NIU Today

The American Association of Teachers of German is recognizing Katharina Barbe, an associate professor of German and chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Northern Illinois University, for her many contributions. In late November, Barbe was presented with the AATG/Goethe-Institut Certificate of Merit during the AATG annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. The...

“Global Communiversity” is the focus of this year’s International Education Week on campus, which begins Monday, Nov. 11, and runs through Friday, Nov. 15. 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 vice president for International Affairs....

Thai Ambassador to the United States Chaiyong Satjipanon made his third visit to NIU in five months Thursday, June 20. This time, the ambassador presented a Royal Thai Embassy grant to develop a 40-lesson Thai language program that can be accessed on a hand-held mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet computer. Speaking at...

Northern Illinois women’s tennis player Nelle Youel (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central) was named the Mid-American Conference’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week, the league announced Friday. The award is voted on by a select group of faculty athletic representatives from the conference’s member institutions. Youel completed the most successful season by an individual in NIU...

Cathy Doederlein, internship coordinator for the humanities in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, spent a lot of time on campus growing up: “I definitely consider myself a kid of the university,” she says. Both of her parents, Sue and Arthur Doederlein, came to the area in 1969. Since then, the Doederlein name has...

The NIU Study Abroad Office, in partnership with the NIU University Honors Program, will launch “Discovering Montreal, Canada,” a short-term Study Abroad program and a Vision 2020 initiative. Undergraduates from any major who currently hold freshman or sophomore status at NIU and are members of the University Honors Program are welcome to participate. Knowledge of...

Who doesn’t love comic strips? These entertaining mini-narratives have become a universal language, but how did they originate? Philippe Willems, associate professor in the NIU Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, will answer that question at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, in Room 315 of Altgeld Hall. His lecture, titled “Rodolphe Töpffer and the Birth...

NIU’s second annual Latino Film Festival returns March 27. Organizers will screen three films. First on the docket is the award-winning documentary “Maquilapolis: City of Factories,” which will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, in Room 121 of the Latino Center, 515 Garden Road. The Spanish-language film examines the struggle of two women to...

Students who enroll in NIU language department professor John Hartmann’s intensive Thai language class quickly overcome their inhibitions about learning an Asian language, even one that is tonal and written in a non-Roman alphabet. There is no textbook to purchase. In its place is SEAsite, an online, media-rich, interactive resource for learning the language and...

Michael Morris often emphasized that good teachers will be students their entire lives. This was certainly the case for Morris, who continuously looked for ways to improve his own teaching methods. But those who knew him found his dedication needed no improvement. It was his unwavering selflessness and compassion that set him apart from his...

Northern Illinois University has named Jeffrey Chown, John Hartmann and Gerald Jensen as its 2011 Board of Trustees Professors — an honor that recognizes international prominence in research as well as excellence in all facets of teaching. Chown is a professor and documentary filmmaker in the Department of Communication. Hartmann is a professor in the...

Michael C. Morris, a passionate teacher in NIU’s Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, died Sunday, Dec. 12, after a long battle with colorectal cancer. He was 49. Morris, who joined the NIU faculty in 1996 as an assistant professor of Spanish and Portuguese, earned his bachelor’s degree from Rockford College before receiving his master’s...