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The Supportive Professional Staff Council (SPSC) is requesting nominations for five Supportive Professional Staff awards. This award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the university in special fields of expertise. All supportive professional staff are eligible, provided they are at least 50 percent time and do not hold rank or tenure. An individual can only receive each award once and must be employed as SPS at NIU at the time of the nomination as well as when the award is given in the spring. Each recipient will receive a plaque in recognition of their accomplishments.

The nominator can nominate SPS staff for one of the following staff awards:

  • The Supportive Professional Staff Award for Advocacy – The recipient of this award will have demonstrated that they have advocated for policies and practices that have created a positive living and learning environment for students, faculty and/or staff.
  • The Supportive Professional Staff Award for Cultural Competency – The recipient of this award will have demonstrated leadership in creating a more culturally competent and diverse community at NIU.
  • The Supportive Professional Staff Award for Excellence in Supervision – The recipient of this award will have demonstrated outstanding leadership and ethical practices when supervising professional and student staff.
  • The Supportive Professional Staff Award for Institutional Advancement – The recipient of this award will have demonstrated leadership in activities, programs and/or research that has helped to advance their department and the university.
  • The Supportive Professional Staff Award for Partnership & Collaboration – The recipient of this award will have demonstrated a willingness to partner, cooperate and collaborate for the betterment of the NIU community. The recipient may be an individual or a group such as an office, department or unit and is not limited to persons classified as supportive professional staff.

The nominator is asked to explain how the nominee for the selected award meets the award criteria in a letter addressed to the SPSC Awards Committee. The nominator must submit a nomination form, nomination letter and one letter of support. All nominations must include the name, title and department of both the nominator and the nominee. Awards will be announced in March and presented in April.

The nomination form, nomination letter and the letter of support should be sent via campus mail, faxed or delivered to Dana Gautcher in the Office of Student Academic Success and must be received by 4:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 27. There will be no extensions of the deadline. For more information, contact Dana Gautcher at 815-753-4357 or dana@niu.edu or Linda Watson at 815-753-1797 or lwatson@niu.edu.

 

Date posted: February 9, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on SPS Staff Awards call for nominations

Categories: Faculty & Staff Homepage

Being a successful employee or student may require a little extra support, especially if you have a disability. There should be no shame in requesting assistance that helps you to succeed. NIU offers many resources to employees and students with qualified disabilities to provide reasonable accommodations, equitable access, modifications or adjustments as determined necessary. On Monday, Feb. 13, “I Can Do It! I’m Just Differently-Abled” will be presented from 3- 5 p.m. in Campus Life 100. This session will highlight those resources and explain the processes involved in requesting services.

If you require special accommodations or arrangements in order to attend this session, please contact aaec_training@niu.edu or 815-753-6540.

This event is sponsored by Affirmative Action & Equity Compliance, Disability Resource Center and the Student Association.

There will be two presenters for this event. Susan A. Swegle, M.S., SPHR, SHRM-SCP is the assistant director of training and outreach at NIU Affirmative Action & Equity Compliance. Swegle has a vast background in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and making situations work for both the employee and the employer. She has developed strategies to work through the many changes in employment law, policies and procedures, and to develop informative training sessions to assist management and employees with these necessary transformations. She is a dynamic and entertaining trainer who is able to inform and enlighten the attendee while still making serious topics interesting and a little fun. She specializes in AAEC New Employee Orientation, Title IX and Non-Discrimination, and ADA training.

Debra A. Miller, M.A., CRC is the director of the Disability Resource Center and an adjunct professor in the School of Allied Health and Communicative Disorders. She is a certified rehabilitation counselor and a licensed teacher of the visually impaired. Miller worked at Anixter Center in Chicago for many years as a program manager, serving transitioning youth and adults with disabilities. She was recruited for the district vocational evaluator position at the Maine Township High Schools and after five years moved to DeKalb. She has been at NIU since 2009 and with the Disability Resource Center since July 2015. Miller says the best part of her job is collaborating with staff, students, parents and faculty to assist students registered with the DRC toward equitable access to everything that NIU has to offer.

Date posted: February 8, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Program explores resources for students and employees with disabilities

Categories: Faculty & Staff Homepage Students

NIU and the National University of Tainan (NUTN – Taiwan) expect to launch a program articulation agreement this fall or next spring.

