NIU Today

Four NIU Geomatics students traveled to Las Vegas recently to participate in a land surveying competition held in conjunction with the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) annual conference.

Advisor Dr. Kory Allred, together with Skyler Cullen (senior, Geography/Geomatics), Ryan Trone (post baccalaureate), Joe Scheller (senior, Geography/Geomatics) and Erik Leonard (senior, Geography/Geomatics) comprised one of 12 teams that participated in the competition.

Geomatics is the combination of land surveying and mapping, pairing traditional land surveying methods with today’s technology – drones, 3-D laser scanners, photogrammetry, robotic total stations, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) – to collect and analyze information about the land, oceans, natural resources and man-made features.

The theme of the four-day competition was “Surveying Service” where the conditions were supposed to mimic a survey crew going to a developing area and using equipment that may not be the most technologically advanced in conditions that are less than ideal.

“On the first day, the students met in the desert just outside of Las Vegas on a day that was mild but windy, with gusts in excess of 40 mph,” Allred said.

Each team was given a starting point and asked to set out the corners of a square that was exactly 1 acre in size, using only a tape measure and compass. Once the corners were set, the students were asked to create a topographic map precisely detailing the terrain and features within the 1-acre parcel.

“The wind made this task especially difficult because the rod used to measure the elevations stood nearly 10 feet tall,” Allred said.

The task on the second day was to compile data to create a map showing the boundary of the 1-acre box, any objects or items that fell inside it such as trees or roads, and the topography across the area.

“The Huskie Survey team relied on each other by playing to each other’s strengths to come up with the best product possible,” Allred said. Team members assumed roles in data reduction and analysis, CAD drafting, quality control and presentation preparation.”

The team’s field work and map were on full display during an oral presentation on the third day. Each of the 12 teams were required to prepare a 15-minute talk to detail how they accomplished the very difficult tasks in the field, what they found during the analysis and their final results.

According to Allred, this experience was the perfect opportunity to apply knowledge while networking with others from the United States and Puerto Rico.

The tasks forced students to think through several obstacles and use their learned skills to solve the problems at hand. Advisors were completely hands off for the competition; there was to be no discussion on the work to be completed anytime during the events. The students had to use their own knowledge and skills to create a process and perform the tasks.

“Although NIU didn’t make it to the podium, it was a tremendously successful showing for the NIU team, especially since this was their first time competing in a national competition,” Allred said. “The team gained valuable experience. They grew close to several of the other students and enjoyed seeing them succeed.”

Students were able to participate in the competition through the generous support by the Illinois Professional Land Surveyors Association. The bulk of the financial assistance came from the association at the state level, but the Northeast and Winnebago chapters recognized the value for the students and were willing to donate significant funding as well.

Four members of NIU’s Supportive Professional Staff (SPS) have been selected as honorees of the 2018 Presidential Awards for Excellence. Their contributions to NIU and the community have been innovative and influential—both enhancing NIU’s reputation and their own. Receiving presidential recognition for their work illustrates the vital role SPS have on building programs, improving operations and cultivating the character of the university.

Recipients are Denise Burchard, assistant to the chair of the Department of Public Administration; Gillian King-Cargile, director of STEM Read; Abbey Wolfman, director of Orientation and Family Connections; and Carrie Zack, associate director of Educator Licensure and Preparation. Each will receive a check for $1,500 and a plaque.

They will be honored during a ceremony at 2:00 p.m. on April 10, in the Altgeld Hall ballroom. Refreshments will be served during a reception preceding the ceremony at 2 p.m. The reception and ceremony are open to all.

Denise Burchard

Denise Burchard

Denise Burchard is proud to work for the master’s degree program she graduated from a few years back.

As the assistant to the chair of the Department of Public Administration, Burchard’s primary responsibility is to recruit students and manage the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) internship program. She develops, evaluates and maintains over 40 internship sites each term—requiring countless hours coaching students and building relationships with local governments and nonprofit agencies.

Benefitting from Burchard’s effective recruitment efforts of both full-time intern and part-time students, M.P.A. enrollments increased 75% from 2011 to 2017. In addition, Burchard goes above and beyond to consistently recruit full-time students to the M.P.A. by leveraging her personal standing in the local government management profession.

