Northern Michigan University

"NMU" redirects here. For other uses, see NMU (disambiguation).
Northern Michigan University
Motto Fearless Minds
Type Public
Established 1899
Endowment $13.9 million[1]
President Fritz Erickson
Academic staff
 457 (F/T 328, P/T 129)
Students 8,879
Undergraduates 8,233 (Fall 2013)
Postgraduates 646 (Fall 2013)
Location Marquette, Michigan, United States
46°33′32″N 87°24′19″W / 46.55901°N 87.40525°W / 46.55901; -87.40525Coordinates: 46°33′32″N 87°24′19″W / 46.55901°N 87.40525°W / 46.55901; -87.40525
Campus Small City, 350 acres (1.4 km2)
Colors Forest Green and Gold         
Athletics NCAA Division I, men's hockey
NCAA Division II, 12 varsity teams
Nickname Wildcats
Mascot Wildcat Willy
Website www.nmu.edu

Northern Michigan University (NMU) is a four-year college public university established in 1899 and located in Marquette, in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. With enrollment of about 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students, Northern Michigan University is the Upper Peninsula's largest university. The university is known for its extensive wireless system that covers not only the campus, but the city of Marquette and the surrounding communities and its laptop program that issues laptops to all full-time students and faculty members.[2]

History

Northern Michigan University was established in 1899 by the Michigan Legislature as Northern State Normal School with the original purpose of providing teacher preparation programs in Michigan's then-wild and sparsely populated Upper Peninsula. When it opened its doors in 1899, NMU enrolled thirty-two students who were taught by six faculty members utilizing rented rooms in Marquette city hall. The original 20-acre (81,000 m2) campus-site at the corner of Presque Isle and Kaye Avenues was on land donated by local businessman and philanthropist John M. Longyear, whose namesake academic building, Longyear Hall, opened its doors to students in 1900.

Throughout the school's first half-century, education and teacher training was the primary focus of the small regional school. During this time, the school built the native sandstone buildings Kaye and Peter White Halls, as well as a manual training school adjacent to the campus buildings, J.D. Pierce School. Modest increases in enrollment resulted in several name changes throughout the years:

In 1963, through the adoption of a new state constitution in Michigan, Northern Michigan was designated a comprehensive university serving the diverse educational needs of Upper Michigan. During this time, enrollment at the small state school swelled (due in large part to the 1957 opening of the Mackinac Bridge, linking vehicle traffic between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas); and as a result, the campus expanded rapidly, roughly to the size it remains to this day. Accredited undergraduate and graduate degree programs are offered by the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business, the College of Health Sciences and Professional Studies.

Graduate education was inaugurated in 1928 when courses at the master's degree level were offered in cooperation with the University of Michigan.

President Term Year(s)
Dwight B. Waldo 1899-1904
James H.B. Kaye 1904-1923
John M. Munson 1923-1933
Webster H. Pearce 1933-1940
Henry A. Tape 1940-1956
Edgar L. Harden 1956-1967
John X. Jamrich 1967-1983
James B. Appleberry 1983-1991
William H. Vandament 1991-1997
Judith l. Bailey 1997-2004
Leslie E. Wong 2004-2012
David S. Haynes (Interim) 2012-2014
Fritz J. Erickson 2014–present

Academic profile

NMU has four academic divisions:

Within these four academic divisions 180 undergraduate and graduate degree programs are offered.[3]

Placement Data[4]

Facilities

The Academic Mall: (from left to right) a bridge coming from Jamrich Hall (behind camera), West Science, New Science Facility and the Learning Resource Center.

NMU is a tobacco-free campus.[5]

Instructional Spaces

In the 10 buildings where classes are held, there are at least 210 instructional spaces, each having a Wi-Fi signal strong enough to accommodate not only the instructor(s) but every student. 112 of these rooms seat at least 30 students. There are 63 general use classrooms which can be scheduled for multiple disciplines. All but 4 general-purpose rooms are smart classrooms fitted with technology for projecting images and sound from one’s laptop computer. There are 14 tiered classrooms, 10 of which are considered lecture halls with a seat-count of at least 90. The largest lecture hall, Jamrich 102, seats 501. There are 58 labs covering the gamut of arts and sciences. There are 28 departmental classrooms, 16 of which are “smart”. There are 3 distance learning facilities, the largest of which is Mead Auditorium which seats 100.

Art and Design

Berry Events Center

Cohodas Hall

A hayride passes through the heart of NMU's campus. Cohodas Hall can be seen in the background.

Forest Roberts Theatre

Gries Hall

CB Hedgcock Building

Jamrich Hall

Lydia M. Olson Library

McClintock Hall

Physical Education Instructional Facility

Seaborg Science Complex

Superior Dome

The Jacobetti Center

Whitman Hall

Accreditation

Northern Michigan University is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.

