NMU Mid-Year Progress Report

Northern Michigan University has nearly reached the halfway point of the 2011 academic year.

At the start of the year, President Dr. Les Wong set eight targets for the year.

Today, he gave a progress report on those objectives, one of the largest being the university’s health and wellness initiatives.

A new program is currently in the works to consolidate the athletic training facilities, the USOEC facilities, the Wilmetti Health Center and more into one facility for the whole campus.

Dr. Wong says the consolidation should reduce health care costs while offering faculty and students better service.

He also explained a new model called “four-on-four.”

The university is working on ideas that will add 400 students in four years.

Those ideas are retention efforts, investments in academic programs, investments in athletics and a different approach to placement of students.

Budget issues were also on today’s agenda.

We’ll take a closer look at what Northern Michigan University is doing when it comes to the state’s performance funding program tonight at 10 on CW 5 and at 11 on ABC 10.