Lisa March, a colleague of Burchard, shares, “Denise is constantly looking for new ways to serve current students, recruit new students, get more alumni involved, find more internship opportunities, raise more money, build more partnerships and learn new skills. She is devoted to continuous improvement and her devotion is infectious.”

Burchard’s work further enhances NIU’s reputation as one of the leading local government management M.P.A. programs in the nation. She serves on committees for the Illinois City/County Management Association (ILCMA) and has initiated and coordinated events which promote the local government profession to undergraduate students in Illinois. She is also an advocate for increasing the number of women and minorities in public service and serves as a board member for the Women’s Legacy Project.

Students and colleagues are quick to point out Burchard’s professional, yet personalized attention. As an alumnus of the M.P.A. program, they say she shares the core values of the public service professionals she works with and is admired for her commitment to highly ethical, transparent leadership and service.

Burchard is the first to say that her successes have not come without the collaboration of the department faculty, staff and fellow M.P.A. alumni, for which she has tremendous respect.

Gillian King-Cargile

Gillian King-Cargile

Gillian King-Cargile is the creator and director of one of the most innovative literacy programs in the country, attracting support from literacy experts, state education agencies, foundations, publishers, libraries, museums, national laboratories and dozens of school districts. NIU STEM Read is King-Cargile’s brainchild. With her energy, passion and innovative ideas, the program has had an impact across the region, the state and the nation.

Never afraid to go outside of the box, King-Cargile is continuously working to provide educational ways for educators and parents to connect with students. Whether it’s collaborating with WNIJ to create and produce a series of STEM Read podcasts, writing children’s literature aimed at introducing STEM-related concepts to young children or establishing STEM Read field trips to bring students to NIU for advanced activities in conjunction with meeting high-profile authors, King-Cargile engages youth and elevates NIU as a true leader in preparing students for STEM-related careers.

“The STEM Read program helps build the pipeline into STEM majors at NIU and into the STEM professions,” says Anne Kaplan, vice president of Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development. “King-Cargile is an outstanding example of SPS creativity, innovation and ability to connect NIU’s expertise with community needs.”

Last year, STEM Read engaged over 6,000 children, parents, educators and community members at live events, and over 100,000 through www.stemread.com, which provides free educator resources, online games, expert videos and author interviews.

Colleagues call King-Cargile an “expert at developing relationships.” It’s her confidence and enthusiasm that bring nationally-recognized and best-selling authors to NIU—at little or no cost to the university. She also stays in contact with educators throughout the year, often providing professional development on using fiction to teach STEM principles in an interdisciplinary framework.

In short, King-Cargile’s innovative work brings high-profile publicity to NIU while inspiring thousands of students to consider STEM careers.

Abbey Wolfman

Abbey Wolfman

Conscious collaboration is how director of Orientation and Family Connections, Abbey Wolfman, leads to boldly improve the university’s orientation program to offer the best experience for students while keeping costs in line with peer institutions. During her first year in this role, Wolfman implemented a two-day, new-student orientation program supported by the entire institution through extensive collaboration with her campus partners.

The orientation program requires input and participation from across campus; unsurprisingly working with a variety of competing perspectives. Wolfman’s colleagues comment on her ability to respect every voice at the table with excitement and communication consistency. Because building consensus among stakeholders doesn’t happen overnight, Wolfman uses transparent communication, reporting and relationship building to work with her constituents to build a shared perspective on orientation changes.

It’s her collaborative spirit that paves the way for successful meetings and positive outcomes, making her a natural leader during challenging times. Wolfman’s colleague, Jenna Pracht, remarks, “Abbey’s creative and collaborative spirit have aided her in navigating challenging situations and complex conversations with colleagues.”

Serving on regional and national committees in professional organizations throughout the years, Wolfman is dedicated to professional development. She chaired the 2017 NODA (Association for Orientation, Transition and Retention in Higher Education) annual conference where she led 16 of her peers from across the country during her two-and-half-year commitment.

“Abbey is always willing and eager to participate in committees that promote innovation and improve structure within the university,” says Pracht. “She’s also quick to volunteer to help her peers and NIU students grow.”

