For the week of June 9, 2003

From the 6th floor

Guess what? You won't hear any complaining about my hay fever this week. No, not because the pollen count is down, but because I finally scored some Flonase. It has worked wonders. Even my doctor admitted that this year is the worst hay fever season he's seen in some time, so it's not just me! We are coming off a dreary, rainy and foggy weekend across most of Marquette County. And it didn't get all that warm, either. Finally today we are seeing some sunshine, but temperatures are still only in the 50s. It sounds like it will get worse before it gets better: forecasters are calling for rain Tuesday and Wednesday. Hopefully by the weekend it might warm up. Fingers crossed.

Meanwhile, the lilacs and crab apple trees have blossomed.

	And this guy needs to get a job. Hardly seems fair that I'm schlepping around in high heels trying to get pictures of flowers and he's just laying there working on his tan!

Alumni have opportunity to meet with athletic director candidates

A series of receptions were held over the past two weeks to give alumni an opportunity to meet with each of the athletic director candidates. The AD search committee brought in three candidates for interviews: Greg Waggoner, athletic director at Western State College in Colorado; Kent Stanley, associate athletic director at Eastern Washington University; and Mark Griffin, associate athletic director at New Jersey City University. A special thank you to those alumni who attended the receptions. Former NMU AD Dan Spielmann resigned in December to take a position with the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. The search committee is expected to make a decision soon. Visit the NMU Alumni Association home page daily. As soon as the announcement is made, we'll get the information posted.

Meanwhile, the university is in the process of putting together a presidential search committee to look for a replacement for former NMU President Judi Bailey. Bailey resigned in early May to take over the presidency of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. Mike Roy, vice president of finance and administration was appointed interim president. No word on how soon the search committee will begin its work.

NMU Art Museum project moving forward thanks to $1 million gift.

Dramatic changes are coming to the NMU Art Museum, thanks in part to a $1 million gift from the DeVos Foundations.
The Dan and Pamella DeVos Foundation along with the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation, both of Grand Rapids, Michigan, made a $1 million gift to This Decisive Season: The Campaign for Northern Michigan University. The DeVos endowment will be used primarily for museum programming.
"The generosity of the DeVos Foundations will provide us with the ongoing funds that will enable Northern to bring major exhibits to its art museum on a regular basis. This gift will also open up all kinds of horizons for the NMU art and design faculty and students," said Michael Cinelli, head of NMU's Art and Design Department.
The NMU Art Museum will be renamed the DeVos Art Museum at the completion of the East campus renovation project.
As part of the renovation, the art museum will be moved from its current location in Lee Hall to the Art and Design North Building.
Construction is scheduled to be completed by the start of the fall 2004 semester.

Main entrance of the Art and Design North addition.	DeVos Museum, front area where the permanent collection gallery will be located.
Interior view of the DeVos Museum's permanent collection gallery area.

NMU student wins national $10,000 scholarship

Lee Ann Wiley of Skandia loves to bake – a trait nurtured by her late grandmother. She enrolled in the hospitality management program at Northern Michigan University with the goal of turning her passion into a career. In May, Wiley received a sweet and rich surprise that rivals any of her fresh-from-the-oven creations. She was selected as one of two students in the country to receive a $10,000 scholarship from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.
Wiley was recognized at the annual NRAEF “Salute to Excellence” in Chicago. The event brings together leaders from the restaurant and food-service industries, as well as educators and student honor delegates from more than 100 hospitality management and culinary schools nationwide.
“I figured there was no way I got the scholarship because they said the winners would be notified in advance by e-mail,” Wiley said. “I must have misread something because I went there just assuming I would learn some things, meet people in the industry and have fun anyway. They asked me to sit at a designated table for the banquet, but it still didn’t sink in until a staff member talked to me and the other student about the scholarship and they called us up and took our pictures. I couldn’t believe it.”
Wiley will receive $5,000 per year for two years. She is nearing completion of her associate degree, but might use the extra financial support to pursue a bachelor’s. When not attending classes at NMU, Wiley hones her craft at Babycakes Muffin Co. in Marquette. Full story.

