Forum Updates Grand Challenges, Facilities, Other Changes

The three executive sponsors of the Our Compass strategic plan grand challenges-supporting our people, partnering with our place, and realizing the potential of all students-outlined initial strategies to address each at Wednesday's university forum. The event also provided updates on facilities projects and the Wildcat Way pedestrian/bike path through campus, along with innovation funding opportunities. In his opening remarks, President Brock Tessman announced an upcoming organizational change.

Tessman said he has decided not to re-fill the associate vice president of Student Affairs and Success position. Student Affairs units will fall under the Student Experience administrative pillar led by Jeff Korpi, with interim Dean of Students Mary Brundage reporting to him. Denise Brenes, who most recently served as assistant director for Student Success at the University of Notre Dame, will begin her new appointment as NMU's director of Student Success early next month and report to Provost Anne Dahlman. Both changes go into effect Dec. 2, but will not involve any shift in office locations.

"I feel strongly about the promise of this reorganization," Tessman added. "I think change always comes along with some bumps in the road, and I appreciate your support of those units going through this to make sure that they have every opportunity to make the move successfully and smoothly."

The Our Compass strategic plan is entering the action-oriented phase, Tessman said. Following is a brief summary of the initial strategies developed to tackle the three grand challenges, as detailed by their executive sponsors:

Supporting Our People (Rhea Dever): Embed the Okanagan Charter will into all aspects of university life; nurture Indigenous perspectives, peoples and programs; establish a J.E.D.I. Hub (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion); advance efforts toward carbon neutrality, which will include a new Woodland Park Project near the apartments that will become a 20-acre food and forest learning area with a focus on Indigenous foods, medicines, foraging, and pollinator crops.

Partnering With Our Place (Gavin Leach): Expand work-based learning experiences

that connect Wildcats and regional employers/organizations; expand civic engagement and learning opportunities; develop an NMU Arts and Athletics District in the heart of campus; and assess NMU's comprehensive impact on the Upper Peninsula.

Realizing the Potential of All Our Students: 100/Best/Zero (Anne Dahlman): Create a culture in which High Impact Practices (HIPs) are utilized, assessed and promoted; complete the evolution of the NMU student success ecosystem; and increase the number of flexible, short-term and online credential and degree options.

"We use 100/Best/Zero because they define our goals in this grand challenge," said Dahlman. "We want 100% of students to engage in high impact practices, both in general education and within their majors. We will be 'Best' in our class for retention and graduation rates, because that's important work. And there will be 'Zero' opportunity gaps between student groups, such as first-generation, different ethnicities, Pell-eligible and so forth."

After a 12-month design process and extensive community engagement opportunities, the plan is complete for the Wildcat Way pedestrian/bike path connecting all areas of campus, which was outlined in the 2019 Campus Master Plan. It will include three path configurations: separated, with bike use on one and walking on the other; a single, shared-use path widened to accommodate both uses; and a single path with a clearly marked division.

Planned features along Wildcat Way include a Harden Hall amphitheater, ice skating rink and plaza with concessions near the residence halls, a waterfall on the academic mall and a sculpture garden in the arts district. There is no specific timeline for the project, and it will be implemented as funding opportunities become available.

NMU is developing a concept for a new student apartment complex on Presque Isle Avenue. The analysis should be completed by late fall. A pre-construction authorization proposal will likely be presented to the NMU Board of Trustees in December with the goal of beginning the project this summer.

The Harden Hall renovation and the Science Complex research and teaching lab project are both on schedule, with completion anticipated in December 2025 and Summer 2025, respectively. The schematic design for the College of Business addition to Hedgcock has been submitted to the State of Michigan. Construction authorization approval is anticipated in January, with construction expected to begin in May 2026 and finish in August 2027.

Innovation Funding will continue through SISU: The Innovation Institute at NMU, with an emphasis on proposals that align with the strategic plan. For 2024-25, director Bill Digneit and Jason Nicholas of Institutional Effectiveness said the criteria have been revised and will be released before the end of the semester, and the process has been streamlined in a more structured form with clear expectations.

This year's funding cycle will revolve around the "How Might We?" of innovation, encouraging proposal ideas representing all stages of the process-from budding seed awaiting exploration to fully formed concept ready for development to an existing service/program in need of re-imagination. Find more information here.

The full forum recording with slides https://nmu.edu/northernmagazine/space-rangershttps://nmu.edu/northernmagazine/space-rangersis available for viewing here.

Rendering of Wildcat Way plan for the academic mall area