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As 2012 draws to a close, NIU Today is offering a look back at 25 of the top stories from the year.

No. 5

The U.S. News and World Report college rankings held good news for Northern Illinois University this year, climbing to 189, out of more than 1,500 schools considered for ranking. NIU climbed to number 108 among public universities in the rankings.EDU-College-Rankings_Widget_400x278_college-hp400x278

NIU garnered recognition as a Best Undergraduate Engineering Program, ranking No. 69 in the nation, as well as a Best Undergraduate Business Program with a 166 ranking. High school counselors are becoming more keenly aware of the quality of education and learning environment NIU delivers to its students, which is reflected in the significant 48 point improvement in high school counselor rankings to 183.

The complete story can be found here.

Date posted: December 26, 2012 | Author: | Comments Off on Top 25 of 2012: NIU rises in U.S. News rankings

Categories: Campus Highlights Faculty & Staff On Campus

As 2012 draws to a close, NIU Today is offering a look back at 25 of the top stories from the year.

No. 6

Northern Illinois University welcomed its largest freshman class in several years, up 2.9 percent compared to 2011to 2,664.

NIU has released Fall 2010 enrollment numbers.

NIU has released Fall 2010 enrollment numbers.

Just as important as the number of new students enrolled was the academic profile of the incoming class. The percentage of students graduating in the top 10 percent of their high school rose from 8.9 percent in 2011 to just over 11 percent this year. The number of students graduating in the top 25th percentile fo their high school class jumped to 32.7 percent (up more than 3 percent) and the mean GPA climbed half a point to 3.11.

More details on this year’s freshman class can be found here.

Date posted: December 25, 2012 | Author: | Comments Off on Top 25 of 2012: Freshman class improves in number, quality

Categories: Campus Highlights Faculty & Staff On Campus

Matt Streb

Matt Streb

The National Football Foundation (NFF) today announced the names of the 15 faculty athletics representatives who will be honored as part of the 2012 NFF Faculty Salute Initiative, including Matt Streb of Northern Illinois University.

The award, sponsored by Fidelity Investments, honors the significant contributions of faculty athletics representatives across the nation.

“For more than 150 years, faculty athletics representatives have played a critical role in the overall educational experience of our country’s student-athletes,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “We are proud to join with Fidelity to highlight their contributions and pivotal support in ensuring that our nation’s student-athletes succeed on and off the field.”

For 2012, the NFF will recognize the faculty athletics representatives from each of the 15 schools with a 2012 NFF National Scholar-Athlete. The Northern Illinois University player on that list is defensive tackle Nabal Jefferson, who has a 3.78 GPA in NIU’s highly regarded accountancy program, which is currently ranked 26th in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.

Streb, who is chair of NIU’s Department of Political Science, began serving as the university’s faculty athletics representative this year.

“This really is Nabal’s honor. He is a tremendous student athlete and a credit to the institution. Credit should also go to Associate Athletics Director for Communications Donna Turner and her staff for compiling Nabal’s nomination packet, which led to these honors,” Streb said. “I think Nabal’s honor is a tremendous example of how members of our football team excel not only on the field, but also in the classroom.”

Others receiving the award (with the names of the scholar-athletes in parentheses) are:

  • Baylor University, Mike Rogers (Nick Florence, QB, 3.79 GPA)
  • Duke University, Martha Putallaz (Sean Renfree, QB, 3.40 GPA)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Hank Smith (Ethan Peterson, OL, 3.83 GPA)
  • Northwestern University, Robert Gundlach (Patrick Ward, OT, 3.94 GPA)
  • Robert Morris University, Scott Branvold (Nolan Nearhoof, DE, 3.73 GPA)
  • Saint Xavier University (Ill.), Barbara Becker (Shane Zackery, WR, 3.71 GPA)
  • Syracuse University, Mike Wasylenko (Ryan Nassib, QB, 3.57 GPA)
  • Texas Tech University, Brian Shannon (Cody Davis, S, 3.70 GPA)
  • University of Alabama, Kevin Whitaker (Barrett Jones, C, 4.00 GPA)
  • University of Mount Union (Ohio), Scott Mason (Nick Driskill, S, 3.77 GPA)
  • University of Nebraska, Josephine Potuto (Rex Burkhead, RB, 3.43 GPA)
  • University of Notre Dame, Patricia Bellia (Manti Te’o, LB, 3.32 GPA)
  • University of Southern California, Clare Pastore (Matt Barkley, QB, 3.21 GPA)
Date posted: December 20, 2012 | Author: | Comments Off on Streb honored for work with student athletes

