| Northern Michigan University | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Northern. Naturally. |
| Established | 1899 |
| Type | Public |
| Endowment | $11.7 million[1] |
| President | Leslie E. Wong |
| Academic staff | 457 (F/T 328, P/T 129) |
| Undergraduates | 8,578 (2009-2010) |
| Postgraduates | 680 (2009-2010) |
| Location | Marquette, Michigan, USA |
| Campus | Small City, 350 acres (1.4 km2) |
| Colors | Forest Green (Pantone 335) and Old Gold (Pantone 116) |
| 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 is a four-year college public university established in 1899 located in Marquette, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. With a population of nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, Northern Michigan University is the Upper Peninsula's largest university.
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Northern Michigan University, NMU for short, 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, Northern 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 was designated as 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 opening in 1957 of the Mackinac Straits Bridge, linking the Upper and Lower Peninsulas to vehicle traffic) 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 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. In 1960, Northern established its own graduate program.[2]
NMU has five academic divisions:
Within these five academic divisions 180 undergraduate and graduate degree programs are offered.[3]
Placement Data[4]
Instructional Spaces
In the ten 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
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
Northern Michigan University is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.[17]
All education programs are accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.[18]
Other accreditations include the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; American Chemical Society; Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Professionals (surgical technology); Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (communication disorders); Council on Social Work Education; Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Certification; International Association of Counseling Services, Inc.; Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulation, State Board of Nursing; National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences; National Association of Industrial Technology; 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.[19]
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 two 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.
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.[20]
The university has a help desk and walk-in service center to handle laptop maintenance problems.
NMU leases the laptop computers and issues them to full-time students on a two-year replacement cycle (a student will never have a computer more than two 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 may, at their option, participate in the program. Part-time students may also, for a fee, check out the laptops from the library on a daily basis.
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]
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 Central 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, and Steve Mariucci, former head coach of the Detroit Lions, played football for NMU, and current Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo played that sport 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.
National Championships (4):
National Runners-up (4):
Basketball Final Four (1):
The United States Olympic Education Center on the campus of Northern Michigan University is one of four Olympic training centers in the country and the only one located on a college campus. The USOEC provides secondary and post-secondary educational opportunities for athletes while offering world-class training.
With more than 70 resident athletes and coaches, the USOEC 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 boxing, Greco-Roman wrestling, short track speed skating, weightlifting, and women’s freestyle wrestling. Athletes must be approved by the USOEC, their national governing body and NMU to be admitted into the program.
USOEC 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 USOEC 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 USOEC 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]
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 ten 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 volunteer events and socialize.[6] Many have long-running traditions. For example, the men of Brulé House in Gant Hall run across campus in the nude. This tradition is called the Brulé Run and happens after the first big snowfall sticks for 24 hours.[7] The Malibu House in Spalding Hall traditionally flashes the runners through the window as they pass by. Arctic house takes a swim in Lake Superior in the middle of winter. This is known as the Arctic plunge. [8] Northern Michigan Hall traditions are numerous and are not always as revealing as these but these kind of opportunities involve the students, letting them bond as a community.
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. [9]
NMU is the proud host of the United States Army Cadet Command's "Wildcat Battalion".[27] Roughly 50 Cadets train year round 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, Wisconsin
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 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.
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 2004-2005 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]
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.[10]
The North Wind began in 1972 as Northern Michigan University's first independent, student newspaper. The weekly paper covers news from the university and community alike and prints on Thursdays. The digest-style newspaper has a distribution of 5,000, most of which are placed on campus and throughout the surrounding Marquette community. The paper also has a Web site. [11]
WUPX is Northern Michigan University's non-commercial, student run, radio station. WUPX provides NMU Students and the Marquette area with a wide variety of music, event announcements, and activities. WUPX broadcaststs at 91.5 FM with an effective radiated power of 360 Watts. WUPX also has a Web site. [12]
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. [13][14]
ASNMU Executive Board 2011-2012
Justin Brugman, President
Drew Janego, Vice-President
Michael Carroll, Treasurer [15]
NMU operates five charter schools throughout Michigan.[33]
The 2008 edition of "America's Best Colleges", compiled by U.S. News & World Report, ranked Northern Michigan University as a Master's (Midwest) - Third Tier institution.[34]
Hilton, Miriam. Northern Michigan University: The First 75 Years. Marquette, Michigan: Northern Michigan University Press, 1975. Magnaghi, Russell. "A Sense of Time: The Encyclopedia of Northern Michigan University." Marquette, Michigan, Northern Michigan University Press, 1999. Northern's Communications & Marketing director, Cindy Paavola, 2006.
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