For the week of Sept. 18, 2006
For the week of Sept. 18, 2006
From the 6th floor
 |
As you can see, a bit of a color change starting to take place out the window. As is the case every year, some trees are much further along in the process because many people have already begun raking. The predicted warm days and cool nights this week mean peak color is probably two or three weeks away. That's great news for those of you who plan on visiting Marquette for Homecoming at the end of the month. |
Homecoming kicks off next Sunday
Homecoming 2006 will kick off next Sunday, Sept. 24 with the annual Dead River Games. The theme of this year's homecoming is "Around the World." Alumni activities get under way Friday. Sept. 29.
Among the groups planning special celebrations...
 |
The George Lott Memorial Lost Weekend Reunion
|
 |
Classes of 1955-56-57 Reunion The NMU Alumni Association is hosting special events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their graduation from Northern.
|
 |
1956 NMU Football Team Reunion Former players and supporters of this undefeated team will get together during Homecoming to reminisce and cheer on the 2006 Wildcats. |
| Friday, Sept. 29 | |||
| 8 a.m.-4 p.m. | Alumni Association Board of Directors meeting | ||
| Afternoon | Campus Tours | ||
| 5:30 p.m. | Homecoming Parade, Third St. | ||
| 6:30 p.m. | College of Business Alumni reception Landmark Inn, Sky Room |
||
| 6:30 p.m. | Classes of 1955-1956-1957 Reunion Dinner (Advance registration required.) |
||
| 6:30 p.m. | NMU Sports Hall of Fame Induction Dinner and Program (Advance registration required.) |
||
| 9 p.m. | All Alumni Reception Shamrock Irish Pub |
||
| Saturday, Sept. 30 | |||
| 10:30 a.m. | Alumni Awards Brunch and Ceremony (Advance registration required.) |
||
| 1 p.m. | 1956 Football Team Reunion, Superior Dome (Advance registration required.) |
||
| 3 p.m. | Block Party at the Superior Dome
Live music! Food and games! Tailgating! |
||
| 5:00 p.m. | Kickoff NMU football vs. Ferris State |
||
| 7:30-Midnight | Fifth-Quarter Reception |
||
| 7:35 p.m. | NMU Hockey vs. University of Toronto (exhibition) |
NMU announces 10th-day enrollment
| Northern’s 10th-day enrollment report shows student headcount and credit-hour production are virtually identical to last year, but Paul Duby, vice president of Institutional Research and Planning, said the figures will climb throughout the semester, resulting in an increase for the ninth consecutive year. The preliminary headcount is 9,353, which is 0.3 percent lower than the 9,379 recorded in 2005. “Some of our graduate-level offerings and the Public Safety Institute aren’t in this year’s count yet,” Duby said. “Once those are factored in, the final number should settle somewhere between 9,500 and 9,600. I had been projecting 9,700 earlier, but we’re not likely to be able to hit that.” Another similarity involves the “first-time, full-time baccalaureate freshmen” who enrolled at NMU this fall. Duby said their academic credentials – as measured by ACT scores and grade-point average – are essentially identical to last year. “Considering the 2005 class had the highest ACTs and GPAs ever, it’s safe to say our new students remain very strong academically,” he added. Of that same group of freshmen (1,366 total), roughly one-third were recruited from outside Michigan: 184 from Illinois, 152 from Wisconsin and 38 from Minnesota. According to Duby, the most popular undergraduate academic majors among incoming students, based on enrollment, are: nursing, with 592 students; art and design, 500; elementary education, 342; and criminal justice, 336. |
Retention rate sets record
Northern has set a new record for third-semester retention. Of the 1,372 new freshmen who enrolled one year ago, 1,032 returned for the fall 2006 semester. This is a retention rate of about 75.2 percent, which is by far Northern's highest third-semester rate ever. The previous high rate of 72.9 percent was set with the fall 2004 cohort. In student headcount terms, Northern retained 20 more students from the fall 2005 cohort than with the 2004 group. University officials report this is an exceptionally strong increase. |
Wildcat sports update
| The NMU football team had the weekend off. They take their 2-0 record to Saginaw Valley State, Saturday, (Sept. 23). The women's soccer team improved to 8-1-0 on the season after taking a pair on the road. NMU will travel to Ferris State (Sept. 22) and Grand Valley State (Sept. 24). The women's volleyball team salvaged its three-match road swing with a victory over the Lake Superior State Lakers on Sunday. NMU had dropped the first two matches on the trip to Northwood and Saginaw Valley State. They now stand at 12-2 overall on the season and 4-2 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). The ‘Cats return home for two matches this week on Friday, NMU will face Grand Valley State at 7 p.m. and then host Ferris State on Saturday at 4 p.m. |
From the Email bag
| "I'm so happy to see the volleyball and football teams doing so well. I never went to a lot of football games when I attended NMU because, well, they weren't that good. But I saw a bunch of women's volleyball games...clapping 'til my hands ached! And it was always worth it. I'm downstate in Petoskey and both the local paper and the Detroit Free Press don't cover NMU sports so I'm really glad to get a weekly update in "What's New, NMU?" Go 'Cats! P.S. Hockey's right around the corner. Yeah, baby! " John Council '00 Petoskey, Mich. johncouncil@hotmail.com |
 |
"I thought that since everyone else is sharing new baby pics that I would share mine. My daughter Jocelyn Chapman was born on May 6th 2006. She joined her brother Eli (5/2/04) and my husband Ben (NMU grad 1998). We hope to get the kids and ourselves back to the UP soon. We especially love your pictures of familiar scenery and the weather reports." Chris (Helein) Chapman '97 Appleton, Wis. bennchris@sbcglobal.net |
 |
"Hi there. Just wanted you to know that I enjoy reading the online newsletter, and like to read the emails from other graduates. I would rather see the pictures of the graduates with the babies, instead of just the babies. Sometimes you only recognize a face, not just a name. I also love seeing the pictures taken around the area since I never seem to be able to make it back up there. Made it to Munising this year when we kayaked by the Pictured Rocks, but didn't have time to continue. Miss the snow and all my X-C skiing buddies. Still get out there as much as I can." Becky Allen Vargo '81 Spring Lake, Mich. bvargo@grandhaventribune.com |
Have something you'd like to share?
"What's New, NMU?" is a service of the NMU Alumni Association. Consider joining today!
