NIU receives more federal funds
for combat systems research

NIU will use new Department of Defense funding to continue its work to ensure that Rockford-area manufacturers have a hand in creating a new generation of faster, lighter and stronger fighting vehicles for the U.S. armed forces.

The money, $3.5 million, was included in the 2005 Defense Appropriations Conference report, which is expected to pass the House and Senate by the end of this week before heading to the president for his signature. This latest appropriation is in addition to $2.25 million in federal money previously earmarked for NIU’s work on future combat systems.

The latest funding was secured by Congressman Don Manzullo (R-Egan) and Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL).

“This money will allow us to continue the efforts of our Rapid Optimization of Commercial Knowledge (ROCK) project, which is aimed at helping Rockford companies understand their strengths and capacities to compete for military projects,” said Promod Vohra, dean of the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology.

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Paul Ilsley, who has spent the last two autumns in Finland on a Fulbright Fellowship, will return this fall to complete his project examining active citizenship and online learning.

The professor in the Department of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment, working with colleagues in the Department of Counseling, Adult and Higher Education, promises a “Hollywood ending” for his work, which will include two books and has already landed him on the editorial board of the journal “Lifelong Learning in Europe.”

Ilsley will leave in late August and return in late December.

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A senior public administration major from Glendale Heights has joined the NIU Board of Trustees as its new student member.

Eric Johnson, who is chief justice of the Student Association Supreme Court and also represents District 6 on the DeKalb County Board, began his duties July 1. He is the fourth student elected to the formerly appointed position.

He succeeds Kevin Miller, whose term ended June 30.

“This is my fourth year of involvement with the Student Association, and just being able to work with administrators and students over the last couple years, I think I’ve got a good starting point,” Johnson said.

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Ann O’Brien, a former Sotheby’s employee who was working on her doctorate in New York City, feels at home among exciting artists who teach and exhibit their latest works in on-campus galleries.

It’s that vibe O’Brien plans to bring to the NIU School of Art’s Jack Olson Gallery, where she is acting coordinator.

“My long-term goal for the gallery,” said O’Brien, who came to NIU in August 2003 and has transferred her doctorate work here, “is to use it as a teaching laboratory for museum students to learn about curating and exhibiting works of art by leading contemporary artists as well as providing an exhibition space and forum for our faculty and students.”

Operation of the gallery space on the second (and main) floor of the Art Building recently returned to the School of Art from the NIU Art Museum, which has managed the space since 1995.

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Members of the Operating Staff Council have selected new leadership for the 2004-2005 academic year.

Officers elected were Donna Smith, president; Rachel X. Turner, vice president; Theresa Kinniry, secretary; and Elizabeth Buck, treasurer.

Smith, a 17-year employee of the university who works in the dean’s office in the College of Education, has been active on the Operating Staff Council for 10 years. She has previously served as secretary and vice president of the OSC, and has participated in a number of university committees.

Smith said she expects salaries and benefits to be among the most important issues the council will face in the year ahead.

DeKalb plans event
for National Night Out

Neighborhoods throughout DeKalb are invited to join forces with thousands of communities nationwide from 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 3, for the “21st Annual National Night Out” crime and drug prevention event.

Residents are asked to lock their doors, turn on outside lights and spend the evening outside with neighbors and police.

National Night Out, sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch and co-sponsored locally by DeKalb Neighborhood Association Council, will involve more than 10,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases around the world. In all, more than 34 million people are expected to participate.

National Night Out is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime efforts; strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships, and send a message to criminals that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

For further information, call (815) 756-9899.

FIT program offers
launch pad for exercise

Fitness Images Today (FIT), located in Anderson Hall 127, is an on-campus, adult fitness program, open to NIU employees, spouses of employees, retirees, and residents of the surrounding communities.

The program offers a variety of classes (including water aerobics), a weight and cardiovascular room, blood pressure screenings, body composition analysis, flexibility testing, as well as individual program design.

The staff is comprised of a program coordinator and four graduate assistants, trained in health and fitness, who are available to assist individuals who are new to exercise, returning to exercise after injury, or who just need a little extra guidance or jumpstart for their exercise program.

Fall sessions start Aug. 23. Cost is $65 for fall semester. Contact the FIT staff at 753-0335 or via e-mail at jkieronski@niu.edu for details on enrollment, cost or programs.

Mortar Board chapter
looking for advisers

The Pleiades chapter of Mortar Board Senior Honor Society at NIU is looking for additional faculty/staff advisers. If you are interested in supporting some of NIU’s most outstanding students or have been involved with Mortar Board in the past, please consider becoming a chapter advisor.

Mortar Board, one of the most prestigious honor societies in the country, recognizes students for outstanding contributions and commitment to the ideals of scholarship, leadership, and service. The Pleiades chapter selects 50 NIU seniors for membership each year.

More information about Mortar Board can be found on the chapter Web site at www.mortarboard.niu.edu or by contacting Dan Turner at danturner@niu.edu or 753-1793.

Old NIU yearbooks sought

Dan Turner, assistant director of Orientation, is working to add to his collection of approximately 30 NIU yearbooks. If you have a past Northern yearbook and are willing to part with it, please contact danturner@niu.edu or 753-1793, or place it in campus mail.

‘Paint the Pavement’
still looking for artists

Do you like to paint? Do you play an instrument? Do you do ceramics?

All that and more will take place at the “Paint the Pavement” festival Saturday, Sept. 18. The Art Attack School of Art will team with the annual downtown Sycamore block party to create an exciting outdoor art festival.

The Art Attack of Sycamore is located at 215 W. Elm Street. Call Susan Edwards, executive director, at (815) 899-9440 to register or get more information. More information also is available at www.sycamoreartattack.com.

FY04 cut-off dates

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