Accreditation team to visit campus this month

An accreditation team from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools will arrive on campus Monday, Feb. 23.

The team’s 11 members, representing different Midwestern colleges and universities, will spend three days poring over documents and meeting with various constituencies in an effort to verify information reported in NIU’s self-study.

Scheduling of meetings is still taking place, said Virginia Cassidy, associate vice provost for academic planning and development.

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The NIU Center for Black Studies also has scheduled a full slate of events for Black Heritage Month, including films, art shows, fashion shows and lectures.

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Serving six presidents over a span of 32 years, Sally Stevens devoted her life to the betterment of NIU. She is still doing so eight years after retirement, this time in a very tangible and generous manner.

Stevens, a DeKalb native, has made a “leadership gift” toward the Alumni and Visitors Center to be built on Annie Glidden Road at Stadium Drive. Leadership gifts are defined as those of more than $100,000. Stevens also has made additional commitments to provide substantial gifts to support a number of other university projects and programs to be announced at a later date.

“I always knew that someday I would leave a legacy to NIU,” Stevens says. “I just decided that it would be more exciting to make that ‘someday’ now. This way I can enjoy seeing the good that can happen with a little help from a friend.”

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Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark and Sen. John Edwards so far haven’t captured the most votes in the Democratic primaries, but the two presidential hopefuls do hold a distinct advantage over their rivals in at least one area: the looks department.

Researchers James Schubert of NIU and Margaret Curran of Richard Stockton College in New Jersey have compiled years of evidence establishing a link between candidates’ physical appearances and their viability at the ballot box.

According to their most recent findings, Edwards rates as the most attractive candidate in the Democratic primary field.

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NIU will welcome internationally acclaimed artist Ruth Weisberg to campus later this month for a weeklong exhibit of her paintings, drawings and monotypes – and the Midwest premiere of a documentary on her life and work.

NIU communication Professor Laura Vazquez wrote, directed and produced the 40-minute documentary “Ruth Weisberg: On the Journey.” It won a gold medal in the 2003 Aurora Awards, an international independent film and video competition.

The video documentary explores the breadth of Weisberg’s artistry, capturing her working in the studio and discussing her creative processes.

“When we walk into a gallery and view a work of art, it communicates in a certain way, telling us where to look,” Vazquez says. “In the documentary, I intervene. So I wanted to make sure that I did justice to Ruth’s art in a way that both explained it and extended the experience for the documentary viewer.”

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While thousands of the nation’s college kids flock to sandy resort beaches, a group of NIU students will travel to some of the country’s poorer regions for spring break.

Instead of making a splash, they’ll be making a difference.

The Newman Catholic Student Center’s annual “alternative spring break” is sending three teams of student volunteers on service trips. The center has been running the alternative trips for more than a decade, and they are as popular as ever.

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Clarinetists and clarinet lovers in the Midwest are invited to NIU’s third annual Clarinet Cornucopia, a day-long celebration of the popular woodwind instrument.

This year’s event, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, focuses on “Sounds of Japan” and will feature performances of Japanese music, a talk on jazz clarinet in Japan and special guest Mituso Sakaba, consul general of the Japanese Consulate at Chicago.

The day also includes a 7:30 p.m. performance of Japanese works by the Clarinet Quartet of the U.S. Air Force Band of Mid-America.

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Motor development program
offered for young children
A motor development program for children ages 3 to 6 has begun in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education. The program, which includes fitness activities and games, runs from 3:45 to 4:45 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays through April 14. -- MORE

Spring discussion series
to address cultural experiences
Affirmative Action and Diversity Resources is pleased to announce its 2004 Collective Stories and Cultural Experiences (CSCE) Spring Series. These discussions are informative, interactive and focus upon various issues and concerns that impact the working and learning environments on campus. -- MORE

