2002
THE SPRING/SUMMER MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
PUBLISHERS NOTE
Spring/Summer 2002 Volume 91, No. 3
Cindy Paavola 84 BS Director of Communications, Co-Publisher, Horizons Martha Van Der Kamp Executive Director, NMU Alumni Association, Co-Publisher, Horizons Virginia Zinser Interim Executive Director, NMU Development Fund Karen Wallingford Editor, Horizons Cam Hadley 82 BFA Graphic Design Kristi Evans News Director Jan Marana Editorial Assistant Deanna Hemmila 88 BS Assistant Director, Alumni Relations Wendy Carlson Robyn Stille 00 BS Alumni Relations Staff
Horizons, the magazine for alumni and friends of Northern Michigan University, is published three times a year (winter, spring/summer, and fall) by the Communications and Alumni divisions of Northern Michigan University. Funding is provided by Northern Michigan University, the NMU Alumni Association, alumni, and friends. Subscriptions are available at $15 per year, $7.50 for NMU retirees. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the NMU Alumni Association. Northern Michigan University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Northern Horizons, Office of Communications and Marketing, Northern Michigan University, 1401 Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette, Michigan 49855. Third-class postage paid at Midland, Michigan 48642.
Ask Michael Cinelli what the biggest change in the art world has been during his more than 20 years as head of Northerns art and design department and he can sum it up in one word: technology. The computer has revolutionized art and design, said Cinelli. Because of todays technology, Northern has program concentrations that didnt even exist 20 years ago, such as electronic imaging. Northerns art and design enrollment growth has been nothing short of phenomenal, according to Cinelli. Art and design has taken over as NMUs second-most popular undergraduate program with 400 enrolled majors, dropping nursing and criminal justice, both with about 280 majors, into third and fourth. Education remains most popular with about 1,000 undergraduate students enrolled in elementary or secondary education programs. Today, Northern offers degrees in 15 art and design areas: art education, ceramics, drawing and painting, electronic imaging, environmental design, digital cinema, furniture design, graphic communications, illustration, jewelry/metals and blacksmithing, photography, printmaking, product design, sculpture, and woodworking. department The also supports the NMU Art Museum and a sculpture walk that features 10 sculptures on permanent loan to the university from artists around the world. The explosive growth has been both a blessing and burden, said Cinelli. Renovations to our facilities are desperately needed to keep up with our departments increasing enrollment. Art and Design North, one of three facilities used by the art and design department, is part of the east campus renovation project that just received state funding approval. The other pressing challenge, according to Cinelli, is keeping up with the cutting-edge technology used in the field. Students interested in art and design programs today are very sophisticated in their knowledge of technology, Cinelli said. They are not impressed with schools using computers, software and other art and design tools that are five or six years oldfive and six years in the art and design business today is a lifetime. Cinelli stressed two things about art and design at Northern that havent changed during his tenure: We have both a creative and a business approach to art, which really helps our graduates. Whether they choose to pursue an art-related profession or not, they have a strong business or education foundation they will be able to use. And, of course, our faculty members are as creative and passionate about teaching art and design as ever. Cindy Paavola 84 BS
Contents
D E PA R T M E N T S
SPRING/SUMMER
2002
2 Campus News 18 Alumni Associa...