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NIU Police Chief Tom Phillips

NIU Police Chief Tom Phillips

LEAD (Leaders in Ethics and Academic Discipline) will present a discussion with NIU Chief of Police Tom Phillips at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 13, in Barsema Hall 301.

Chief Phillips will discuss his views on ethics, police brutality and the problems arising with violence in today’s society.

This event is part of LEAD’s Huskie Ethical Awareness Talks (H.E.A.T.) LEAD is a component of the BELIEF Program within NIU’s College of Business and the student voice regarding the ethical needs, issues, and concerns of the students. This event is NIU Business Passport approved.

For more information,call (815) 753-7807.

Date posted: September 12, 2016 | Author: | Comments Off on LEAD event to feature discussion with NIU Police Chief Phillips

Categories: Events Students Uncategorized

Dr. T.J. Jourian

Dr. T.J. Jourian

Dr. T.J. Jourian will visit NIU at 12 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, to present “My masculinity is a little love poem to myself: Transmasculine college students’ conceptualizations of masculinity,” in Reavis Hall, Room 103.

During his presentation, Jourian will talk about the racialized, embodied and authentic pathways undertaken by transmasculine college students, with broad implications for intersectional gender justice work. Jourian’s talk will be based on research that he completed for his dissertation.

Jourian is a social justice activist and educator. He was a cast member of the 2005 documentary “TransGeneration.”

This is the first talk in the Center for the Study of Women, Gender & Sexuality’s 2016-2017 LGBT Studies Brownbag Lunch Series.

This event is free and open to all.

For more information, contact Rebekah Kohli at rkohli@niu.edu or 815-753-1044.

Jourian’s talk is sponsored by the Center for the Study of Women, Gender & Sexuality.

Date posted: September 12, 2016 | Author: | Comments Off on Visiting scholar to talk about transmasculinity Sept. 15

Categories: Events Faculty & Staff Homepage Students

The Latino Resource Center welcomed students to campus with their fall kick-off event, Latin Chill, on Friday, Sept. 2.

Representatives from each Latino student organization, as well as some NIU departments and DeKalb community members, were on hand to meet and greet students. This fun cultural event also featured ethnic food, upbeat music and dancing.

The event was co-sponsored by the NIU Student Association, the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies, and the Latino Resource Center.

 

 

Date posted: September 9, 2016 | Author: | Comments Off on Latin Chill celebrated by over 300 students

Categories: Events Homepage Students

asian-american-welcome-nightCome meet several Asian interest organizations and engage in various hands-on activities at Asian American Welcome Night, 5 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 13, at the Asian American Resource Center.

NIU alumnus and admissions counselor Lhee Santos will offer opening remarks stressing the link between campus engagement and student success. Students and student organizations will also be performing.

Invite all your friends to this fun event where you can learn about campus resources, meet up with friends, engage in activities and hang out. Light refreshments are donated by Chicago’s Thalia Spice- Asian Fusion Bistro & Bar (first-come, first serve).

This event is sponsored by the Asian American Resource Center and co-hosted by Chi Sigma Tau Fraternity and PLUSH!

The Asian American Resource Center is located at 429 Normal Road. For more information, please contact (815) 752-1167.

Date posted: September 9, 2016 | Author: | Comments Off on OHANA presents Asian American Welcome Night Sept. 13

Categories: Events Students What's Going On

chance-leadership-confLeadership conference scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 10

As part of their planned first-year engagement activities, the McKinley “Deacon” Davis CHANCE Program will host their seventh annual Transition Leadership Conference. This year’s theme will focus on career assessment, majors and academics.

Brian Pillsbury from Career Services, Dr. Rebeca Vaughn and Michele Duffy from College Learning Enhancement Program, James Huizenga from Wellness Promotion and Dominica Blalock from Kishwaukee Community College will facilitate sessions.

