CAHE profs work with grad students
to help Honduran AIDS crisis

Jim Sells took his family to Honduras two years ago for a sabbatical to research indigent counseling methods.

Their journey provided Sells an unexpected new passion: helping to combat the rapid spread of HIV and AIDS in the Central American country.

Sells, an associate professor in the NIU College of Education’s Department of Counseling, Adult and Higher Education, rented a home from Enoch Padilla, a physician who with his wife, Fatima, operates the only clinic in Tegucigalpa solely dedicated to HIV intervention and prevention.

Now Sells, CAHE colleague Fran Giordano and some graduate students are writing a grant proposal that could – at long last – begin long-term and stable funding for the Padillas and their work.

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University Libraries wants your two cents worth. Actually, as many pennies as you can spare.

The NIU library is kicking off a penny drive to commemorate the acquisition of its 2 millionth book. Donations will be deposited in an NIU Foundation account with a collection goal equivalent to more than 2 million pennies, or more than $20,000. The funds will be used to create a permanent endowment for the enrichment of library collections.

Of the thousands of university and college libraries nationwide, fewer than 115 hold 2 million volumes or more, said Arthur Young, dean of University Libraries.

“Acquisition of the 2 millionth volume puts us in elite company among academic libraries, among the top 3 percent,” Young said. “To mark this milestone, we wanted to do something fun that would involve faculty, students and staff. And the penny drive to establish an endowment couldn’t be more appropriate. The library is a growing and vital resource for the entire university community.”

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Richard Flournory opened doors, whether they closed off towns, hearts or minds.

Flournory and his wife, Icilda, were the first African-American family to move to DeKalb and buy a house of their own. It was the late 1960s, a tumultuous time in American history, but Flournory was fearless – and friendly.

“I told Icilda at the funeral that I was grateful that she and Richard had built a path for the rest of us to come. He’s always been honored in the African-American community for that reason,” said Leroy Mitchell, director of NIU’s CHANCE program.

“He lived life to the fullest – his way. He was very warm and very outgoing, and people were attracted to him even though he was just this gigantic man.”

“He was priceless. He did so many things that nobody will ever know all the things he did for the whole community,” added Walter Owens, an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education. “He got people jobs, and they never knew he went behind the scenes to help them out.”

Flournory died Sunday, Jan. 30 at the DeKalb County Rehab and Nursing Center at the age of 70. A funeral service was held Monday, Feb. 7.

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By next February, Robert Sims figures he can put into exact words the thrill he felt eight days ago as he made his debut at the legendary Carnegie Hall.

“I think I will be able to reflect on it maybe a year from now,” said Sims, who joined the NIU School of Music faculty in 1994.

“It was a lot of hard work, but it was exciting. I was concentrating so much on the mechanics of making it happen and performing well – more so than thinking, ‘This is Carnegie Hall!’ Any time one performs in New York City, and especially at Carnegie, the pressure is on. The amount of love and support from the audience really made the occasion.”

Sims said a full house packed Carnegie’s new Zankel Hall for the Feb. 6 concert, the first time that stage has played host to African-American spirituals and folk traditions.

The highlights of the concert were three spirituals where Sims was accompanied on percussion by Rich Holly, associate dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, and his duet with legendary folk singer Odetta, whose 1956 album “Odetta Sings Ballads & Blues” inspired Bob Dylan.

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That it happened at the Yale School of Medicine is not as important as that it happened at all.

According to the third edition of “Fraud and Misconduct in Biomedical Research,” an assistant professor of medicine and his superior, who was not associated with the research, published an article in the American Journal of Medicine in 1979.

Unfortunately, the book states, the junior colleague had plagiarized parts of the article from a New England Journal of Medicine manuscript that had been sent a year earlier for review. The subsequent investigation found that “most of the data in his own joint study had been faked … (and) of 14 articles, only two could be approved, and the data were either missing or fraudulent in the remaining 12.”

Ten of those dozen listed as co-author the senior researcher, who resigned from a “prestigious post at Columbia University, to which he had been appointed while the episode was unfolding.”

“This was a phenomenal case,” said Murali Krishnamurthi, director of NIU’s Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center. “It really stirred up at the time the need for some controls.”

A quarter-century later, the concerns and questions remain.

