Marketing chair Schoenbachler recommended
for NIU College of Business dean post
 Denise Schoenbachler, chair of the Department of Marketing in the NIU College of Business, will become dean of the college July 1, according to an announcement from Provost Ivan Legg.
The appointment, which requires final approval next month from NIU's Board of Trustees, concludes a lengthy national search for a successor to former Dean David Graf.
“Dr. Schoenbachler is a superb choice to lead the College of Business,” Legg said. “We looked at candidates from across the country. Ultimately, however, it was clear to the search committee that it was Denise who had the best skills and proper temperament to lead the college.”
NIU President John Peters praised the selection.
“In her role as a chair, she has been a dynamic leader and builder of partnerships – within the college, across campus and with businesses throughout the region,” Peters said. “Those skills will serve the College of Business well as she helps raise it to new heights.”
Schoenbachler arrived at NIU as an assistant professor of marketing in 1992. FULL STORY
 The creation of a new certificate program on campus often can pass with little notice from the outside world.
Such was not the case last month when NIU announced it is developing certificate programs in homeland security and was selected to create a foundations course for other such programs at colleges and universities across the state.
Media in Rockford and DeKalb County quickly seized upon the story, and the response was swift and significant.
“It's been crazy,” said Dennis Cesarotti, a professor in the Department of Technology who is crafting the foundation course and who sits on the campus-wide committee working on creation of the certificates.
“I have been chained to my desk just returning phone calls and e-mails from people interested in getting more information. I spent four hours doing that Monday and another hour-and-a-half Tuesday, and I still have more messages to return.” FULL STORY
 The head of an international research center based in Greece will become the new director of NIU's Office of Sponsored Projects.
David A. Stone, 44, originally from Ann Arbor, Mich., will take his new post in late March. He brings to NIU extensive experience in interdisciplinary research, both as an investigator and program manager.
NIU's Office of Sponsored Projects is responsible for informing faculty of external funding opportunities, helping faculty develop new research and public service projects and assuring that NIU grant proposals meet governmental guidelines.
“This is a key position,” said Rathindra Bose, NIU vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School. “Public universities cannot thrive on tuition and state subsidies alone, so it is important that we accelerate the growth of our external funding for research, which informs the teaching of our professors and provides real-world learning opportunities for our students.
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 Reforms in the way figure skating is judged actually create more opportunities for error, says a Northern Illinois University professor who proposes the use of a Rasch model as a way to monitor judge performance.
The International Skating Union's new scoring process, which the world will experience in this month's Torino winter games, requires judges to rate each element (a jump, for example) of a skater's routine as it happens.
They then score the entire performance on five program components (skating skills, linking footwork, execution, choreography and interpretation) rather than giving overall scores to an entire performance's technical and artistic merits. Meanwhile, the computer's random selection and arbitrary display of scores will keep secret the identities of the judges and remove them from public scrutiny and accountability. The public cannot tell whether a judge is showing favoritism.
“It's disappointing,” says Marilyn Looney, a professor in the NIU College of Education's Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education.
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 Hiding behind the myriad Mary Engelbreit tote bags in Pamela Nelson's Gabel Hall office are hundreds of books, but most are unlike the texts and other academic volumes typical to a professor's workspace.
These are children's books – Nelson's passion – and she can quickly locate on her shelves a book she's recommended to a parent of pre-schoolers. She gasps with delight at the mere mention of children's authors or titles she adores. A cart of books preferred by boys sits near her desk as it works to balance the appeal of her collection.
Children's books even top her list of reading for pleasure.
Fittingly, the professor in the NIU Department of Literacy Education is poised to become president of the Illinois Reading Council in June.
“Being able to read, write, listen, speak and interpret visual information impacts all parts of my life,” says Nelson, who came to the NIU College of Education in 2002 after nine years on the faculty of Dominican University in River Forest.
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 The use of cadavers in the study of the human body is a common practice in medical schools and health-related college curriculums. But a unique program using cadavers at NIU is providing intensive lessons in human anatomy to a new audience: high school students.
Over a three-month period beginning in mid-February, more than 350 juniors and seniors from 11 high schools in the region will spend a day or two at NIU studying prosected (pre-dissected) human cadavers.