The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools

All education programs are accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC). Other accreditations include the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology; American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; American Chemical Society; American Society of Cytology; Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Professionals (Surgical Technology); Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs; Council on Social Work Education; Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Certification; International Association of Counseling Services, Inc.; Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology; Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulation, State Board of Nursing; National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences; and the National Association of Schools of Music.

In addition, the nursing programs (practical nursing, baccalaureate, and master's degrees) are fully approved by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulation, State Board of Nursing and the baccalaureate and master's degrees are fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

The baccalaureate degree programs of the Walker L. Cisler College of Business are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.[18]

Technology

The Teaching, Learning, and Communication (TLC) initiative places a notebook computer in the hands of every full-time undergraduate student and faculty. This initiative makes NMU one of the largest public university laptop programs in the world. Laptop program participants receive a new notebook computer every four years. Northern’s campus-wide effort for technological mastery helps NMU students compete in the high-tech global marketplace after they graduate. The university has national and international awards for its innovative work in the area of technology in higher education.

Vision of technology initiative

Northern Michigan University's vision for education in the 21st century is a learning environment that embraces technology to enhance student access, promote the development of independent learners and encourage greater student-faculty communication and collaboration. To help achieve this vision, the university implemented a laptop program in the fall of 2000 that ensures students and faculty have a standard set of tools (hardware and software) that meet a majority of their computing and telecommunications needs, promotes communication and enables quality support. NMU is the first public university in Michigan — but one of many nationwide — to pursue the idea of a "laptop" campus.

Since 2002, most of the campus and surrounding city is covered by a wireless network. Although electronic documents are encouraged, networked printers are installed in various campus locations for hard copy documents.

In the fall of 2009 the university initiated a WiMAX connection initiative. This far-reaching technology has brought Internet access to students off and on campus. It was the first educational facility to create such an initiative and an example of Northern's vision for the future. Because of its popularity and recognition, the campus was visited by President Barack Obama on February 10, 2011, where he praised the development in wireless technology and promoted a National Wireless Initiative to bring high-speed Internet to 98% of the U.S. by 2016.[19]

In 2015, the university began work on their LTE network. Northern has plans to mirror the WiMAX network coverage with LTE, and hopes to finish work by the end of the winter semester in 2016. The WiMAX network is scheduled to be turned off at the start of the fall 2017 semester.[20]

The university has a help desk and walk-in service center to handle laptop maintenance problems.

Cost to students

NMU leases the laptop computers and issues them to full-time students on a three-year replacement cycle (a student will never have a computer more than three years old). Continuing students who pre-register for the following fall will be able to use the laptop through the summer at no additional charge.

Part-time students have the option to participate in the program. For a fee, part-time students may also check out the laptops from the library on a daily basis.

Additional aspects

NMU continues to support and improve "specialty labs" as a function of need and resource availability. These are labs designed to meet the needs of specific academic programs that have special equipment and software needs (e.g., graphic design, computer science, GIS, CAD among others). The Center for Instructional Technology in Education (CITE) in the LRC supports faculty use of technology in instruction.[21]

Athletics

Official athletics logo.
A football signed by the 1978 Northern Michigan Wildcats football team

NMU’s Wildcats compete in the NCAA's Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in basketball, football, golf, skiing, cross country, soccer, volleyball, track & field, and swimming/diving. The hockey program competes in Division I as a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The Division II football team plays in the world's largest wooden dome, the Superior Dome.[22] Lloyd Carr, former head coach at the University of Michigan, former NFL coach Jerry Glanville, and Steve Mariucci, former head coach of the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers, played football for NMU, and current Michigan State coach Tom Izzo played basketball at NMU. Northern Michigan's rivals in sports action are the two other major schools in the upper peninsula: Michigan Technological University, and Lake Superior State University.[23]

The winner of the annual football game between NMU and Michigan Tech is awarded the Miner's Cup.

OTS

The United States Olympic Training Site on the campus of Northern Michigan University is one of 16 Olympic training sites in the country. The NMU-OTS provides secondary and post-secondary educational opportunities for athletes while offering world-class training.

With more than 70 resident athletes and coaches, the NMU-OTS is the second-largest Olympic training center in the United States, in terms of residents, behind Colorado Springs. The USOEC has more residential athletes than the Lake Placid and Chula Vista sites combined. Over the years, it has grown into a major contributor to the U.S. Olympic movement.

Current resident training programs include Greco-Roman wrestling, weightlifting and women’s freestyle wrestling. Athletes must be approved by the NMU-OTS, their national governing body and NMU to be admitted into the program.

