“An exciting, boundary-defying performer – Pine displays a power and confidence that puts her in the top echelon.” – The Washington Post
“Striking and charismatic … she demonstrated a bravura technique and soulful musicianship.” – The New York Times
In both art and life, Pine has an extraordinary ability to connect with people.
Celebrated as a leading interpreter of great classical and contemporary works, her performances combine her innate gift for emotional communication and her scholarly fascination with historical research.
She plays with passion and conviction across an extensive repertoire, thrilling audiences with her dazzling technique, lustrous tone and infectious joy in music-making.
Pine has appeared as soloist with many of the world’s most prestigious ensembles, including the Chicago Symphony; the Philadelphia Orchestra; the Royal Philharmonic; and the Netherlands Radio Kamer Filharmonie. She has worked with such renowned conductors as Charles Dutoit, Zubin Mehta, Erich Leinsdorf, Neeme Järvi and Marin Alsop.
Advanced String Quartet Workshop takes place the week from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday, June 27, through Thursday, June 30, and begins with a sight-reading party from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, June 21. Workshop participants improve musicianship and ensemble skills as they rehearse and are coached in two different quartets. Workshop activities also include seminars on music theory, history, and rehearsal techniques.
Each student will perform in a quartet at the Pine master class, and all quartets will perform at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 30, in the final recital in the Boutell Memorial Concert Hall.
Violin teacher and chamber musician Laurie Rodriguez is the director of the workshop. A private teacher with the NIU Community School for many years, she has directed multiple chamber music workshops in Illinois, Utah and Minnesota.
Students ages 12 to 19 are admitted to Advanced String Quartet Workshop by audition. To reserve an audition time, submit a CSA Summer registration form with a $15 non-refundable registration fee by Monday, May 2. Auditions begin at 4 p.m. Monday, May 9.
For registration information, or to learn more about the NIU Community School of the Arts, call (815) 753-1450.
Date posted: April 27, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on Renowned violinist to teach summer master class at NIU Community School
In addition, the Presidential Commission on Interfaith Initiatives has recently been established. Andrew Pemberton, product manager in Outreach Creative Services, will chair the commission, and staff members have been identified to serve on the commission representing stakeholder units across campus.
Nominations and self-nominations of faculty, undergraduate students and graduate students are welcome at this time to complete the commission roster.
Forward nominations, including name, title classification (faculty, instructor, supportive professional staff, operating staff, student), campus address, email, telephone number and a brief statement summarizing your qualifications and desire to serve to Pat Erickson, Office of the University Council, at pje@niu.edu.
Commission appointments will be made during the summer.
Date posted: April 27, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on Presidential commissions accepting membership nominations
Career Services is reminding students to keep in mind the wise adage of “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” when obtaining or sharing information online.
Scams are targeting nearly everyone across the country via email, malicious webpages, search results and postings on online communication boards.
Online job systems also have been vulnerable.
“Understanding that cyber-scams are a reality, we encourage students to exercise safety, along with a healthy degree of skepticism and caution, when using any online service; this includes any online job site,” said Brandon Lagana, acting executive director and director of Strategic Planning & Analysis in Career Services.
“NIU Career Services welcomes your questions related to vetting job postings or suspicious emails asking for money, sending you checks to cash or asking for personal information.”
“Remember, online scammers continuously find new methods to fool unsuspecting users,” Lagana added. “When in doubt, ask.”
Warning signs
Too good to be true.
You didn’t contact them, they contacted you.
The pay is great.
You get the job right away.
Vague requirements and job description.
Poorly written email or lack of contact info on email.
Online interviews Yahoo IM.
Researching the company doesn’t yield good information.
Asked to provide confidential information.
They say they will send you money or want you to pay for something.
If any of these situations occur to you, contact Career Services immediately:
Requests for money (email or online): Do not send provide money, bank account, credit or debit card numbers to anyone.
Checks sent to you: If you are sent a check to cash, DO NOT PAY / DO NOT CASH ANY CHECKS sent to you. Contact NIU Career Services immediately.
Any email you receive where you are not certain of the sender but requests personal information for a job you’d be perfect for should be properly researched to avoid identity theft.
The 2016 CSWGS Student Symposium will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Regency Room of the Holmes Student Center’s Regency Room.
The symposium includes student papers that explore a wide variety of issues related to women’s, gender and sexuality studies, including eco-feminism; immigrant women’s experiences in higher education; the ways that lesbian, gay and bisexual people define their sexuality; women’s self-promotion; and more.
After the symposium, come celebrate the accomplishments and recognize the contributions of Center for the Study of Women, Gender & Sexuality students, faculty and partners at the CSWGS Honors Day Reception.
