NIU Today

In the world of contemporary American poetry, NIU English Professor Amy Newman is a shining star. That might seem like a bold statement, but it’s easy to back up. Her numerous awards, five books and more than 250 poems, often published in top journals or magazines, speak volumes. Her feminist revision of Allen Ginsberg’s famous...

About 10 years ago, Nay Yan Oo was working toward a degree in computer science at the Government Computer College in Pathein, Myanmar. But he kept running into a major snafu – access to a computer. “I got a degree in computer science but didn’t get many chances to use the computer lab,” says the...

Graduateprograms.com has named the NIU Department of English to its “Dean’s List” of top English graduate programs for “career support.” NIU’s program was ranked ninth nationwide. The career support category takes into account the quality of career planning resources and support received both during and after graduate school studies. Using a 10-star system, rankings were...

Distinguished Research Professor Kenton Clymer is back at the Department of History after spending the month of December teaching at Yangon University in Burma, known officially as Myanmar. The first foreign visiting professor to teach at Yangon’s Department of History since 1962, Clymer was invited by department head and professor Margaret Wong following the visit...

English majors aren’t what they used to be. If the major conjures up images of the grammar police, men wearing tweed jackets and smoking pipes, or 20-pound volumes of Shakespeare, think again. Today’s English students are likelier to discuss how to create a corporate social media presence;  whether the word twerk belongs in the dictionary;...

The NIU Department of English invites the public to meet and hear readings by two celebrated alumni. A reception and reading featuring poet Todd Davis and author Kenneth Womack will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, in the Anthropology Museum of Cole Hall. Davis earned both his master’s degree (1991) and Ph.D. (1995)...

NIU English professor Amy Levin, who spent the month of February as the first U.S. Fulbright Scholar in a public university in Myanmar (Burma) in almost 30 years, will present an upcoming talk and slideshow on her recent experiences. Her informal presentation, titled “Teaching ‘Hamlet’ in Myanmar,” will be held from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m....

The Women’s Studies Program at NIU has appointed a new director – Kristen Myers. An associate professor of sociology, Myers brings more than 15 years of experience to the position. In her supplementary role at the university, she looks to promote an understanding of gender inequality in the United States and abroad, in contemporary society...

Amy K. Levin is no stranger to “firsts.” Among her many credits are “Africanism and Authenticity in African-American Women’s Novels,” one of the first texts to study African influences in novels by African-American women. She also edited and wrote parts of “Gender, Sexuality and Museums,” the first major repository of key articles, new essays, and...

“Celebrating Global NIU” is the focus of this year’s International Education Week on campus, which begins today (Nov. 12) and runs through Friday. Sponsored by the Division of International Programs, the goal of the week of special activities is to draw attention to NIU’s increasing global profile, said Deborah Pierce, associate provost for International Programs. NIU is...

March is Women’s History Month, and this year NIU will celebrate with an array of events based on the theme of “Women, Wealth, and Economic Justice.” “Poverty and economic justice are at the forefront of national political debates today as well as key issues globally,” said NIU Women’s Studies Program Director Amy Levin. “I can’t...

The Committee for Multicultural Curriculum Transformation is collecting unpublished articles from faculty and staff members for a book pertaining to the institute dating back to 1994. Individuals who participated in or presented at NIU’s summer multicultural institute are invited to submit articles or outlines describing transformed courses, institute activities, goals, methods and outcomes. The book...