By ALEXANDRIA

BOURNONVILLE

Journal Staff Writer

MARQUETTE — Marking the beginning of the new year, Northern Michigan University President Brock Tessman presented a comprehensive strategic plan to improve the school at Wednesday’s fall convocation.

This plan is titled “Our Compass” and comes with new mission and vision statements as well as 10 vital indicators of success, three grand challenges and many strategies to follow.

In his speech, Tessman recited NMU’s new vision statement: “Like the lake that inspires us, Northern Michigan University will be known as Superior — in all the ways we support our people, partner with our place and realize the potential of all our students.”

The three grand challenges are the three items in his vision statement.

The first grand challenge, sponsored by vice president for people, culture and wellbeing Rhea Dever, is supporting the people of NMU.

“If you’ve ever spent time on this campus, you know part of what makes it special (is) the quality of the people here from students to staff to faculty to administrators,” Tessman said.

Strategies for this goal include nurturing Indigenous perspectives, programs and peoples, establishing the NMU Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion Hub on campus and following through on the Carbon Neutrality Plan.

The second grand challenge, sponsored by vice president for finance and administration Gavin Leach, is partnering with the surrounding area. As part of the Upper Peninsula, Tessman recognized the importance of the community around NMU.

“We would not exist as a university if it weren’t for this community, this Upper Peninsula, that had the great idea to build a university here and then supported us for 125 years,” he said. “Northern, to me, it’s always about the horizon. It’s always about the potential, especially of our students.”

Strategies for the second challenge largely focus on the symbiotic relationship between NMU and the U.P. as a whole, giving and taking from each other to mutually benefit university, business and student. Tessman plans to expand local work-based learning experiences in this way and expand civic engagement opportunities.

The third, sponsored by Provost and vice president for academic affairs Anne Dahlman, is realizing the potential of all NMU students.

Strategies include creating a culture of high-impact practices and increasing the number of flexible, short-term and online credential and degree options.

Some of the desired outcomes of completing these challenges include recognition of NMU as a Native American serving non-tribal institution, doubling the number of U.P. businesses that participate in career fairs and achieving the highest four-year graduation rate among Carnegie class (medium-sized, masters-granting) institutions in the Great Lakes region.

” … Yes, I do think those things will result from all the effort we’re putting in,” Tessman said, “but we’re not putting the cart before the horse. Let’s do the work and then we’ll get to the right place.”

Success indicators are as follows: head count, retention, completion, opportunity gaps, career placement, student experience, employee experience, external giving, among other crieria.

“I think of all the 10 indicators, what is most striking to me is the opportunity gap indicator,” Tessman said. “Northern forever has been an institution that prides itself on serving and supporting all types of students. So we’d love to be able to see our students’ success spread through all types of students on this campus.”

To view Our Compass, visit nmu.edu/president/strategic-plan.

The NMU president also announced the debut of a new informational page on Northern’s website about free speech on campus not only due to last spring’s pro-Palestine student encampment but also concerning the political polarization of the country, the U.P. and the campus.

“We have to promote that kind of dialogue and debate on our campus,” Tessman said. “Now, it is also true that there are other rights that students and employees have on campus. They have the right to go about their studies and work in a way that’s not disrupted by freedom of speech or by activism or protest. And those lines do exist.”

More information can be found at nmu.edu/freespeech.

Other speakers included Dahlman, Academic Senate Chair Jamie Crabb, staff union leader Katie Buhrmann and Associated Students of NMU President Dana Hinckley.

Alexandria Bournonville can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext.506. Her email is abournonville@miningjournal.net