Dr. Fritz Erickson became Northern Michigan University's 15th president on July 1, 2014. Prior to his tenure at NMU, Dr. Erickson served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Ferris State University in Big Rapids. He formerly was dean of the College of Professional and Graduate Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, dean and professor in the College of Education and Human Development at Eastern Washington University and chair of the Education/professor of education and psychology at Michigan Technological University.
Erickson holds an interdisciplinary Ed.D. in educational psychology, technology and research methodology and a master's in curriculum and instruction, both from the University of Northern Colorado, and a bachelor's in social sciences from Western Michigan University. Erickson grew up in Kalamazoo, Mich., wanting to be a teacher like his parents. Following his graduation fro WMU in 1980, he was offered a position in the high plains of Utah. There, he said, he became a better teacher having to deal with the issues found in many rural schools. He became a middle school teacher in Greeley, Colo., a short time later where he taught "everything," including math, science, social studies, reading and even a few sections of health and physical education.
