NIU Today

The NIU Community School of the Arts (CSA) offers a variety of programs for children and adults, including early music education classes for young children.

Prelude Class (ages 1 – 3) is a group class with lots of fun for toddlers and parents. Class activities include music listening, creative movement, songs and lap games.

Development Class (ages 3 – 5) builds on the material learned in Prelude Class, adding musical patterns and skills through games, songs, creative movement, percussion instruments, basic music theory and learning about some of the instruments of the orchestra. A parent must accompany the child to each class.

Both classes meet on six Saturdays beginning June 24 (no class on July 8). Prelude begins at 10 a.m. and Development begins at 10:35 a.m. Traditional and Suzuki violin instructor, music educator and Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra member Laurie Rodriguez teaches both classes.

Contact the CSA office for more information or visit our web page for summer 2017 programs and online registration. Register for the summer session by Monday, June 5.

The Supportive Professional Staff (SPS) Council is pleased to be able to announce a call for applicants for the newly created Supportive Professional Staff Personnel Advisor (SPSPA). In the past, this type of support for SPS was available through the faculty and SPS personnel advisor role, but with the faculty now shifting to a collective bargaining agreement, and the unique and changing landscape for SPS at NIU, the SPS Council was able to work with Executive Vice President and Provost Lisa Freeman and Senior Associate Vice President of Human Resources Laura Alexander for creation of a pilot position for an SPSPA.

The SPSPA will advise SPS employees about policies and procedures, support and participate in meetings with them when requested, and assess the ongoing needs of supportive professional staff. The SPSPA will also prepare and maintain necessary records and reports, develop resource materials and provide an annual report that summarizes the advisor’s activities.

Training will be provided to the SPSPA to ensure understanding of NIU’s administrative structure, policies and procedures. The SPSPA will receive up to 10  percent release time and additional compensation (see the description for full details).

Interested applicants should submit a resume and letter of interest to SPS Council President Cathy Doederlein at cdoederlein1@niu.edu later than 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 2.

The Terracycle Program that has been used in the past at NIU to recycle pens and other office supplies has recently been discontinued. As a result, Campus Mail is no longer able to accept these items, as they have no way to properly recycle them. Although efforts have been made to find an alternative source for office supply recycling, the NIU Green Team has been unsuccessful in finding another means for pen recycling.

At this time, departments should refrain from sending pens and other items to Campus Mail. Members of the Green Team are still working towards finding another source for pen recycling, and when one is found, an announcement will be made with further instructions.

Amanda Sprandling, Markie Striegel, Dr. Catherine Raymond and Carmin Berchiolly will be spending much of their summer in research on south-east Asian art.

Three NIU art history graduate students from the School of Art and Design will travel overseas this summer to pursue research on Southeast Asia as it relates to their master’s program.

Carmin Berchiolly was selected by Oxford University and SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) University of London to attend a three-day workshop in Oxford, England, this summer in relation to her M.A. degree thesis on 19th-century studio portrait photography from the British Colonial period in Burma that became mass-produced postcards for Western consumption.

Amanda Spradling was selected to attend a field school in art and archaeology in Singapore and Cambodia this summer for two weeks. Spradling was one of only 10 students chosen from around the world. She also received a summer Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship from the U. S. Department of Education (DoE) to study Thai language and Thai art history in Thailand for eight weeks. These opportunities enhance her thesis research into early terra-cotta traditions of mainland Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia.

Markie Striegel also received a FLAS from the DoE to study the Burmese language at NIU, which will cover the cost of her study for 2017-18 and fieldwork in Burma this summer for the study of ancient patterns in Burmese textiles.

Spradling and Striegel applied for the FLAS through NIU. The Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) is given a certain amount of money each year from the DoE and then CSEAS reviews the applications and chooses how to disperse the money. The fellowship is to foster the study of rare language and area studies to improve American relations with other countries.

The three graduate students from the School of Art and Design will also join art history professor and Center for Burma Studies Director Dr. Catherine Raymond for a field trip to Southeast Asia this summer not only to mount an exhibit of “The Tradition of Burmese Reverse Glass Painting” in Burma, but also to visit the various historical sites and archives related to their research.

“These students have been working diligently this past year to advance their research topics. Their fellowships, scholarships, and grants attest to their commitment and hard work. Each of them have different interests related to Southeast Asia on topics that have not been widely studied. Their projects will be valuable contributions to their fields,” explained Raymond, who was chosen as a 2017 Presidential Engagement Professor in April.