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More NIU faculty are embracing Blackboard and its myriad possibilities, according to three-year usage statistics that reveal the number of courses using the Web-based tool has more than tripled since its introduction.

Statistics for Fall 2004 show more than 1,110 courses taking advantage of Blackboard. Fewer than 350 courses incorporated the Web course management system in Spring 2002.

Eighty-four percent of the courses using Blackboard last semester featured online content, a usage that had reached 94 percent at this time last year.

“Students are demanding it,” said Murali Krishnamurthi, director of the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, who attributes its success to the collaborative efforts of Information Technology Services, Faculty Development and Records and Registration.

“If there isn’t a Blackboard component to a class, students want to know why,” agreed Carol Scheidenhelm, assistant director of Faculty Development.

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Read good news about – and send congratulations to – Gerald Blazey and Sheri C. Kallembach.

Affirmative Action/Diversity Resources
presents Spring Semester Series

Affirmative Action and Diversity Resources is pleased to announce its 2005 Spring Series featuring Collective Stories and Cultural Experiences.

These informative and interactive discussions focus upon various issues and concerns that impact the working and learning environments on campus. All sessions will be held in the AADR-178/166 training rooms from noon to 1 p.m. All are welcome to attend.

Wednesday, Feb. 16, “The Image of Color”
In celebration of Black History month, this discussion will focus on the impressions and perceptions that either enhance persons of color in the teaching/learning arena or impose unspoken barriers to diversifying methods of learning and communication. -- MORE

Mortar Board seeks new members

Leaders of the Mortar Board senior honor society are looking for new members for 2005-2006 and encourage faculty and staff to let qualified students know of this opportunity.

Please forward this information students and encourage them to visit www.mortarboard.niu.edu online, where they will find a downloadable application. Applications are due Thursday, Feb. 17.

Click here for more information. -- MORE

FIT program presents facts,
myths about exercise

The FIT program will host a free seminar – “Facts and Myths about Exercise” – from noon to 12:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18 in Anderson Hall 244.

For more information, or to sign up, call 753-0335.

Geology department schedules
spring 2005 colloquia

The Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences has announced its spring 2005 colloquia.All talks will be held at 4 p.m. in Davis Hall 308. For directions and any updates to this schedule, visit http://jove.geol.niu.edu or call 753-1943. All colloquia are co-sponsored by NIU’s graduate colloquium committee.

Friday, Feb. 18: Cynthia Stiles, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, “Carbonate weathering and epikarst/soil formation in the driftless area of Wisconsin.”

Friday, Feb. 25: Neal Iverson, Iowa State University, “Sliding of modern and past glaciers: Inferences from field experiments and the geologic record.” -- MORE

NIU alumna exhibits artwork
at DeKalb Area Women’s Center

The artwork of NIU alumna Cathy Cliffe is being featured in a show titled “(Figures 1-33): Drawings by Cathy Cliffe” at the OnStage Gallery and the Great Hall Exhibition Space of the DeKalb Area Women’s Center located at 1021 State Street in DeKalb through Feb. 25.

A reception will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20. The public is invited to share in the art and refreshments with the artist. Other viewing is possible on Fridays from 7 to 9 p.m., whenever there is an event taking place at the DeKalb Area Women’s Center; and by appointment.

For further information, or to arrange a group showing, please call the DAWC at (815) 758-1351. -- MORE

Unity in Diversity announces theme contest

Members of the Unity in Diversity steering committee annually select a theme used during the following academic year to promote diversity awareness on campus.

The winning theme will be used in the design of the Unity in Diversity poster.

Theme must be 10 words or less and reflect the idea of Unity in Diversity. Applicants (faculty, staff and students) may submit more than one entry. Themes must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 21, to Latino Resource Center, Latino Center, Room 106. Entries will be judged by UID Steering Committee. Forms are available here. Call Carrie Anderson at 753-1986 for more information. -- MORE

Bowl for Kids’ Sake comes to NIU Huskie Den

Family Service Agency of DeKalb County Inc. has finalized the dates for Bowl For Kids’ Sake Community Days 2005. NIU Community Days are from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 21, Tuesday, Feb. 22 and Wednesday, Feb. 23, at the Huskie Den, with a special lunchtime option from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23.

