NIU Today

When Abu Bakarr Bah’s academic interests turned toward issues of democracy and peacebuilding almost two decades ago, he didn’t foresee how quickly these studies, which are closely related now to issues of terrorism and refugees, would be at the forefront of international interest. Flash forward about 20 years, and Bah is an associate professor of...

NIU sociology graduate student Dana Peterson has been picking up a lot of business tips and life lessons from local women business owners this past academic year. Peterson has embarked on a collaborative project between NIU, the non-profit organization DeKalb Area Women’s Center (DAWC) and the local business community to explore the road some local...

Andrew Traver, an NIU alumnus and current director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), will speak at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, in Room 100 of the Campus Life Building. His presentation is part of Sociology Week, a 13-year campus tradition. Traver is the fifth civilian NCIS director. As director, he leads the agency...

Gian Sarup, a professor of sociology at NIU from 1972 until his retirement in 2000, died Friday, June 12, in DeKalb after a long fight with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He was 82. Sarup, who also chaired the Department of Sociology for six years, specialized in social psychology, attitude change and research methods. Born March...

Friends, colleagues and former students of the late Kay Forest use remarkably similar words to describe the longtime NIU faculty member and retired chair of the Department of Sociology. Passionate. Loyal. Devoted mentor. Great mind. Committed to social justice. Whether she was teaching, writing, facilitating dialogue, or serving on a university committee, colleagues say Forest...

Sixty-seven NIU students and alumni donated almost 1,000 hours of their 2014 spring break time to non-profit organizations in Pensacola, Fla. These volunteers enriched the lives of residents in the community, built lifelong friendships and proved that NIU students and alumni truly strive to be contributing members of the global community A variety of students...

Northern Illinois University alumnus Andrew L. Traver was recently named the fifth civilian director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. NCIS is in charge of investigating and defeating terrorist, foreign intelligence and criminal threats to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Traver is responsible for developing and expanding strong partnerships with law enforcement organizations, security...

Junior Jordan Threloff (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb/Illinois State) of the Northern Illinois University men’s basketball team was named the Mid-American Conference’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Week, the league announced today. The award is voted on by a select group of faculty athletic representatives from the conference’s member institutions. Threloff, a sociology major with a 4.0 GPA, averaged...

The holiday season is just around the corner: Don’t wait for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It’s time to shop Fair Trade Wednesday and Thursday. NIU’s Sociology Student Organization is hosting its annual Fair Trade Gift Sale in partnership with Just Goods from Rockford. A portion of the proceeds supports the Department of Sociology’s Alternative...

It’s Sociology Week at NIU, and what an interesting week it has been.

Mosaics are intricate works of art comprised of glass, ceramic tile and other textiles. Fitting each seemingly dissimilar piece of tile to form a stunning composition often takes careful planning and creative ingenuity. This art form is symbolic of the Women’s Studies mosaic project that artist and MFA candidate Danielle Dobies is leading this summer....

The Northern Illinois Criminal Justice Association and the NIU Department of Sociology will host a panel discussion titled, “Life After Incarceration,” highlighting issues faced by those who have been released from prison and the struggles they face as they re-enter society. The discussion will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, April 4, in the Holmes...