Sessions topics include “Common Approaches to Mathematics,” “Creating a Note-Taking Framework,” “Managing Stress,” “Time Management” and a student panel providing tips on negotiating NIU’s campus.

The conference runs from 1 to 5 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 10, in Cole Hall and DuSable Hall.

Date posted: September 8, 2016 | Author: | Comments Off on CHANCE freshmen make transitions

Categories: Events Students

There’s a lot of talk about personal pronouns these days: It’s all part of the larger conversation about gender identity. But some people can find it tricky to get pronouns right. So, how do you navigate this crucial communication decision?

We asked NIU students, and experts in linguistics as well as gender and sexuality, to explain how to navigate gender pronouns.

Date posted: September 8, 2016 | Author: | Comments Off on The importance of pronouns

Categories: Centerpiece Faculty & Staff Students

As the excitement and eventful days of a new academic year energize us, we continue our important work of Program Prioritization to align our mission with our resources to ensure a vibrant future for NIU.

While many conversations are ongoing, and critical decisions are still forthcoming, I’m pleased with the progress as we move forward.

Some positive changes already are under way.

For example, the Student Financial Aid Office and the Scholarship Office have combined to more efficiently and effectively help students manage the cost of education. This move gained momentum from the recommendations of the Administrative Task Force.

Meanwhile, four employees from Outreach Creative Services in the Division of Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development have brought their talents to the web and graphic design teams in the Division of Marketing and Communications, also recommended by the Administrative Task Force.

Program Prioritization also is influencing the end of NIU’s longtime “chargeback” system that moved money between campus units to pay for various services rendered.

The Division of Marketing and Communications already has terminated its chargebacks, a move recommended by the Administrative Task Force to encourage broader use of Creative Services and ensure more consistency in the presentation and use of NIU brand and design standards. Meanwhile, the Division of Information Technology recently began a multiyear phase-out of chargebacks for most central IT services.

Upcoming weeks will bring more “complex conversations” of this nature among discussion groups to envision clearer strategies and better ways to maximize our time, talents and finances.

Within the Division of Academic Affairs, each college is being asked to prioritize its faculty hiring requests so that searches can be conducted in FY17 and new faculty hires — aligned with Academic Task Force recommendations and the associated action plans — can join NIU in Fall 2017. We will begin in FY18 to link our multiyear budgets to the outcomes of Program Prioritization. Accordingly, we will authorize limited faculty searches this year amid the challenging and uncertain fiscal climate in Illinois.

Our current FY17 state appropriation is $48.3 million and was passed as a half-year budget. This follows a state appropriation of $28 million in FY16, while we received $91.1 million in FY15. Given the uncertainty of the availability of funds to hire, we must budget wisely and prioritize our hiring.

A strong foundation of tenure-track faculty is necessary to create and sustain outstanding academic programs that attract and retain motivated students from diverse backgrounds and allow us to effectively fulfill our research and artistry missions. We value the opportunity to search for tenure-track faculty in FY17, and look forward to searching for staff members in priority areas as we continue to align the outcomes of Program Prioritization with multiyear university budgets.

Going forward toward the release of our substantive report later this fall, NIU Today will post regular updates regarding Program Prioritization progress.

I also will host a Town Hall meeting at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, in the Regency Room of the Holmes Student Center to discuss this and other topics further. Please join us — or watch online — to learn more and to ask questions about this vital initiative.

Needless to say, I deeply appreciate your hard work to reshape and improve the university in our challenging environment. NIU will emerge stronger from what we are undertaking.

Date posted: September 2, 2016 | Author: | Comments Off on Baker Report: Program Prioritization Progress

Categories: Faculty & Staff Homepage Students

sos-licenseNIU students, faculty, staff and local residents can renew driver’s licenses and state IDs, purchase annual vehicle license plate stickers, register as organ and tissue donors or conduct other transactions on campus at a mobile office of the Illinois Secretary of State.