All NIU faculty and staff are welcome to participate and form their own team(s). Any organizations or individuals who would like to get involved with Bowl For Kids’ Sake 2005 can contact Brad Rusin at Family Service Agency at (815) 758-8616, ext. 229. -- MORE

Theatre’s ‘Far Away’ hits close to home

A timely and provocative tale of a world on the abyss, playwright Caryl Churchill’s play “Far Away” is the current offering from the NIU School of Theatre and Dance 2004-2005 season. The mainstage drama will be performed in the Stevens Building Players Theatre from Feb. 24 to 27 and from March 2 to 6.

Curtain times for are 7:30 p.m. except for Sundays at 2 p.m. The Stevens Building is located behind the McDonald’s and Pizza Hut on West Lincoln Highway in DeKalb.

Ticket prices are $14 for general admission, $8 for senior citizens and $7 for students. (School of Theatre and Dance theatres do not admit children younger than 5.) Tickets and times are available at the box office. Call 753-1337 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday for reservations or more information. -- MORE

Southeast Asia Club slates tsunami relief benefit

The NIU Southeast Asia Club, in partnership with several other campus offices and student organizations, will hold a Tsunami Relief Benefit at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of Holmes Student Center.

The benefit will include authentic South and Southeast Asian food and cultural performances, a silent auction of regional items, a museum display and tsunami information.

The Holmes Student Center, along with two local restaurants, the Thai Pavilion and Cuisine of India, will cater the event. Meal tickets can be purchased in advance from Feb. 17 through Feb. 25 in the Campus Life Building, Room 150, or by contacting Nancy Schuneman at 753-1771 or nschunem@niu.edu. -- MORE

NIU Art Museum presents
Sunday curator lecture series

Catherine Raymond, director of the Center for Burma Studies at NIU, will present a series of public lectures and gallery talks in conjunction with the exhibition, “The World of Burmese Buddhism,” on display in the South Galleries of the NIU Art Museum on the first floor of Altgeld Hall.

Feb. 27: “Treasures: from Manuscript to Tapestry”
March 6: “Burmese Buddha Images”
April 3: “Donors and Protectors”
April 10: “Treasures from the Court of Mandalay”

Lectures will start at 2 p.m. with a slide presentation in Room 315 of Altgeld followed by a gallery walk-through. Call 753-1936 for more information.

International Women’s Day luncheon
features English professor Aygen

The Presidential Commission on the Status of Women and the Women’s Resource Center will host a luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 9, in recognition of International Women’s Day. Lunch costs $8 and is served in the Chandelier Room of Adams Hall.

Gulsat Aygen, assistant professor of English, will speak on “Here to Tell a Story: Surviving as a Woman.” Aygen will share her personal history in the social and political contexts of Turkey and the United States.Reservations are required by March 1 by calling 753-0320.

Accounting, procurement
moving to Lowden Hall

The Accounting and Procurement offices are moving to Lowden Hall. Accounting will move to Lowden Hall 204 and Procurement will relocate to Lowden Hall 107 in mid-March.

While the offices are not technically closed during the relocation period, it is anticipated they will be unable to complete all but the most critical transactions during this time period. -- 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.

Five copies of each proposal should be submitted to the Grant Review Committee, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, Gilbert Hall 240, by Monday, March 21. For proposal format and additional information about the grant, click here, e-mail facdev@niu.edu or call 753-0595. -- MORE

Travel funds available
for LGBT learning opportunities

NIU’s Presidential Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity has travel funds available to help support faculty, staff and graduate students who wish to attend conferences, workshops or seminars for the purpose of learning about or presenting scholarship on lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender topics.

Individuals requesting funds will be asked to submit a PCSOGI Request for Travel Support form, including a breakdown of costs and other sources of funding support. All travel must take place in the current fiscal year (July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005).

To apply for funds or for more information, contact Tara Dirst at 753-1004 or via e-mail at tdirst@niu.edu.

Nominations sought for
Outstanding Teaching Awards

Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center invites nominations for the 2005 Outstanding Teaching Awards to recognize the contributions non-tenure educators (adjuncts including retired faculty, civil service staff, instructors, and supportive professional staff) to the teaching mission of NIU.

Five copies of each nomination should be submitted to “Outstanding Teaching Awards Committee, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center” by Friday, March 25. For more information, including eligibility requirements and required nomination details, check here, e-mail facdev@niu.edu or call 753-0595. -- MORE

--CLICK HERE