Categories: Awards Latest News

Photo of a snow-covered evergreen outside Altgeld HallWith the first snowfall of the season predicted for Thursday, university employees and students are reminded that there are numerous ways to check if the weather has forced the university to cancel classes or close campuses.

The quickest way is the university’s Winter Weather Information web page, which can be reached  by clicking on the snowflake on the NIU Homepage (www.niu.edu) or directly, by visiting www.niu.edu/weather.

The Winter Weather Information page includes information regarding the university status, as well as links to the National Weather Service for Winter Weather Advisories, Watches and Warnings.

In the event of Winter Weather Warning, the snowflake on the NIU Home Page will change to include the word “Warning.” Clicking on the snowflake icon will again take you to the NIU Winter Weather Information page, which will include detailed information regarding the operational status of all university campus locations.

Whenever classes are canceled or a campus is closed, specific notices also will be posted to:

Students and employees will be notified via their official NIU email address of campus-wide class cancellations, delayed start times, and/or emergency closures at the DeKalb campus or other campus locations (NIU Hoffman Estates, NIU Naperville, or NIU Rockford). Students and employees who have provided a mobile phone number in MyNIU also will receive closure information via text message to that number.

For the latest NIU Winter Weather Status information, employees and students also can call the NIU Toll-Free Weather Status Hotline. Local residents can call (815) 753-0215, while long distance callers can call toll free at 1-888-4NIU-OPEN (1-888-464-8673)

 

 

Date posted: December 19, 2012 | Author: | Comments Off on Weather closing info at your fingertips

Categories: Communiversity Faculty & Staff Latest News

medical-symbol_thumb.jpgUniversity employees and annuitants currently enrolled in the Health Alliance Illinois insurance plan must select a new insurance carrier by Jan. 31.

Among the options available is Health Alliance HMO, a plan that is almost identical to one being eliminated – including health care providers, prescription drug plans, etc. The only substantive difference is that this plan will be a few dollars cheaper.

Health Alliance HMO has actually been available in other areas of the state for several years, but did not service DeKalb County. Effective Feb. 1, 2013, Health Alliance HMO will be available in DeKalb County. Representatives from Human Resource Services have secured commitments from major local providers to accept the plan starting Feb. 1.

“We are happy to announce that DeKalb Clinic is part of the Health Allliance HMO,” said Alice Freier, the administrator of the clinic. “We anticipate a seamless transition for our NIU patients, other than their need to present the new insurance card. We look forward to serving the NIU community.”

Officials at Kishwaukee Community Hospital said that they also are excited to accept the plan.

“We will be in network on this plan, so there will be no issues for NIU employees wishing to obtain health care from our system,” said Joe Dant, vice president of business development for KishHealth System. “There should be a seamless transition for those who already use our services, and we look forward to serving any new patients that this change may bring our way.”

The Health Alliance plan being eliminated was offered only on an interim/emergency basis while the state and the insurance company worked out issues dating back to the summer of 2011 when the State of Illinois tried to drop Health Alliance as a vendor.

Employees affected by this change will receive a memo from Human Resources Services explaining the change and what they must do. Human Resource Services also will hold meetings in early January where employees can learn about available insurance options and ask questions. Affected employees also will receive a letter from Central Management Services announcing the change and explaining how to enroll in a new plan.