Orientation plays a critical role in recruitment and retention—it is often an experience that helps confirm NIU for students who have not fully committed to an institution. Wolfman’s work has significantly enhanced this vital experience for students, but she doesn’t stop there. Under her direction and authoring, the NIU One Book was developed as a comprehensive guide to becoming a “successful Huskie.” The book recently won the award for an outstanding handbook from NODA.

Wolfman is the winner of the 2013 NODA Leadership award and 2013 Outstanding Regional Coordinator award.

Carrie Zack

Carrie Zack

A member of the NIU community for 13 years, Carrie Zack exemplifies an abundance of expertise, wisdom and professionalism as the associate director of Educator Licensure and Preparation. In this role, Zack has a wide range of responsibilities including licensure assessment coordination, report writing, supervision and accreditation preparation.

It is abundantly clear from her colleagues’ comments that Zack goes above and beyond to help others and support all licensure programs, aiming to alleviate much of the assessment burden they would otherwise shoulder to ensure their compliance with all state and national reporting mandates. She does this with a compassionate and calm attitude for 37 programs in four separate colleges.

“Data collection and report writing is laborious and time-consuming. Carrie shoulders all of her duties and responsibilities with finesse and remarkably, I have never once heard her complain!” says Judy Boisen, associate director edTPA.

Zack helped develop a university-wide student-teaching evaluation and disposition assessment and conducted research on their validity and reliability. “These assessment tools make it possible to collect valuable data on our teacher candidates which helps to inform programs as they move forward in their quest to make NIU the institution of choice for teacher education,” explains Boisen.

“Carrie is committed to further streamline the reporting of assessment data which will place NIU at the forefront of data-informed decision making for quality licensure programs and teachers,” remarks Educator Licensure and Preparation Associate Vice Provost Jenny Parker.

Zack is a member of American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, American Educational Research Association, and International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development. She serves on various sub-committees within the University Committee on Initial Educator Licensure and the University Committee on Advanced and Non-Teaching Educator Licensure Programs.

She is currently working on her Ph.D. degree in educational psychology at NIU.

Members of NIU’s United Greek Council (UGC) recently earned the Council Management Award from the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values (AFLV).

UGC leaders say the award recognizes the collaborative efforts of all fraternity and sorority members across campus to build and support a strong community.

Clarisa Sandoval, of Westchester, IL, is a senior majoring in special education. She became involved in UGC immediately after becoming a member of Alpha Phi Gamma National Sorority, Inc., in 2015, and currently serves as president. She said after transferring to NIU from a community college, she saw her involvement with the UGC as a way to engage more powerfully and quickly on campus.

“It was important for me to engage this way because I feel that UGC really makes an impact on this campus for the students and population,” she said, adding that the UGC helps to plan and support philanthropic events as well as community-building and awareness events on campus.

Sandoval explained that the UGC is where members of all Greek leadership on campus come together to govern and guide their respective organizations toward common community goals.

“So by being recognized for something means a lot not just to the executive board but to the organizations involved as well,” she said. “We take pride in what we do.”

Anne Hanley

For one NIU professor preparing to embark on her third Fulbright-sponsored trip, it was a high school study abroad experience in Brazil that inspired what has become a life’s work and interest. Anne Hanley, associate professor of Latin American History, is preparing to travel to Brazil to continue her research and teach through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.

This will mark Hanley’s third time pursuing her economic history research with the support of a Fulbright award. This time, she will spend the first semester of 2019 (beginning in February) in the Economics Department of the University of São Paulo’s Ribeirão Preto campus.

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program sponsors U.S. and foreign participants for exchanges in areas of research including the sciences, business, academe, public service, government and the arts. A major goal of the program is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

While in residence in Brazil, Hanley will teach a graduate reading seminar on the economic history of underdevelopment and inequality in Brazil and Latin America, and will collaborate on a research project with her colleague, Dr. Renato Leite Marcondes, on the role of financial institutions in Brazilian economic history.

“There has been so much instability in the world, throughout history, so I am gratified that Fulbright has in its mission to foster these exchanges of students and scholars,” she said. “Inevitably in a classroom in Brazil I will say something like ‘I never thought of it that way,’ or I will hear that from my students here. I am always grateful that Fulbright makes that perspective possible.”

