University working on campus communication

MARQUETTE — Officials at Northern Michigan University are continuing work on a project that’s required for their accreditation process.

The human resources department is in the midst of a Transparency Project.

The Transparency Project Committee interviewed students, faculty members and nineteen senior leaders, including President Fritz Erickson, in an effort to improve communication and transparency across the university.

A lot of the feedback focused on the on–campus decision–making process.

“People felt like they wanted more involvement with campus decision making. They didn’t necessarily have an understanding of who was making decisions and how and when those decisions were made,” said Rhea Dever, director of human resources at NMU.

“The committee took that information and are now consolidating all of that information to help give us guidance on the kind of tools, resources and policies that we think need to be put in place.”

“This is really about trust on our campus,” said Dr. Jessica Thompson, an associate professor of communication at NMU.

“There have been several interesting years here. I think we’re in a moment of change, a moment where could really have input and define how this institution is going to grow.”

The committee will spend the next six months implementing new ways of communication when it comes to the decision–making process. They hope to have some of these ready in time for the students’ return this fall.