April 23, 2007, Northern Today Abridged

College Reading Association elects
NIU’s Laurie Elish-Piper as president

Laurie Elish-Piper, professor of literacy education and director of the NIU Reading Clinic, was elected this week as president of the College Reading Association.

Elish-Piper will begin her service next year as the organization’s vice president before becoming president-elect in 2009 and president in 2010. Her first duty is to organize the association’s annual conference for November of 2008 in Sarasota, Fla.

As the fourth professor from the NIU College of Education’s Department of Literacy Education to lead the College Reading Association, she views her upcoming responsibilities as “a great opportunity.”

“What’s different about this organization is the emphasis on teacher preparation and the work we do at colleges and universities with regard to reading,” Elish-Piper says. “I would like to see the CRA expand its leadership role as an advocate for policy that supports sound literacy instruction for all students and for literacy teacher education.”

Norm Stahl, chair of the Department of Literacy Education and a past president of CRA, is confident that Elish-Piper will carry on NIU’s proud tradition: Retired professors Jerry Johns and James Walker also held the group’s top job.

Presidency of the CRA also can provide a springboard to other major offices. Johns went on to lead the International Reading Association while Stahl is now president-elect of the National Reading Conference.

“The College Reading Association has emerged into perhaps the strongest organization in the literacy field looking at the role of reading as part of teacher education,” Stahl says. “And from that perspective, given that NIU has a very strong presence in training future reading specialists and coaches along with future teachers who will be teaching reading, this is obviously a wonderful position for Laurie.”

Johns, a 35-year member of the group, calls the CRA “a marvelous entry level for new professionals where mentoring and opportunities for the active exchange of ideas occurs” with seasoned veterans.

“I’m delighted to learn of Laurie’s election,” Johns says. “Her extensive work with other local, state and national reading organizations will be good background for her leadership responsibilities with the College Reading Association.”

Founded in 1958, the international association has four divisions (Adult Reading, Clinical Reading, College Reading and Teacher Education) and four goals.

• Promote standards and competency within the profession.
• Stimulate the self-development and professional growth of teachers and reading specialists at all educational levels.
• Encourage the continuing improvement of college and university curricula and encourage preparation programs for teachers and reading specialists.
• Encourage the continuing improvement of administrative, clinical, diagnostic and instructional practices related to the learning process.

Elish-Piper, a longtime member who also sits on the board of directors, enjoys the organization’s welcoming arms. “It’s a good place to discuss issues, initiatives and challenges,” she says.

“It’s well-known as a very collegial, collaborative group that is very supportive of new faculty members and graduate students, and I want to continue that kind of work. I was afforded opportunities for leadership even back when I was a grad student,” she adds. “I also hope to expand collaborative research in the organization.”

Indeed, Elish-Piper is among several CRA members who are co-authors of a new book being published next week.

Much of the work and some of the research for “A Declaration of Readers’ Rights: Renewing Our Commitment to Students” (to be released Friday, April 20, by Allyn and Bacon Publishing) took place at CRA meetings.

Co-author Mona Matthews from Georgia State University is one place ahead of Elish-Piper in the CRA leadership cycle. Matthews currently serves as vice president. “I’m very pleased,” Elish-Piper says. “She is a very good friend of mine and a collaborator. She will be my mentor.”

With a well-attended annual conference and a respected journal, “Reading Research and Instruction,” the CRA presidency also will bring further visibility to NIU as a national player in the literacy field.

Professors, students and the children whose teachers are prepared here also will benefit, either from involvement in CRA projects and research or simply through the new knowledge Elish-Piper gains on the job.

She already has chaired the Adult Reading division, served as a guest editor on the CRA Yearbook and remains co-editor of the online journal “Exploring Adult Literacy.”

“I’ll be learning a great deal through these experiences,” she says, “and there will be opportunities on some of the projects to involve my colleagues or our graduate students, who will do work they wouldn’t otherwise have opportunities to engage in.”

Elish-Piper earned her doctorate in reading from the University of Akron, her master’s degree in reading from Purdue University and her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind.

A former elementary and middle school teacher as well as an educational therapist in a psychiatric hospital, she came to NIU in 1995.