Hanley first traveled to Brazil as a high school student, through a foreign exchange program. Curious and inspired, Hanley returned in her junior year of college, and said that through an economics class there, began to understand that some countries were underdeveloped.

“The problems of poverty were apparent,” she said. “I would see slums that I didn’t see in the United States, and I didn’t realize it had a historical root until I studied economics classes there.”

Hanley said that in the one of those classes, she studied Brazil’s historic coffee boom, endeavoring to answer why the country’s coffee region looks so developed while other Latin American countries with similar resources were not able to transform as successfully. That college research has developed over time, leading to her ongoing travel and growing network in that country, as well as several published books.

In the course of her research in Brazil over the years, she befriended Dr. Renato Leite Marcondes, with whom she coauthored an article about Brazil’s financial history published in 2010.  Next year, they will continue that research, looking at the role of banks in economic development and diversification by examining the mortgage market in São Paulo over time.

“I have had the good fortune to go to Brazil on several grants since I joined NIU,” she said. “Every time I have incorporated what I learned in those experiences into my classes. Sometimes it’s through storytelling and sharing how Brazilians view their position in the world, which adds some depth to how we understand the history that we learn here.”

Hanley said the support of Fulbright throughout her life and research is something for which she’s very grateful. The first Fulbright funded her doctoral dissertation research. The second one supported the research for her soon-to-be-released book, “The Public Good and the Brazilian State,” (University of Chicago Press, 2018).

“This is the third time a Fulbright has made it possible for me to go to Brazil and this is first time I will be teaching there, so I am thrilled at that opportunity, too.”

Scott Wickman, associate professor in the Department of Counseling, Adult and Higher Education, has received the 2018 Humanistic Educator/Supervisor Award from the Association for Humanistic Counseling.

He will be honored in April at the 2018 ACA Annual Conference in Atlanta.

The award recognizes an AHC member who demonstrates a humanistic philosophy of teaching or supervision, resulting in a significant impact on the development of students, new professionals through teaching, advising, supervision and/or mentoring.

Nominees must be counselor educators and/or counseling supervisors with a history of incorporating a humanistic philosophy into their work, which results in a significant impact on students, supervisees or mentees.

Before coming to NIU, Wickman was a K-12 school counselor. He also worked as a community support counselor, serving clients with serious and persistent mental illnesses while running court-mandated psychoeducational groups for perpetrators of violence and abuse.

Wickman also has received the Beverly Brown Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Group Counseling, the Illinois School Counselor Educator of the Year Award and the NIU College of Education’s Exceptional Contributions to Teaching Award.

The NIU Department of Communication is preparing to raise the curtain on its popular three-day Reality Bytes Independent Student Film Festival at the Jameson Auditorium, located inside the university’s Cole Hall.

Free and open to the public, the 17th annual festival will feature student-film screenings from 9 to 11 p.m. Tuesday, April 10, and Wednesday, April 11. Marquette University professor Joseph Brown will be the special guest speaker from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 12, the final night of the festival.

Brown is an independent producer of film and video whose research interests include autobiographical cinema, hybrid film and documentary history. He will screen a 12-minute clip from a feature documentary he’s making, “Operation Wolf Patrol,” about eco-activist Rod Coronado and his attempt to end wolf hunting in the United States.

Laura Vazquez

The Reality Bytes film festival was established in 2001 by Laura Vazquez, NIU professor of media production and theory. She created the festival to give film students the opportunity to competitively screen their work, and she serves as director of the event.

Vazquez said this year’s festival features a “collection of really outstanding films” from high school, undergraduate and graduate students across the globe.

“We’ve gotten some interesting films from all over the world,” she said. “I’m very excited about the quality of the films that have come through.”

Of the 60-plus submissions, 16 short student films have been chosen to be screened at this year’s festival, which has seen an increased number of entries from high school students.

“We’ve been running high school films for the last few years, but rarely have I seen this quality of high school filmmaking,” Vazquez said. “I do think we are seeing quite an acceleration in the skillset of a younger generation, and I look forward to seeing some of that work as they mature.”

The selected films vary in genre from comedy to drama to animation and focus specifically on strong storytelling. Each film category will also include a “Best in Show” award. There will also be a “Best in Show” award for the high school film category. The winning films will be announced the final evening of the festival.

