NIU Today

Patricia S. Siebrasse served NIU for 50 years as an administrative professional and was a valuable member of the Administrative Professionals Advisory Council (APAC) since its inception in 1995. The annual Patricia S. Siebrasse Administrative Professionals Award for Excellence may recognize up to two administrative professionals at NIU who have shown continued commitment to their...

U.S. News & World Report has named NIU’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) program fourth in the nation in the specialty field of local government management. NIU’s perennially ranked MPA program—which produces about one-third of city managers in Illinois—is the top-ranked local government program among public and private university programs in Illinois. Additionally, NIU’s MPA program ranked 11th...

NIU alumna Melissa Blake is many things – freelance writer, activist, influencer, pop culture maven, and child of the 80s and 90s. She can add author to that list, after channeling her passions into a three-year odyssey that culminated in the release of her first book. In Beautiful People: My Thirteen Truths About Disability, the...

The Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) congratulates Therese Clarke Arado and Susan Bowers, the 2024 winners of the Excellence in Online Teaching Award. Arado is deputy director of the Law Library and professor in the College of Law. Bowers is associate professor of Family and Consumer Sciences in the College of Health and...

From citing his keen interest in connecting with his students, to his love for, and talent with, music to his ability to turn even the most mundane tasks into a fun and interesting learning opportunity, those who voiced their support for Ben Wahlund, this year’s winner of the Excellence in Undergraduate Instruction Award, demonstrated how...

As the son of Double Huskies who went on to be public-school teachers, Eric Michel didn’t always know he wanted to be a teacher. However, after 15 years into his own higher education teaching career began, management assistant professor Michel has reached a milestone reserved for only the best instructors—receiving the 2024 NIU Excellence in...

Pi-Sui Hsu knows her mission. “Scientific argumentation is one of the eight essential practices in the Next Generation Science Standards,” says Hsu, a professor in the Department of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment. “I firmly believe that this practice can produce young adults who can think critically and argue effectively about the important issues in...

The impact Professor Liping Guo has made in her time at NIU stretches far beyond campus. It’s reflected in the many students she has inspired and mentored both in the classroom and through hands-on, real-world research and projects, as well as the countless collaborations she has forged. A professor in the Department of Engineering Technology...

To say Professor Holly Jones’ research is interdisciplinary and collaborative is a bit of an understatement. A National Geographic Explorer, Jones travels near and far to conduct her research, in places ranging from the Illinois prairie to the New Zealand archipelago. To tackle research questions that matter to on-the-ground environmental restoration and conservation experts, she...

Imagine a tall wave in the ocean. If you had sensors providing partial data on observations like past wave heights, wind speeds, ocean currents and other measurements, could you reconstruct the full dynamics (both in the past and future) of the wave-producing system? It might seem impossible to understand just how that big wave came...

“Mark is without a doubt one of the best teachers NIU has to offer; his skill extends well beyond the classroom to mentoring and engaging students at all levels.” “Mark’s commitment to students never falters, regardless of whether he is engaged in face-to-face, virtual or laboratory instruction.” “Mark has made a significant impact on NIU...

“Over the 13 years I have known him, Professor Sagarin has been an incredible advisor and mentor, not only academically, but vocationally. As my professor and advisor, he stoked my curiosity, supported my development as a scholar and teacher and gave me the space to learn and grow. It is not hyperbole for me to...