NORTHERN in the News

a sampling of NIU's recent media mentions
compiled by the Office of Public Affairs

A Nov. 11 Chicago Tribune report on public universities courting private endowments featured NIU and Barsema Hall and was illustrated by a photo of a student passing by the Barsema portrait. President John Peters is quoted as saying that while NIU expects to continue relying on state dollars to fund its programs, there is no doubt private dollars have become a bigger part of the mix. "NIU is at a crossroads," Peters said. "We have to work hard to get our message out; we've got a big story to tell."

The Daily Chronicle ran a three-part series from Oct. 18 through Oct. 20 on the relationship between NIU and the DeKalb area. The first installment focused on the local economy. The second part examined DeKalb's status as a college town while the third probed the question, "Is NIU really a 'commuter school?' "

NIU professors Ross Powell and Reed Scherer were featured in the Nov. 3 issue of the Aurora Beacon News. Powell and Scherer will journey to Antarctica next year to participate in a project called ANDRILL, short for Antarctic Drilling. Scientists will study samples of rock buried beneath the frozen sea to predict future global warming trends. "The aim of the project is to recover records of environmental and climatic changes that have affected Antarctica in the past," Powell said. An article also appeared in the Oct. 21 issue of the Kane County Chronicle.

Gary Burns, a professor in the Department of Communication, was quoted in a Nov. 6 New York Times article on the use of anti-establishment music used in corporate advertising campaigns. The article notes how the Clash's "London Calling" and Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" are used to sell cars and cruises. "Meaning is extremely malleable," Burns said. "Songs in general lose meaning over time."

The Sept. 23 dedication of Barsema Hall earned stories in several regional newspapers, including the Kane County Chronicle and the Rockford Register Star.

Frontier Physics, an outreach program designed to get primary and secondary students excited about the possibilities of science, was featured in the Oct. 12 issue of the Daily Herald. "It's a lot of fun to work with the kids," said Patricia Sievert of the NIU Department of Physics, "and we want them to have fun and also realize this is something they can grow up and do someday."

Kathleen McFadden, an associate professor in the Department of Operations Management and Information Services who was interviewed in August by Geraldo Rivera on the Fox News Channel, was featured in the Oct. 9 issue of the MidWeek. McFadden's research has found a correlation between drunk driving convictions and pilot error.

An Oct. 4 article in the Chicago Tribune highlighted NIU's launch of two highly specialized laboratories that will keep faculty and students alike on the cutting-edge of research into nanotechnology and scientific computer modeling at the molecular scale. The university was awarded a federal grant of $2 million to establish the Laboratory for NanoScience, Engineering and Technology, and another federal grant of $500,000 to create the Laboratory for Structural Analysis and Computer Modeling. Articles on the laboratories also appeared in the Oct. 6 issue of the Aurora Beacon News, the Oct. 9 issue of the MidWeek and the Oct. 16 issue of the Elgin Courier News.

President John Peters' annual State of the University address was featured in the Oct. 4 issue of the Daily Chronicle and the Oct. 9 issue of the MidWeek.

Judy Ledgerwood, a professor of anthropology, earned headlines in the Nov. 6 MidWeek for her Fulbright scholar grant that will allow her to expand her research work in Cambodia, one of the world's poorest and most war-torn countries. Ledgerwood is studying the re-emergence of Buddhism in Cambodia.

An Oct. 23 Sycamore News editorial praised "Wade in the Water: The Underground Railroad in DeKalb County," a documentary on the Underground Railroad. James Macon, who earned his master's degree at NIU, and NIU professors Jeffrey Chown and Laura Vasquez are congratulated for "an excellent job" along with Phyllis Kelley, Nancy Beasley and Bud Burgin of the Joiner History Room.

NIU's new status as "Storm Ready" - a distinction awarded by the National Weather Service - was reported in the Oct. 3 Daily Chronicle. NIU is the first university to earn the distinction. The "main goal of the program is that every student should know of a severe weather warning within three minutes," NIU meteorologist Gilbert Sebenste said.

The Oct. 8 issue of the Daily Chronicle and the Oct. 9 issue of the Sycamore News reported the upcoming retirement of George Shur, NIU's general counsel.

Jeffrey Hecht, chair of the Department of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment in the College of Education, was quoted in a Sept. 30 Rockford Register Star article about parents checking their children's grades online. "In 10 years, a lot of schools will be doing this and wanting to do this more, because it provides more information to parents in a more timely fashion," Hecht said.

"Prowling the Internet," a feature story on police use of the Internet to nab pedophiles in the Sept. 18 Elgin Courier News and Sept. 25 Aurora Beacon News, quoted David Gunkel, associate professor of communication. "If local law enforcement doesn't become actively involved, they're not doing their jobs," Gunkel said.

The Oct. 10 Daily Herald covered a speech to McHenry County College students by Rosita Marcano, a professor in the Department of Leadership and Educational and Sport Organizations in the College of Education. Marcano told Hispanic students about the importance of getting a college education, expanding their knowledge of the world and their own culture through reading. "I look at you as leaders in the making," Marcano said.

Recent Broadcast Media Placements

12-9-2002