NIU Today

The statistics are startling. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in three women and one in four men have experienced rape, physical violence or stalking in their lifetime. According to the Children’s Defense Fund, 1 million acts of domestic violence occur in the United States each year, with up to 10 million children...

NIU’s College of Education has introduced four new department chairs. “This is an exciting time in the college, and I am impressed by our new department leaderships’ experience and innovative ideas,” Dean La Vonne I. Neal said. “I am confident that these scholar/administrators will not only continue the excellent work of their predecessors but also...

With the economic downturns and the advent of new technologies, people can no longer make a decision about their career in early adulthood and plan to stick with it over multiple decades until retirement forces them to leave the working world. Indeed, with economic changes that lead to cut-backs, technological advances that change the needs...

Clara Louis, a doctoral candidate in the NIU College of Education’s Department of Counseling, Adult and Higher Education (CAHE), has been awarded the 2013 David Merchant International Student Award of Achievement by Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars. The award honors one international student who demonstrates exceptional accomplishments in the areas of scholarship...

The NIU College of Education is partnering with Alexian Brothers Parish Services and the NIU Counseling Association to bring an eye-opening new documentary to campus. “Race to Nowhere” examines the over-scheduled, go-go world in which many of today’s school children dwell – a world where cheating, stress-related illness, depression and burnout are rampant, and ironically,...

From Buddha to Thoreau to Krakauer, histories from all corners of the world have told stories of men and women who have found emotional catharsis from experiences with nature. It seems that, even with the advent of cell phones, iPods and PDAs, evolution has not caught up. Humans are still hardwired to crave nature, exercise...

How do educators help students identify and develop their passion for their professional careers? Professionals in the field of counseling, counselor education and teaching must nurture this desire to obtain the necessary knowledge and skills to be competent educators. So says Toni Tollerud, a Presidential Teaching Professor in the NIU College of Education’s Department of...

With the upcoming publishing of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), the book which guides mental health professionals in diagnosing mental illness, the universal emotional process known as grief has been put in the spotlight. Controversy abounds on whether this experience is grounds for mental health diagnosis, or...

After a week of free events designed to inspire the NIU community to SAY IT OUT LOUD, the campaign team is inviting all community members to a night where they can do just that. As the final event of the week, a Mental Health Open Mic Night is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept 21,...

Following through on promises made in the spring, the NIU Say It Out Loud campaign has announced fall programming that will promote mental health literacy in the NIU community and create safe space for dialogues about mental health issues. Among the offerings are a prepared Power Point presentation that can be used to facilitate discussions...

NIU counseling faculty Charlie E. Myers and Toni R. Tollerud, along with department chair Barbara Johnson, have launched the NIU Say It Out Loud Mental Health website. Funded by a “Say It Out Loud” grant from the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership, the website is meant to provide reliable information to NIU and the surrounding...

Studying abroad is the most unique way to learn. Not only does one get to achieve higher education, but one is also able to actively learn through cultural immersion in another country.  Students are able to see and experience things they only dreamed of before studying abroad. Suren Nersisyan and Vladimir Yelakov received the ultimate...