More information about the festival is available via Twitter and Facebook or by contacting the Reality Bytes team at niurealitybytes@gmail.com.

When it comes to news on religion or religious organizations, news outlets often cover soup suppers or scandals — and not a lot in between.

There’s more to religion than those extremes, and the mining of quality stories about faith, spirituality and core beliefs can be invaluable — to news outlets, religious organizations and the public.

You’ll have a chance to gain a better understanding when the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association (NINA) hosts a unique learning experience — part news-training exercise, part summit — featuring some of the top religious leaders in northern Illinois.

They will include Bishop David Malloy, Catholic Diocese of Rockford; Rabbi Margaret Frisch Klein, Elgin; Todd Hertz of Christ Community Church; and Mohammed Labadi of the DeKalb Islamic Center. (Bios are available here.)

Bishop David Malloy, Rabbi Margaret Frisch Klein, Todd Hertz and Mohammed Labadi

The event will be held 10 a.m. Thursday, April 12, in room 100 of NIU’s Campus Life Building, with doughnuts, coffee, registration and networking starting at 9 a.m. The event is free to NIU faculty, staff and students; $20 for NINA members and $25 for members of the public.

To register in advance, call Shelley Hendricks at 815-753-4239 or fill out this Google form.

Journalism students and members of the media will get practical, hands-on training, including handouts on religious-story ideas, contact lists and links to online resources. The event also promises to provide insights from religious leaders on the stories that are being missed.

Stay tuned to the NINA website or sign up for the NINA e-newsletter for more details.

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Kassandra Worden

The Northern Pact encompasses principles that outline the expectations we have for members of our community–being purposeful, just, caring, open, disciplined and celebrative. Each year, the Division of Student Affairs awards the Northern Pact scholarship to students who share this vision of service and personal responsibility.

Many of us remember summer camp as a time of freedom and fun. Camp is that, but it is also much more for the nearly 5,000 campers who enroll in NIU summer camps each year. NIU camps offer young people a chance to gain independence and confidence, as well as to explore career fields and develop skills and mindsets that will help them in their academic and career paths.

Students in STEM Engineering Camp construct a trebuchet.

This year, NIU is offering more than 80 different summer camps on topics ranging from screenwriting to soccer, from STEM to Spanish. With options in science and technology, visual arts, music performance, theater, writing and communication, TV and radio broadcasting, and sports, every young learner will find exciting possibilities.

Aspiring writers, filmmakers and other creative students will be particularly interested in this year’s academic camps offered by NIU External Programs. In addition to perennial favorites such as Creative Writing Camp, new camps focus on language, culture and communication, including Spanish Immersion Camp, Screenwriting Camp, Comedy Writing and Performance Camp, and more.

“Students will have a chance for hands-on experience with creative career fields, such as creating live-to-tape radio podcasts with WNIJ Host/Producer Carl Nelson or producing online journalism with Northern Star advisor Shelley Hendricks,” says camp coordinator Lise Schlosser.

Students at NIU Percussion Camp.

For aspiring musicians, actors and visual artists, NIU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts is again offering residential camps that help students polish their art through intensive, daily practice guided by experts. These camps provide students a chance to hone the creative mindset necessary for today’s constantly changing economy.

“Every day you can read about how the arts and liberal arts education are what employers are really looking for,” says Paul Kassel, dean of NIU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. “But our country doesn’t value the arts except in the most basic ways—and it’s always the first thing to go during budget problems. So, more and more students come to college with their imaginations atrophied from lack of use. Creativity can happen in any subject area, of course, but the arts specifically work on the imaginary ‘muscles’—THAT’s where innovation happens. If you can’t imagine a better future, it surely will not come.”

Students with a passion for science, technology, engineering and math can choose from a variety of STEM-related camps. STEM Career Explorations camps, in particular, give high school students the chance to experience career fields such as computer coding, engineering, health sciences, and 3-D design and manufacturing.

Students in a STEM Camp learning to solder.

According to NIU STEM camp director Jeremy Benson, “The students get to learn from professionals in these fields, who are happy to share their experiences and advice, as well as meet NIU students pursuing similar goals as themselves. This is an excellent chance for the students to learn more about the career options available to them, and to take a behind-the-scenes look at some of their favorites.”