Students who participate in the program will earn two master’s degrees in educational research assessment – one from NIU and one from NUTN – as well as an immersion in a foreign culture that improves their marketability.

Matching NIU courses directly to corresponding NUTN courses is the next step before finalizing the curriculum and signing a Memorandum of Agreement, says Wei-Chen Hung, chair of the Department of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment.

“The program will take two years – 33 to 36 credit hours,” Hung says. “Students will either start at NIU one year and go the NUTN for the second year, or vice versa.”

Hung already knows many NIU College of Education students who are excited about the program.

“International experience is one reason why,” Hung says. “Second, is the opportunity to get involved with different types of research projects and also having the opportunity to understand the system in Taiwan. This broadens the scope in terms of education and in research assessment.”

The two universities became sister schools about five years ago. Discussions began then about a 1+1 program articulation at that time, Hung says, but an agreement never materialized.

After a new NUTN president took office last year, however, talks resumed.

Last November’s trip to Taiwan, which included Dean Laurie Elish-Piper and Associate Dean David Walker in the delegation, further fueled the conversations.

Some of the newest faculty at NUTN hold degrees from U.S. universities, Elish-Piper says, and speak English: “They get us,” she says.

“We both agreed we want to do something like this. Tainan has a strong education department. Every course they offer, we offer too,” Hung says. “What makes this beneficial is that we can show that the students had been working with diverse classmates and faculty, and we can broaden the scope of our program.”

Doing so underlines the college’s value of inclusion; the NIU College of Education cultivates a diverse learning community of people, ideas and points of view in which all can learn and grow.

“This unique 1+1 double-degree initiative is curricular innovation that we are employing to enhance one of our college priorities of intentional growth,” Walker said.

Meanwhile, double-degrees are not uncommon at NIU.

Business students, for example, can enroll in the Fast-Trak MBA Program to earn master’s degrees in international management. Students spend two three-week sessions at either the Bordeaux University School of Management in France or the ENAE School of Business in Murcia, Spain.

Graduate students in public administration can pursue double degrees through an agreement with the School of Public Administration and Policy, part of Renmin University of China.

Terry Borg, director of the NIU College of Education’s Office of External and Global Programs, envisions that list growing longer in the college. “We’ve opened the door,” Borg says.

For more information, contact the College of Education at 815-753-9339 or etra@niu.edu.

Date posted: February 8, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on College of Ed working to offer ‘double-degrees’

Categories: Education Faculty & Staff Students

On Friday, Feb. 17, the Division of Research and Innovation Partnerships Principle Investigator (PI) Academy Professional Development Series will hold a session titled Doing a Good Thing Well: Research Integrity, Compliance and Safety from 2 – 4 p.m. in Altgeld 315.

The session provides an overview of common compliance issues investigators face. These include navigating the requirements of human subject research and parallel requirements with animal research and biohazardous materials.

The session will also review the roles and responsibilities of the IRB, IACUC and IBC committees, as well as the responsible conduct of research, export controls, conflicts of interests, data management, unmanned air vehicles and laboratory safety.

Because space is limited, reserve your spot by contacting sromero1@niu.edu by Wednesday, Feb. 15.

Date posted: February 8, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on RIPs hosts PI Academy professional development series

Categories: Faculty & Staff Homepage

A memorial service will be held for Thomas Sims, a veteran professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Biological Sciences, at 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 18, at Boutell Memorial Concert Hall in the Music Building.

Sims, 64, succumbed Nov. 20 to cancer, a disease he battled for more than two years while continuing to mentor NIU students. A full story on Sims’ long career at NIU appeared earlier in NIU Today.

Date posted: February 8, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Memorial Service for Professor Thomas Sims

Categories: Community Faculty & Staff Homepage Students

The IDEAL-NIU Intrapreneurship Program is perfect for students looking for real-world experience.

IDEAL Industries CEO Jim James will share program details and free pizza with interested students from 5 – 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, in the Engineering Building room 354.

Ambitious students from engineering, business, kinesiology, design, public policy, communication studies, the sciences and more will play a role in researching markets, developing products and building a business plan. Successful students will have a shot at paid internships while they are in school and job offers from IDEAL upon graduation, giving them a chance to put their plan into action.

