NIU will recognize its former president, William R. Monat, by renaming the university property at Third and Locust streets in his honor.

The ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, in the lobby of the building. The public is invited to attend.

The honor recognizes Monat for his many contributions to NIU as a professor, department head, provost and president.

His leadership of NIU, from 1978 until 1984, is best remembered for his role in securing two new colleges for the university: the NIU College of Law and the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology.

Monat also was instrumental in construction of the Martin Luther King Commons, the creation of new doctoral programs and acquisition of the building that now will bear his name.

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Good teachers capture imaginations and light paths. Good teachers can confirm decisions and provide tools. They can stir passions and change lives.

NIU has many good teachers, and Julie Hillery, Lee Shumow and Alan Zollman stand tall among them. The three are this year's recipients of the Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.

“When I read what the students had written, I cried. That was the reward: reading these very thoughtful and kind things they had said. I work very hard at teaching, and a lot of them recognize it,” Shumow says. “A lot of them say I’m passionate, and I am passionate. I care about them as people and about their learning. I make them work hard, and I have very high expectations, but I’ll help them achieve them.”

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History buffs will be treated to a double feature Thursday, April 28, with the premiere of a NIU-produced documentary on Abraham Lincoln’s involvement in the Black Hawk War and the debut of a newly enhanced Web site focusing on local history.

The event begins at 7 p.m. in the Visual Arts Building auditorium (Room 100) and is free and open to the public.

The first hour of the program will feature Drew VandeCreek, director of University Libraries’ Digitization Unit, and Phyllis Kelley, director of the Joiner History Room at the Sycamore Public Library, who will introduce “Taming of the Wild Prairie,” a Web site on DeKalb County history.

The documentary, “Lincoln and the Black Hawk War,” will screen at 8 p.m. Produced by VandeCreek in collaboration with Communication Professors Jeff Chown and Laura Vazquez, both award-winning documentary makers, the 50-minute documentary focuses on Lincoln’s service in the Illinois Militia during the Black Hawk War of 1832.

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Dreams are stubborn things, especially when life gets in the way.

Ask Todd Buck, an assistant professor in the NIU School of Art. Buck took a nasty header off his bike last August, landing on his noggin and making good friends with the neighborhood chiropractor. His older brother, Bob, an NIU alum, once was an avid bicyclist who hasn’t pedaled seriously in a quarter-century.

But there is that itch the two share – to embark on a long-distance ride on their bicycles – and it seems nothing will stop them from scratching.

The Buck brothers will leave Todd’s Lombard home Sunday, May 22, and pedal 4,500 miles to Fairbanks, Ala., arriving the first week of August. The trip will span 10 weeks at a pace of 75 miles a day, six days a week.

“Chicago to Seattle, you’re halfway there. That kind of puts it into perspective,” Buck says. “It’s a lot of time to think, a lot of hours in the saddle, a lot of daydreaming. It’s a whole different experience of seeing the countryside. You feel the hills. You feel the wind. You feel the rain. You smell the roadkill. Your endorphins are pumping. Everything seems more magnificent.”

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From sensing earthquakes to promoting heavenly music, the 2005 Venture Grant awards will benefit a variety of endeavors at NIU.

The grants, which are made annually by the NIU Foundation, are intended to support faculty in their pursuit of excellence in teaching, research and outreach to the larger community. The funding is intended as an investment in the imagination, intellect and dedication of NIU’s faculty and students.

The grants are awarded through a competitive application process, one that forces the NIU Foundation Board to make some difficult decisions. “There are so many excellent proposals, but funds are limited,” says Mallory M. Simpson, president of the NIU Foundation.

This year, five Venture Grants totaling $50,000 were distributed.

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NIU’s Alumni Association honored 13 recipients of its 2005 Alumni Awards at a private reception and dinner Thursday, April 21, at the Chicago Athletic Association. Recipients were selected based on outstanding professional and personal successes, as well as involvement in civic, cultural or charitable activities.

“NIU alumni have gone on to distinguish themselves and Northern in countless ways,” said Lee McCauley, assistant vice president for alumni relations. “Our Alumni Awards program seeks to recognize some of those outstanding individuals who have gone out and achieved great success in their personal and professional lives.”

This year, NIU recognized the significant contributions to the university made by Darrell “Doc” Newell by presenting him with its F.R. Geigle Service Award. The Alumni Association presented chemist and marketing professional Ronald R. Ream with the prestigious Distinguished Alumni Award. Gospel music industry leader Tracy Williamson received the Outstanding Alumni Award.

In addition, 10 alumni received Outstanding College Alumni Awards from their respective areas of study.

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Read good news about – and send congratulations to – Amy Newman.

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University Libraries
expands hours for finals

University Libraries has expanded its hours for Finals Week.

Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, May 6, and from Monday, May 9, through Thursday, May 12. Hours for Saturday, May 7, and Sunday, May 8, are 9 a.m. to 2 a.m.