Other camps that offer a window into specific career fields include Video Game Design Camps offered by NIU’s Digital Convergence Lab and the new Fashion Studio Camp for high school students offered by the College of Health and Human Sciences. These camps provide hands-on experience with the tools and skills used by professionals in the fields.

NIU’s Summer Athletic Training Workshop is one of more than a dozen camps offered by NIU Athletics, and it has been providing a similar professional focus for 35 years. Through panel discussions with professional athletic trainers, CPR/AED training and hands-on practice with taping, rehab and injury evaluation, campers gain exposure to the field of sports medicine.

Phil Voorhis, NIU assistant director for sports medicine and athletic training and the camp’s director, says, “We have a unique partnership with Dr. Daniel Olsen, who directs the anatomy laboratory for NIU’s Department of Biological Sciences. In the morning, the students focus on the lower or upper extremities, learning about injuries, rehab and taping skills. Then in the afternoon, the students have a chance to look at the lower or upper extremities in the cadaver lab.”

While such windows into career fields open up exciting possibilities for campers, perhaps even more important are the ways camps empower students to think critically and creatively and persevere in the face of challenges.

In the words of NIU STEM camp director Jeremy Benson, “My biggest motivator is to do whatever I can to help dispel the myth that only certain people can understand science.” He continues, “I think it’s important to show students that science is more than just a collection of facts. It’s a way of looking at and attempting to understand the world around us. Regardless of what job you may have or want, knowing how to find the answers to our questions, and use our knowledge to solve problems, is an important life skill for every single human being.”

To facilitate registration, NIU is offering a searchable list of camps in one convenient location at http://www.niu.edu/summercamps/. Most camps offer discounts to the children of NIU employees, families sending more than one camper or students enrolled in multiple camps. Merit- and need-based scholarships are also available.

With questions about summer camp registration, parents may contact Sara Finnigan at sfinnigan@niu.edu.

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Outstanding Graduate Student Awards

Afrimadona – Political Science
Matthew Andorf – Physics
Michael Belbis – Kinesiology and Physical Education
Caitlin Bemis Blackburn – Anthropology
Shekinah Bergmann – Industrial and Systems Engineering
Prudhvi Nikhil Bhattiprolu – Physics
Sayid Bnefsi – Philosophy
Shane Bowers – Art and Design
Kristina Buschek – Accountancy
Heeyoung Choi – History
Elbia Del Llano – Counseling, Adult and Higher Education
Uche Ekhator – Economics
Emmanuel C. Esperanza, Jr. – Counseling, Adult and Higher Education
Anastasia Grindle – Allied Health and Communicative Disorders
Adam Hawthorne – Music
Kara Hennenfent– Allied Health and Communicative Disorders
Kathy Hoerchler – Chemistry and Biochemistry
Heather Holly – Family and Consumer Sciences
Elizabeth Hull – Public Administration
Autumn James – Geographic and Atmospheric Sciences
Raymond Jenkins – Sociology
Dana Katz – Art and Design
Elizabeth Lanza – Allied Health and Communicative Disorders
Ellen Lee – Psychology
Nicholas Leonard – Art and Design
Wallace Luyten – Allied Health and Communicative Disorders
Nathan McCormick – Political Science
Cristal Medina – Health Studies
Kevin Nedberg – Theatre and Dance
Kendra Nenia – Special and Early Education
Addison Pond – Kinesiology and Physical Education
Brooke Randazzo – Mathematical Sciences
Marlena Rock – Geology and Environmental Geosciences
Ashley Sands – Foreign Languages and Literatures
Nan Shen – Mathematical Sciences
Markie Striegel – Art and Design
Malav H. Thakore – Mechanical Engineering
Brittany Torres – Counseling, Adult and Higher Education
Kristin Vrona – Economics
Dominique Watson – Geographic and Atmospheric Sciences
Suzy Wise – Counseling, Adult and Higher Education
William Wojtkiewicz – History
Sally Yacout – Chemistry and Biochemistry

Dissertation Completion Fellowship

Iqra Anugrah – Political Science
Philip Blankenship – Psychology
Nicole Dressler – History
Uche Ekhator – Economics
Alex Haberlie – Geographic and Atmospheric Sciences
Elizabeth Olson – Geology and Environmental Geosciences