Graduation cords will be handed out to all undergraduate WGST and LGBT Studies students who are graduating in May or August. Refreshments will be served. The reception begins at 4:30 p.m. in the Regency Room.
Both events are free and open to all.
For more information, contact Rebekah Kohli at 815-753-1038 or rkohli@niu.edu.
Date posted: April 26, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on Events to celebrate excellent NIU students
The series, hosted by Dan Klefstad, broadcasts interviews with the authors, who read selections of their work and share their inspirations.
“Read With Me” will air every morning at 6:52 and 8:52 a.m. beginning Tuesday, June 14, through Friday, June 17, during the station’s broadcast of Morning Edition, and at 7:35 a.m. Saturday, June 18 during Weekend Edition.
WNIJ developed the “Read With Me” book series as a way to introduce and engage its listening audience with outstanding work by writers across the region.
Staci Hoste, director and general manager of the station, looks forward to the next portion of the program: “We encourage our listeners to read along with us before the interviews air in June,” Hoste said. “It is our pleasure to serve a community comprising talented writers and passionate readers, and we work hard to make WNIJ a gathering place for regional literature.”
The first installment of the series airs June 14 and will feature a novel by Kristin Oakley, who titles the book after its setting, the fictional town Carpe Diem, Illinois. It is a population that has quietly “unschooled” its children for decades, eschewing tests and classrooms for real-life experiences. Now, long-smoldering political feuds – and personal secrets – threaten to ruin this community. Oakley’s book was named “Book of the Year” by the Chicago Writers Association.
The book series continues June 15 with “HoneyLee’s Girl,” written by G.K. Wuori, who judged WNIJ’s first writing contest, “Three Minute Fiction,” last October. When the F.B.I. enters your life, they are not to be trusted. So says Wuori’s character, Michelle Monelle, who must describe the turmoil of her youth to two special agents, including her marriage at age 14, mysterious strangers who may or may not have been government agents, and the passionate Native-American woman on the run from everything.
June 16 will present the first young adult novel featured in the “Read With Me” book series.
Written by Maria Boynton, “Ruthlessly Aadi” is the story of 15-year-old Aadi Benoit who flees a neglectful, abusive mother and discovers what it means to be part of a real family. Her journey brings her to Angel Sanchez, an 8-year-old, Spanish-speaking orphan who has become lost in circumstance. During their travels, Aadi learns that she would sacrifice everything to keep her loved one safe.
The broadcast June 17 will feature NIU professor and poet Amy Newman, who explores the lives of Sylvia Plath, John Berryman, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, Theodore Roethke, Delmore Schwartz and Anne Sexton in a book titled, “On This Day in Poetry History.”
Why these poets?
“Because theirs is the generation that represents what a poet is to many of us,” wrote New York Times reviewer David Kirby, “somebody who lived it up while producing memorable work and who usually managed to land a teaching job rather than punch a time clock or starve in a garret.”
The series will conclude on June 18 with author Aaron Sitze who lives and teachers in Oregon, Ill. His book, “The Andrew Jackson Stories” is an illustrated collection of flash fiction stories about the seventh president told from the viewpoint of his gardener. “This is the book Annie Dillard would write if she took acid,” one reviewer wrote on Goodreads.
WNIJ invites listeners to read along – and to share their thoughts using the hashtag #WNIJReadWithMe.
Date posted: April 26, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on WNIJ names new selections in ‘Read With Me’ book series
To kick off the 20th anniversary celebration of its France Study Abroad Program, NIU Law hosted an anniversary dinner for alumni, faculty, staff and current students, marking the longtime relationship and exchange program with the Université Bordeaux-Montesquieu in Agen, France.
The program – started under the late Professor Rodolphe de Seife – took the first group of students to Agen in 1996, and has continued the summer trip every year for the past two decades.
During dinner, Distinguished Teaching Professor David Taylor, the current program director, provided some of the program’s history and tested the group’s knowledge with an entertaining Agen trivia quiz.
Agen alumni Melinda Rosales-Byerly (’03) and Eric Johnson (’10) offered stories and fond memories while many more were shared with each other throughout dinner.
Finally, the evening was capped off by a special presentation of gifts to honor Associate Dean David Gaebler and Professor Daniel Reynolds. Gaebler and Reynolds, who both recently retired from the College of Law, served as co-directors of the study abroad program for much of its history.
“The law school owes a great debt of gratitude to Professors Gaebler, Reynolds and Taylor who have extended the school’s global reach with our France Study Abroad Program,” Dean Mark Cordes said. “Through the years, they have also expanded our students’ world view, allowing them the chance to recognize both the differences and commonalities in our legal systems and the increasing importance of a global perspective in the practice of law.”