NMU-OTS athletes attend NMU or Marquette Senior High School, Marquette, Michigan while training in their respective sports. The student athletes receive free or reduced room and board, access to world-class training facilities as well as sports medicine and sports science services, academic tutoring, and a waiver of out-of-state tuition fees by NMU. Although athletes are responsible for tuition at the in-state rate, they may receive the B.J. Stupak Scholarship to help cover expenses.

On-campus NMU-OTS athletes live in NMU’s Meyland Hall, eat in campus dining halls, and train at the university’s Berry Events Center and Superior Dome.

The NMU-OTS also offers a variety of short-term training camps; regional, national, and international competitions; coaches and officials education clinics; and an educational program for retired Olympians.[24]

Student life

Residential life

Residence hall government is an important facet of student life and NMU. Ten to twenty students from each of the ten residence halls are elected and/or appointed to meet with the staff from their hall on a weekly basis. They represent their peers on a variety of matters pertaining to their residence hall community and campus life.

Students who participate in hall government have the option of participating in various leadership training activities.

One student from up campus (2 halls) and two from down campus (8 halls) are elected to serve on ASNMU, NMU's Student Government.

The 10 residence halls are:[25]

In addition to the residence halls, NMU operates and maintains seven apartment buildings on campus.

The apartments are [26]

Many halls that have been listed above contain "houses", smaller communities within each residence hall, which participate in campus events and socialize. Many have long-running traditions. For instance, Arctic House in Hunt Hall takes a swim in Lake Superior in the middle of winter. This is known as the Arctic plunge. Many houses in Payne Hall are noted for their volunteer involvement in projects during the school year. Northern Michigan Hall traditions are numerous and involve the students, letting them bond as a community.

Groups and activities

Student organizations

NMU hosts a large number of student organizations which are governmental, academic, programming, social, religious, and athletic, as well as residence hall-related, in nature. There are over 300 registered student organizations that provide programs and activities for the campus community.

Army ROTC

NMU is the proud host of the United States Army Cadet Command's "Wildcat Battalion".[27] Roughly 70 Cadets train to earn their commissions as United States Army Officers in both the Active Duty and Reserve components. NMU ROTC also trains a specially selected group of Cadets to compete in the annual Ranger Challenge competition held in Fort McCoy, Wisc.

Greek life

Fraternities

Sororities

Student Leader Fellowship Program

The Student Leader Fellowship Program (SLFP) is committed to developing competent, ethical, and community-centered leaders. Over a two-year period, students participate in six component areas (Fall Retreat, Mentors, Leadership Theory and Practice Course, Skill Builders! Leadership Workshops, Community Service Internship, and Special Occasions) focusing on self-development and community development.

The Volunteer Center

The NMU Volunteer Center is designed to assist students, both individuals and in student organizations, as well as faculty and staff at the university with finding ways in which they can contribute to the Marquette community.

Superior Edge

Unique to Northern, this citizen-leader development program is open to all NMU students, regardless of GPA, major or year in school. Participants can work on any or all of the edges; citizenship, diversity awareness, leadership and real-world experience. Students log a minimum of 100 hours of volunteer, contact, classroom or work time for each edge and write a reflection paper. Achievement of edges is recorded on a student development transcript that is issued alongside a student's academic transcript.

The Superior Edge was developed in 2004-05 by a task force that included students, faculty, and staff. The Superior Edge encompasses a wide range of in- and out-of-classroom experiences that will provide Northern Michigan University students with a distinct advantage by better preparing them for careers, lifelong learning, graduate school, and life as engaged citizens.[28]

Honors Program

The Honors Program provides talented undergraduates the opportunity to take rigorous coursework that leads to the designation of Lower Division Honors, Upper Division Honors, or Full Honors on their academic transcript. For Full Honors, students must complete two years (16–20 credits) of lower division honors courses, two years of a foreign language, mathematics at the pre-calculus level or higher, 12 credits of upper division coursework in their major or minor that have been "honorized", and a capstone project in the final semester before graduation. To qualify for acceptance to the program, students must have a recalculated GPA of 3.5 or higher (on a 4.0 scale), an ACT score of 27 or above and submit two letters of recommendation. About 40 freshmen are admitted to the program annually.