To avoid any gaps in service, Human Resource Services is urging employees to make a selection prior to the Jan. 31 deadline, ideally no later than Jan. 25.

Employees not enrolled in the existing Health Alliance Illinois HMO do not need to make any changes to their insurance plans at this time.

For more information, contact Human Resource Services at (815) 753-6000.

Date posted: December 17, 2012 | Author: | Comments Off on Some might need to pick new insurance

Categories: Faculty & Staff On Campus What's Going On

Lt. Darren Mitchell

Lt. Darren Mitchell

Northern Illinois University’s Acting Director of Public Safety Bill Nicklas today announced that Darren Mitchell will serve as acting police chief in order to ensure a smooth transition in providing law enforcement service to the campus community.

Mitchell has been employed at NIU since 1994 and has served as a sworn officer on the NIU police force since 2000, most recently as deputy chief of police and executive director of the Office of Emergency Management and Planning.

“I have every confidence that Darren will perform well in this role of acting police chief,” Nicklas said. “Right now the goal is to maintain continuity of operations within the police department to ensure the department continues to serve and protect the campus community.”

Mitchell is a certified emergency medical technician (EMT) and hazardous materials technician (HAZMAT) and has served as a part of the Critical Incidence Response Team, Interpersonal Violence Response Team and Honor Guard.

Mitchell and his spouse, Melody Mitchell, are both NIU graduates and employed at the university.  Melody serves as director of alumni events and public relations for NIU’s College of Law They are active in the university and local communities, including their faith community.

On Nov. 10, Chief Donald Grady was placed on administrative leave pending finalization of charges and disciplinary actions under the terms and conditions of his employment as well as university policies. Additionally, Lt. Kartik Ramakrishnan was notified of the university’s intent to discharge him in accordance with procedures outlined in the State Universities Civil Service System’s (SUCSS) statutes and rules.

Nicklas will address NIU’s Student Association Senate at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Holmes Student Center Sky Room to discuss the recent actions involving the NIU Department of Police and Public Safety.

Date posted: November 11, 2012 | Author: | Comments Off on NIU tabs Mitchell as acting police chief

Categories: Latest News

Jim Young

Jim Young

Jim Young, chair of the Department of Accountancy in the NIU College of Business, has been appointed to the Pathways Advisory Commission of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants/American Accounting Association.

The commission is charged with studying the future structure of accounting education and developing recommendations for how the field can engage and retain the strongest students, academics and practitioners.

In particular, Young has been asked to lead efforts to create mechanisms for collecting, analyzing and disseminating information about current and future markets for accounting professionals and accounting faculty.

Young, who is the Crowe Horwath Professor of Accountancy at NIU, was also recently named the 2012 Outstanding Accounting Educator by the Illinois CPA Society.

He is the current president of the American Accounting Association’s Accounting Programs Leadership Group (APLG), serves on the Accounting Accreditation Committee of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and is a member of ICPAS, the AICPA and the Illinois Board of Examiners Education Advisory Task Force.

Date posted: November 5, 2012 | Author: | Comments Off on Young tapped for education advisory group

Categories: Business

NIU President John G. Peters

NIU President John G. Peters

Northern Illinois University President John G. Peters issued a statement Friday, offering condolences to the family and friends of freshman David Bogenberger:

Our thoughts and prayers are with David’s family and friends as they cope with this difficult loss. Please know that your grief is shared collectively by the NIU community.

Meetings have been held during the day with student leaders and student organizations, and the NIU Counseling and Student Development Center is providing support services to friends, acquaintances and others who may be affected by David’s passing.

The university will work with the DeKalb Police Department and the DeKalb County Coroner in their continuing investigations.

While we attend to those most affected by this tragic event, I ask that we all keep David’s family and friends in our prayers. 

John G. Peters
President

Date posted: November 2, 2012 | Author: | Comments Off on Campus saddened by student death

Categories: Latest News

The ENAE Business School in Murcia, SpainBusiness moves faster and blurs borders now more than at any time in history.

