MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees today approved a fiscal year 2024-2025 general fund operating budget that includes $2.6 million in new investments and initiatives that align with NMU’s strategic priorities.
“Northern will remove barriers to student access by increasing financial aid and scholarships by more than $1 million,” said Gavin Leach, vice president for Finance and Administration. “We have also set aside funding for additional positions and lab/classroom supplies that promote academic enhancement and student success. To elevate the campus experience and well-being, NMU will further invest in staffing and support services in the areas of sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and athletics Title IX/NCAA compliance.”
Other areas receiving a funding boost are community outreach and university infrastructure enhancement and protection. Leach added that one of the biggest investments Northern made this year, prior to developing the new budget proposal, was in its people. This includes a major investment in our faculty through a Memorandum of Understanding approved in April, which provided wage increases covering the final two years of the AAUP union’s five-year contract.
The 2024-2025 general fund budget approved by the board is about $131.1 million, an increase of nearly $5.8 million from the previous fiscal year. NMU’s total enrollment is up nearly 3% this fall, with 1.6% of that among on-campus students and the remainder driven by online Global Campus students. Leach said the enrollment growth, combined with a state appropriation boost of 1.6%, provided revenues that enabled the university to maintain a balanced budget that covers contractual and inflationary expenditures, while still allowing for strategic investments.
The board approved three other budgets—auxiliary services, housing and residence life, and designated fund—along with NMU’s five-year master plan and 2025-26 capital outlay request, both of which universities are required to submit annually to the Michigan Department of Management and Budget. The priority project identified in the capital outlay request remains the Northern Enterprise Center (College of Business), at $19.1 million.
Trustees agreed to increase President Brock Tessman’s $459,000 base salary by 2%, which mirrors the percentage increase that non-represented employees received in July. He will also receive a performance bonus of $50,000 for meeting previously identified goals and objectives, as outlined by the Board of Trustees.
Alexis Hart, chair of the board’s executive committee, said goals were developed in collaboration with Tessman after he joined NMU that aligned with what trustees wanted to see the university achieve.
“Enrollment was one goal, and we’re all incredibly pleased to see that trending in a positive direction, both in student headcount and diversity,” Hart said. “We’ve also experienced greater retention as a result of many efforts and investments that have taken place related to student success. Our organizational structure is well-placed to succeed and sustain with recent appointments. The changes are evident. Dr. Tessman has brought energy to campus and leadership defined by humility, transparency, collaboration and a very strong vision. I thank him for the wonderful transition and the difference he’s making, and I am excited to make this recommendation.”
“I recognize fully that I am a cog in a much larger team,” Tessman said in response to the vote. “I am proud of what we’ve achieved so far, and I think it’s just the beginning. The bonus is significant and humbling. My wife Kristen and I are committed to investing that amount and perhaps more as part of our emerging campaign focusing on student success and scholarships. That’s why we’re all here, and I appreciate the opportunity to further our progress as a university in service to our students.”
In other action at today’s meeting, the board:
-Approved the university’s new mission statement: “Northern Michigan University empowers learners with distinct and meaningful experiences that open doors to extraordinary opportunities. Our purpose is to foster close connections between learners, leaders, communities and the natural environment in order to nurture and inspire creative problem solvers, critical thinkers and responsible citizens dedicated to promoting the health and vitality of the Upper Peninsula, Michigan and beyond.”
-Agreed to the following Board of Trustees meeting dates for the 2025 calendar year: Feb. 13-14; May 1-2; July 10-11 or 17-18; Sept. 18-19 or 25-26; and Dec. 11-12.
-Approved new policies related to the following: pregnancy, childbirth and pregnancy-related conditions; relationship violence, sexual misconduct and stalking; and posthumous degrees. Trustees also approved revisions to the board bylaws, Title IX compliance and sexual misconduct policy and Part 2 of the student handbook.
-Authorized two reporting line changes: Dave Nyberg, executive director-Business Engagement and Economic Development, will now report to the NMU president instead of the NMU Foundation; and Career Services will report to Academic Affairs rather than Student Affairs and Success.
-Agreed that the Center for Forensic Anthropology be renamed the NMU Center for Forensic Science, effective immediately.
-Approved a donation of three original Nita Engle watercolor paintings valued at $6,800 through the NMU Foundation for the DeVos Art Museum’s permanent collection.
-Participated in a focus discussion on cybersecurity
-Granted professor emeritus status to Martin Reinhardt, Native American Studies; and Renxin Yang, Sociology. The board also granted trustee emeritus status to Bob Mahaney and Tami Seavoy.
-Agreed to grant tenure to Shawnrece Butler, assistant vice president for Diversity and Inclusion, in the English Department; and to Anne Dahlman, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, in the School of Education, Leadership and Public Service.
-The following tenure/promotions previously approved at the May board meeting took effect this summer:
Tenure: Matthew Jennings, Clinical Sciences; Matthew Kilgas, Health and Human Performance; Timothy O’Neill, History; Daniel Rowe, Mathematics and Computer Science; and Alexander van Blommestein, Theatre and Dance.
Promotion to Professor: Kevin Barry, Business; Jaime Crabb, Nursing; Lanae Joubert, Health and Human Performance; Christine Lenzen, Art and Design; Kel Sassi, English; Anne Stein, Nursing; and Tracy Wascom, Art and Design.
Promotion to Associate Professor: Heng-Hsuan Chu, Biology; Ryan Hines, Matthew Kilgas and Megan Nelson, Health and Human Performance; Sarah Jennings, Nursing; Danny LeBert, Biology; Emily Romeo, History; Daniel Rowe, Mathematics and Computer Science; and Alexander van Blommestein, Theatre and Dance.
Continuing Contract Status: Heng-Hsuan Chu, Biology; and Kathleen Isleib, Business.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the NMU Board of Trustees will take place Dec. 12-13.