Greg Beyer

The Community School of the Arts at Northern Illinois University announces a new Summer Percussion Workshop for middle and high school age students. Participants work with NIU percussion instructor Ben Wahlund, NIU professor and Fulbright award recipient Greg Beyer, DeKalb High School Director of Bands Steve Lundin, and several other professional educators and percussionists during this five-day intensive workshop. Workshop classes range from steel pan to timpani, snare drum to keyboard percussion, and all attendees participate in a final concert performance for family and friends.

The NIU Percussion Workshop meets Monday – Friday, July 24 – 28, from 9 a.m. – 5 .pm. The registration fee includes daily lunch, a workshop T-shirt, masterclasses, admission to faculty recitals and pizza party/concert, samba sessions and more. Registration is first-come, first-served, with workshop deposits due by Monday, June 5.

For more information about this and many other summer activities, contact the NIU Community School of the Arts, 815-753-1450.

The Operating Staff Council’s Public Relations and Activities Committee, is sponsoring the last Giving Project Workshop, before its summer hiatus, on Tuesday, May 23, in the Glidden Room of the Holmes Student Center, from noon-1 p.m. Yarn is available for many projects, some crochet hooks, as well as “plarn” (plastic yarn) to make tote bags.

Many useful and beautiful items have been crocheted and knit over the past several months, and donated to students through the Huskie Food Pantry. If you are a knitter or crocheter, you can continue to make baby blankets, washcloths, tote bags, and other useful items and take them directly to the Huskie Food Pantry on evenings they are open (every other week beginning Thursday, June 1, through Thursday, Aug. 24, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.).

For information on this last workshop or on future workshops planned in August, email Barb Andree at bandree@niu.edu or call 815-753-8697. The Operating Staff Council website has information on this, and other programs, as well.

Orientation and Family Connections, part of the Division of Enrollment Management, Marketing and Communications, will share an overview of campus-wide orientation programs for incoming undergraduate students and their families during a preview event on Monday, June 5, at 2 p.m.

All traditionally admitted freshmen and transfer students must attend orientation programs prior to registering for fall 2017 classes. New freshmen attend a two-day program, while transfers attend a one-day program.

Both programs focus on providing information crucial to student success.

Students will be introduced to key academic and support services. Families of new freshmen and transfer students are also invited to stay and participate in programs geared to them. Students and families will have opportunities to attend sessions together and separately.

All campus partners are invited to attend the preview, which will take place in the Carl Sandburg Auditorium of the Holmes Student Center. For more information, call Orientation and Family Connections at 815-753-1535 or email awolfman@niu.edu.

Recent NIU graduate Blanca Rosa Jimenez (Blanca Rosa), who received her B.F.A. degree with an emphasis in 2-D studio illustration in Dec. 2016, cum laude, was surprised to learn that her artwork was accepted into the annual Society of Illustrators Student Competition Exhibit. The exhibit features the works of over two hundred top college-level illustration students chosen from more than 8,700 entries submitted by professors of college-level students nationwide. The opening reception was held on Friday, May 12, at the Society of Illustrators Museum in New York, N.Y.

A jury of professional peers including illustrators and art directors chose the most outstanding works created throughout the year. Pieces were accepted based on the quality of technique, concept and skill of medium used.

“I was very surprised and delighted to hear that my piece was chosen to be a part of the Society of Illustrators Student Competition Exhibit! I did not even know that my art was entered into the competition, but yes, “The Veldt” is the piece that got in. It is a book cover I created for a short story, of the same name, by Ray Bradbury. The story is about some spoiled kids, their parents and a virtual reality room. It is a great (and creepy) science fiction story, one of my favorites,” says Rosa.

NIU illustration Professor Todd Buck submitted Rosa’s work into the student exhibit and is delighted with her accomplishment.

“Blanca consistently came up with very original and creative imagery for projects, visually expressing complex ideas in unique and engaging ways. We are happy the Society of Illustrators has recognized her work as extraordinary. This is not an easy show to get into, as entries come from top art and design schools across the country,” he said.

Rosa received her A.A. degree from Elgin Community College and transferred to NIU. She says, “I transferred to NIU because it was exactly the type of illustration program I was looking for. There is freedom in the techniques, medium, and subject matter but an intense focus on conceptualizing and communicating. The fact that NIU is a public university and close to home just happened to be an extra benefit,” she explained.

The NIU illustration emphasis uses a combination of traditional and digital techniques.

“During my time at NIU, with the help of my professors, I was able to experiment with many different mediums and techniques and figure out what works for me. I like the feel of drawing and painting on paper by hand, but I also like the ease of coloring and adding textures with Adobe Photoshop, so I use both traditional and digital techniques.

