In Brief

2005 calendars available

Poster-size calendars for 2005 will be available soon from NIUTel.

These calendars are marked with academic dates and holiday and administrative closures. Quantities are limited, so please e-mail NIUTel via GroupWise to reserve calendars for your office soon. You will be notified when they are ready for pick-up.

Ethics training deadline
looms Wednesday

All university faculty, staff, graduate assistants and student workers (full-time, part-time, regular and temporary) are reminded that they must complete mandatory ethics training under the Illinois State Officials and Employees Ethics Act by Wednesday, Nov. 17. Employees who have not yet completed this online training are reminded that the law requires that this training be completed during the established training period. Penalties and fines could result from failure to complete the training.

To date, more than 6,000 employees have completed the training. The remaining employees will be contacted by the supervisor, dean or vice president. The university administration acknowledges all the employees who have worked to keep Northern in compliance with this law. If you have questions about how to complete ethics training, call 753-6039, or email EthicsTraining@niu.edu. Complete information is available on the Human Resource Services website, and further information is available through Information Technology Services at 753-8100.

Speaker on Middle East
to visit campus Wednesday

Solving the conflict between Palestine and Israel is often called the linchpin to peace in the Middle East.

Was that conflict the major reason for our attack on Iraq, as some Middle East scholars maintain? How will Yassar Arafat’s death affect the chances for peace with Israel? Will Sharon’s proposal for withdrawal from Jewish settlements in Gaza lead only to more settlements and increased violence in the West Bank?

Ali Abinimah, a prominent Chicago writer and commentator on Middle East affairs, will address these and other issues at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17, in the Lincoln Room of Holmes Student Center. His address will include recommendations for ending the seemingly intractable violence between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Abinimah was born in the United States and grew up in Europe. His parents are originally from Palestine. He received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and his master’s degree from the University of Chicago, where he is a full-time researcher at the Children’s Policy Research Center.

The public is invited to Abinamah’s presentation, sponsored by the DeKalb Interfaith Network for Peace & Justice and the Northern Coalition for Peace and Justice. For information, call Cele Meyer (815) 758-0796 or 753-6408.

NIU Campus Child Care
has pre-school openings

The NIU Campus Child Care Center has openings for preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5) for the upcoming spring semester. The program has been accredited through the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs since 1992.

The center employs teachers with degrees in early childhood education and maintain high quality group sizes and teacher/child ratios. Teachers help children learn the skills they need to be successful in school. Call 753-0125 to receive a preschool program brochure or visit www.ccc.niu.edu for detailed information about the overall program.

Applications for the spring semester can be picked up at the center or mailed out as of Friday, Nov. 19.

Graduate School seeks
nominees for honorary degrees

NIU’s Graduate School has issued its annual call for nominations for honorary doctoral degrees. Nominations are due Friday, Dec. 17, to Rathindra N. Bose, vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School.

Past recipients include Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert, distinguished historian Arthur Schlessinger Jr., the late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon, the late astronomer Carl Sagan, the late poet Gwendolyn Brooks and the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun.

Awarding an honorary degree is an opportunity to recognize someone especially outstanding in a field of interest to the university. It is necessary, though not sufficient, for a nominee to be accomplished or renowned in his or her field; an honorary degree recipient should be clearly exceptional among other outstanding persons in that field.

While a connection to NIU or to the State of Illinois is not a requirement for nomination, any such relationships should be noted and will be considered during the selection process.

A nomination must be accompanied by a supporting narrative that clearly indicated the nominee’s distinction, one or more standard biographical statements from appropriate reference sources and current mailing address.

Any person affiliated with NIU may submit a nomination, indicating the nominator’s identify and connection with the university. The Honorary Degree Committee encourages nominations by groups as well as individuals. Nominators should alert all university departments and divisions related to the area of the nominee’s accomplishments and invite those units to provide the committee with input regarding the merits of the nomination.

As the university does not intend to award more than two honorary degrees in a year, the selection process is stringent. Furthermore, as the committee’s recommendations subsequently pass through several other approval steps, the process is lengthy.

Alumni Association seeks
nominees for awards

The Alumni Association is seeking nominations for its 2005 Alumni Association Awards Program.

