Volume 8, Issue 11 -- April 15, 2009
Dear NMU Parents,
The semester’s end is near. At this time of year there are always many things to remind students and parents to do. For parents, I want to stress that if you are making the trip to campus for graduation or to help your NMU student move but have not yet made reservations for lodging, you need to do so ASAP! I always hear about a parent or two who drive to Marquette assuming they'll find a room when they get here, but there is a lot of activity in this town all of the time – much of it related to NMU, some of it not – and there is no guarantee that a room will be easily available without reservations. Rather than be disappointed, make reservations if you need lodging. Names of hotels and motels, along with contact information, can be found at www.marquettecountry.com.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: Since my last newsletter, the House has passed its higher education funding bill. In it, Michigan’s 15 public universities receive a 3 percent reduction to the base budget, but receive the 3 percent cut back in stimulus dollars. It does not include the tuition freeze component that the governor’s budget includes.The bill now goes to the Senate, which begins hearing testimony from the university presidents in early May. NMU’s hearing is set for May 4 in Midland. Once the Senate has voted on a higher education appropriation bill, the three forms of the bill will go into what is called a conference committee, which has representatives from the House, Senate and governor’s office who iron out the differences in the bills. It’s hard to say how long the complete process will take, especially with the economy as unstable as it is. The Legislature may not be able to fully complete the appropriations process until just before the state’s fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. Here on campus, we’ve continued our budget planning, including discussion regarding campus-wide reductions. We are also meeting with our union leadership group (NMU has five unions on campus) on various proposals. Some decisions will need to be made prior to the end of the semester, but others we can delay until we know more about what we think will happen with state funding.
MEETING CHALLENGES: Because NMU is very open about its decision-making processes, there is always the fear that students, parents, alumni or community members will get the impression that the budget challenges are worse for Northern because we talk about them more openly than many universities. I assure you that is not the case. The worldwide economic situation has created issues for all colleges and universities. I’m proud that NMU is a financially stable institution that can approach today’s funding dilemma from a position of strength. In fact, we’ve made some financial decisions over the past couple of years that turned out to be very smart moves. I recently returned from a conference of university presidents that met in Washington D.C. and several of my colleagues wanted to trade places with me. They know that NMU is on firm ground. That doesn’t mean we will be able to avoid budget reductions and reallocations, but it does mean we can approach the situation in a strategic manner, rather than a purely reactionary one. Through it all, our top goals are to preserve the quality of an NMU education and student experience, as well as keep tuition as affordable as possible. I am confident we can do both and still weather today’s economic storm.
ACCREDITATION: Northern’s on-site re-accreditation visit took place in late March and, as expected, it went very well. In fact, one of the review team members told me that NMU was a “magnum opus,” a great piece of work. The review team members were very impressed with many things about NMU, but one in particular was the level to which we involve students in the strategic planning and decision-making of the university. When the official review documentation is sent to us, it will include a list of strengths as well as a list of opportunities to improve. Remember that this is a normal process for all accredited colleges and universities. Nobody gets a report that says the institution is perfect. There are always suggestions on ways to improve, which of course is a good thing. However, based on the positive feedback during the site visit, we fully expect that our record of continuous institutional accreditation since 1916 will be retained for the next seven years. If you sent letters of support or participated in one of the campus meetings with the review team, thank you.
LIVE FEED OF LEADERSHIP BANQUET: Tonight (April 15), Northern holds its annual Leadership Recognition Banquet where about a dozen student organization and individual student awards will be given out for outstanding service to the community and participation in NMU activities. This is one of my favorite events each year. More than 500 students, faculty and staff attend. There is a student keynote speaker. Even though I know how incredible NMU students are, I am always awed by how much some of these students can squeeze into one college experience. And, the breadth of their involvement is inspiring. This year, we’ve decided to stream the banquet program over the Internet so you, as parents, can participate. The link to see the stream is www.nmu.edu/leadershipbanquet. We'll keep that link up over the next few months for your viewing pleasure.
WEEK OF RECOGNITION: Wow, talk about a full week of recognizing outstanding accomplishments at NMU. In addition to the Leadership Recognition Banquet, NMU held its faculty and staff recognition luncheon Wednesday, where four people who have worked at NMU for more than 40 years were honored. An additional 80 were recognized for 20-39 years of employment. Isn’t that amazing? It’s not often that employees commit to one place for so long anymore. On Thursday (April 16), NMU holds its annual Celebration of Student Research, Creative Works and Academic Service Learning, where there will be more than 75 student presentations. If you are in the Marquette area and can afford the time, you are welcome to attend.The 15-minute presentations take place from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in rooms 109 and 111-I of the Learning Resources Center. Also Thursday, the final round of the New Business Venture Competition takes place. Five finalists are competing for the $10,000 cash prize package, including a $4,000 first-place prize. The finalists include business proposals for Scottish soft drinks, handmade cold weather wear, an environmentally friendly lawn care business, a home decorating and furnishing business and an ice cream cakes shop. The event is sponsored by the College of Business.