In addition, NIU collegiate license plates will be available for purchase. Sales help to support NIU scholarship funds.

The mobile office will visit campus from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19, in the lower level of the Holmes Student Center. The mobile office also will return to campus on Monday, Oct. 17, and Monday, Nov. 21, 2016.

Acceptable forms of payment include personal checks, cash, MasterCard, American Express and Discover credit and debit cards. Other services available include vehicle title registration and parking placards for persons with disabilities.

A complete list of acceptable forms of identification is online.

Date posted: September 2, 2016 | Author: | Comments Off on Secretary of State’s office returns to NIU Sept. 19

Categories: Events Faculty & Staff Homepage Students

15-Unity_Walk-1003-WD-275Members of the NIU and DeKalb communities are walking together for positive change for the third consecutive year.

The walk will leave from the MLK Commons, 6 p.m., Sept. 14. All are welcome to join organizations from across NIU and the DeKalb community who are sponsoring this event including: Black Student Union, City of DeKalb, DeKalb Police, NAACP NIU, NIU Police, NIU Student Association, New Hope Baptist Church, Office of Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Student Affairs & Enrollment Management.

“This march brings people together – all voices in solidarity and unity to show that we all want the same thing: peace and unity in all our groups,” said NIU Chief of Police Thomas R. Phillips.

Phillips said the march began three years ago after the events in Ferguson, Mo. Sensing tensions were high, Phillips, along with DeKalb Police Chief Gene Lowery, and New Hope Baptist Church Pastor Joseph Mitchell created the Unity March to bring the university and DeKalb communities together. In the second year, NIU senior leadership became involved, expanding the march.

Map of Unity Walk route

Map of Unity Walk route

This year the march will begin with brief remarks from NIU President Doug Baker and Provost Lisa Freeman, NAACP NIU President Amirius Clinton and DeKalb Mayor Rey. The walk will leave from MLK Commons and go up Normal Drive to Lucinda through Greenbriar and back to MLK Commons.

Immediately following the march at 7 p.m. everyone is encouraged to join a skill-building workshop on civil discourse at the Holmes Student Center, Regency Room. Phillips said one of the goals for the workshop is to discuss how to proceed with future Diversity Dialogues and determine what are the important conversations the community needs to have.

Clinton, a senior political science major, said he is hoping the march will be a sign of unity and relationship building among student organizations.

“I would like this to be a promising year for all students, and for African-American, White, Hispanic – all student leaders on campus — to get to know one another,” Clinton said.

Parking is free and open to the public in the parking garage and the visitor’s lot on Carroll Ave and. To request disability-related accommodations, please contact Kelly Wesener-Michael at 815-753-6100. Advance notice is appreciated.

For more information call 815-753-9400 or email ewright@niu.edu.

Date posted: September 1, 2016 | Author: | Comments Off on Unity March steps off for third year

Categories: Events Faculty & Staff Homepage Students

MBA_Tier1The NIU College of Business MBA program is ranked in the top tier of CEO Magazine’s Global MBA Rankings (2016), which showcases schools that deliver exceptional quality along with great ROI. Both the evening MBA and the EMBA formats appear in the top tier of their respective categories.

“We are particularly proud of making this ranking because the survey methodology reflects our internal philosophy and ongoing commitment to our students,” said Balaji Rajagopalan, dean of the College of Business. “This particular ranking examines components of the overall MBA academic learning experience, the engagement of program participants, the program culture and how all those elements combined create a powerful impact on the return on investment for our graduates.”

CEO Magazine categorizes ranked schools by tier as opposed to ranking number position, which means that NIU’s MBA program provides as outstanding a return on investment as any of the schools to make the tier short-list.

Date posted: September 1, 2016 | Author: | Comments Off on MBA program ranked in top tier by CEO Magazine

Categories: Business Centerpiece Faculty & Staff Students

Truth: Stuff happens no matter where you live.