The ideal individual applicants will be:

  • Entering their junior or senior year this fall
  • Hard working, dedicated and mature
  • Passionate about the opportunity to have a positive real-world impact
  • Team players and excellent communicators
  • Capable of successfully managing competing demands on their time
  • Creative and open minded

Students can contact ideal@niu.edu for more information or can apply at go.niu.edu/idealapplication. Applications will be accepted through Feb. 27.

Date posted: February 8, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Local, real-world experience for students through ‘intrapreneurship’

Categories: Centerpiece Faculty & Staff Students

The NIU-HC Global Internship and Leadership Development Program is an immersive cultural experience for students who want to contribute to the social sector and grow professionally. Students travel to Mexico to engage in economic and community development while gaining work experience and leadership skills. The program was born from the experiences of eight NIU students and their desire to ensure other students would be able to engage in similar experiences and share in the legacy.

The Office of Student Engagement and Experiential Learning and Human Connections will host an information session for those interested in learning more about this opportunity from noon to 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, in the Lincoln Room of the Holmes Student Center.

Can’t make it? Don’t worry! The session will be broadcast via Facebook Live through the page of the NIU Office of Student Engagement and Experiential Learning.

The program is broken into two components: a three-week hands-on internship with Human Connections and an intensive leadership workshop hosted by Entreamigos. Students with an interest in education and outreach, research and marketing, business and innovation or nonprofit management are encouraged to apply. Applications will be accepted until March 1 for the program beginning in May.

Date posted: February 8, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Learn about global internship and leadership program

Categories: Homepage Students

The NIU Green Team is made up of environmentally-minded students, faculty and staff who are implementing and introducing new policies and programs to reduce NIU’s environmental impact.

The goal of the Green Team is to find cost-effective ways to lower NIU’s carbon footprint and improve sustainability. At meetings held every other month, members of the Green Team highlight progress throughout NIU’s campus and discuss new programs to consider.

The Green Team partnered with Campus Mail Services to increase the amount of recycling on campus by collecting pens and other recyclable office supplies. The Green Team is also partnering with the Student Association Director of Environmental Affairs to encourage departments on campus to lower their energy consumption through participation in the Green Office Initiative.

The Green Team continues to research new ways to foster sustainability on campus. Its current focus is on developing a sustainability plan to guide university decisions in an environmentally-minded direction.

By finding simple changes, the Green Team hopes to increase environmentally-friendly behaviors while reducing NIU’s waste, lowering the university’s consumption of resources and saving the university money.

For more information on the Green Team or their meeting times, email greenteam@niu.edu or visit www.niu.edu/sustainability/about/green-team. The team next meets on Wednesday, April 5.

Date posted: February 8, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on NIU Green Team promotes sustainability on campus

Categories: Centerpiece Community Faculty & Staff Students

NIU’s Administrative Professionals Advisory Council is accepting nominations for the 2017 Patricia S. Siebrasse Administrative Professionals Award for Excellence.

The award recognizes the outstanding performance of an administrative professional at NIU who demonstrates continued commitment to their field, operational efficiency within their organization and provides meaningful contributions to NIU.

Those employed at NIU 15 consecutive years or more and currently serving within the following Civil Service classifications are eligible: clerical assistant, clerk, chief clerk, staff clerk, administrative clerk, office support associate, office support specialist, office manager, office administrator, program administrative assistant, administrative aide, administrative assistant, administrative assistant II and executive assistant.

The award is named for Patricia S. Siebrasse, a retired employee who served NIU for 50 years as an administrative professional. She was a valuable member of the Administrative Professionals Advisory Council since its inception in 1995.

The recipient will receive a plaque presented during Administrative Professionals Week in April.

Nomination information is available online. Nominations are due by Friday, March 3, via email at apac@niu.edu or via campus mail to LEPF Department, GH 223, RE: Patricia Siebrasse Award.

For more information email apac@niu.edu.

Date posted: February 7, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Nominations invited for administrative professionals award

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Kimberly Hart

The Gender & Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC) invites the campus community to attend the Men’s Advisory Network on Wednesday, Feb. 8, and the Research Roundtable on Friday, Feb. 10.

