Welcome back NMU students, faculty and staff. It’s hard to believe that it’s already time to go back to school, but we all enjoy having you around and contributing to the great community that we live in. However, I do have to apologize for the state of some of our streets especially those around campus. We made every effort to be further along in the construction process but, typical of many construction projects, things happen to change the best laid plans. In this case, the culprit has been mostly the weather as it has been wetter than expected which slows much of the work. The good news is that it all should be done before the snow flies (which roughly translates to the end of October).

You will also likely notice a lot more construction taking place than is the norm for this time of year. Supported by the progressive view of the City Commission, we are taking advantage of the many new opportunities that are being presented to us to encourage new development. I can honestly say that much of this is being driven by the construction of the new Duke LifePoint hospital in the more centralized location near downtown.

The City Commission’s approach has been to be “partners” in as much of the development as we possibly can. This makes it much more advantageous for everyone to contribute to the success of everything that we do here in the City. As a partner, I feel strongly that a development’s success is our success and, in the case of NMU, what is good for the University is good for Marquette.

One last word to those coming to Marquette for the first time, either as a student, visitor or even those of you returning to the City, please respect Lake Superior. The lake is beautiful and sometimes wondrous to look at but it is also much like a sea and can be very unpredictable, especially in the fall and winter months. Please enjoy the view, but stay safe.