The program recognizes graduates who have achieved national, regional or statewide prominence either in their professional fields or through their involvement in civic, cultural, or charitable activities. The nomination deadline is Dec. 10, and all awards will be presented April 21, 2005.

Nomination forms are available online from www.myniu.com or by contacting the Alumni Association at alums@niu.edu or at 753-1452.

Individuals can be nominated for the following awards:

The Distinguished Alumni Award
The NIU Alumni Association’s most prestigious award, the Distinguished Alumni Award is presented to a member of NIU’s alumni body regardless of the college they graduated from, who has achieved outstanding success or recognition.

F.R. Geigle Service Award
The F.R. Geigle Service Award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding service and commitment to the best interests of NIU. This service may have been given in the classroom, in other university activities, or in the wider community. This award may be given to non-alumni of Northern.

Outstanding College Alumni Awards
Seven Outstanding College Alumni are selected to represent the university's seven colleges, highlighting the diverse disciplines of a comprehensive university.

Outstanding Alumni Award
The Outstanding Alumni Award is given to a graduate, regardless of NIU college affiliation, who has received an undergraduate degree from NIU within the past 10 years and has shown outstanding promise and success.

Awards available
for student leaders

The Office of University Programming and Activities is giving out rewards for student leaders.

Each year Programming & Activities offers Leadership Awards for students who have shown outstanding participation and leadership in student organizations, thereby significantly enhancing the quality of campus life. The awards recognize the initiative, hard work, and dedication that students put into their activities outside of class. The awards bestow honor and recognition, and in some cases, money.

Leadership Awards are available for freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, and graduate students. There is also a category for outstanding student organization.

In addition, the Division of Student Services annually awards institutional tuition waivers to talented and special students based on their campus involvement, contributions to the quality of campus life, and potential for future achievement. Students also can nominate faculty and staff for the Outstanding Faculty Advisor award.

Students can apply for the awards by filling out an application form available at the Programming & Activities Office, Campus Life Building 150. Forms can also be downloaded from the Programming and Activities here www.stuaff.niu.edu/upa/lead.htm. Applications must be supported by two letters of recommendation.

The application deadline is 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7. Students will be notified of results in March, and awards will be presented April 18 at the annual Campus Leadership Awards Ceremony.

Law Library announces
end-of-semester hours

The David C. Shapiro Memorial Law Library has announced its hours for the end of the semester and the beginning of the new year.

The library is closed Thursday, Nov. 25, through Saturday, Nov. 27, for the Thanksgiving recess. The library also is closed from Friday, Dec. 24, through Sunday, Jan. 2, for winter break.

Hours Wednesday, Nov. 24, are 7:15 a.m. to 5 p.m., and hours Sunday, Nov. 28 are noon to 11:30 p.m. Hours from Saturday, Dec. 4, to Tuesday, Dec. 21, are 7:15 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 7:15 a.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sundays.

Hours for Wednesday, Dec. 22, are 7:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hours for Thursday, Dec. 23, are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hours for Monday, Jan. 3, through Sunday, Jan. 16, are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. The library is open from 1 to 10 p.m. Monday, Jan. 17.

For more information, call 753-0507.

Convo Center welcomes
Larry the Cable Guy

“Blue-collar” comedian Larry the Cable Guy will visit the NIU Convocation Center at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 21.

Tickets are $33.25 for NIU students with an ID (limit two) and $38.25 for the general public. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 19. Tickets are available at the Convocation Center box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, by calling (312) 559-1212, or visiting www.ticketmaster.com.

NIU Lifelong Learning Institute sponsors
New York Theatre Weekend Jan. 15-17

NIU's Lifelong Learning Institute, along with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Department of English, are sponosring a New York Theater Weekend from Jan. 15 to 17. Diane L. Swanson, an associate professor in the English Department, and Steven Johnson, director of External Program in the college, are the guides.

The cost is $845 per person (or $745 before Dec. 1). The price includes accommodations in a great mid-town Manhattan hotel, two Broadway shows and two tours: one of Manhattan and one of the Museum of Modern Art. The group also will enjoy a special private welcome dinner at Sardi's.

Travelers can attend a 'dress rehearsal' just prior to the trip (the date will be announced later) to become more familiar with the itinerary, faculty, and the city itself. Call 753-5200 for more information.

11-15-04