Recently retired Associate Dean David Gaebler (far left) and Professor Daniel Reynolds (far right), who served as co-directors of the study abroad program for much of its history, were honored during dinner. They were joined by current program director Professor David Taylor (second from left) and Interim Dean Mark Cordes (second from right).
Since 1996, about 350 students have participated in the exciting six-week program held at the Université Bordeaux-Montesquieu.
The program, taught in English by both French and American faculty, is designed to give students an understanding of the French civil law system and the legal system of the European Union.
In addition to the six credit hours earned, the program also includes academic and leisure field trips to places such as the French Senate, National Assembly and French Supreme Court. In turn, NIU Law annually hosts students from the University of Bordeaux-Montesquieu who receive an introduction to the law and legal institutions in the U.S.
The 20th anniversary celebration continues during this year’s France Study Abroad Program, where it will be highlighted with a reunion being held in Agen this summer.
Agen alumni are invited at 12:30 p.m. Monday, May 30, to join Taylor, Gaebler and Reynolds for a luncheon being hosted by Ville d’Agen at Musee de Beaux Arts d’Agen.
Alumni are also welcome to attend lectures by Reynolds, Gaebler, and Taylor on Civil Law tradition, formation of the European Union and inquisitorial adjudication, given from Monday, May 30, through Thursday, June 2; contact Melody Mitchell at (815) 753-9655 or mmitchell@niu.edu for additional details.
Date posted: April 26, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on Law celebrates 20 years of France Study Abroad Program
The Deacon Davis Diversity Award also recognizes organizations, departments or programs that significantly improve the status of minorities at NIU.
Jackson (pronouns: they/them) is an undergraduate student pursing a contract major with a focus in intersectionality and social justice. According to one nominator, “Romeo is an advocate for individuals from all backgrounds, which is reflected in their work and their leadership.”
While working at NIU’s Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, Jackson has made “great strides to improve the lives of LGBTQIA+ students, faculty and staff by increasing the recruitment of speakers, speaking engagement of the bureau and ensuring the viability of the program beyond their leadership.” Another nominator wrote, “Romeo has dedicated much of their efforts to advocacy, especially for victim-survivors of sexual assault and other violence. Romeo has single-handedly taken their position to new, meaningful heights.”
Tamayo is undergraduate student pursing a bachelor of science in physical education with a minor in health education. He has worked with Affirmative Action and Equity Compliance since January of 2014.
Rodriguez is an undergraduate student majoring in corporate communications.
His nominators indicate that he is a student leader who is able to motivate and encourage students, and that he “leverages the strength and excellent reputation that he has built with NIU’s teams and extended it to other students so that their experiences on campus become positive.”
Ogundipe joined the CHANCE program in July of 1999.
“Every year,” he indicated, “the cost of education is rising and consequently the need to apply for financial assistance continues to grow.” As a result of his dedicated and persistent help and support of students throughout the financial aid process, many have obtained the funding needed to complete their degrees at NIU.
LaVerne Gyant and Charles Ogundipe
Gyant’s nominators indicate that “she has been a timeless champion of diversity efforts and the improvement of the status of minorities on the NIU campus for many years.”
As the former director of the Center for Black Studies, “she has worked tirelessly to recognize and celebrate the special contributions of black people on our campus, in the larger society and the world.” One nominator wrote, “I have been most impressed by her empathy, compassion and pure joy in sharing in the lives of our students. They love Dr. G. as much as she loves and cherishes them.”
The presentation of the Deacon Davis Awards will begin at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 27, in the Duke Ellington Ballroom in the Holmes Student Center. The diversity summit, “Diversity: Men of Color on the NIU Campus and in the Community,” will follow. The awards ceremony will be preceded by a luncheon beginning at 11:50 a.m.
All are welcome to attend the luncheon and awards ceremony. For more information, contact PCSM Chair Felicia R. Bohanon at (815) 753-1868 or fbohanon@niu.edu.
Date posted: April 26, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on 2016 Deacon Davis Diversity Award winners named
The event, which recognizes the important role that academic advising plays in student career success at NIU, takes place inside Ellington’s on the main floor of the Holmes Student Center. Special remarks begin at 12:15 p.m.
“Academic Advising is the very core of successful institutional efforts to educate and retain students,” said Charlie Nutt, executive director of NACADA. “Academic advisers offer students the personal connection to the institution that is vital to student retention and student success.”
“We are very excited about this program,” Pickett said, “because it gives the university community an opportunity to recognize and praise the work professional and faculty academic advisers do for our students across disciplines, majors and minors.”
The academic advising community is calling on all students to make a pledge of gratitude and say “thank you” to the Academic Advisor(s) that have been instrumental in the pursuit of their career path.
SHAPE America presents the Outstanding Mentor of the Year Award annually in recognition of one higher education faculty member for his or her efforts to mentor undergraduate and/or graduate students pursuing a degree in physical education, sport, kinesiology or exercise science.
