For the week of Sept. 13, 2004
From the 6th floor
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The week is off to a great start in the weather department. It is currently sunny and unseasonably warm. The weatherman says a record high is not out of the question today as the mercury could reach the mid 80s. That would be a pleasant occurrence considering the summer we've had. Or didn't have, to be more accurate. Temperatures the rest of the week should be a bit cooler, but still pretty nice, in the 70s. |
Higher Education bill goes to legislature
A legislative panel approved a deal Wednesday that would restore 1.5 percent of the 5 percent cut from Northern’s state appropriation through an executive order issued in December. It would also allow most of the state’s 15 public universities to increase tuition and fees by 2.8 percent – the rate of inflation – and still avoid a significant cut. The plan awaits final approval from the legislature and Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
The state previously approved a 3 percent restoration of base budget funding for universities that kept their tuition and fee increases at or below the Detroit Consumer Price Index (CPI) and implemented no tuition increase after Dec. 1, 2003. Because NMU and Lake Superior State University implemented mid-year increases before the tuition restraint language was signed into law, they do not qualify for the full 3 percent restoration. Receiving half – 1.5 percent – would have an impact of about $700,000 on NMU.
“Our primary focus is to sustain quality education at NMU, so we will have to discuss the options for revising our budget downward to absorb the $700,000 through such measures as reduced university travel and delays on equipment purchases and other planned spending,” said NMU President Les Wong. “It’s a relief to finally receive some indication of where our funding level will be for the current fiscal year, which started July 1. Having a completed bill will help us move forward with the planning process.”
In addition to NMU and LSSU, Western Michigan University did not qualify for the full restoration because it raised a records fee levied against freshmen and transfer students from $100 to $500. According to the Associated Press, if WMU doesn’t give impacted students a $200 refund, it will not recoup any lost state funding.
Northern’s 2.4 percent tuition increase for fall is below the 2.8 cap approved Wednesday by the House-Senate higher education conference committee. Three universities – Michigan State, Saginaw Valley State and Grand Valley State – could only limit their increases to 2.4 percent because each had circumstances that prevented them from fully complying with the tuition restraint language.
Thank you to those of you who took time over the past several months to write or email your legislator on this issue.
Former coaches to headline Football Reunion at Homecoming
 Gil
Krueger coached the Wildcats to the 1975 national championship. |
 Bill
Rademacher '64 was a member of the New York Jets 1968 Superbowl Championship
team before coming back to coach his alma mater in 1974. |
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Two former head coaches are among the many Wildcats that will be returning to campus during Homecoming, Oct. 15-16, to take part in the 100 Year Celebration of Wildcat Football. "100 Years of
Wildcat Football" will be held in conjunction with Homecoming 2004.
Special activities are planned all weekend long, in addition to an already
jam-packed Homecoming schedule. All former Wildcat
players are invited to attend. If you did not receive an invitation in
the mail, please let us know so we can get one to you. Click here for a complete Homecoming schedule. Click here to register for the Football Reunion. It's FREE! |
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Alumni signing up for Homecoming
Have you checked out our list of alumni who plan on attending Homecoming 2004, Oct. 15-16?
We get new names daily, so visit the registry often and see who's coming back.
Are you planning on being here? Let us know so we can let others know.
New DNA sequencer in use
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With
the purchase of a new DNA sequencer, NMU biology students are being trained
on the same equipment used at major genome centers and throughout the biotechnology
industry. Alec Lindsay (Biology, pictured right) is shown explaining the
equipment to students Jonelle Thompson and Andy Moriarty.
“This is a great advancement,” said Neil Cumberlidge (Biology). “It gives results in two hours. Students can load samples and at the end of a three-hour lab they can have data in an electronic format that can be shared through their laptops. It allows us to get results faster and with greater accuracy. … We had a very old sequencer that had been donated to the department, but it was obsolete. It required 48 hours to set up and run, so we couldn’t use it in classes or labs. There is only one company that makes DNA sequencers and it no longer services the older model, so that was an added incentive to invest in the new version.” |
College Night on Northern campus
High school juniors, seniors
and their parents are invited to a College Night Program at Northern Michigan
University. It will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 16, in the Student
Services Center in the C.B. Hedgcock building on the NMU campus.
“In my opinion,
it gives students a really good chance to get preliminary information from a
variety of schools,” said Gina Lombardini, assistant director of admissions
at NMU. “They can decide from there if they want to visit a school.”
Representatives from
more than 35 in- and out-of-state colleges and universities will answer questions
about academic programs, support services and campus life.
The Armed Forces,
ROTC, and Military Science will be available to inform students about their
programs. An informational session by NMU’s Financial Aid Office is planned
at 7 p.m.
High schools participating
are Superior Central, Gwinn, Ishpeming, NICE, Marquette, Munising, Negaunee,
Burt Township and Republic-Michigamme.
Students are asked
to contact their high school counselors for more information.
NMU Sports Hall of Fame tickets available online
Six new members will be
inducted in the NMU Sports Hall of Fame in conjunction with Homecoming Weekend
2004, October 15-16, and tickets are now available
online.
This year's inductees are: Dr. Thomas Knauss '54, Mark Maddox, Barbara Maszlewski
'74, '78, Stacy Metro '94, Mark Simon '86 and Jennifer (Kleeman) Urick '94
The induction dinner and ceremony will take place Friday, Oct. 16th in the Great
Lakes Rooms of the Don H. Bottum University Center.
Social hour begins at 6:30, dinner at 7:30 and induction program at 8:15 p.m.
From the Email bag
"Deanna. I just
happened to have a few minutes this afternoon during my lunch hour to stop by
the newly renovated field house. I could not believe what has been done! I remember
watching lots of basketball games and looking at all of the trophies that once
sat in Hedgcock. Reflecting back, it sure would have been nice to have all of
the student services closer to the majority of the academic mall buildings back
in the early and mid 80s. NMU has done a beautiful job with Hedgcock. Of course,
now I think the students are pretty spoiled with a lot of buildings being connected
by covered walkways. One of the biggest memories I have of Northern is walking
to classes in blowing snow :-)"
Gaylord Hamm '95
Gwinn, MI
ghamm32@charter.net
As always, feedback/suggestions/questions can be directed to yours truly.
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