NIU Today

It would be inaccurate to call a fast-growing group like NIU Esports one of the best-kept secrets on campus. But for those not in the know, finding the group’s home base on the lower level of Neptune North was no easy feat. That problem was solved March 2 with the official opening of the team’s...

Program encourages Huskies to believe in themselves, realize their potential. Be on the lookout for Rising Scholars across campus. Launching this month, a new Rising Scholars Program aims to encourage Huskies to explore national fellowships and external awards and discover the many opportunities the application process provides. Any first-year students who have earned a 3.0...

In July of 2021, NIU Associate Professor Courtney Gallaher stepped into a new role as NIU’s first sustainability coordinator. While sustainability efforts have been active across campus for at least a decade, the sustainability coordinator will help to unify the work of many different departments and organizations. For her first year, Gallaher has three main...

Eighteen prominent business leaders, all with ties to NIU and many of them alumni of the university, will provide their expertise and vision to the university as the first members of the NIU Presidential Advisory Council. As NIU focuses efforts on the ongoing growth, development and enhancement of the university, the council will be instrumental...

After considering a cohort of candidates from across the country, Northern Illinois University has selected Darren Mitchell as its new chief of police. Mitchell, a 21-year veteran of the NIU Police Department, is the first person in the 58-year history of the agency to rise through the ranks and become the chief. “Chief Mitchell is...

In a year of challenging times, NIU’s Center for Black Studies triumphed. The center recently earned the 2021 Cultural Center of the Year award from the Association of Black Cultural Centers (ABCC). Chosen from among peers at universities and colleges throughout the country, the Center for Black Studies provided extensive support, advocacy, education and empowerment...

 Northern Illinois University has pledged to enroll at least 160 new students – or more – through participation in the state’s Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity Program. The new Huskies will complete bachelor’s degrees in either Early Childhood Education, which would qualify them to teach PreK-2 in school settings, or in Human Development and Family Sciences’...

Planning continues for NIU’s Health Technology Center (HTC), a state-of-the-art teaching and learning facility that will increase opportunities for transdisciplinary collaboration and position NIU as a leader in health education and research. A team of NIU faculty, staff and administrators met in early 2021 to develop a vision for the Health Technology Center. Representatives from...

NIU President Dr. Lisa C. Freeman delivered an encouraging State of the University Address via video to face-to-face and online audiences Tuesday, reflecting on the journey through COVID-19 and the challenges and opportunities that await. Freeman, who also took live questions after the conclusion of her pre-recorded remarks, stressed the importance of NIU’s mission, vision...

‘A different level of success’ Adriane Hutchinson knows how powerful it can be to simply help someone. The right support means everything. Hutchinson learned that growing up in a family that didn’t believe anyone should have to pull themselves up by the bootstraps, as the saying goes. Because not everyone has the shoes to begin...

On more than one occasion over the past two years, Janice Hamlet pulled into a parking spot near Reavis Hall, only to realize she needed to be across campus. It was understandable. Since 2019, the veteran NIU professor of communication split time between teaching classes at Reavis and developing a university-wide faculty mentorship program, a...

I learned that mosquitos have beards. I learned that lava makes rocks sticky. I learned that lights could bounce off at a certain angle. I learned how photos can look realistic with glasses. These are just a few of the many things STEM Fest visitors reported learning this past Saturday. So how do you draw...