News

Portrait of alumnus Jason Akl.

Looking Forward

Alum Jason Akl '99 navigates the pandemic.

Jason Akl ’99 is standing near his truck parked in front of the Ashland Baking Company on Chapple Avenue ready for his interview. He’s wearing winter wear over his suit, talking to a coworker at Northlakes Community Clinic where he is the CEO. It’s single digits, a pandemic, and the clinic just started dispensing vaccinations…

Northland College alum Kealy White at work at bakery.

Stepping Back, Leaning In

Kealy White '99

For Kealy White ’99, this past year was one of reflection and redefinition. Of stepping back from her professional duties and leaning into motherhood. In the last year, she’s done more home cooking, skied more, and had more outdoor adventures than ever. “It’s been nice to slow down, re-evaluate, and have some creative time,” she…

Alum Andy Okey at work at ambulance hall.

Responding with Care

Andy Okey '87

Rural communities rely on volunteers and good Samaritans. Andy Okey ’87 is that person for the Chequamegon Bay region. “Everybody knows they can count on him,” said English Instructor Gina Kirsten, who has known Andy for twenty-something years. “If he can’t personally help you, he will find someone who will.” Like this past winter when…

Alum Halley Hyde

Holding It All Together

Alum Haley Hyde '19

At the start of the pandemic, Haley Hyde ’19 not only had to figure out new ways to do her job remotely but she had to do it with two young children. “Those first few weeks were nothing but stress—lying-in-the-bathtub-crying-for-three-hours-at-night-kind-of-stress,” she said. As an early Head Start home-based teacher, Haley’s job was built on face-to-face…

Portrait of alums Chris and Judy Young '93 at New Moon Ski and Bike Shop.

Switching Gears

Chris and Judy Young '93

Owning a small business is no small task. Owning a small business focused on selling outdoor recreational gear during a pandemic? Well, that is a whole other story. Chris ’94 and Judy Young ’93 purchased New Moon Ski and Bike Shop in Hayward, Wisconsin, with business partners Joel and Kristy Harrison in 2005, but this…

Retired professor Tim Doyle at home.

Skills for a Meaningful Life

Professor Tim Doyle '84 retires.

If one were to write a People’s History of Northland College the first chapter would probably feature Newton Bobb and Joseph Brownell. But the second chapter would begin with Tim Doyle ’84. Tim’s relationship to Northland covers four decades, first as a student and then as a professor of philosophy and religion from 2000 until…

Northland College leadership in virtual meeting

Nimble and Resilient

Northland College Carries On

President Karl Solibakke and Trustee Chair Chad Dayton met virtually with Strategic Director of Advancement & Marketing Communications Mary O’Brien to reflect on the challenges of the past year—and to look ahead. Mary: What measures were taken to successfully navigate this year? Karl: As an institution that prides itself on in-person classes, we had to…

SONWA

2020 SONWAs Announced

Top prizes awarded to Miracle Country and Butterflies Belong Here.

The Northland College Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute has announced the winning 2020 books for the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award (SONWA). Author Kendra Atleework has been selected for the top prize in nature writing for Miracle Country: A Memoir of a Family and a Landscape (Algonquin Books), an extraordinary account of a young woman’s…

SONWA winning books

SONWA Winners 1991–2024

Nature Books for Adults and Children

Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award Winners • 1991. Open Spaces, Jim Dale Vickery. Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award (SONWA) gave its inaugural award to Minnesota author Jim Dale Vickery for…  Read More

Biofluorescent platypus (Mammalia)

Platypuses Capture Worldwide Imagination

Northland Researchers Make Another Illuminating Discovery

Northland faculty and alumni have created a well-needed bit of fun in the science world with their recent paper about glowing platypuses. After their discovery of pink fluorescing flying squirrels in 2019, Northland professors Paula Spaeth Anich, Sharon Anthony, Michaela Carlson, Jonathan Martin, and Erik Olson and capstone students Adam Gunnelson and Allison Kohler kept…