“It is such an honor to have my illustration chosen to be a part of the Society of Illustrator’s Student Scholarship Competition Exhibit,” said Rosa. “I know that being a creative isn’t a walk in the park, and I still have quite a way to go, but being recognized by the Society of Illustrators is validating and tells me that I’m heading in the right direction.”

The Figure Skating Team took to the ice on Saturday, March 4, and Sunday, March 5, at the Skate-on-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Figure Skating Competition sanctioned by the U.S. Figure Skating Association and hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, placing eighth out of 18 teams.

All seven girls on the roster competed this spring. Christi Helm, a senior sociology major who is graduating this May, competed in the preliminary free skate event. Della Carlsen, a junior history major, and Stephanie Knoth, a freshman accountancy major, moved up a level and competed in the pre-juvenile free skate event. Caitlyn Lorr, a junior meteorology major, competed in the juvenile free skate event as a new member of the NIU Figure Skating Team. Haley Kootstra, a senior biological sciences major, who has been skating for fifteen years and was on the Chicagoland Ice Theatre team out of Crystal Lake for seven years, competed in the intermediate free skate event as a new member of the NIU Figure Skating Team as well. Ashley Grazutis, a junior double majoring in Spanish and middle level teaching and learning, who is currently the treasurer of the team, placed sixth in her junior short program but came back strong in the free skate to earn a second place finish.

“I always feel so proud to represent the Huskies in intercollegiate competitions. Every time I compete, I think of all the people at NIU who support me as well as proving wrong all those that have ever doubted me. I am looking forward to doing my Huskie family proud as a senior skater next year!” said Dana Sivak, a graduate student working toward her master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics. She is currently the president of the team and placed first in her senior short program.

As a team that is always pushing each other to improve their individual skating as well as their team results, NIU Figure Skating made a big push this competition to have more girls compete in the ice dance events. They are proud to have had four out of the seven girls competing in ice dance events along with their free skates. Carlson, Knoth and Sivak competed in the Preliminary Dance event. Grazutis and Sivak competed in the Juvenile Dance event. Sivak placed first in both the Preliminary Dance event and the Juvenile Dance event and Grazutis placed second.

Last, but not least, NIU Figure Skating also had all of their members compete in the low team or high team maneuvers events. Lorr, Helm, Carlsen, and Knoth competed in the low team maneuvers event and Grazutis, Sivak and Kootstra competed in the high team maneuvers event.

“As founder of this team, I am so proud of all our accomplishments to date as a newer sports club on campus. We continue to accomplish our goals and I am looking forward to seeing the growth of the team in years to come,” says Sivak.

For more information about the team or to join, contact Ashley Grazutis.

Every year, the NIU Alumni Association recognizes 10 alumni for their professional accomplishments. The 2017 alumni award recipients recognized at the Thursday, May 4, banquet were:

Frank M. Drendel, Distinguished Alumni Award
Chairman of the board and founder of CommScope Inc.
B.S. marketing, 1970

Ronald J. Modell, F.R. Geigle Service Award
World-class trumpeter and music educator
Former director, NIU Jazz Ensemble
B.A. and M.A., University of Tulsa

Mary P. Haynes, Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Academic success coach, College of Lake County
B.S. family and child studies, 2012
M.S.Ed. adult and higher education, 2014

Recipients of the Outstanding College Alumni Awards

Ann E. Rondeau, Ed.D., College of Education
President, College of DuPage
Vice admiral, U.S. Navy (retired)
Ed.D. adult and higher education, 2010

Robert H. Rothkopf, College of Business
Retired president and CEO, Semblex Corp.
B.S. management, 1967
M.S. management, 1973

Rebecca Downing Pelley, College of Visual and Performing Arts
Art Department chair, Boylan Catholic High School, Rockford
M.A. studio art/painting, 1980

Joyce Marie Barra, Ph.D., RN, College of Health and Human Sciences
Faculty, Weber State University
Owner, JMB Consulting
B.S. nursing, 1980

Heather Wier Vaught, College of Law
Special counsel to Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan
and the Democratic Caucus of the Illinois House of Representatives
Juris doctor, 2005

Daniel J. Bailey, College of Engineering and Engineering Technology
Supply chain analyst, Nestle USA
B.S. industrial engineering, 2005
M.S. industrial engineering, 2006

Jennifer Anne Weidman, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Managing director/CEO of Space Bangkok
B.A. Southeast Asian studies, 1999
M.A. anthropology, 2005

Visit the Alumni Association’s website to read about the strides that these alumni have made in their careers and their contributions to society.