NIU Today

NIU faculty and staff are reminded to take the NIU program prioritizing criteria survey that is available online at http://go.niu.edu/criteriasurvey. Responding to the survey is an important step in obtaining information from faculty and staff so that criteria that reflect NIU’s culture can be established. Following the principles of shared governance, the results of this survey will...

This week we launched a faculty-staff survey on criteria used to judge program efficacy and value. Survey results will go to the Academic Planning Council and the Resource, Space, and Budget committee for evaluation — both of which have student members to represent the interests and concerns of their fellow students. Selected others, including members...

            Northern Illinois University announces the selection of five Forward, Together Forward Scholars who will receive a $4,000 non-renewable scholarship for the coming academic year. The 2015 scholarship recipients are: Courtney Crutchfield of Manchester, Mo., a sophomore majoring in nursing Samantha Garbacz of Westchester, a senior majoring in nursing Elizabeth...

I hosted a meeting Tuesday of the Northern Illinois Regional P-20 Network, a group of nearly 40 partners who are collaborating to improve college and career readiness. One school superintendent introduced himself by saying, “Every meeting I go to is full of bad news. What we are doing here is really positive. What a relief!”...

Most people, at some point in their professional lives, can recall at least one great moment when everything just clicked into place and led to a career opportunity they might not otherwise have experienced. For Northern Illinois University communication alumna Cori Frankenberg, it was a chance meeting in a restroom with a very nice lady....

Beginning in Fall 2015, students at NIU will be able to take advantage of a new general education program which is part of a larger curricular transformation called PLUS: Progressive Learning in Undergraduate Studies. PLUS brings together a course curriculum with academic experiences to create an integrated learning environment, connect students to their peers across campus...

Faculty members from diverse disciplines and programs are invited to come together and participate in the development of pathways for the new PLUS general education program. In order to facilitate collaboration, Pathway Development Grants have been made available through the Office of the Vice Provost in collaboration with the General Education Committee and the Office...

Northern Illinois University Vice President Lesley Rigg, who oversees the Division of Research and Innovation Partnerships, will be leaving NIU to pursue a professional opportunity in her native Canada as dean of the faculty of science at the University of Calgary, effective July 1, 2015. “I am thankful to Dr. Rigg for her tireless work...

When severe weather strikes, nothing beats an eye on the storm. “Despite all the technology that we have, radar can’t tell if there is a tornado, or what size hail is falling, or if there is flooding,” said Gilbert Sebenste, NIU staff meteorologist. “Having a weather spotter report these things – in real time – can save...

With the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Grammys already come and gone, the granddaddy of the red carpet season arrives Sunday, Feb. 22. Yes, Toto, it’s the Oscars. Millions of Americans who earn normal salaries and actually pay for their own clothes, haircuts and jewelry will gather around televisions to watch...

Having just returned from a highly successful research expedition in Antarctica, NIU geologists Ross Powell and Reed Scherer appeared as guests during Tuesday evening’s broadcast of Chicago Tonight on WTTW11. The interview and a Q&A with the researchers is available online. Powell led a National Science Foundation-funded science team that became the first ever to...

Northern Illinois University faculty and staff will receive email invitations today to participate in a survey of potential criteria to be used in evaluating academic and administrative programs.  The survey is part of NIU’s Program Prioritization initiative, explained in detail on a website that also launched today at www.niu.edu/program-prioritization. The survey lists possible criteria for...