The North Wind

The North Wind began in 1972 as Northern Michigan University's second independent, student newspaper. The university's first newspaper was The Northern News, which was shut down due to published articles throughout the 1960s that painted the school in an unflattering manner. Coincidentally in 2015, a controversy arose between the school's administration and members of the North Wind staff, which reached federal court on claims of first amendment violations before the case was dismissed. The weekly paper covers news from the university and community alike and prints on most Wednesdays during the school year. Ray Bressette serves as the current editor-in-chief of the publication. [29]

WUPX

WUPX is Northern Michigan University's non-commercial, student run, radio station broadcasting at 91.5 FM. WUPX provides NMU Students and the Marquette area with a wide variety of music, event announcements, and activities.[30]

Student government

The Associated Students of Northern Michigan University (ASNMU) is made up of three distinct branches: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. Representatives elected to represent Student Affairs groups and Academic Affairs comprise the Legislative Branch with a member of the Legislative Branch elected as Chair of the Assembly. The All Student Judiciary (ASJ), the judicial branch of ASNMU, is a panel composed of 16 students who hear cases involving students who violate the regulations of the University Student Code. The Student Finance Committee (SFC) a sub-committee oversees the collection and disbursement of Student Activity Fee and govern the disbursement of funds to registered student organizations.

Notable alumni


Longtime Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is an alumnus of NMU. As a result, NMU had the first Starbucks in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (located in the Learning Resource Center).[31] He is pictured in the poster at right.

Arts and Culture

Business, Government and Research

Sports and Entertainment

Charter schools

NMU operates seven charter schools throughout Michigan.[38]

As of July 1, 2014, NMU will add three more charter schools: Frances Reh Academy in Saginaw, George Crockett Academy in Detroit, and Universal Leadership Academy in Port Huron

Rankings and Honors

References

  1. ↑ "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2013 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2012 to FY 2013" (PDF). National Association of College and University Business Officers. January 23, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Obama to promote Northern Michigan University's WiMAX system". USATODAY.COM.
  3. ↑ "About Us | Northern Michigan University". Nmu.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  4. ↑ "2008-2009 Northern Michigan University Profile" (PDF). Northern Michigan University. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Home". Tobacco-Free. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  6. ↑ "NMU Art & Design Information". Art.nmu.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  7. ↑ "Cohodas | NMU College of Arts and Sciences". Webb.nmu.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  8. ↑ "Forest Roberts Theatre | NMU College of Arts and Sciences". Webb.nmu.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  9. ↑ "Gries Hall | NMU College of Arts and Sciences". Webb.nmu.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  10. ↑ "About Us | NMU Ada B. Vielmetti Health Center". Webb.nmu.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  11. ↑ "Jamrich Hall | NMU College of Arts and Sciences". Webb.nmu.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  12. ↑ "Library Home : Olson Library". Library.nmu.edu. 2010-05-14. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  13. ↑ Archived March 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
  14. ↑ "McClintock Building | NMU College of Arts and Sciences". Webb.nmu.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  15. ↑ "Physical Education Instructional Facility | NMU Athletics". Webb.nmu.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  16. ↑ "Glenn T. Seaborg - Biography". Nobelprize.org. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  17. ↑ "Jacobetti Center | NMU Continuing Education". Webb.nmu.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  18. ↑ "AACSB International-The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business". Aacsb.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  19. ↑ "Technology". Los Angeles Times.
  20. ↑ "LTE and WiMAX Networks at NMU". nmu.edu. 2015-08-15. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
  21. ↑ "Featured Stories: Northern Michigan University". Merit.edu. 2009-03-13. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  22. ↑ Archived June 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  23. ↑ "University of Michigan Athletics - Football Coaches". Bentley.umich.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  24. ↑ "Home | United States Olympic Education Center". Webb.nmu.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  25. ↑ "Residence Halls | NMU Housing and Residence Life". Webb.nmu.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  26. ↑ "Apartments | NMU Housing and Residence Life". Webb.nmu.edu. 2008-08-16. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  27. ↑ About Us | NMU Department of Military Science. Webb.nmu.edu. Retrieved on 2013-08-02.
  28. ↑ "Students making social contributions - MiningJournal.net | News, Sports, Jobs, Marquette Information". The Mining Journal. 2007-03-27. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  29. ↑ WP Box. "About Us – The North Wind". thenorthwindonline.com.
  30. ↑ "WUPX 91.5 FM Radio X Marquette". wupx.com.
  31. ↑ U.P.'s only Starbucks open on campus, NMU, August 25, 2003.
  32. ↑ "Howard Schultz Biography Activist (1953–)". biography.com. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  33. ↑ "JOHN D. HOLUM". uic.edu.
  34. ↑ "Teri L. List-Stoll CPA". Businessweek.com.
  35. ↑ Archived February 23, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
  36. ↑ "Coach Izzo Biography". Coach Izzo.
  37. ↑ "News_Release.Aspx". NFLPlayers.com. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  38. ↑ "Home | NMU Charter Schools". Nmu.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  39. ↑ "Northern Michigan University - Best Colleges - Education - US News and World Report". Colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. 2009-08-19. Retrieved 2010-07-01.

Further reading

External links

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