What’s different about NIU and your hometown, however, is that we’re going to tell you about these incidents as quickly as possible.

Safety bulletins from NIU proactively inform you about crimes that recently occurred on or near campus so you can take the appropriate precautions. They also work to prevent similar crimes and assist us in identifying offenders.

Our reasons are simple.

For one, it’s required by law. More importantly, we care deeply about the safety of everyone in the university community, including students, faculty, staff and our neighbors in DeKalb. At the same time, we believe in exercising an abundance of caution.

NIU Police Chief Tom Phillips considers the safety of everyone “the top priority” for the NIU Department of Police and Public Safety, which also offers community safety services and safety education opportunities.

“When serious incidents or emergencies occur, we want to ensure our community is informed and provided directions on ensuring their safety. To accomplish this task, we use our Safety Bulletin system to ‘warn’ our community about recent crimes and ‘alert’ our community about emergencies,” Phillips says.

“We take each incident seriously,” the chief adds. “Each report is evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine if a warning or alert is warranted and, if so, the best method of delivery to our community, whether it’s an email, text message, post to the website or social media.”

Meanwhile, the university has launched a downloadable app to receive these types of notifications.  Only users with an NIU login ID and password can enable notifications through the app, which can be configured to sound an audible tone and display the notification when a safety bulletin is issued.

Because everyone has a role to play in the safety and security of the university community, it’s important to read messages that are sent and do as instructed.

Here’s a quick guide of our three types of safety communications.

  • Emergency Alerts are initiated upon confirmation that an emergency is currently occurring, or is imminently threatening people on campus. We want to notify as many people as possible, and as rapidly as possible, of dangerous situations with instructions and follow-up information as needed.
  • Timely Warnings are initiated when certain serious crimes occur on or near campus; these could include a series of burglaries, a recent robbery or others that meet the reporting requirements of the Clery Act. Because these pose no immediate threat, NIU Police use timely warning to advise community members of precautionary measures and to seek information on these crimes. Not all crimes rise to this level.
  • Community Awareness Bulletins disseminate information in the interest of community well-being. Their information on health and safety issues – crime prevention, traffic and weather information, for example – allows people to make informed decisions.

“Our notification system integrates with social media,” Phillips says, “but it is important to distinguish that the warnings and alerts are not intended to provide ‘breaking news.’ Rather, our mission is to warn you about serious situations and provide guidance on what steps you can take to protect yourself.”

To receive text messages for emergency alerts, make sure your mobile phone number is in our system by visiting http://www.niu.edu/emergencyinfo/register/index.shtml.

Date posted: August 31, 2016 | Author: | Comments Off on Safety first: Keep safe, stay informed

Categories: Centerpiece Faculty & Staff Students

contractbridge app screen captureThe university’s newly-upgraded emergency notification system offers a new method for receiving campus safety bulletins: a mobile app. This option is available to students and employees and provides an additional channel through which crime and safety-related information can be shared with the campus community.

Only users with an NIU login ID and password can enable notifications through the app.

Current students and employees are encouraged to down the ContactBridge app from the Apple Store or Google Play, and then complete the following steps:

  • Open app and choose: Enable Single Sign-On
  • Enter the following in the Single Sign-on Key Phrase: NIUHuskies16
  • Press continue
  • Use your NIU credentials to sign in
  • Choose share my location and allow push notifications
  • Press Done

In the event that a safety bulletin is issued, the app can be configured to sound an audible tone and display the notification.

Safety bulletins from NIU proactively inform you about crimes that recently occurred on or near campus so you can take the appropriate precautions. They also work to prevent similar crimes and assist the Department of Police and Public Safety in identifying offenders.

If you experience problems logging into the app, please contact the DoIT ServiceDesk at (815) 753-8100.

Date posted: August 22, 2016 | Author: | Comments Off on Mobile app debuts for emergency notifications

Categories: Faculty & Staff Homepage Students