. If you want to learn more about how "W" grades can impact financial aid, go to www.nmu.edu/finaidsap. Final exams are Friday through Saturday, April 27-May 2 and commencement (www.nmu.edu/commencement) is Saturday, May 2.
DEGREE EVALUATION TOOL: In the last newsletter I told you about our new online resume system. Well, this time I’m happy to debut our new online degree evaluation tool, which is now available to most students (a few programs are still excluded). This tool allows students to run an informal degree evaluation anytime. It is intended to assist students and their advisers in academic planning. However, it is not meant to replace the advising process. Student can access the degree evaluation through MyNMU.edu (http://my.nmu.edu, log in required) under the Student Services tab. I think this tool will aid students tremendously in better understanding what remaining graduation, liberal studies and program requirements they need to meet. Students received information about this new tool via their NMU e-mail account earlier this week.
CALL TO ACTION: NMU students are again combing the campus and community for Michigan residents interested in registering to become organ donors as part of the annual statewide Gift of Life Challenge. NMU is in competition with all the Michigan's other colleges and universities. Two years ago, NMU won the “percentage of student body” category. To help NMU win the Gift of Life Challenge, sign up on the Michigan Organ Donor Registry before Wednesday, Feb. 25. To see how NMU is doing in the competition, click here. ... NMU is seeking presentation proposals for the second annual Indigenous Earth Issues Summit to be held on campus Monday, April 6. The keynote speaker will be Indigenous environmental activist Evon Peter (Neetsaii Gwich'in). Presentations should include ideas on how to address Indigenous environmental concerns. To learn of topic ideas and summit details, go to www.nmu.edu/nativeamericans. Deadline for submissions is Monday, Feb. 23. … There are many companies and organizations on campus over the next two months to interview with for jobs and internships. Your NMU student should be checking the Career Services sites at www.nmu.edu/careers regularly if he/she is in need of either.
OLYMPIC BOUND: Tickets are now on sale for the two premier speedskating events to be held at NMU in the fall. The Berry Events Center will be the site of the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Short Track Speedskating on Sept. 8-12 and the Samsung ISU World Cup on Nov. 13-15. It’s very exciting that the world’s best skaters must skate through Marquette to get to Vancouver and the Winter Olympic Games, which take place a year from now. Ticket options include daily and all-event passes, as well as a combo all-event pass. Advance ticket prices, which have a 25 percent discount, are available until Aug. 1 for the Olympic Trials and Oct. 1 for the World Cup. There are also a limited number of VIP packages on sale, although we don’t expect those to last long. The VIP packages went on sale Monday morning and by noon 35 had been sold! We do expect great crowds as tickets for short-track events at the Olympic Games are going fast, meaning for many speedskating and Olympic fans the closest they will get to these elite skaters will be at the Berry. We are already selling tickets to fans who hail far from the Upper Peninsula. For more details on the events and the ticket prices go to www.nmu.edu/usoec. ... The Wildcat track and field team has moved into the Top 25, holding the 17th spot in the latest U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division II Dual Meet Rankings. Go ’Cats!
A FINAL NOTE: Last Sunday, Phyllis and I participated in the student group Nothing But Nets’ fashion show. The event raised $1,200 for the purchase of bedding nets to protect against malaria in countries where that disease reaches epidemic portions. I had to chuckle when I saw the headline on the student announcement for the event that asked, “University President or the Next Top Model?” Well, all I can say is that I didn’t trip, but I’m pretty sure I’ll stick to my day job! Helping students help others is very special for Phyllis and me. The Public Relations Student Society of America also recently held a rail jam competition fundraiser for Voices of Youth at Marquette Mountain and raised more than $2,200 to help young homeless teens and adults become independent, educated and financially stable. Our academic service learning program, which supports the community engagement goal of the Road Map to 2015 (www.nmu.edu/roadmap2015), continues to grow with about 750 students in 49 sections of 30 courses providing 20,651 hours of service to the community this semester. As I said at the start of the newsletter, regardless of the ever-present bad economic news, there’s something inspiring happening at NMU each day that demonstrates what a vibrant university community we are.
Sincerely,
Les Wong, President
Northern Michigan University