To keep pace, companies are looking for employees who bring a unique set of skills to the workplace, one that Northern Illinois University College of Business Fast-Track MBA programs are designed to provide. The program provides students with the full MBA curriculum, and incorporates six weeks of study abroad so that students learn about business in the international marketplace.

At the conclusion of the 12-month program, students graduate with two advanced business degrees – an MBA from NIU and a master’s degree in international management from a partner university in Europe.

The program kicked off three years ago when NIU established a partnership with IAE, the Bordeaux University School of Management, in Bordeaux, France. A second track was recently added, this one in partnership with the ENAE Business School in Murcia, Spain.

Applications for the new offering, which begins meeting in January, are currently being accepted. As part of the partnership agreement, about 25 percent of the students enrolled in the program come from the partner universities in Europe.

Denise Schoenbachler

Denise Schoenbachler

“We have created an exceptional program that sets our graduates apart,” said Denise Schoenbachler, dean of NIU’s College of Business. “It provides students with unique experiences, under the leadership of some of our best faculty, students learn about business in other cultures and do so in a short time frame. It’s a rigorous program, the demands of which simulate what students will face in the business world.”

The program begins with two seven-week modules in DeKalb, guiding students (not all of whom have undergraduate business degrees) through an accelerated boot camp of business basics, covering accountancy, management, finance and information systems. The coursework covered earns credits toward both the NIU degree and that of the partner university.

Days are long, with six-to-eight hours of classroom work Monday through Thursday, and evenings filled with readings, papers and group projects. Due to the nature of the work, all students live on or near campus. Fridays offer a break from the grind as students travel to businesses in Chicago and the suburbs to learn from actual practitioners.

About midway through the program, students head to Europe.

The new program in Spain is structured such that students will spend nearly all of their time traveling to businesses and learning directly from businesspeople.

“It will give them a chance to see firsthand the issues that European Union companies are wrestling with, rather than read it in the news,” said Paul Prabhaker, assistant dean of the NIU College of Business. “For instance, this first cohort will meet with bankers who are dealing with one of the biggest banking crises in Europe right now.”

The cycle is repeated in the second semester.

A close-up photo of the flag of SpainStudents also receive support from a career coach, attend business seminars on topics such as presentation skills and business writing, and are assigned an e-mentor – an experienced businessperson who helps guide them and answers questions.

The experience students get is very attractive to businesses looking to hire individuals to work overseas, Prabhaker said: “It equips graduates with tools and specific knowledge that puts them ahead of the curve.”

That advantage has helped the program, which is the only international dual degree MBA program in the region, attain nearly a 100 percent job placement rate for graduates. The cost for the program is $40,000, about a third of some Chicago area MBA programs that do not include overseas travel.

Interested students are invited to an informational meeting at 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5, in Room 210 of Barsema Hall. For more details, call (866) NIU-MBA1 or email mba@niu.edu.

Date posted: October 29, 2012 | Author: | Comments Off on New NIU MBA includes study in Spain

Categories: Business Faculty & Staff Global Graduate School Students

Photo of a Wall Street street sign with a U.S. flag in the backgroundWith Election Day less than a month away, television is filled with talking heads spreading the conventional wisdom of what a Republican or Democrat president might mean for the economy.

But when it comes to the relationship between presidential politics and the behavior of the financial markets, a group of business researchers says that conventional wisdom might not be so wise.

The researchers reviewed more than 40 years of data (1965-2008) to examine the relationship between security returns and four variables:

  • the political affiliation of the president;
  • the presence or absence of political gridlock;
  • the presidential term cycle effect; and
  • Federal Reserve monetary policy.

While many academic papers have analyzed those factors separately, the authors of this study considered them simultaneously.

When all four of those factors were taken into account, the researchers concluded, many of the commonly held beliefs about how politics impact the market simply did not hold true.

