Alumni Association announces newest member of Board of Directors

A 2001 NSU graduate, Michael Bolding both was and is the epitome of well-rounded success.

During his time at NSU, Bolding, a Muskogee native, embraced the college experience, participating in numerous organizations and extra-curricular activities such as the Kappa Sigma fraternity, Interfraternity Council, Rookie Bridge Camp, and Redmen Ambassadors. In 1999, Bolding was also honored with the crown and title of Mr. NSU.

Accompanying his active campus lifestyle, Bolding chose to pursue a challenging career path in the medical field, graduating Cum Laude with a Health and Human Performance major.

After graduation, Bolding continued his education at Oklahoma State University Osteopathic Medical School, where he graduated second in his class and was honored with Clinician of the Year as a senior and Intern of the Year during his residency in West Virginia.

There is a pretty good base of NSU grads in the NW Arkansas area. Growing up in Oklahoma and knowing how great NSU is, and now living over here in this area, I think really meshes well together, said Bolding. I can represent the people who went to NSU and got jobs and relocated to northwest Arkansas. Im excited about that. Id like to see more alumni here, they could benefit from the small class size and one-on-one interactions available at NSU, and many of them do not know about NSU. Tahlequah is an hour and a half away for them. While at school, recruiting was one of the big things I wanted to get into, so as an Alumni Association board member I will be able to do that.

In 2013, Bolding was named Outstanding Young Alumnus at NSU.

Were excited that Michael will be joining the board. I think that given his ties to Tahlequah and the university, plus his ties to northwest Arkansas are valuable to the Alumni Association, said Stephen Highers, Alumni Association president. I think his skill set and the voice that he will bring is a good thing for the association and to have on the board. He can keep us plugged into northwest Arkansas where we have a large alumni population.

Currently, Bolding serves as the Service Chief of Internal Medicine and Hospitalist at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, AR as well as serving on the faculty at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where he has his own rotation for seniors in Internal Medicine.

Bolding lives with his wife, Mary Jane, also an alumna of NSU, and their two children, Merrick and Millie. He continues to actively participate in community groups and activities such as BrandNewChurch, WRMC Foundation, and the Hospice Foundation.

"Michael is a welcome addition to the Alumni Association's board. He brings board leadership experience from other organizations, which will serve us well. And he represents an important voice of key constituencies with which we are trying to connect, specifically young families and our Northwest Arkansas alumni community," said Danny Johnson, Director of Alumni Services.