END OF THE SEMESTER: Here are some of the end-of-the-semester details you may find helpful in your planning. Final exam week is Monday, April 27, through Friday, May 1. You can find the exam schedule at www.nmu.edu/records/examsched.htm. NMU’s exams are scheduled in two-hour blocks, so your student’s schedule during final exam week will most likely be quite different than his or her schedule during the semester. What are your student’s plans for the summer? Is he or she taking an NMU summer course (www.nmu.edu/summer)? Working? If they are looking for a summer position in Marquette or beyond, they should visit NMU Career Services (www.nmu.edu/careers), where full-time and part-time jobs are posted. A reminder that Tuesday, May 5, is the computer return deadline for students not registered for the upcoming summer or fall semesters. There is a $15 per day charge for non-registered/non-returning students who have not turned in their computers by that date. Computers and components (power adapter and power cord) can be dropped off at Micro Repair in the lower level of the Learning Resources Center during regular business hours or at Public Safety in the Services Building on Sugarloaf Avenue any time, any day of the week. Please contact thinkpad@nmu.edu with questions.
RESIDENCE HALL CHECKOUT: Students living in the residence halls will need to remove their belongings and check out of their rooms before noon on Sunday, May 3. The busiest check-out days will be Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, April 29 - May 1. Students must check out with their resident adviser and are to sign up for a time to do so at least 24 hours before they plan to leave campus. Prior to their scheduled check-out time, students are to organize and pack their belongings, dispose of trash and clean their rooms. Residence hall staff will inspect student rooms at the time of their checkout and again after all students have left to make sure that the rooms have been properly cleaned, that all university furnishings are present and any damage beyond normal wear and tear is properly charged to the student. The check-out process takes about 10 minutes per student, so students (and parents) should plan accordingly. Detailed check-out information is provided to all residence hall students by e-mail, mailbox flyer and at scheduled house meetings. For more details, go to www.nmu.edu/housing.
WHERE TO PARK: Also, please don't drive or park on the grass or sidewalks when helping your student move out of the residence hall. Doing so is a violation of state law and could result in a misdemeanor violation and a $150 fine.This ordinance helps to preserve pedestrian safety and emergency vehicle access, facilitate waste disposal and protect recently upgraded lawns. A number of move-out loading zones have been designated in the parking lots near the residence halls through Sunday, May 3. The location of the loading zones is being communicated to residence hall students by flier, poster and Web site. Parents are urged to bring a handcart, if at all possible. Also, to reduce the amount of waste going to the landfill and to help the community, students are being encouraged to “donate it, not dump it" by giving to a charitable organization that accepts used furniture and other items students may not want to keep.
CLEANING OUT APARTMENTS: For students who live off-campus within the Marquette city limits, here is a reminder that there is no longer curb-side household rubbish collection. Rubbish needs to be transported to the household rubbish drop-off site, located at 910 W. Baraga Avenue. The hours are 9 a.m. -1 p.m. on Saturday, April 25 and May 2. The site is also open every Tuesday from 4-7 p.m., starting April 21, and every second Saturday of the month from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Residents who pay the garbage fee (green garbage bag users) will be allowed to bring one pickup load per day. Upon arrival, they will be required to show a driver’s license and a city utility bill as proof of residency. For students whose names do not show up on the utility bill, their landlords must send in a form to the city, listing all residents who should be allowed to participate. To learn about what types of items will be accepted, go to www.mqtcty.org. Off-campus students were sent an e-mail about this in early April. Of course, many organizations in the area accept used furniture, clothing and household items, such as Divine Consign and Donated Furniture, St. Vincent DePaul’s, Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army, the Women’s Center and others.
COMMENCEMENT: Commencement takes place at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 2, at the Superior Dome. Students participating in the ceremony must arrive at the Dome by 9:30 a.m. Tickets are not required to attend. I always remind parents to get to the Dome early so you don’t miss any part of the ceremony because it took longer to park than you anticipated. Marquette isn’t known for traffic jams, but the closest we come is when everyone tries to enter the Dome parking lots at the same time. We are very pleased to announce that Congressman Bart Stupak is our commencement speaker. Congressman Stupak represents all of the Upper Peninsula and the northern portion of the Lower Peninsula – one of the largest districts in the nation. He will be receiving an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Congressman Stupak, a former Michigan State Police officer, is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is a member of the telecommunications and Internet subcommittee. We look forward to hearing his comments. To get more information on the commencement ceremony, go to www.nmu.edu/commencement.
A FINAL NOTE: Where there is a will, there is a way – that saying has never been more important when it comes to a student wanting a college education than it is today. The current economic climate has put a huge burden on many families, possibly including yours. When times are tough, making the investment required to finance a college education can seem enormous – for students and their parents. But I hope before any Northern student decides to forego pursuing a degree or chooses a college or university that doesn’t really fit, that he or she talks to someone at NMU to explore options. We want to help if we can. Maybe there is other financial aid that your student may now be eligible for due to a change in family situation. Maybe the Student Service staff can identify a payment plan that works better for your family’s current situation than what you’re on right now. The Financial Aid office can be reached at fao@nmu.edu or 906-227-2327. The Student Service Center can be reached at ssc@nmu.edu or 906-227-1221. We can’t know to try to help unless you or your student asks, so please don’t hesitate to do so. No one who wants a college education should give up that goal without a fight. Often when we work together we find the way to make it happen.
Sincerely,
Les Wong, President
Northern Michigan University
