NIU Today

Antoinette Bridges has been named the director of Procurement Services and Contract Management, effective Saturday, July 1.

Bridges will report to Associate Vice President for Finance and Budget/Acting CFO Larry Pinkelton. She will be responsible for the administration of all purchasing and contract management activity for NIU as governed by all applicable federal/state laws, regulations, and university policies and procedures.

Bridges is currently associate director of Procurement Services and Contract Management at NIU. She holds a Doctorate of Management in organizational leadership, a master’s degree in procurement and contract management and a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Prior to coming to NIU, she served in several senior leadership roles for the federal government.

Pinkelton said, “Antoinette is a distinguished professional who will continue our internal efforts to evolve the procurement services function at NIU. I look forward to collaborating with her on our process improvement initiatives scheduled for FY ’18”.    

Few can forget the famous Aretha Franklin song, R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Join this lively, interactive workshop where you will learn how collegiality relates to respect, how workplace bullying can affect the team and gain knowledge on how to help create a more respectful workplace.

The “Creating a Respectful Workplace” workshop will be held on Wednesday, June 28, from 1-3 p.m. in the Holmes Student Center Sky Room. To attend this event, RSVP to aaec_training@niu.edu no later than Monday, June 26, with ‘Respect’ in the subject line.

The workshop facilitator will be Rose M.J. Henton, director of Coordinated Training, Education and Outreach Programs for Affirmative Action and Equity Compliance.

The Northern Illinois University Law Review is pleased to announce the integration of the review’s Online Journal into the Huskie Commons system. Huskie Commons is a digital service that collects, preserves and distributes digital material from scholars within the NIU community. The title of the online journal, effective immediately, is the Northern Illinois Law Review Online.

The integration will take place over several weeks during the months of June and July, and should be completed prior to the first day of classes for the 2017/18 academic year.

This integration gives the review several benefits, including indexing works on Google Scholar — a service not previously available to articles published in the online journal. It allows for placing articles in an archived system and having multi-server security that ensures long-term preservation. Additionally, the integration provides access to articles in the collection dating from the first online appearance in 2008 through to the current issue.

The review looks forward to integrating further technological updates that will produce an exceptional and relevant resource throughout the 21^st century and beyond.

The Northern Illinois University Law Review is a student-edited journal that publishes articles designed to assist the legal community and to stimulate critical discussion of current legal, policy and social issues. Members of the law review participate in an intensive two-semester writing and production program designed to develop writing and editing skills. The review publishes three print issues per year, with the third issue being dedicated to a specific legal or social issue the membership has collectively decided to highlight. Referred to as the “symposium” issue, this issue is released in conjunction with a one-day conference comprised of presentations, round-table discussions and keynote addresses by experts on the symposium topic.

NIU College of Law has been named by Law.com as one of the top schools — coming in at fourth in the nation — for placing graduates in government and public interest jobs. The rankings were determined by using data submitted to the American Bar Association for the class of 2016, with NIU Law having 30.68 percent of its graduates going into such positions. This honor follows similar accolades last year from National Jurist and prelaw magazines, which recognized NIU Law as one the nation’s top schools for delivering students to public service careers.

“We are proud to see NIU Law continue to be nationally recognized for its commitment to public interest law, a core value of the school,” says NIU Law Acting Dean Mark Cordes. “Our public interest offerings and curriculum, including our clinics, certificate programs, externships and pro bono opportunities, provide interested students a proven pathway to successful public service careers. It is just one way NIU Law continues to fulfill our ongoing commitment to launching successful legal careers, no matter what a student’s chosen career path,” he added.

As the only public law school in the Chicago area, NIU Law has been consistently named a top law school nationally for diversity, value and for careers in public service. NIU Law provides unique opportunities for its students beginning with its highly accomplished faculty who are personally invested in the success of their students in the classroom and throughout their careers. Although many alumni serve as public interest attorneys, elected officials and judges, they are equally prepared for careers in private practice, ranging from solo practitioners to lawyers in multinational firms.

The NIU Supermileage team is celebrating a third-place overall finish and its best-ever combined score after last weekend’s SAE Supermileage competition in Marshall, MI.

In the competition, teams of engineering students design and build single-occupant, ultra fuel-efficient vehicles. The teams compete for the best design, highest fuel economy and greatest vehicle endurance.

