Starting a new year
Orientation theme of NMU event
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MARQUETTE -- The theme for the 2023 Northern Michigan University Convocation was "orientation."
NMU President Brock Tessman talked about that theme and other topics during Wednesday's event in the Northern Center, which acts as a kickoff for the fall semester.
Monday will mark the first day of classes for the 2023-24 academic year.
"I chose 'orientation' because I wanted to ground us," Tessman said.
There is a lot of change afoot, he noted.
"As we're building new ideas, as we're enacting initiatives, it's important that we stay oriented, we understand what's most important to us, make sure we don't lose track of who we are and what we care about most," Tessman said.
NMU is in strong enrollment and budget positions, he said.
"We are and continue to be a university that, like all public universities, faces resource scarcity," said Tessman, who pointed out that NMU has the opportunity to plan for the future.
Tessman said he doesn't see his role at NMU as being a "preference aggregator."
"Leadership is about learning and listening, but then actually stretching our collective vision and charting a new path," he said.
Tessman said the leadership and administrative structures in place at NMU can be refined to unleash the potential of faculty, staff and students.
"This will serve as our central goal in the years ahead: promoting student success, narrowing equity gaps so every student has a genuine opportunity to succeed," Tessman said.
He mentioned five "administrative pillars" at NMU, which include the traditional core academic and financial areas. However, he discussed three new ones.
Student affairs and student success, Tessman stressed, are about completion, with a focus this year on redesigning the advising system to produce equitable outcomes for students "no matter their backgrounds."
Another new pillar, which he considers a "one-of-a-kind pillar," is Northern elevating the student experience, including the first contact with the Admissions Office, orientation and campus activities, among others.
Activities include opportunities, he said, for commuter students who don't live on campus.
The other pillar, Tessman said, deals with growth, including a project that supports things such as professional development and career enhancement for staff and faculty.
"These pillars combined together are all about action," Tessman said. "Over time, we'll see more projects emerge from these pillars, and over time we'll see certain elements highlighted even more than they are today."
He mentioned the Okanagan Charter, which NMU joined earlier this year, as a way to promote well-being.
"It's an integrated commitment to well-being that involves mental, physical and behavioral health, attention to campus culture and diversity inclusion, and attention to environmental well-being," Tessman said.
He noted that NMU recently finalized an agreement with Gretchen's House, a child development center with other operations in Michigan. The facility, which will open a few blocks away from campus, was secured with a major investment with about 35 to 40 slots for NMU families. These slots will open in early 2024.
Communications also will be improved, Tessman said, through efforts such as the University Assembly, which will include stakeholders on campus and in the community, serving as an "information clearinghouse" to ensure "we're all on the same page as we move forward."
Additionally, the strategic plan will be updated, with a new long-term plan updated in about a year, he said.
"At that same time, we'll be kicking off the public phase of our fundraising campaign, and we'll be celebrating the 125th anniversary of this great university," Tessman said.
Leslie Warren, interim associate provost and dean of library and instructional support, talked about academic priorities, including student well-being and faculty innovation.
One priority, she noted, is the General Education Program, which is designed to complement a student's academic major. This year, the GE Program counsel is engaging faculty and students in a review of GE procedures, including assessment, and ways to reconnect the campus community with the GE Program.
That counsel includes David Donovan, head of the Department of Physics, and David Pierce, associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance.
"I'm confident that we'll have robust productive discussions with the final result that will impact our students and the partners in various positive ways," Warren said.
Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.