NIU Today

A training session “How to Support Undocumented Students” is planned from 9 a.m. to noon Friday, April 17, in the Lincoln and Regency rooms of the Holmes Student Center. The deadline to RSVP to lrc@niu.edu is Friday, April 10. Indicate “faculty” or “student” track with RSVP. This training for NIU faculty, staff and students will...

Provost Lisa Freeman consulted April 2 with the faculty of the College of Law regarding the processes to be used for identifying and appointing an individual to serve as dean during the period between Dean Jennifer Rosato Perea’s departure and the appointment of a permanent successor. It is anticipated that a national search will be...

NIU’s Division of Academic Affairs is hosting a farewell reception in honor of Rich Holly, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts. The event to honor Holly’s 32 years of service to NIU is scheduled from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 23, inside the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center. All are welcome...

Members of the NIU leadership team and three exemplary students joined me in Springfield last week to testify in front of the House Appropriations Committee. We were able to tell stories of the amazing accomplishments of our faculty, students and staff at the hearing and in the legislators’ offices. As the legislative and executive branches struggle...

The NIU School of Music is home to some of the most unique instruments from around the world, and Associate Professor Greg Beyer has taken it upon himself to bring prominence to one of those instruments through contemporary music. “What we’re doing with the berimbau is unique,” he said. “There are a few other berimbau ensembles—in Brazil...

The NIU Department of Communication is preparing to raise the curtain on its popular Reality Bytes Independent Student Film Festival in Cole Hall 100. Free and open to the public, the 14th annual festival will feature student-film screenings from 9 to 11 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, and Wednesday, April 15. Screenwriter and NIU alum Mark...

The NIU Percussion Ensemble will perform an energetic program of both new and classic works for percussion, at 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, featuring several student chamber ensembles and guest artist Jeremy Muller. Known for showcasing compositions and musical genres from around the world, the NIU Percussion Ensemble will do just that with this program...

NIU senior Randiss Hopkins has been honored among the 2015 class of Newman Civic Fellows. Hopkins, who is majoring in jazz performance with a minor in Community Leadership and Civic Engagement, cited a legendary civil rights leaders as an inspiration behind his passion for giving back and paying it forward. “Dr. Martin Luther King once...

Climate affects almost everything we do. And while climate and climatic events might seem unpredictable, it’s the ability to understand them that helps decision-makers make adjustments – and better decisions. In a Board of Trustees Professor seminar scheduled Thursday, April 9, David Changnon will highlight the important role NIU students have played in his research of...

Three NIU students joined me Thursday to appear before the House Appropriations Committee in Springfield to talk about state funding for higher education. I was impressed by their articulate advocacy, which illustrated the power of an NIU education and showcased our high-impact learning opportunities such as internships and undergraduate research. These hearings are part of...

Jennifer Rosato Perea will depart at the conclusion of the academic year, Northern Illinois University announced today. The dean of the NIU College of Law has accepted a position at Chicago’s DePaul University. When she was appointed to NIU Law in July 2009, Dean Rosato Perea became only the second Latina law school dean in...

Memory, impressions and social perceptions are among the research specialties of psychology professor John Skowronski, Northern Illinois University’s newly named 2015 Board of Trustees Professor. And NIU students who have taken his courses will tell you the professor certainly is unforgettable. Alumnus Randy McCarthy remembers Skowronski’s “smooth lectures,” the precise way he communicated complex topics...