Erickson starts his tenure as President at NMU
Northern Michigan University’s new president is in his first day on the job. Dr. Fritz Erickson and his wife, Jan, moved to the Marquette area last Thursday night.
Dr. Erickson came to NMU from Ferris State University in Big Rapids, where he served as provost and vice president for academic affairs.
He does have some familiarity with the U.P. already. He chaired the education department at Michigan Tech earlier in his career.
“The opportunity to move to Marquette really fit well with that experience. We’re very excited to be here,” remarked Erickson. “We’ve had an enjoyable time since we’ve been here. People have been so warm, friendly, and welcoming. It’s just been great.”
Dr. Erickson says there are two broad areas where he should turn his attention.
One is to build relationships with people across the campus community – a task outgoing president David Haynes is helping him with.
“The most important thing is to get to know the campus community,” Erickson added. “To spend my time learning the history of the institution, learning how people feel about it, learning the culture of the University.”
Dr. Erickson is starting at a salary of $220,000 per year. He says that’s the same salary he had in his previous position at Ferris State.