The program, which has received glowing reviews from teachers and students alike, goes well beyond the average field-trip experience. Students spend at least a full day in the laboratory working their way through assignments tailored for their specific classrooms. Grades count back at the students' hometown schools.
“It's an experience like none other for high school students, and one that we hope will spark interest in pursuing careers in the health professions,” said Chris Hubbard, the NIU professor of biological sciences who teaches anatomy at the university and runs the outreach program for high school students.
“Students at the high schools flock to get into these courses,” he added. “They think it's cool.”
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 C.T. Lin practices what he preaches.
NIU's award-winning chemistry professor believes students learn best through real-world illustrations that connect chemistry with its everyday applications. Lin himself provides a shining example.
In 1999, Lin and the university launched ChemNova Technologies, Inc., a spin-off company that applies his basic-research discoveries to real-world problems. Today, by some estimates, the company is valued at about $5 million. It holds nine U.S. and international patents and has provided a working laboratory for countless NIU students.
“The research that I do not only informs my teaching but excites students, who see how theory is applied to real-life situations and learn lessons about entrepreneurship,” says Lin, who in 2001 earned NIU's top honor for teaching, the Presidential Teaching Professorship.
Lin will lead “Real-Life Examples: Connecting Learning and Research in Practical Applications,” a Presidential Teaching Professor Seminar scheduled for noon Tuesday, Feb. 21, in the Heritage Room of the Holmes Student Center.
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 Read good news about – and send congratulations to – Alfred Tatum and Doug Boughton.
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The Office of Assessment Services has published the February issue of Toolkit, its quarterly “nuts and bolts” e-newsletter.
This issue features results of alumni surveys; a rubric that helps Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty assess student learning at the capstone level; and an inside look at Residential Dining taste tests. Back issues are posted on the Assessment Services Web site under Resources.
Toolkit is specifically designed to assist the NIU community with practical assessment issues in a user-friendly format. Contributions to the newsletter are welcome at any time. The deadline for submitting articles for the next issue is Wednesday, April 5.
“The Black Panthers and Black Arts Movement: The Fortieth Anniversary” is on display in the Founders Memorial Library lobby through Tuesday, Feb. 28. Contact Ladka Khailova at (815) 753-1351 for more information.
Christopher Roy, professor of art history at the University of Iowa , will speak at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, on “Religious Laws and Graphic Patterns in the Art of Burkina Faso.”
Roy will speak on the ways graphic patterns are used by the Lobi and the Bwa in Burkina Faso to communicate the moral and ethical laws people must follow to receive God's blessings.
The event in Room 100 of Jack Arends Hall is free and open to the public. A reception follows in Gallery 214. Free event parking provided in the parking lot on the south side of Jack Arends Hall from 4:45 to 7 p.m.
For more information, contact Peter van Ael at (815) 753-1473 or via e-mail at pvanael@niu.edu.
The Greater Kishwaukee Area Concert Band will resume rehearsals for the spring on at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8. The rehearsals are held in the band room of Huntley Middle School, located at the corner of Seventh and Taylor streets in DeKalb.
John Hansen is the director for this all-volunteer band made up of anyone 18 and older who has played a wind or percussion instrument in the past. No auditions are necessary; all that is needed is the enjoyment of playing an instrument. New members are always welcome.
For more information, call Sue at (815) 899-4867 or John at (815) 825-2350.
The University Women's Club will host a valentine's/TGIF party from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, at Taxco, 223 State St. in Sycamore.
The “South of the Border Social” features Mexican appetizers and cash bar. The cost of $7.50 per person is due today to Joyce Angotti. Spouses, friends and partners are invited.
NIU's Unity in Diversity Steering Committee each year selects a theme that is used during the following academic year to promote diversity awareness on campus. The contest is open to all students, faculty and staff, and offers a $75 prize for the winning entry.
Click here for places to pick up submission criteria and entry forms. Entries must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20, to Student Involvement and Leadership Development, Campus Life Building Room 150.
The theme contest winner will be recognized at the Diversity & Equity Award Ceremony, held at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 20, in the Duke Ellington Ballroom. -- MORE
Affirmative Action and Diversity Resources (AADR) has announced the first spring 2006 date of its Collective Stories and Cultural Experiences series.
