For the week of April 19, 2004
From the 6th floor
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We had a weekend filled with rain and thunderstorms which has eliminated all but the dirt covered snow piles on campus. I believe it is official. It is spring in the UP and we have flowers! These hardy souls were brave enough to show their face outside Lee Hall Gallery.
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Alumni letter writing continues
Alumni in key areas in the
state of Michigan continue to assist their alma mater by writing letters to
targeted legislators. A big thank you to those alumni who have taken the time
to write.
A quick legislative update: NMU Interim President Mike Roy testified before
the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education in March. As they
do each year, the subcommittee asks each university president a series of questions.
This year's questions keyed on how each institution was dealing with the appropriations
decreases for the past 14 months and how the decreases are impacting the university,
in particular in the areas of quality and access. The Senate higher education
bill next moves to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education.
Mike Roy is scheduled to testify before the House subcommittee on Wednesday,
May 12, in Lansing.
Horizons headed to mailboxes
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The
Winter 2004 edition of Horizons, the magazine for alumni and
friends, is headed to mailboxes across the county.
The theme of this
issue:
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Do you have a Legacy Story to share?
Are you part of a Northern
Legacy?
If your family has two or more generations of NMU graduates within its ranks,
you are part of a Northern alumni legacy.
What is your story?
We want to know. Why did NMU become a tradition in your family? We might use
your story in a future issue of Northern Horizons magazine.
Send
an e-mail to the editor at Northern Horizons and share your story.
Put on your thinking caps
OK. I know this is going
to be a little difficult to visualize, but try and work with me. Seeing as the
sun was shining this past Friday and I wanted to get away from my desk for a
few minutes, I walked over to Hedgcock and Art & Design to take some pictures
of the ongoing construction work. As I've explained in the past, it's real difficult
for people who are not on campus to get any real sense of perspective on these
projects and just where they are taking place, especially Art & Design,
but I think if you stop and try and visualize the area, you may be able to get
a pretty decent idea of what I'm talking about. (Ok. That was probably the longest
run-on sentence in the history of What's New, NMU?)
Let's start with Hedgcock because that's a little easier to picture. Everyone
knows where Hedgcock is. As you've read in the past, the former fieldhouse is
being renovated into a new Student Services Center. Completion is scheduled
for this summer.
 From
what I can tell, the entrance to the building from the east has not changed all that dramatically with the exception of some pillars added in front. |
 This
photo shows the construction of an elevated walkway between Hedgcock and
Thomas Fine Arts. |
Now for the difficult one,
the Art & Design addition and the DeVos Museum.
The construction project is located west of Spooner Hall.
 I
know the construction trailer is in the way in this photo, but I wanted
to give you some perspective of the project in regards to Spooner Hall.
This is the west end of Spooner, closest to Hedgcock. |
 This
is what the Art & Design building site looks like when standing on the
lawn in front of Hedgock facing north. |
 This
shows the road that used to enable cars to drive behind Spooner Hall to
the parking lot. |
 If
I am reading the blueprints correctly, which is not necessarily a given,
this is the south side of the building, which would actually be what you
would see if you were standing in front of Hedgcock, facing north. |
I apologize if I've confused more than informed. All the more reason you need to plan a visit to Marquette; so you can see all this work yourself.
Final University Forum scheduled
The final university forum of the year will be held from 3-5 p.m., Wednesday, April 21, in the Whitman Hall commons area. Dr. Les Wong, NMU's new president is expected to attend. The primary focus of discussion will be outlining the budget proposal options the administration will bring to the NMU Board of Trustees at its April 29-30 meeting. As always, alumni in the area are invited to attend. Materials from the forum will be posted on the Web at www.nmu.edu/forums the next day.
What's the latest on Public TV 13 and the USOEC?
WNMU-TV broke records during the Festival fundraising campaign that ended March 21. The 16-day event generated the most dollars ever raised on-air for WNMU-TV with 750 gifts and pledges of $78,185, a $20,000 increase over last year. Many alumni have expressed interest in the fate of WNMU Radio and TV. The latest update is that the programs are funded through June 30, 2005 with the NMU Board of Trustees planning to discuss proposals from the WNMU staff and the community public broadcasting committee at its April meeting. Proposals related to the future of the United States Olympic Education Center (USOEC) will also be discussed at that meeting.
Get your ticket early!
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Tickets are now on sale for the Wildcat Open House at the Detroit Lions Headquarters and Training Facility, Friday, May 21st. Steve Mariucci '77,
'83, head coach of the Detroit Lions, will welcome Wildcats on Friday,
May 21st from 5:30-8:30 p.m. The event is open to all Wildcat alumni and friends. There are a limited number of tickets available so order early! Ticket Prices
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 Tour the facility Walk the turf Visit the broadcast studio Watch an update from campus in the Lions' auditorium Hors d' oeuvres buffet in the Lions' cafeteria Auction items |
OR
call us toll free: 1-877-GRAD NMU and order tickets over the phone. |
Gildo Canale Award winners announced
Northern Michigan University
student-athletes Josh Sherko and Rachel Daw have been named as
the recipients of the Gildo A. Canale Award for the 2003-04 academic year. Each
year, a male and female student-athlete is selected for the award, which was
established in 1982 by former NMU Athletic Director Gildo Canale '56. The award-winner
must have competed in intercollegiate athletics for four years at NMU, have
a superior academic record and exhibit high character.
Sherko was a four-year
starter for the NMU football team and was also a team captain. He was a four-time
member of the All-GLIAC Academic Team and was selected to the district 2002
Verizon All-Academic Team. For the 2003 football season, Sherko was an honorable
mention selection to the All-GLIAC Football Team and won the Jack McAvoy Award
from the conference. The McAvoy Award is presented to a football player in the
GLIAC who is a senior and has demonstrated strong character traits off the field
and performed at a top level on the field.
Off the field, Sherko
is the Chairperson for the Beta Alpha Psi Academic Fraternity at NMU. He has
volunteered for the Special Olympics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital,
the Punt Pass Kick competition and local football camps. Sherko has a double
major in accounting and economics with a 3.81 grade point average.
Daw has been a member
of the cross country ski team at NMU for four years. She’s been a member
of two NMU NCAA Championship Teams and a member of four NMU Regional Championship
Teams. At the recent U.S. National Cross Country Ski Championships, Daw was
third in the 5K classic race.
Daw has been a four-time
member of the Regional All-Academic Team and has been selected to the NCAA All-Academic
Ski Team. She has been a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)
for two years and was the co-chair for the 2003-04 year. Daw carries a 3.87
grade point average in environmental science and geography.
Did you know......
.......NMU gives out $25,000 an hour in financial aid?
The total financial aid
awards at NMU for the 03-04 academic year will total $50 million. This includes
all scholarships, grants, loans and work study.
Allowing for holidays, the Financial Aid office is open 50 weeks per year and
40 hours per week, or about 2,000 hours. So, $50 million divided by 2,000 hours
equals $25,000 per hour.
Pretty neat, hey? Thanks much to Mark Delorey, NMU Director of Financial Aid, for providing those numbers.
Find that interesting? Look for more NMU Factoids every week.
As always, feedback/suggestions/questions can be directed to yours truly.
"What's New, NMU?" is a service of the NMU Alumni Association. Consider joining today!