NIU Today

‘A different level of success’ Adriane Hutchinson knows how powerful it can be to simply help someone. The right support means everything. Hutchinson learned that growing up in a family that didn’t believe anyone should have to pull themselves up by the bootstraps, as the saying goes. Because not everyone has the shoes to begin...

Recognition dinner brings together 100 alumni, family of co-founder More than 15,000 students in the past 50 years can call themselves college graduates because of the McKinley “Deacon” Davis CHANCE Program at NIU. They’ve gone on to careers in every area—social sciences, government, education, business, entrepreneurship, radio, television, film, medicine, art, engineering, sports and more....

In 1968, NIU launched the McKinley “Deacon” Davis CHANCE Program, welcoming about 50 African American students from Chicago to the DeKalb campus. Founded by Davis and then NIU President Rhoten Smith, the program was created to offer students access to higher education and provide them with the tools to succeed. Mission accomplished. A half century...

Cordiah Hayes, a senior communication major from Chicago, has made the most of her four years at NIU. In addition to her classes in media studies, she has spent the past two years tutoring first-year students in the CHANCE program in the Writers’ Workshop. “When I applied for a tutoring position two years ago, I...

NIU’s McKinley “Deacon” Davis CHANCE Program and the National Science Foundation PROMISE Scholars Program have implemented a new peer mentoring network for NIU freshmen. CHANCE’s mentoring program focuses on providing support to all students in any major. PROMISE’s mentoring program focuses on providing support to students majoring in science, technology, engineering and math. The goal of...

The CHANCE Program will host an ice cream social from noon to 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, in the lobby of Williston Hall. All are welcome. The guiding mission of CHANCE is to identify, recruit, admit and assist otherwise capable students whose pre-college education has not fully enabled them to take maximum advantage of their...

NIU alum Jesse Ramos, class of 2002, has contacted his alma mater about a recent CNN article that highlights him and other minorities as part of a series on the lack of diversity in corporate America. “I just wanted to share this story with you and to also let you know how grateful I am...

NIU’s Presidential Commission on the Status of Minorities (PCSM) has named graduate student Marc Reynolds and faculty member Chris Liska Carger as the recipients of the 2014 Deacon Davis Diversity Award. Named in honor of Deacon Davis, founder and former director of the CHANCE (Counseling Help & Assistance Necessary for a College Education) Program, the award...

When the McKinley “Deacon” Davis CHANCE Program first opened its doors at NIU in 1968, it admitted only 50 students. They all had something in common: the interest in pursuing a college education but a pre-college preparation that fell short of allowing them to enter college through the traditional admissions process. Forty-five years later, CHANCE now...

NIU’s McKinley “Deacon” Davis CHANCE Program is celebrating its 45th anniversary. In honor of this significant milestone, the CHANCE Program will offer a series of celebratory programs highlighting special initiatives and topics of interest to the campus community. These presentations will highlight the programs history of CHANCE and the progress that the program has made...

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the McKinley “Deacon” Davis CHANCE Program. CHANCE was the brainchild of NIU’s sixth president, Rhoten A. Smith, who is remembered for his strong connection with students and commitment to opportunity. In honor of this occasion – a significant milestone for NIU and Illinois – the CHANCE Program will offer...