NIU Today

Miranda Thompson is a Golden Apple winner. Thompson, who earned her B.S.Ed. in Elementary Education in 2006, was among six winners named March 9 during surprise ceremonies in their Rockford-area classrooms. She also was among eight finalists with NIU College of Education degrees, joined by fellow alumni Kelli Blank, Nicole Busker, Dianna Dornink, Amanda Hahn,...

Representation Matters! Creating Pipelines and Pathways in Promoting Faculty Diversity and Social Justice in Higher Education was the conference theme for the eighth annual statewide conference that brought over 100 graduate students of color representing 18 different universities to NIU in late February. NIU and other college and university faculty presented information about the professoriate...

The show must go on—even when finances are scarce! Growing up in McHenry, Illinois, Katryna Weingart, ’21, was a determined student and always interested in writing, theater and music—basically, anything related to performance arts and humanities. During high school, a caring teacher made all the difference to Weingart and helped her set sights on becoming one...

NIU Ph.D. student Cheryl Manning was named as a 2022 fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the most distinguished honors within the scientific community. Manning was specifically honored for her “outstanding, visionary, and sustained leadership in geoscience education and bringing the work of scientists and educators together to...

As Lexi Tintlemann, ’22, navigated a variety of personal challenges, including being emancipated from her parents at age 16, scholarships were able to positively change her life and remain impactful as she continues her NIU studies in graduate school. “Students who come from circumstances where college may not seem like an option, due to money, can then see...

NIU recently played host to the Chicago Public Schools’ Young Men of Color Summit. The Feb. 17 event brought 450 students from Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to campus, the most participants in the 10-year history of the event. The theme of this year’s summit was helping students explore their own power – specifically their power...

Betsy Sterner found a way to pair her passion for information science with her dedication for instruction and education when she took the role as NIU’s new Health Sciences librarian in August. For the proud alum, who holds the rank of assistant professor, working in the Research and Instruction Department of the University Libraries, it’s a...

All faculty and staff will soon see their old desk phones replaced by a state-of-the-art communications platform that makes it easier to stay in touch and share information in ways a desk phone never could. The new system, Teams Voice, which is part of the existing Microsoft Teams platform, allows users to keep the phone...

Northern Illinois University College of Business is pleased to announce the launch of the HAVI Center for Analytics and Technology (HCAT). This new lab represents the College’s commitment to experiential learning. HCAT will have cutting-edge technologies and, through real-world projects in partnership with HAVI, will prepare students for occupations of the future. Located on the...

James McCue, ’22, initially enrolled at NIU in 2016 after receiving a full scholarship based on his excellent ACT score. He and was extremely active on campus, participating in pep band and as social chairman for Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity. His four-year scholarship allowed him to focus on his classes and his social connection. But...

Tina Figarelli, ’22, currently an artist-in-residence at East Oaks Studio in Raleigh, North Carolina, was a first-generation college student when she attended NIU, working her way through school and selling her artwork. Figarelli credits her time at NIU and the scholarship she received with impacting her life in a meaningful way. She grew up in...

A group of 15 NIU students had a tall order ahead of them this academic year—with nearly $60 million at stake—and many of them celebrated their accomplishments in style this week in Springfield. The students served as supervised grant reviewers for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). As such, the upperclassmen and graduate students...