Leroy Mitchell, director of CHANCE, and Nakia Brown, from the Center for Black Studies, are the guest panelists from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, in Room 306 of the Holmes Student Center. Mitchell and Brown will lead discussion on “Why You Need Me: Red, Yellow, Black and White.”
These informative and interactive discussions focus upon various issues and concerns that impact the working and learning environments on campus. All are welcome.
For more information, contact Phinette Maszka, assistant director of mediation and diversity awareness programming, at (815) 753-6030, TTY (815) 753-2000 or at pmaszka@niu.edu. Please feel free to bring a lunch. -- MORE
The method in which new NIU employees and all student employees access information on our network will change Friday, March 10.
Local Area Network (LAN) administrators attended an informational session last month where they learned how to prepare their department for the event. An ITS “Let's Talk” brown bag lunch will be held Thursday, Feb. 23, when project team leaders will answer remaining questions.
For more information, please read the NIU Enterprise Directory Update on the ITS Web site.
Brigid Lusk, acting chair of the NIU School of Nursing, will speak from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, on “Pretty and Powerless: A Historical Perspective of Nurses' Public Image.”
Reservations for the luncheon in the Chandelier Room of Adams Hall are required by Friday, Feb. 17. Cost is $7.50 per person. Call (815) 753-0320 for more information.
All NIU women – students, faculty and staff – are invited. The luncheon is sponsored by the Presidential Commission On the Status of Women.
All university employees are reminded that nominations for the 2006 Outstanding Service Award for NIU civil service employees are due in Human Resource Services no later than 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28.
The Outstanding Service Award is presented each year to as many as four NIU Civil Service employees. The program recognizes individual Civil Service employees who have demonstrated outstanding service and have made significant contributions to the university community.
Nominations may be submitted by any current or retired employee of NIU. Nominees must be full- or part-time Civil Service employees who have been continuously employed at NIU since Feb. 1, 2000, or before. Click here for more detailed information, including nomination forms and guidelines. -- MORE
Valentine Moghadam, chief of gender equality and development for UNESCO's Social and Human Sciences Sector, will speak at NIU from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 8, for International Women's Day.
Moghadam will address “Feminism, Legal Reform, and Women's' Empowerment in the Middle East ” in the Chandelier Room of Adams Hall. Cost for the luncheon is $7.50 per person, and seating is limited. Reservations are required by Wednesday, March 1, at (815) 753-0320.
The luncheon is co-sponsored by the Women's Resource Center, Women's Studies Program and the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women.
Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center is offering grants of up to $2,500 each annually to regular, continuing tenured or tenure track faculty.
The purpose of the grants is to encourage and support faculty development activities that directly benefit the applicants' departments, colleges and/or the university.
Five copies of each proposal, including the proposal cover sheet, accompanying letters of support and other relevant documents must be submitted to the Grant Review Subcommittee, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, Adams Hall 319, by Friday, April 7, for activities scheduled between July 1 and Dec. 31.
Complete proposal guidelines and cover sheet are available here.
Faculty who plan to submit proposals and need more information are encouraged to register and attend the grant writing seminar scheduled for noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, March 9. To register online, click here or e-mail facdev@niu.edu. -- MORE
The NIU Steel Band is performing NIU faculty member Robert Chappell's “Wood 'N Steel” with the Chicago Sinfonietta twice in March.
The groups will play at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 12, with a pre-concert lecture from 1:30 to 2 p.m. at Dominican University , 7900 W. Division in River Forest, and at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 13, with a pre-concert lecture from 6:30 to 7 p.m. at Orchestra Hall in Symphony Center.
Click here for more information.
Proposals are sought for the David W. Raymond Grant, an annual grant to faculty who are 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.
Tenured and tenure-track faculty are eligible.
The proposal must include a budget for the project and a letter of support from the chair of the applicant's department, school or division. Five copies of each proposal should be submitted to the Grant Review Committee, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, Adams Hall 319, by March 20.
For proposal format and additional information about the grant, click here or contact facdev@niu.edu or (815) 753-0595. -- MORE
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