NIU Today

Northern Illinois University will celebrate the opening of its newest athletics facility Saturday, Oct. 26, prior to the NIU vs. Eastern Michigan football game. NIU will hold an 11:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house for the Kenneth and Ellen Chessick Practice Center, the 87,000-square-foot indoor practice facility that will be used by all Huskie...

Retired NIU English instructor Ildikó Carrington wasn’t a bit surprised when Alice Munro was named recipient of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature earlier this month. “I am delighted that she won it,” Carrington says. Back in 1989, Carrington wrote the first American book-length critical study of the Canadian writer’s works. Titled “Controlling the Uncontrollable:...

Dearborn National Life Insurance Company—a subsidiary of Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas–announced that Northern Illinois University alumnus Mike Malouf was named president and CEO on Oct. 21. “I am excited about the opportunity to lead Dearborn National and build...

The fall veto session of the Illinois General Assembly is under way and, with it, many pending issues that will have a critical impact on NIU, public higher education in Illinois and the overall management of the state. Today I have been meeting with legislators and Gov. Pat Quinn to advocate for higher education funding...

Want to learn how the NIU community can come together on the common ground of service to make a difference? Eboo Patel, author of “Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation,” will speak at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, in the Carl Sandburg Auditorium of...

Former Northern Illinois University golfer Jim “Doc” Suttie, a PGA teaching professional at Mistwood Golf Club in Romeoville, is once again listed among Golf Digest’s 50 Best Teachers. Suttie is tops in Illinois and ranks No. 18 on the prestigious list, which appears in the November 2013 issue. Suttie, a DeKalb native who learned to...

Families are invited to a free mime performance at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, in the Recital Hall of the NIU Music Building. “An Evening of Mime” is a collection of stories that convey the comedy and drama in people, places, and everyday objects through the movement of the body and facial expressions. Performing are...

The NIU Community School of the Arts needs used sheet music, music books, old musical instruments, stands and other items that might be of interest to musicians. Clean out the piano bench, attics and basements and donate to a great cause: The used music items will be sold to raise money for scholarships. Held every...

Be a part of history as Northern Illinois University celebrates the inauguration of President Douglas D. Baker on the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 13. The inauguration is the highlight of a four-day-long set of activities in conjunction with Baker’s installment as NIU’s 12th president. President Baker brings a rich background in business, organizational management and...

Calling all former members of CSA Sinfonia: There’s a reunion concert in the works! The NIU Community School of the Arts is in the process of getting in touch with the orchestra’s 350 alumni to let them know about this fun opportunity to perform on the Boutell Memorial Concert Hall stage again. “We’ve been contacting...

Vivian and John Spinoso have wonderful memories of their many years of violin lessons with their three daughters, Gina, Julie and Lisa. All three studied in the Suzuki violin program of the NIU Community School of the Arts. “We thought it was important to give the girls the gift of music for the culture, and...

Each year, the NIU chapter of Mortar Board hosts a Last Lecture series based on the popular novel by Randy Pausch: An NIU faculty member or alumnus is formally invited to speak on a topic of his or her choice. This semester, Mortar Board welcomes Dr. Kenneth C. Chessick to present his figurative “last lecture.”...