Markets unmoved by a president’s party affiliation

One of the most commonly repeated truisms called into question by the study is that the political affiliation of the president has an impact on the market. In reality, whether the president is a Republican or a Democrat is most often insignificant to the performance of the markets.

“While the party of the president garners much of the attention of the press, it appears that other factors have a much more prominent relationship with security returns,” says Gerald Jensen, the Jones, Diedrich, Mennie professor of finance at the NIU College of Business. He has spent years researching the topics covered in the study.

The misconception about the president’s party affiliation appears to have grown out of research that looked at isolated factors.

For instance, numerous studies have shown that stock returns (especially for small stocks) are substantially higher during Democratic presidencies relative to Republican administrations. Similarly, bond returns during Republican administrations are twice as high relative to returns generated during Democratic administrations.

However, Jensen and his colleagues found, when the other factors considered in this study are controlled, the difference in the performance of the markets across presidents from different parties is statistically insignificant.

Gridlock is not good

Gerald Jensen

Gerald Jensen

Many pundits and researchers maintain that political gridlock – which occurs when different parties control the White House and the legislature – is good for the market. Under such conditions, they reason, there is less chance of significant fiscal policy actions, which tend to disrupt financial markets.

In reality, the authors report, political harmony is better for equities.

That was especially true for smaller stock indexes where annualized returns were reportedly 22.38 percent higher during harmony as opposed to gridlock. Even when researchers adjusted for other factors, Jensen says, the benefits of political harmony remained clear.

Despite what the numbers say, the perception that gridlock is good has established itself. “It has been repeated so often I think that it has sort of been accepted as fact,” Jensen says.

He speculates that people hang their argument on specific examples – such as the Clinton presidency, when markets excelled despite political gridlock – and fail to consider other evidence.

While it is clear that, during the period studied, political harmony coincided with strong equity performance, Jensen and his fellow researchers stop short of saying that there is a dependency between the two. “We have identified a relationship, but we aren’t saying that one causes the other,” he cautions.

Time will tell

While elections naturally bring up discussions of how politics influence the markets, Jensen and his colleagues found that political outcomes have little immediate impact. In fact, history has demonstrated that the most favorable return patterns are not manifested in the market for three years.

One theory is that the Federal Reserve loosens monetary policy in ways that reflect favorably upon incumbents in Congress and the White House to help encourage re-election. However, Jensen points out, even when the researchers adjusted for Fed policy changes, the economy seemed to consistently rally in the third year of a presidency.

It’s all about the Fed

Photo of several rolls of rubber-banded $100 billsWhile much attention is focused on issues such as the president’s political affiliation and gridlock, investors might be better served by paying less attention to those factors and more to how the election might affect Federal Reserve policy, Jensen says.

“A tightening of Fed monetary policy generally precedes poor equity market performance and increased inflationary pressures. Ultimately, that factor seems to carry the greatest weight, so that is what investors should pay attention to,” he says.

“In the end, policies are more important than politics,” he adds.

“While the chairman of the Federal Reserve is appointed by the president, I don’t think people pay much attention to what party he comes from. Instead they watch what he is doing. Perhaps they should look at politicians the same way. It’s not their party affiliations that are important, but the policies that they put forth.”

The study, “What to Expect When You’re Electing,” was conducted by Jensen and co-authors Scott B. Beyer, associate professor at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh College of Business; Luis Garcia-Feijoo, assistant professor at Florida Atlantic University College of Business; and Robert R. Johnson, professor of finance at Creighton University College of Business.

Key Findings

The key empirical findings reported in the study are consistent with the following:

  • Equity investors, especially those that target small-cap stocks, would be wise to monitor Fed policy actions, while paying limited attention to the party of the president. Investors should be particularly wary of a shift to a restrictive Fed monetary policy.
  • Contrary to the conventional view, equity investors should welcome political harmony; however, debt investors should prefer continued political gridlock.
  • Fed policy shifts warrant consideration as potential signals of coming inflationary pressures. A shift to a restrictive policy stance should alert investors to higher future inflation and support a re-allocation to securities that offer more inflation protection (e.g., commodities and TIPS).
  • Regardless of the political outcome in November, it appears that equity investors typically will have to wait until the third year of the next presidential term before reaping the benefits of the election season.
Date posted: October 18, 2012 | Author: | Comments Off on Wall Street gets it wrong on presidential politics

Categories: Business Latest News Research Voices

Julia Spears

Julia Spears

University officials are working to organize a two-week “celebration of excellence” to highlight accomplishments of NIU students, faculty and staff during the academic year.