Carter G. Woodson Fellowship – New

JoAnn LoSavio – History

Jeffrey T. Lunsford Fellowship

Brianna Campbell – Philosophy
Raymond Jenkins – Sociology
Cristal Medina – Health Studies
Elena Palomo – Family and Consumer Sciences

University Fellowship

Amy Bayliss – English
Sarah English – Philosophy
Rachelle Hill – Art and Design
Logan Rice – Physics
Anna Snyder – Psychology
Nicholas Steijn – Biological Sciences

Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois (DFI) Fellowship – New

Brigitte Bingham – Educational Technology, Research and Assessment
Shatoya Black – Counseling, Adult and Higher Education
Naina Richards – Counseling, Adult and Higher Education
Stephen Samuels – Counseling, Adult and Higher Education
Konya Sledge – Counseling, Adult and Higher Education

Outstanding Dissertation Award

Mathieu Billings – History
Michael Lesslie – Chemistry and Biochemistry

Outstanding Thesis Award

Ann Kolker – Allied Health and Communicative Disorders
Melissa Wright – English

Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award

Yan Chen – Educational Technology, Research and Assessment
Nicole Dressler – History
Zack Pesata – Communication
Elyse Sawka – Art and Design

Jeff Maveus

Jeff Maveus had spent his professional years at DeKalb Genetics, feeling secure and content in his position with the Corporate Services Department.

That changed when Monsanto purchased the company in 1998. “I knew it was just a matter of time before I wasn’t going to have a job,” says Maveus, who lives in Cortland.

Pondering his next step, he discovered that it no longer lies in corporate America but in a school gymnasium.

“I had played a lot of sports in high school. Coaching was something I had a passion for. My mom had a daycare for 30 years, and I had always been around kids. I had worked at camps,” he says. “I wanted to teach.”

Enrolling in the NIU Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Maveus earned his bachelor of science degree in physical education (PE) in the fall of 2005. For the last 13 years, he has taught PE – the first eight years of those in an elementary school, and for the last five years, to sixth- through eighth-graders at Harter Middle School in Kaneland.

Tyler Maveus

Now his son, Tyler, is following in those footsteps.

“My dad, for sure, was one of my biggest inspirations,” says Tyler, a 19-year-old sophomore at NIU who was a four-sport athlete at Sycamore High School.

“Hearing him come home and talk about how it’s a rewarding profession, and all the fun he has at work, just really made me want to get into it,” he adds. “I like the environment. I like the atmosphere of always being active. I like being able to have fun with kids, to help them learn and grow. I like the overall satisfaction of helping others.”

Dad understands why.

“What I love about teaching PE in middle school is that I love that age,” Jeff says. “The kids are learning how to lead healthier lifestyles and to make some good decisions in their lives. I’m teaching them about lifelong fitness; a lot of kids think that lifelong fitness is just a sport. They don’t know that more is involved, and I like to provide that knowledge, to be that role model.”

Sure enough, Tyler is also aiming toward a career in a middle school.

“At that point in their lives, they’re starting to become more independent, but it’s not like high school when they’re starting to not participate as much,” he says. “Middle school can be a real rough experience for some kids, and I want to be sure to help them. I really enjoyed PE growing up – I had good experiences – and I want to make sure I give students that same experience. I want to be a role model, and someone my students can look up to.”

Being in the same profession – and, for now, the same house – is also providing a new camaraderie between the two.

Following an early clinical experience at DeKalb’s Huntley Middle School last semester, and part of a current assessment-related clinical at Brooks Elementary School, Tyler is getting his feet wet.

Naturally, he’s got questions and observations.

“It’s just nice to have my dad in my back pocket as a resource,” Tyler says, “like if I need help with an assignment late at night, he’s there. I can run warmup ideas by him, things to change, things to do differently, things that worked well, things I should be doing.

“My wife is just loving this. She thinks it’s great that we sit there and compare notes,” Jeff says.

Like Tyler, he enjoys the family room conversations.

“It’s really cool to not only talk to him about where the program is at NIU – it’s changed since I was there – but it’s really cool to have your son, when you’re watching a basketball game at night, turn to you and say, ‘Hey, I’ve got a couple warmups I’d like to run past you,’ ” he says.

