Sonderegger Symposium Focuses on NMU’s Past

For the 24th consecutive year, Northern Michigan University will present its annual Sonderegger Symposium, which focuses on Upper Peninsula history topics. This year’s event will touch on various aspects of NMU’s past in honor of the university’s 125th anniversary. It will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, in the Northern Center ballrooms. Admission is free and lunch will be provided. No registration is required.

The keynote speaker will be 1956 Northern graduate L. Sandy MacLean, who received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1986. A noted administrator and educator, he has been a highly respected member of the academic communities in Ypsilanti and St. Louis, Mo. His contributions to his profession include frequent professional journal articles, presentations at national and regional conferences, and the develop­ment of innovative programs and techniques to assist universities and the students they serve.

MacLean’s service to collegians includes the following roles: Director of Men’s Residence Halls at the Universi­ty of Northern Iowa; Head Counselor, Indiana University; Assistant Dean of Students, University of Missouri-Columbia; Dean of Students and Associate Vice President for Student Affairs at Eastern Michigan University; Dean of Students, University of Missouri-St. Louis; and, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

The symposium is sponsored by a donation from the Sonderegger family, along with the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center and Center for U.P. Studies. Here is the complete schedule of presentations:

8 a.m.              Welcome, Leslie Warren, Dean of Library and Instructional Support

8:10 a.m.         Early Female Faculty and their influence on Northern, Daniel Truckey, Director/Curator, Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center

9 a.m.             Glimmers and Reflections: Recalling nearly thirty years of NMU’s Center for Native American Studies, April Lindala, Professor, Center for Native American Studies

10 a.m.            Well-Read Wildcats: A History of the NMU Honors Program, Michael Joy and Anna Zimmer, Honors Program and the Department of Languages, Literatures and International Studies

11 a.m.            Northern in the 1950s and Today, Sandy MacLean, 1956 NMU grad and 1986 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient

Noon               Lunch

1 p.m.              Remembering the Godfather of Climbing Research, Lanae Joubert, Professor of Nutrition, School of Health and Human Performance

2 p.m.              Blood on the Table: The Fight for Shared Governance at NMU, 1967-1976, Marcus Robyns, University Archivist, Central Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan University Archives.

3 p.m.              African-Americans at Northern, Russell Magnaghi, History Professor Emeritus,

4 p.m.              The Lyceum Series and Community Arts Series at NMU, Daniel Truckey, Director/Curator, Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center