NIU Today

NIU hosted faculty from the Anhui University of Finance and Economics (AUFE), mainland China, during the fall 2015 semester. The International Training Office was instrumental in designing and administering the program for the delegation of six Chinese scholars, which was focused on cultural exchange and professional development. Because of this focus, the International Training Office...

How is the state budget impasse, now in its eighth month, hurting DeKalb County? Bianka Rios has an answer. Rios, who’s pursuing a degree in human resources from Kishwaukee College with a minor in accounting, plans to transfer to NIU. A wife, and the mother of a 3-year-old son, Rios already juggles two jobs, one...

Preparing students well for success in their education and in their careers is a significant challenge in difficult times. NIU’s Dennis Barsema will join leaders and policy makers from universities, community colleges and industry for “From Classroom to Career: Collaborating for Student Success,” a half-day symposium with students and parents. Together, these 18 leaders will...

NIU’s Presidential Commission on the Status of Minorities invites proposals for presentations at a one-day regional conference on diversity, scheduled Saturday, March 21, at NIU-Naperville. Highlights of the “Diversity: Strengthening the Pillars of Community” conference include opening speaker David Stovall from the University of Illinois-Chicago and a multimedia presentation on immigration, assimilation and white privilege by...

National leaders in education will gather at NIU in October to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. An academic symposium is planned Tuesday, Oct. 21. Two days later – Thursday, Oct. 23 – an alumni panel will discuss the historical aspect of the civil rights movement and the current status of civil...

David Stone, a member of the 2014-15 class of the American Council on Education’s ACE Fellows Program, will spend his “placement” year at Wright State University. Stone, the associate vice president for research at NIU, is among 31 emerging college and university leaders considered the next generation of senior leadership in higher education. Beginning Tuesday,...

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...

Educating families on the college is essential for the success of students. That is why FAST (First-generation Aspire to Succeed Together), in collaboration with the Adela de la Torre Honor Society, is bringing Parent University to help educate parents in the local community on the high school and college experience. FAST is the NIU student...

In Washington, D.C. … FY 2014 Bi-Partisan Budget Compromise Bill The Senate passed the bipartisan budget compromise bill that was approved by the House last week by a vote of 64 to 36, with nine Republicans joining all 55 Democrats in voting for the bill. Now, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) and House...

Two best practices modeled by Northern Illinois University were part of the “College Completion Playbook”  unveiled by Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon during the two-day Scaling Up: Effective Practices in Higher Education conference in Bloomington, Ill. Building on her efforts to reduce costs and boost graduation rates at Illinois universities and community colleges, Simon’s guide collects the...

Supporting undocumented student success on college campuses has emerged as a complex issue of increasing importance. This growing population of college students faces unique challenges each day – challenges such as the struggle to fund their education in the absence of federal or state financial aid including work study, the stigma of not having a Social...

In Springfield … Both the House and the Senate are in session this week in Springfield. Several bills of interest to the NIU community advanced in the legislative process during last week’s Senate action. SB 1900 (Biss) passed the Senate unanimously and has been assigned to the House Higher Education Committee for consideration. It requires...