“We talk about professors. We talk about how you bounce ideas off of other teachers, that you don’t always have to reinvent the wheel, that that’s how you get better,” he adds. “Tyler wants to be the best. It’s just fun.”

Both offer high praise for the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education.

“One of the top programs in the nation!” Jeff exclaims. “I’m so thankful that I went through the PE department at NIU. Every step NIU had through the progression was phenomenal – early childhood, clinicals, student-teaching – and the best experience I could ever have. It was all the classes I needed, and 10 years later, something I never thought I would use, I’m using now.”

KNPE professors – he singles out Connie Fox, Clersida and Luis Garcia, and Jenny Parker – were motivational and committed to teaching “the do’s and don’ts.”

Tyler, who starts student-teaching in the fall of 2019, is enjoying KNPE’s cohort model.

“We move through the program together, which is really nice because I can grow and become good friends with the other students,” he says. “Also, I’m learning that you can only be so prepared from the classroom. NIU does a really good job of immersing us in the schools and getting us that experience. There’s no better way to learn than experience, and you can only follow the book so much when you’re out in the field.”

Perhaps their strongest endorsement, however, comes from Jeff’s perpetual welcome mat for NIU student-teachers in his gymnasium.

“I had two cooperating teachers who were phenomenal. They really helped me to finish that final step I had to take, and it’s not an easy step. There are a lot of things you have to learn while you’re student-teaching,” he says. “I remember how important it was to me to have someone good to work with – someone to learn from – and I want to be that person. That’s definitely what I’m here for.”

Faculty and staff participating in NIU’s Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Assurance Review process have completed a second draft of their written assurance argument on the university’s progress toward continuous accreditation.

The argument will now be reviewed by senior-level leaders across the university between Wednesday, March 28, and Wednesday, April 11.

“Our HLC Assurance Review team has worked diligently over the past several months to put together a comprehensive draft report,” says Carolinda Douglass, vice provost for Institutional Effectiveness and NIU’s accreditation liaison officer to the HLC.

This high-level review is the next step toward completion of the final version of the argument, which is due Monday, June 25, to the HLC, Douglass says.

Peer reviewers assigned by the HLC then will examine and evaluate the report online until Wednesday, July 25.
Administrators of NIU websites and web pages are asked to ensure that all content is current and accurate. Also, Douglass says, during that month-long period from June 25 to July 25, members of NIU’s Assurance Review team will receive questions from the peer reviewers and will reach out to campus offices with specific questions and a quick deadline for answers.

Douglass is grateful for what her NIU colleagues have completed so far.

The 40 members of NIU’s five Criteria Groups have uncovered “the story NIU has to tell about our growth in key areas including transparency, engagement, diversity and key initiatives we’ve had on campus since our last accreditation review such as Program Prioritization and NIU Plus,” Douglass says.

“What’s really exciting about this process is that it promotes an opportunity for reflection as we tell our stories,” she adds, “not only to the HLC but also to ourselves.”

NIU’s HLC accreditation, a visible indication of the university’s commitment to quality and accountability, was renewed in 2014 for 10 years.

But the “Open Pathway” for maintaining that accreditation requires the Assurance Review status check to assess the quality and efficacy of NIU’s mission and programs in the fourth year of accreditation. Doing so allows NIU to address any challenges and to reaffirm its dedication to providing an excellent education.

Five criteria define the work, which is looking at the period from Jan. 1, 2014, through Dec. 31, 2017:

• Mission
• Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct
• Teaching and Learning-Quality, Resources and Support
• Teaching and Learning-Evaluation and Improvement
• Resources, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness

“It’s been rewarding to survey initiatives we’ve embarked on since the comprehensive self-study four years ago,” adds Doris Macdonald, co-chair of the Mission group. “The campus community has invested great energy in examining programs and services across the board that demonstrates our commitment to continued improvement.”

The peer reviewers will provide feedback and recommendations to the HLC about NIU’s ongoing accreditation which will be reviewed by members of the HLC Institutional Actions Council.

NIU will receive a final report on the review this fall.
For more information on the assurance review process, contact Douglass at 815-753-0492 or cdoug@niu.edu.