Photo: Kpotes, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Northern Michigan University opened in 1899 as Northern State Normal School, with a handful of students training to become teachers. Classes began in borrowed space at Marquette City Hall.
It became Northern Michigan University in 1963 and grew quickly in the 1960s.
A large employer
NMU is one of the largest employers in Marquette, with faculty and staff numbering in the thousands when student workers are included. Several thousand students live in or near the city during the school year.
Their spending shows up in rents, restaurants, coffee shops and stores along Third Street and downtown. Summer is noticeably quieter in some neighborhoods.
Programs tied to the region
The university has built programs that fit the area, including outdoor recreation leadership and the Jacobetti Complex for technical training. Its Olympic Training Site hosts athletes in boxing, weightlifting and wrestling.
The Superior Dome, one of the largest wooden domes in the world, sits on campus and brings in events from outside the region.
Looking ahead
Like many regional universities, NMU faces a shrinking pool of college-age students in the Midwest. How it handles enrollment matters well beyond campus.
