Northern Michigan University, also known as Northern, NMU, or Northern Michigan, is a public college located in Marquette, Michigan, United States. It was started in 1899 by the Michigan Legislature as Northern State Normal School. In 1963, the state changed the school's name to a university and gave it its current title. The university has five academic sections that offer about 180 programs for students who are just starting college and those who are studying for advanced degrees. NMU's sports teams are called the Wildcats and play in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

History

Northern Michigan University was created in 1899 by the Michigan Legislature as Northern State Normal School to train teachers in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, which was then wild and had few people. When it opened in 1899, the university had 32 students who were taught by six teachers in rented rooms at Marquette city hall. The original 20-acre (81,000 m²) campus, located at the corner of Presque Isle and Kaye Avenues, was donated by local businessman John M. Longyear. A building named after him, Longyear Hall, opened in 1900.

For the first 50 years, the school focused on education and teacher training. During this time, the school built sandstone buildings called Kaye and Peter White Halls, as well as a manual training school next to the campus buildings, J.D. Pierce School. The institution changed its name several times:

• Northern State Normal, 1899
• Northern State Teachers College, 1927
• Northern Michigan College of Education, 1942
• Northern Michigan College, 1955

In 1963, when Michigan adopted a new state constitution, Northern Michigan became a comprehensive university to meet the varied educational needs of Upper Michigan. Graduate education began in March 1935, with master's degree programs offered in partnership with the University of Michigan.

Academics

Northern Michigan University (NMU) is considered "selective" by U.S. News & World Report. For the Class of 2025 (students who started in Fall 2021), NMU received 6,553 applications and accepted 4,670 students, which is about 71% of those who applied. Out of these, 1,496 students began attending the university.

The first-year class of 2023 had the following standardized test scores: the middle 50% of students had SAT scores between 980 and 1180, and ACT scores between 20 and 26.

NMU offers 180 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The university is organized into five academic divisions:

• College of Academic Information Services: Beaumier Heritage Center
• College of Arts and Sciences: School of Art and Design, Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship, Center for Native American Studies, Center for Upper Peninsula Studies
• Walker L. Cisler College of Business: Named after philanthropist Walker Lee Cisler
• Graduate Education and Research
• College of Health Sciences and Professional Studies: School of Clinical Sciences, School of Education, Leadership and Public Service, School of Health and Human Performance, School of Nursing

In 2021, the most popular undergraduate majors among graduates were Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse (105 students), Biology/Biological Sciences (95 students), and Art/Art Studies (67 students).

Northern Michigan University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. All education programs are also 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.

Additionally, 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. The baccalaureate and master's nursing programs are also fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

Campus

NMU is a tobacco-free campus.

There are ten buildings where classes are held, with at least 210 instructional spaces. Three distance learning facilities are available, and the largest is Mead Auditorium, which seats 100 people.

Noteworthy buildings on campus include:

• Art and Design: This facility has over 110,000 square feet (about 10,000 square meters) of studios, lecture halls, a digital green screen room, sound studio, photography suite, critique and screening rooms, and the DeVos Art Museum. The DeVos Art Museum shows 10 to 12 exhibitions each year of contemporary international, national, regional, and local art. At over 4,000 square feet (about 370 square meters), it is the largest art gallery on campus and the only art museum with a permanent collection in the Upper Peninsula.
• Berry Events Center: Northern's multi-purpose student events center is home to Northern Michigan University's hockey teams. The 60,000-square-foot (about 5,600 square meters) facility contains an ice sheet and seats over 4,000 for hockey events. The Berry Events Center was built on the site of the former Memorial Stadium.
• Cohodas Hall: The tallest building on campus, Cohodas Hall houses administrative offices and the College of Business. Completed in 1975, the building stands on the site of Northern's original campus. It is named after U.P. banker and philanthropist Sam M. Cohodas.
• Forest Roberts Theatre: The 500-seat Forest Roberts Theatre is named after a former head of the Speech department. The theatre has an advanced lighting system and modern sound system. Major theatrical productions are held year-round in this facility.
• Gries Hall: A former residence hall, Gries is now home to the Military Science, History, Political Science, and Economics departments, along with the Alumni Association offices and the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center. The Ada B. Vielmetti Health Center on the first floor provides family health care and pharmacy services to students and staff.
• CB Hedgcock Building: The CB Hedgcock building was completely renovated from a field house to a student service center in 2004. It now houses the offices of the Dean of Students, Admissions, Registrar, Financial Aid, Housing and Residence Life, Multicultural Education, and other student services. Also located in Hedgcock is the Reynolds Recital Hall, a 303-seat concert hall.
• Jamrich Hall: This hall, opened in the fall of 2014, contains numerous large lecture halls and smaller classrooms. The primary classroom building on campus, this building is named for former university president John X. Jamrich. The current Jamrich Hall replaced a prior Jamrich Hall built in 1968. The older Jamrich was demolished after the completion of the new building. The hall houses five academic department offices: English, criminal justice, sociology and anthropology, social work, and math and computer science.
• Lydia M. Olson Library: The Lydia M. Olson Library, located within the Edgar L. Harden Learning Resource Center (LRC), has 544,219 book titles and 29,365 magazine and journal subscriptions.
• McClintock Hall: The building features a Black Box Theatre for student-directed productions and sound labs, as well as general classrooms.
• Physical Education Instructional Facility (PEIF): This facility opened in 1976. The facility houses the PEIF Pool and the Vandament Arena, home of Wildcat volleyball. Also housed within the PEIF is a recreation center with a climbing wall, weight room, basketball courts, spinning room, seven racquetball courts, a dance studio, and various classrooms.
• Seaborg Science Complex: The Seaborg Science Complex includes West Science and Kathleen Shingler Weston Hall (formerly the New Science Facility). This facility is the home to the natural, physical, and health science departments. The complex is named after Glenn Seaborg, an Upper Peninsula native.