The NIU vehicle recorded a jaw-dropping 1,741 miles per gallon – an improvement of more than 600 miles per gallon over when it placed sixth in the Shell Eco-Marathon in April.

“At Shell, we had some issues with rolling resistance, so we focused heavily on fixing that and on just getting outside and running the car,” team president Josh Helsper said. “We focused on working out any kinks we might have before we got to competition.”

The preparation paid off. In addition to placing third overall, the NIU team placed fourth in design and first in endurance at SAE. Helsper said the vehicle earned the Endurance Award by running a total of 60 miles over six successful runs with no breakdowns. The next-best team, which won the overall competition, completed four runs and broke down once.

“Even though our car had lower fuel economy than theirs, it was more reliable.” Helsper added, “It felt very good to get that award.”

Helsper, a mechanical engineering student who also competed in Supermileage last year, said the team’s big-picture vision was instrumental in making the competitions run smoothly. Members pored over the rulebook to ensure they would have no problems during the technical inspection and arrived early so they could have more time for practice runs.

With six Top 3 finishes in the last eight years, the team’s success has become a point of pride for the NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, acting associate dean Shanthi Muthuswamy said.

“The Supermileage team has consistently performed well, and as always, we are proud of their team effort, determination and hard work,” she said.

Supermileage is one of five SAE-affiliated competition design teams in the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology. The college also fields teams in SAE’s Clean Snowmobile, Formula, Aero and Mini Baja competitions. Other competition teams in the college include Mars rover and robotics.

The NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology is ranked in the Top 70 engineering schools in the country not offering a Ph.D. degree. With hundreds of corporate partners and a focus on real-world experience, the college prides itself on graduating functional engineers ready for the workforce.

Go behind-the-scenes of the legendary home of the Chicago Cubs and 2016 World Series champions with Wrigley Field Tours, presented by Illinois Office of Tourism. Built in 1914, this must-see Chicago attraction houses more than 100 years of history. On this private VIP tour, you will see the Wrigley seating bowl, press box, Budweiser bleachers, visitors’ clubhouse, Cubs’ dugout and the field. This 75-90 minute guided tour will be on Monday, August 21, a non-game day. Tours are outdoor walking tours (approximately 1 mile) conducted in rain or shine. Please dress accordingly.

Participants will also be able to explore around the stadium, the new Cubs store and be able to get a picture with the 2016 World Series trophy, pending the trophy tour schedule.

Associate Professor Stanley Arnold, Department of History, will join the trip and provide some great insights into the history of baseball and America. Arnold earned his Ph.D. degree in history from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA (his beloved hometown). He teaches courses in both U.S. and international sports history and is currently pursuing two research projects. The first examines the rise of African-American athletes in the modern Olympic Games (1896 – 1948). The second project focuses on black baseball in the American military (1865 – 1947).

Register online now or call 815-753-0277. Tickets are very limited!

The bus will depart from the Normal Road (east) entrance of the Holmes Student Center at 10:30 a.m., Monday, August 21. The tour starts at 2:30 p.m. We will return at approximately 6:30 p.m. The $70 fee includes VIP tour and bus transportation. Lunch is on your own.

For more information, contact Mark Pietrowski at 815-753-1456 or pietrowski@niu.edu.

Come to a summer casting call to be included in photography, video, social media posts, and publications promoting NIU and life as a Huskie.

We are looking for students of all ages, races, majors, gender identities, backgrounds and club/organization involvement. The requirements are that you plan to be in or near DeKalb over the summer and that you respond promptly to requests to participate in photo/video shoots.

There are two open casting calls this summer. The first is on Wednesday, June 21, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Altgeld 225, and the second is on Wednesday, June 28, from 1 to 4 p.m. in Altgeld 203.

On the day of the casting call, plan to wear Huskie gear or something that you are comfortable in, no need to get all dressed up. We will take a few photographs of you and ask basic information including a few questions about why you chose NIU on video. You will need to sign a talent release form at the call and not currently have a Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) hold on your MyNIU account.

Contact Danielle Guerra, Office of Institutional Communications, at dguerra@niu.edu if you have any questions.

On Thursday, June 22, between 12:30 and 2 p.m., Facilities Management and Campus Services will be performing the annual curtailment of electrical power on the DeKalb Campus. The Heating Plant will shut down some equipment to reduce our electrical load. This load shed includes heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, supply and return fans, hot water heat and chilled water pumps, chillers and direct expansion (DX) air conditioners throughout our main campus. We will begin shutting down equipment at 12:30 p.m. in order to drop our electrical usage below a target threshold by 1 p.m. For NIU to qualify for our Demand/Response Program, we will have to stay below that threshold until 2 p.m. Years of experience with this has shown that most people do not notice effects of this event.

