For the Office of Orientation and First Year Programs, 2020 brought some new challenges; a recently renovated UNIV curriculum and instruction that pivoted from in-person to online. With collective collaboration, open discussion and educator expertise, the office persevered and provided students in UNIV courses with the exceptional experience it is known to deliver. Key to...

A key component of NIU’s commitment to student success is ensuring that students get the help they need when they need it. Doing so got a little easier this semester when the university began using its Navigate software platform to facilitate and manage referrals for tutoring and other support services. “Navigate is a collaborative platform...

As a high school student, Jake Walker, ’19, was devoted to music. He dreamed of being a band director and became focused on finding the right college to help him reach his goal. “I knew that I was looking for a school with a respectable music education program,” he said. “Growing up, I always heard...

Max Anderson Max Anderson is on a unique journey. He was the first instructional designer hired by the University of Illinois College of Medicine. That was 2013. And when college administrators were ready a few years later to recruit and appoint a director of Instructional Design and Learning Innovation, they turned to Anderson. Well, sort...

Weeks after Derryl Block started at NIU, the U.S. Army’s official aerial parachute demonstration team was in town in support of the Chicago Air and Water Show. They reached out to universities with ROTC programs, including NIU, with an offer for a university official to tandem jump with the Golden Knights. The newly appointed dean jumped at...

Jessica Wagner’s connection with NIU didn’t end when she graduated. In fact, the 2016 graduate of the Doctor of Audiology program said it continues to grow thanks to mentorships that were established while a student. “NIU gave me something beyond a classroom or clinic experience,” said Wagner. “I developed a lifelong mentorship with both Dr....

All faculty, instructors, staff and students will have the opportunity to participate and provide feedback in a review of NIU’s learning management system. Known as LMS, the system basically serves as an online platform to deliver web-based courses and facilitate teaching and learning. In the final year of a three-year contract with Blackboard, the current...

While the COVID-19 pandemic has robbed us of many special moments, Northern Illinois University is determined that the graduating classes of 2020 will get the send-off they deserve. This Saturday and Sunday, the university will host virtual commencement ceremonies to honor the accomplishments of those individuals, streaming  online ceremonies where students, family, friends, faculty and...

NIU Physics Professor Philippe Piot has taken on a prominent role with the International Committee for Future Accelerators (ICFA). ICFA facilitates international collaboration in the construction and use of accelerators for high energy physics, particularly the large accelerators that are at the heart of the field. Piot, an expert in both theoretical and experimental accelerator...

Each year the Graduate School recognizes select graduate students with the Outstanding Dissertation and Thesis Awards.  In addition, select faculty are recognized with the Distinguished Graduate Faculty Awards. In light of the pandemic, the awards ceremony for the fall 2020 semester has been postponed but these individual’s accomplishments remain noteworthy. Distinguished Graduate Faculty Awards The...

The COVID-19 pandemic might have curtailed international travel this year, but it hasn’t dampened the spirit of international education at NIU. The International Recognition Reception in November honored individuals in the NIU community for their contributions and achievements in international education during the past year. “Our international education efforts continue, even during the most challenging...

NIU’s significant contributions to the community, state and beyond were officially acknowledged by the U.S. Congress on Oct. 30. “This year, NIU celebrates its 125th anniversary,” said U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, an NIU alumna. “I ask that this congratulatory message be read into the Congressional Record in honor of this significant milestone.” Kelly read the...