“Each spring, we do a good job of honoring the accomplishments of the campus community, but those events are scattered across several weeks and each promoted individually,” said Julia Spears, director of the Office of Student Engagement and Experiential Learning.

“Our goal is to pull all of those things under one umbrella to make sure that no program gets overlooked and all honorees get the recognition they deserve.”

The goal is to create a concentrated calendar of events between April 14 and April 28, 2013. Qualifying events included within that range of dates will be featured on a university website and highlighted in a publication.

Plans are to conclude the two-week observance with a lecture by a high-profile speaker.

“We believe that will better shine a light on the amazing breadth and quality of work going on around campus – by faculty, students and staff – when it is presented in a concentrated, focused manner,” Spears said.

Currently, 13 events are already been penciled in on the calendar, including the Faculty Awards Ceremony (April 18), Undergraduate Research and Artistry Day (April 23), Graduate Student Research Association Conference (April 27) and the Outstanding Women Awards.

Other events are eligible for inclusion, but must meet a few criteria. To be included, an event must:

  • Reward, honor or recognize excellence in science, artistry or service on campus;
  • Highlight university-wide award or multi-disciplinary awards (that is to say, awards presented by colleges or departments for which only individuals from those areas are eligible, would not be eligible), at least multi-disciplinary; and
  • Honor contributions to the academic excellence of the institution.

Organizations that wish to include their events within the framework of this effort should contact either Vice Provost Anne Birberick or Dean of the Graduate School Bradley Bond to determine if it qualifies.

Cherilyn G. Murer

Cherilyn G. Murer

First-year law students enrolled at the NIU College of Law once again will have the opportunity to gain valuable insights into the ethical expectations of lawyers, thanks to Cherilyn and Michael Murer.

Launched last fall, the series exposes first-year students at the NIU College of Law to legal scholars and luminaries from across the country to discuss the importance of professionalism in their careers.

Topics last year included attorney client privilege, how to represent unpopular clients and making ethical decisions.

Cherilyn Murer, a 1978 graduate of the NIU College of Law, is currently serving her second term as chair of the NIU Board of Trustees.

She and her husband decided to fund the series because of their strong belief that law students should begin developing their moral compass early in their law school career

And what better way to instill such lessons than letting students hear firsthand from legal practitioners?

“We have outstanding ethics professors in the college, but we thought this format would bring a sense of practicality to the topic,” Murer said. “It has been such a resounding success that we just felt the need to support the program again.”

This year’s series got a jump start Wednesday, Sept. 5, when Jennifer Rosato, dean of the NIU College of Law, and NIU law professor Laurel Rigertas presented a background lecture that introduced students to the disciplinary rules and confidentiality requirements of the legal profession.

The first guest lecture will take place at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12, in the Heritage Room of the Holmes Student Center.

The speaker is Harold Winston, who represented Chicago man Alton Logan, who spent 26 years in prison for the 1982 killing of a security guard.

The case gained notoriety in 2007 when a former public defender stepped forward with evidence that one of his clients had confessed the murder to him, but he withheld the information because he felt that he could not divulge it due to confidentiality rules. He swore out an affidavit, locked it away and didn’t reveal the information until that client died.

Organizers are working to schedule two more sessions in the series for later this semester and three more in the spring.

Date posted: September 6, 2012 | Author: | Comments Off on Murer Professionalism Series begins Sept. 12

Categories: Alumni Campus Highlights Events Law On Campus Students