• Superior Dome: The Superior Dome is the largest wooden dome in the world and is home to the NMU athletic department. The NMU football and other athletic teams play home games there. Seating capacity is 8,000 but can be rearranged to seat 16,000. The Superior Dome set a new attendance record of over 11,000 attendees for an exhibition basketball game against Michigan State on October 13, 2024.
• The Jacobetti Center: The Jacobetti Center is home to Continuing Education and Workforce Development, which includes two departments: Engineering Technology and Technology and Occupational Sciences. A large lobby area, known as "the commons," provides tables and seating for studying, discussions

Governance

Northern Michigan University has a leadership group called the Board of Trustees. This group has eight members who are chosen by the Governor of Michigan and approved by the Michigan Senate. Each member serves for eight years. The Board of Trustees is responsible for managing the university, making decisions about how the university's money is spent, and carrying out other duties required by law. The board also has the power to select and assess the university president, who works directly under the board. Members of the Board of Trustees do not receive a salary, but the university covers their expenses related to their duties.

Athletics

Northern Michigan University's Wildcats participate in the NCAA's Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for basketball, football, golf, cross country, soccer, volleyball, track and field, and swimming and diving. The hockey team plays in Division I as part of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The Nordic ski team competes in the Central Collegiate Ski Association. The Division II football team plays at the Superior Dome, which is the world's largest wooden dome. Former University of Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr, former NFL coach Jerry Glanville, former Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci, and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh for the San Francisco 49ers played football at NMU. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo played basketball at NMU. Northern Michigan's main sports rivals are the two other major schools in the Upper Peninsula: Michigan Technological University and Lake Superior State University.

The NMU-OTS has more than 70 resident athletes and coaches, making it the second-largest Olympic training center in the United States by number of residents, after Colorado Springs. The USOEC has more residential athletes than the Lake Placid and Chula Vista training sites combined. Over time, it has become an important part of the U.S. Olympic movement.

NMU-OTS athletes attend Northern Michigan University while training in their sports and are officially recognized as NMU varsity athletes. Student-athletes receive free or reduced room and board, access to training facilities, sports medicine and sports science services, academic tutoring, and a waiver of out-of-state tuition fees from NMU. Athletes pay in-state tuition, but they may receive the B.J. Stupak Scholarship to help with costs.

The NMU-OTS also provides short-term training camps, regional, national, and international competitions, coaches and officials education clinics, and an educational program for retired Olympians.

Student life

Northern Michigan University (NMU) hosts the United States Army Cadet Command's "Wildcat Battalion."

The North Wind started in 1972 as Northern Michigan University's second student-run newspaper. The university's first newspaper, The Northern News, was closed in the 1960s after articles were published that portrayed the school in a negative light. In 2015, a disagreement occurred between the university's administration and members of the North Wind staff. This disagreement led to a legal case in federal court over claims of freedom of speech violations, but the case was later dismissed. The weekly newspaper covers news about the university and the surrounding community and is printed on most Wednesdays during the school year.

WUPX is Northern Michigan University's student-run, non-commercial radio station that broadcasts at 91.5 FM. WUPX offers a wide variety of music, event updates, and activity information to NMU students and the Marquette area.