The State of Michigan’s 61st lieutenant governor will be visiting the campus of Northern Michigan University at the end of this week, slated to speak with the public in his presentation, “Transforming a Great State.”
On Friday, Nov. 1, Calley will be heading to NMU’s West Science Building. Calley’s discussion will cover state liabilities, corporate income tax, mental health reform in rural areas and transportation funding. The presentation is also a continuation of NMU President David Haynes’ Critical Issues Conversation Series.
Deanna Hemmila, NMU director of external relations, said Calley’s appearance on campus is a welcomed step by the administration towards bringing state issues to students and Marquette residents.
“One of the goals of the Critical Issues Conversation Series has been to engage the campus community in matters of importance that affect us all,” Hemmila said. “We’re pleased the Lt. Gov. accepted our invitation to visit campus and talk about some of the success and what’s ahead.”
According to Hemmila, the president’s office is making a concerted effort to bring speakers to Marquette that people might not otherwise have the opportunity to hear from. Hemmila also said Calley’s leadership underneath Michigan’s current governor has assisted many organizations and movements in the state, including autism support and research.
“He’s currently the youngest serving Lt. Gov. in the United States, so he has a unique perspective as a dynamic, young leader,” Hemmila said. “He has gained wide recognition for his efforts addressing the need for an increase in autism-related services in the state.”
Earlier this year, Calley visited Marquette and appeared on WNMU TV13’s “Media Meet” program to talk about the new budget in the state of Michigan. The episode aired Friday, June 22, according to Public TV 13.
According to NMU’s Communications and Marketing department, Calley is the youngest incumbent lieutenant governor in the United States. He received his bachelor’s degree in the state at Michigan State University and his MBA also within the state at Grand Valley State University.
Cindy Paavola, NMU Director of Communications, said the talk being held by Calley will help students, as well as people in the area, integrate their skills into movements to better the state of Michigan.
“Calley is going to cover a wide gambit of topics but all of them will be about how to expand Michigan and its programs,” Paavola said. “This is a way for students to learn how to take an important leadership role, as a citizen. The first step of being a good citizen is being aware of the issues that are going on and being able to look at them with different perspectives.”
Calley’s presentation is set to take place at 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 1. The talk is free of charge for general public and students and will be located in Mead Auditorium in the West Science Building.