Panelists to discuss
‘Being Black in DeKalb’
In honor of Black Heritage Month, the NIU Center for Black Studies and the DeKalb Interfaith Network for Peace & Justice are sponsoring “Being Black in DeKalb.” The program takes place at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Heritage Room of the Holmes Student Center. -- MORE

Campus food drive
scheduled for Friday
Participate in the fourth annual campus food drive from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. Friday. Simply bring canned goods on your way to work or class in the morning and drop them off in designated vans stationed in several campus parking lots. -- MORE

NIU play to explore
legendary theater ‘group’
In the summer of 1931, then- unknown actors Harold Clurman, Cheryl Crawford and Lee Strasburg formed a theatre company that would forever alter the acting profession. They called themselves Group Theatre. -- MORE

Latino law students host
speakers on ‘Undocumented’
The Latino Law Student Association will host attorneys William B. Schiller and Sarah O’Connor, who will speak on “The Undocumented: What are the options?” The event begins at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, at University Resources for Latinos, 515 Garden Road. -- MORE

Friends of NIU Libraries
sponsor Bonnicksen talk
The Friends of NIU Libraries invite the public to attend the fourth program of the 2003-04 academic year at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18. NIU political science Professor Andrea Bonnicksen will speak on “Therapeutic Cloning and Public Policy.” -- MORE

Training offered for
financial management system
The financial management system training staff will offer the following courses to general campus over the next couple of months. Please contact Cindy Kozumplik in Finance and Facilities at 753-8077 to register. -- MORE

NIU Women’s Law Caucus hosts
performances of ‘Vagina Monologues’
For the sixth consecutive year, the Women’s Law Caucus of the NIU College of Law will host three benefit performances of Ev e Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” on campus. --MORE

Kishwaukee Symphony
celebrates 26th season
Members of the Kishwaukee Symphony Associates invite fans and friends of the orchestra to celebrate its 26th season of “Keeping the Symphony Sound” at a theme dinner Sunday, Feb. 22, at Michael’s Restaurant in Sycamore. -- MORE

University Resources for Women hosts eating disorders workshops
National Eating Disorder Awareness Week is Feb. 23 through 27. University Resources for Women will host daily workshops from noon to 1 p.m. at its 105 Normal Road quarters. Call 753-0320 for more information. -- MORE

Elizabeth Allen Lecture Series
to welcome David Freedberg
David Freedberg will lecture on “Art, Emotion and the Brain: History and Neuroscience” at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24, in Room 100 of the Art Building. Freedberg, professor of art history at Columbia University and director of the Italian Academy, comes to NIU as part of the Elizabeth Allen Lecture Series. Call 753-1474 for more information.

Nominations sought for
Outstanding Service Award
All university employees are reminded that nominations for the 2004 Outstanding Service Award for NIU civil service employees are due in Human Resource Services no later than 4:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27. All full- or part-time civil service employees who have been continuously employed at NIU since Feb. 1, 2003 are eligible. Nomination forms and guidelines were mailed to all employees in early January and also can be found on the Operating Staff Council Web site at www.niu.edu/osc/osc.htm. -- MORE

NIU Wellness Fair
to teach stroke avoidance
NIU’s Employee Wellness and Assistance Program will host a wellness fair Wednesday, March 24, on the main floor of the Holmes Student Center. -- MORE

Proposals sought for
David W. Raymond grant
The David W. Raymond Grant is an annual grant to faculty working on ways to use new technologies in their teaching. The $2,500 grant is awarded to the faculty member with the best proposal for incorporating new technologies into his or her teaching. -- MORE

Nominations sought
for Eychaner Award
The NIU Presidential Commission on Sexual Orientation and Prism of NIU are seeking nominations for the Eychaner Award, presented annually to recognize individuals affiliated with NIU who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and service on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender community. -- MORE

Colleges Against Cancer
to host Relay for Life
NIU’s chapter of the American Cancer Society’s Colleges Against Cancer is hosting a Relay for Life April 2 and 3 in the Rec Center. -- MORE

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