NMU presidential candidate focuses on community, academic programs

The second of four presidential candidates at Northern Michigan University met with faculty, staff, and students Tuesday afternoon.

Fritz Erickson, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Ferris State University, discussed increasing enrollment, diversity, and the role a university plays in the community, especially for a place like Northern.

“One of the things that’s just been really exciting for both my wife and I in the past couple of days is really seeing the wonderful connection that people have had, and we’ve asked a lot of people about how they like living here, how they like being here, how they see the university,” Erickson said.  “And it’s wonderful to see that common bond that people have.”

He previously worked at Michigan Tech and University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, and said working at universities similar to Northern help him understand what types of programs NMU needs.

“My experiences at working at institutions have had many similar programs I think gives me a little bit of an insight into how the university can do even more to connect with the community.”

Two other candidates are scheduled to visit NMU on Thursday (Greg Cant) and April 15 (Cynthia Pemberton).  All public forums are at 4 p.m. in the University Center.

More information on the presidential candidates can be found here.