NIU Today

I hosted a meeting Tuesday of the Northern Illinois Regional P-20 Network, a group of nearly 40 partners who are collaborating to improve college and career readiness. One school superintendent introduced himself by saying, “Every meeting I go to is full of bad news. What we are doing here is really positive. What a relief!”...

This Saturday’s spring homecoming at the Convocation Center will see more than 200 alumni and 200 students paired together at the kickoff event for the NIU Student-Alumni Mentoring Program. Mentoring is a key tactic in our triangle strategic framework; it can connect students to other students (peer mentoring), to faculty and staff such as advisers...

On Thursday afternoon, I had the opportunity to address the campus community through two campus-wide town hall meetings regarding several key initiatives meant to provide NIU greater control over its own destiny. In both meetings, Executive Vice President and Provost Lisa Freeman, Vice Provost Anne Birberick and I covered the following: State Budget Process Overview...

NIU will livestream Thursday’s two town hall meetings led by President Doug Baker and Executive Vice President and Provost Lisa Freeman. The meetings, which take place in the Holmes Student Center’s Carl Sandburg Auditorium, are intended to engage campus students and employees about program prioritization and other strategic imperatives for the university. At each town...

This week’s events surrounding the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have made a profound impact on me. In honoring Dr. King, our senior leadership team is simultaneously working to create an environment that celebrates diversity and ensures inclusion of all races, ethnicities, nationalities, disabilities, socioeconomic statuses, religions, genders and sexual orientations. The events...

As the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday approaches, I want to take time to talk about how we as a university can honor the legacy and ideals of Dr. King. As an academic institution, we encourage our students to explore new ideas and express their diverse thoughts in constructive ways, and this exchange of competing...

NIU President Doug Baker and Executive Vice President and Provost Lisa Freeman will host two town hall meetings Thursday, Jan. 29, at the Holmes Student Center’s Carl Sandburg Auditorium. The meetings are intended to engage campus students and employees about program prioritization and other strategic imperatives for the university. All employees are encouraged to attend...

As we move into the start of a new semester, we will see the beginning of a new administration in Springfield. It will be the newly elected Gov. Rauner’s turn to develop a game plan to address the financial opportunities and challenges facing the state. There has already been a good deal of speculation about...

This past weekend, it was my honor to welcome approximately 1,800 students to the ranks of our alumni as they move on to their careers, continue graduate studies or find other personal successes in life. Commencement is not only a time for our student-graduates to reflect on those moments at NIU that have transformed them...

We’ve recently begun a strategic effort to build a strong foundation for maintaining and improving the quality of academic and administrative programs across NIU by assuring that our programs reflect our institutional mission and strategic goals. The process, commonly referred to as “program prioritization,” already has taken place at many campuses across the United States....

As the Northern Illinois University football team prepares for another appearance on the national stage in the MAC Football Championship in Detroit, NIU’s leadership in academic and student initiatives is also on display this week on a national scale. On Wednesday, we announced the findings of our Presidential Task Force on the Violence Against Women...

The President’s Annual Holiday Luncheon will take place from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9, in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center. President Doug Baker and First Lady Dana Stover will host a festive and complimentary lunch for all faculty, staff, students and community members. For more information, call (815)...