Thinking about graduate school?

Have you been thinking about strengthening your education and career by going to graduate school?
Graduate school can provide a whole new lease on your educational outcomes and quite possibly the most wonderful thing about graduate school is the movement into a setting with a smaller group of peers that share some of the same motivations as you. This allows you to be creative and think outside of the box.
For some things to consider, click here.

NMU Sports Hall of Fame Induction highlights Homecoming 2003

Homecoming 2003 will be celebrated on the campus of Northern Michigan University Friday-Saturday, September 26-27. Among the many activities scheduled for the weekend is the NMU Sports Hall of Fame Induction Dinner, Friday, September 26th. Six new members will be inducted into the NMU Sports Hall of Fame. Those inductees will be announced in August.
Other events during Homecoming include: the traditional parade on Third St. Friday evening; bonfire and pep rally; Alumni Association Awards Breakfast; tailgate party and football game. One thing to note, this year's homecoming football game will be played Saturday evening, Sept. 27th, at 7:00 p.m. The Wildcats will take on the University of Indianapolis.
A complete homecoming schedule can be found on the NMU Alumni Association web site.

Campaign by the numbers With just weeks left until the June 30, 2003 end to This Decisive Season: The Campaign for Northern Michigan University, here's a look at NMU's first-ever comprehensive fundraising effort by the numbers: $30 million The goal of the campaign for private giving to NMU by June 30. According to outgoing President Judi Bailey, "Our alumni and friends have been incredibly supportive of this campaign, so I not only believe we will hit our goal but will go over it with style." $17 million The number a campaign consulting firm said was a safe amount NMU could expect to raise in a first-ever campaign. $2 million The amount of NMU's largest individual donation in university history made during This Decisive Season by the John Berry family. The gift helped to build Northern's first multi-purpose events center. 2,613 The number of $100 or less gifts made to The Annual Fund at Northern in fiscal year 2002. Collectively, these unrestricted contributions amounted to a gift of $92,515, which helped support student scholarships, programming and learning resources. 34% The percentage of NMU alumni contributing to This Decisive Season. The national average for alumni giving at public universities is 19%.

Visiting Marquette? Stop by the Alumni Office

I had two surprise visitors to my office last week. And what pleasant surprises they were. Early in the week Mary Jane Drake Gleason '69 stopped by to say hello. Mary Jane is on the receiving end of "What's New, NMU?" every week and she wanted to get a first hand look "out the 6th floor window." Mary Jane currently lives in Missouri. Thanks for stopping by, Mary Jane.
I also had the chance last week to finally meet a wonderful woman who I have been corresponding with semi-regularly; Dorothy Droziak '51 of McKeesport, PA. Dorothy was also in town visiting and stopped by to visit. Dorothy, it was nice to finally meet you.

If you are visiting, feel free to drop by the Alumni office and say hi. I would love to meet you.

From the Email bag

Boo Boo Kitty--Marquette Area Haunting
May 2003: Harrison Township, MI award-winning science fiction author Kelly Steed relates a ghostly encounter she had in the anthology Haunted Encounters Real-Life Stories of Supernatural Experiences (Atriad Press, 2003) http://www.atriadpress.com. This first volume in the Haunted Encounters series debuted at Book Expo America in LA May 28 - June 1. http://www.bookexpoamerica.com A cover photo can be found here http://home.att.net/~s.c.ninlil.c.b/Anthologies.htm

Her story entitled “Pining” details an experience she and her flatmates had with a ghost cat while attending Northern Michigan University in Marquette. Steed said, “We disturbed some things in the attic above our flat and that’s when the females started encountering Boo Boo Kitty.” Kelly (Roberts) Steed is a 1989 NMU Grad.

For more information, contact Kelly.

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