Criteria for the award include:
serves as an outstanding role model of professionalism by modeling appropriate professional behavior and positive professional standards;
encourages student involvement in professional opportunities, such as including students in service projects or research activities, supporting student membership in professional organizations, nurturing student contributions to professional organizations/meetings or enabling student attendance at professional meetings; and
provides exemplary academic and professional preparation advisement, is available to students for discussion and meetings and may serve as faculty advisor/supporter to student majors club or honorary projects.
“One of the most profound impacts we can have as educators is our influence on young professionals,” says SHAPE America President Stephen Jefferies, professor emeritus at Central Washington University. “This award honors an individual who exceeds in instilling passion and professionalism in all of his students. We are thrilled that Paul Wright represents SHAPE America in such a caring, giving and professional manner.”
His primary line of research, over the past 20 years, relates to the design, implementation and evaluation of physical activity programs that promote positive youth development and teach life skills. In particular, he is regarded internationally as a leading scholar on the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility model.
For his work in this area and related work on obesity prevention, Wright has received a Fulbright Research Award as well as grants and evaluation contracts from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, National Association for Sport and Physical Education and SHAPE America.
Among his many accomplishments is receiving a grant in 2013 from the U.S. Department of State to develop a Youth Sport Coalition in Belize to promote youth development and social change through sport. In summer 2014, he delivered lectures in Finland and Germany as a visiting Erasmus Mundus Scholar for the European Master’s Degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology.
That same year, he also received the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC), which is the highest honor bestowed upon alumni by the UIC College of Applied Health Sciences.
In addition to Wright’s research, he teaches several courses in kinesiology and serves as a faculty adviser to graduate students. He is also the director of a sport leadership program at a local middle school which serves as a teaching site for graduate students train in a real-life context.
Wright received all of his academic degrees from UIC, including his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences, his master’s degree in kinesiology and his Ph.D. in education with a specialization in curriculum and instruction.
Date posted: April 25, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on SHAPE America honors KNPE’s Paul Wright
A Rhodes Scholar who earned a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, Patel served as an adviser on President Barack Obama’s inaugural Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships.
Patel’s work with the Interfaith Youth Core has been profiled by the likes of the New York Times, Chronicle of Higher Education and Christian Science Monitor. He founded the non-profit organization as a vehicle for making cooperation among people with different beliefs a social norm. The organization unites people of all religious and belief systems, finding common ground in service to others.
“Dr. Patel has emerged as a leading voice in our nation on interfaith cooperation,” said NIU President Doug Baker. “He has made a tremendous positive impact on U.S. universities, including here at NIU, where his work has brought together people with different belief systems and inspired them to work together toward a greater good.”
“Acts of Faith,” which was the text for NIU’s 2013-2015 Common Reading Experience, follows Patel’s path from adolescent apathy to his urgency to be a part of something during his college years. Through his serendipitous journey, Patel reflects on his own beliefs, his interactions with non-believers and believers of many different faiths, and his call to act on his own passion to develop the Interfaith Youth Core.
More than 2,500 NIU first-year students used Patel’s book in their courses. His two campus- and community-wide public presentations on the message of interfaith cooperation and service drew more than 1,700 students, faculty, staff and community members.
“Dr. Patel’s book and efforts have really broadened our concept of diversity at NIU, helping us to better understand the significance of religion in our world and underscoring our shared values, rather than our differences,” said Brad Bond, dean of the NIU Graduate School.
Additionally, with the support of President Baker, NIU entered into a partnership agreement with Interfaith Youth Core for the 2015-16 academic year. The arrangement involved interpretation of the Campus Religious and Spirituality Climate Survey, training of about 75 faculty members who teach “Acts of Faith” in the classroom and support in launching the Better Together@NIU student organization.
Collaborative projects with Interfaith Youth Core are scheduled to continue for at least the next three years. Interfaith competency has enormous academic value, connecting with the NIU Student Learning Outcomes of:
collaborating with others to achieve specific goals;
integrating knowledge of global interconnections and interdependencies; and
exhibiting intercultural competencies with people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
In receiving an honorary degree from NIU, Patel joins a list of noteworthy individuals. Past recipients include Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory Director Nigel Lockyer; Argonne National Laboratory Director Eric D. Isaacs; historian Arthur Schlesinger; U.S. Sen. Paul Simon; poet Gwendolyn Brooks; astronomer Carl Sagan; U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth; Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand; and John Sall, executive vice president of the SAS Institute.
Date posted: April 25, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on Eboo Patel to receive honorary NIU doctorate
NIU’s Division of University Advancement is launching a weekly training forum and Q&A to show the campus community how the Alumni Association and NIU Foundation can support them.
