NIU Today

Northern Illinois University Police and Public Safety will be leading a full scale exercise in and around the NIU Convocation Center on the morning of Friday, July 10. Police, fire, and emergency medical first responders will be training simulation for a situation involving an improvised explosive device (IED) and a barricaded subject within the Convocation...

A 1992 memo from cigarette manufacturer Phillip Morris found that smokers working in places that prohibit smoking smoke 11-15 percent less than average and quit at a rate that is 84 percent higher than average. State lawmakers and health officials hope the Illinois Smoke-Free Campus Act, signed into law in 2014, will have a similar effect. On...

In compliance with the Illinois Smoke-Free Campus Act, Northern Illinois University will become smoke-free Wednesday, July 1, joining more than 700 colleges and universities nationwide with smoke- and/or tobacco-free policies. With the enactment of the new law, smoking will be prohibited on all campus property, defined as property that is owned, leased, occupied or otherwise...

While Sunday, June 21 marked the official start of summer, many Northern Illinois University faculty and staff are already busy making plans for the start of the upcoming fall semester. The 2015 Welcome Days committee is seeking volunteers from the university community to assist with various Welcome Days events for new and returning NIU students....

NIU’s Office of Student Engagement and Experiential Learning (OSEEL) is currently accepting applications for the Huskie Service Scholars (HSS) program for the 2015-2016 academic year. HSS is a program for new first-generation or low-income freshmen or transfer students who enjoy serving in the community. In addition to seeking first-year students, or fellows, HSS is also accepting applications...

No surprise: Kids love video games. So what would happen if teachers delivered some of their lessons through video games? And not just any games, but the wildly popular Minecraft? Plenty of children will find out this fall, thanks for a one-credit “SMASH-UP!” course offered by NIU this summer. Teachers who enroll will spend a...

A retirement party is planned from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, June 25, for Mary Lou Read-Dreyer. Read-Dreyer, who joined the NIU Office of Publications in September of 1982, is now associate director of the Graphic Design & Production unit of Creative Services. The event will take place in the Sky Room of the Holmes...

STEM learning will collide with summer fun on the Northern Illinois University campus in a new one-day STEM Divas summer camp. The camp, which is designed for girls from ages 7 to 16, will take place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 21. Divas will learn how to solder, take a tour of...

Students pursuing careers in the environmental sciences will see those opportunities blossom, thanks to a recent summit of environmental educators who are building a network in northern Illinois. During the June 8 Regional Summit on Environmental Education, environmental educators from community colleges and even high schools learned what their students need to accomplish before enrolling...

Campus Recreation encourages everyone to fill their summer days with fun, healthy activities. Top 5 reasons to stay active this summer 5. Reduce stress 4. Improve flexibility 3. Decrease risk of illness 2. Improve overall appearance 1. Feel more energized Faculty/Staff Summer Memberships include unlimited access to the Student Recreation Center through Aug. 16, as...

Instead of tuning out this summer, video game players can tune into creating games by learning computer science, graphics, animation and logic. NIU’s Digital Convergence Lab is offering summer day camps in video game design beginning Monday, June 22, and continuing through mid-August at Founders Memorial Library on the NIU campus. Designed for boys and...

Grammy Award-winning country group Little Big Town has added a fall leg of THE PAIN KILLER TOUR that will stop Thursday, Oct. 29, at the NIU Convocation Center. The foursome – Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook, Phillip Sweet, and Kimberly Schlapman – already have hit more than 50 markets on this highly successful headlining tour produced...