For more information, call (815) 753-1995.

Law Library announces hours
for reading period, final exams

The David C. Shapiro Memorial Law Library has announced its schedule covering April 30 through May 31, which includes reading period and final exams.

Extended hours for Saturday, April 30, through Tuesday, May 17, are from 7:15 a.m. to 2 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays, from 7:15 a.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sundays. The library is open from 7:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 19.

Hours from Thursday, May 19 through the end of the month are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The exception is Memorial Day Weekend, when the library is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 28, and closed Sunday, May 29, and Monday, May 30.

Call (815) 753-0505 for more information.

Allied Health students celebrate
National Medical Laboratory Week

Students in the clinical laboratory sciences program in the NIU College of Health and Human Sciences will celebrate National Medical Laboratory Week today through Saturday. More than 70 percent of all objective information used in medical diagnosis and treatment decisions is made possible through the expertise of clinical laboratory practitioners.

Clinical laboratory services include health screening tests, tests for detection of infectious diseases and cancer markers, DNA-based tests for genetic diseases and more. There are 171,000 clinical laboratories in the United States that perform more than 7 billion diagnostic tests annually.

Despite increased demand for clinical laboratory services, an acute and long-term shortage of competent clinical laboratory practitioners is felt nationwide. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 12,000 additional qualified clinical laboratory professionals will be needed annually through 2010. Accredited clinical laboratory science programs in this country produce about 4,200 new professionals annually.

Professional organizations representing clinical laboratory practitioners, such as the American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) and others, are actively engaged in the recruitment of students into programs, lobbying legislators for student loan forgiveness and other similar programs, and other efforts to ensure that competent laboratory practitioners are plentiful enough to ensure the public health and safety.

Faculty and students of the NIU Clinical Laboratory Sciences Program in the School of Allied Health Professions serve and promote the profession.

Professor Dianne Cearlock, CLS program coordinator, is a former ASCLS Region VI director. Associate Professor Jeanne Isabel is serving a third two-year term as a council member for the International Federation of Biomedical Laboratory Scientists.

CLS students regularly serve in leadership positions in professional organizations at the state, regional and national levels. Graduating students find many and varied employment opportunities and many secure positions by graduation.

For more information, call (815) 753-1382.

Kishwaukee Symphonic Band
to perform April 30

The Greater Kishwaukee Symphonic Band will present its final concert for this season at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 30. The “Music Around the World” concert will be held at Boutell Memorial Concert Hall in NIU’s Music Building. The concert is free, and the auditorium is accessible to all.

Friends of NIU Libraries
to host program on Einstein

University Libraries, the Friends of the NIU Libraries and the NIU Physics Department will co-sponsor a panel discussion Monday, May 2, titled “An Evening with Einstein in the Library: The First Beautiful Mind.”

The event is in conjunction with the “World Year of Physics 2005” celebration. This year’s theme is “Einstein in the 21st Century.”

Panelists are Physics Professor Carol Thompson; Harold Brown, Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus from the NIU Philosophy Department; and Roger Dixon from Fermi National Laboratory. Each will present a topic related to the early development of physics in the 20th century, particularly the work of Einstein and his persona.

The program will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Staff Lounge located on the lower level of Founders Memorial Library. Free parking may be available after 7 p.m. in the Visitor’s Parking Lot on Carroll Avenue. There will be an opportunity for discussion and light refreshments following the presentation.

In addition to the program, visit the “World Year of Physics 2005: Einstein in the 21st Century” exhibit located on the first floor of the library during the month of May. For more information, call (815) 753-9394 or e-mail cditzler@niu.edu.

Annual steam outage
scheduled for mid-May

To perform maintenance and repairs on high pressure steam lines on campus, the Physical Plant and Heating Plant will conduct its annual steam outage in May.

West Campus: From 8 a.m. Tuesday, May 17, through 4 p.m. Friday, May 20. This will include Neptune and all buildings west of Carroll Avenue, except Stevenson, and various other smaller buildings not served by steam. Domestic and heating hot water will not be available.

East Campus: From 9 p.m. Sunday, May 22, through 4 p.m. Thursday, May 26. This will include all buildings east of Carroll Avenue, except for various other smaller buildings not served by steam. Domestic and heating hot water will not be available.

Address any questions to chief engineer Kevin Vines at (815) 753-6090 or via e-mail at kvines@niu.edu.

NIU Golf League
ready for new season

Want to kick back after work and enjoy the outdoors? Why not join the NIU Golf League as we begin to tee off the new season?

All skill levels are welcome, with individual weekly events planned for a fun time for all. Tee times are reserved at Buena Vista Golf Course from 5 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Play begins the week of May 9 and concludes with the annual banquet held Thursday, Sept. 8, at Indian Oaks Country Club in Shabbona.

E-mail niugolf@niu.edu or call Gail Taylor at (815) 753-8064 for more information.

FY05 cut-off dates

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