During this curtailment, lighting, electrical power (receptacles, PCs), Anthropology Museum, the Engineering Building clean rooms and spaces served by air handling units (AHUs) six through 14, cooling equipment for computer server hubs (Swen Parson, Monsanto, Telecom/Security) and essential HVAC equipment (such as Animal Colonies, fume hoods or exhaust fans) will not be affected.

Facilities Management and Campus Services continues its endeavors to reduce utility costs and improve efficiency. Through this annual volunteer curtailment program, NIU receives several hundred thousand dollars every year for its participation, which in turn lowers the campus utility costs. Everyone can contribute to lowering NIU’s utility costs by performing simple energy conservation efforts when possible. Turning off lights and equipment, setting back thermostats, keeping doors closed in conditioned or heated spaces, can add up to significant savings when this is multiplied by the thousands of people on campus.

The Family, Consumer and Nutrition Sciences (FCNS) Child Development Lab (CDL) is proud to announce it has received the Family and Community Engagement Award of Excellence through ExceleRate Illinois. NIU’s CDL is one of 26 programs out of an eligible 1,300 across Illinois to earn this award.

The CDL received the award at a celebration during the McCormick National Early Childhood Leadership Conference on Wednesday, May 17.

In earning this Award of Excellence, NIU’s CLD demonstrates the excellent staff practices, attitudes and knowledge related to working with families.

Research indicates that families have the greatest impact on their children’s development. Early childhood programs, such as the CDL, that are responsive to families and engage them in their children’s learning will have the best chance of shaping positive outcomes for children in their programs. Early childhood programs that build responsive and strength-based relationships with families may increase the likelihood of families becoming engaged in their children’s learning experiences as well as involved in the early childhood program itself.

NIU’s Child Development Lab is a teaching and research facility for child development and early childhood professionals sponsored by the School of Family and Consumer Sciences. Accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the laboratory provides inclusive, full-day, mixed-age childcare in a nurturing and supportive environment.

For further information regarding the Child Development Lab, visit the website or call 815-753-1150.

The Best Schools, an organization that ranks degree programs, colleges and universities, has recognized Northern Illinois University’s Online Master of Public Health degree program in the top 30 best in the country.

Ranking criteria include quality of the program, the types of courses offered, the faculty, awards, rankings, and reputation, including the school’s reputation for effectively providing online degree programs. NIU earned top marks for our program options to focus on health promotion or health services management, as well as providing students opportunities to gain knowledge to enhance their abilities to lead public health programs and meet the needs of diverse populations.

NIU’s Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic is offering free aphasia treatment for people affected by the disorder. According to the National Aphasia Association, aphasia affects over two million Americans. It is an impairment of language, affecting the production or comprehension of speech, and the ability to read or write.

Aphasia can affect a person’s ability to speak and understand others but does not affect intelligence. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association says it is most often caused by stroke. However, any disease or damage to the parts of the brain that control language can cause aphasia. These include brain tumors, traumatic brain injury and progressive neurological disorders.

Times and dates for the free 10-12 week treatment course will be determined based on participants’ availability. If you, or someone you know, are interested in participating in this group treatment, contact Emily Palmer, M.A., C.C.C.-S.L.P., at epalmer3@niu.edu or call 815-753-6524 for details. The NIU Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic is located at 3100 Sycamore Road, DeKalb, IL.

The Gender and Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC) is looking for summer volunteers now through Monday, July 10, to help sort through clothes for the upcoming Clothing Expo in fall 2017. The Clothing Expo is a program where current students are provided with free, new and gently used clothing, as well as household/dorm items (no large items such as furniture).

Due to the large volume of donations, GSRC is searching for five student volunteers to sort through the items on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (up to three hours each day).

This opportunity will become available starting on Wednesday, June 14, at 10:30 am. In order to become a volunteer, students must currently be enrolled. Those students who are not currently enrolled and are part of NIU student organizations that need community service hours will be required to present a letter from their organization indicating as such.

The minimum hour requirement for each day is two hours and no more than three, as indicated above. For students interested in this opportunity, contact GSRC at gsrc@niu.edu or 815-753-4772.