The Men’s Advisory Network was developed to inform the GSRC on the needs of NIU students and ways in which the center can be a supportive resource for them. The meeting is gender specific, which allows staff to capture and focus on the needs of male students on campus. This meeting will take place once this semester, from noon to 1 p.m., Feb. 8, in the Glass Gallery of the Holmes Student Center. 

The first Research Roundtable will be held on Feb. 10 in the Heritage Room of the Holmes Student Center from noon to 1 p.m. This roundtable is an opportunity to hear about research from the vast number of professionals, professors and doctoral students across campus through a gender equity and social justice lens. The goal is to have students engage and network with staff, faculty and professionals about their research findings to enhance students’ personal and professional development.

Kimberly Hart, doctoral candidate and NIU’s Community Counseling Training Center and Field-Based Experiences director, will share her research on “Multicultural Inclusion in Professional Counseling: Mixed Methods Approach.”

In an effort to ensure the proper amount of seating, please RSVP via gsrc@niu.edu or at 815-753-4772 on or before Feb. 8. Call 815-753-4772 with any questions. Please share with your classmates, roommates and campus constituents and invite them to be part of the discussions this week.

Date posted: February 7, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on GSRC invites campus to February discussions

Categories: Faculty & Staff Homepage Students

Procurement Services and Accounts Payable Services authorize limited authority to faculty and staff to acquire routine products and services without the use of a standard purchase order (PO), generated by a purchase requisition. Requesters must obtain all necessary approvals for the purchase from a cost center signatory. The approvals must be included with either of the two allowed methods of payment when purchasing without a purchase order: procurement card (p-card) or check request.

Procurement card purchases are subject to restrictions that apply per the Procurement Card/Declining Balance card manualInquiries should be made to Procurement Services when employees are uncertain if a purchase qualifies under this procedure.

Without a purchase order, either the p-card or the check request form must be used to pay vendors if all of the following requirements are met: a single expenditure must be $2,500 or less, related expenditures/payments cannot exceed $5,000 per year (i.e., quarterly subscription payments, monthly fees) and there’s no requirement for a two-party signed agreement. Expenditures may be for any goods or services that meet these requirements. 

Business expense reimbursements are submitted on the check request form if the above requirements are met AND the p-card or requisition could not be used, subject to the policy.  (Reimbursable Business Expense Procedure 4-14).   

Any purchase not fitting the above requirements must be submitted on a purchase requisition and follow University Procurement Policy and the Illinois Procurement Code.

Date posted: February 7, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on How to pay for items and services without a purchase order 

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Are you an involved student leader? Do you believe you should be recognized for all you do as a leader at NIU? If so, consider applying for a Kevin D. Knight Leadership Award. The Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, Student Involvement and Leadership Development, Orientation and Family Connections, Career Services and the University Women’s Club are offering students the opportunity to be recognized for their leadership and involvement at NIU. Institutional tuition waivers and leadership awards for freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students are just a few of the awards available. Outstanding student organizations and student organization advisors also have the opportunity to be nominated and recognized. Award winners will be formally recognized at the Kevin D. Knight Leadership Awards Ceremony on Sunday, April 30. 

Please visit Student Involvement and Leadership Development’s Leadership Awards to learn more about the application process for each award and to access the link to each award’s online application. All applications and materials must be submitted by Monday, Feb. 13, at 11:45 p.m.

Kevin D. Knight was an NIU alumnus who embodied what it means to be a student leader. He was an exemplary leader, serving NIU as a catalyst for positive change and as a role model for up-and-coming student leaders to follow. Kevin used his time at NIU well, dedicating himself to the betterment of campus life for all students. He worked hard in various leadership positions while receiving numerous awards and recognition for his work. It is in the hearts of the students who knew him that his memory and his efforts carry on. For this purpose, the Kevin D. Knight Leadership Awards honor one of NIU’s great student leaders. 

Please contact Leadership and Student Organizational Services in Student Involvement and Leadership Development at leadership@niu.edu or 815-753-6707 with any questions.

Date posted: February 7, 2017 | Author: | Comments Off on Kevin D. Knight Leadership Award application deadline approaching

Categories: Homepage Students