UIUC’s Paul Kelter tapped for TLRN chair

A longtime chemistry professor now at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will lead the NIU College of Education’s Department of Teaching and Learning.

Paul Kelter, who arrives in July, says the opportunity to connect with students on a personal level is one he’s desired for more than a quarter-century across several campuses and appointments. Each “huge” lecture to 350 students of “General Chemistry” provided that reminder.

And, he adds, “education is my natural home.”

“I wanted something different than to be at a place where the goal is to be away from the process of education,” Kelter says. “My goal was to come to a place where education – the life of the mind – is the focus.”

His 26-year career as a chemistry professor with a specialization in chemical education laid a good foundation for his new work, he says, as he spent many years working with future science teachers.

“If we look at education broad-based, we’re looking at this general issue, particularly at the college level, of teaching students to think independently and intellectually. It’s the same at the pre-college level,” he says. “Working with students to develop their understanding of the world and to see the world in interesting ways, what I call the life of the mind, is what we do in school.”

Dean Christine Sorensen said Kelter’s “enthusiasm is contagious.”

“He brings a wealth of experience to NIU – in research, in grants, in teaching. He is very excited about the opportunities here and about the people. We have great faculty and staff here and I think Paul will be a wonderful addition,” Sorensen said. “I think he also can help us strengthen the bridges between Liberal Arts and Sciences and Education as we look at the national and state contexts and the need for us to work collaboratively to address the needs of schools.”

Kelter received his bachelor’s degree from the City College of the City University of New York in 1976 and was awarded a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry in 1980 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Before coming to the University of Illinois in 2003 as professor and director of the General Chemistry Division, he worked as an educational specialist for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was on the faculty of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and held the M. F. Rourk Chair in Chemistry and Chemical Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

The author of several chemistry textbooks is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Distinguished Teacher/Scholar at the University of Illinois and the recipient of several awards for outstanding teaching.

Kelter will replace Pam Jackson, who served the Department of Teaching and Learning for one year as interim chair. Jackson is a retired professor from the Department of Communicative Disorders in the College of Health and Human Sciences.

Although mostly known as the department that prepares elementary school teachers, TLRN also is home to faculty of early childhood education, special education and curriculum and instruction.

The new chair already has established e-mail contact with many of the faculty and professional staff, and is looking forward to meeting the seven or so new faculty members coming aboard in the fall.

His goal for all, he says, is to support their professional and personal goals.

“Whenever you have so many young, enthusiastic faculty, there are so many opportunities. This is just a place where opportunity abounds,” he says.

“We want to make sure that TLRN continues and enhances its involvement in the surrounding community and statewide. We have great faculty who are deeply interested in state and national programs, and I’ve discussed some new ideas. My personal interest being in science education, I would love to develop programs related to that.”

NIU’s abounding opportunities extend beyond campus, Kelter says.

“NIU is a vibrant place. It’s a diverse place. It’s a place whose student body reflects Illinois. I don’t view NIU as a castle where you need special admission, where only if you have certain requirements are you entitled to work with people. At NIU, while it’s not open admission, it’s much more broad-based admission with the opportunity to work with all kinds of students,” he says.

“It’s healthy for NIU, it’s healthy for students and it’s healthy for society to have an inclusive, rather than exclusive, view of postsecondary education. I like that. I’m interested in the education of young people,” he adds. “We’ve got a dean who is deeply committed to the college and exceptionally effective. The department chairs … are experienced, passionate and effective. Carol Patitu, an experienced – yet new here – associate dean, is a real plus. All signs are pointing in good directions.”

The move north also puts Kelter and family closer to some relatives.

Barb Kelter’s sister lives in Evanston, and her parents are in Lincoln, Neb. Son Seth, 19, is a freshman at the U of I. Aaron, 16, is a junior in high school who is looking at NIU as his first choice in colleges.

NIU’s David Changnon to appear
in TV documentary on climate change

NIU climatologist David Changnon will be among the experts featured in a new documentary on global warming that will air at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 28, on CBS Channel 2 in Chicago.

CBS 2 Meteorologist Steve Baskerville will host the one-hour special, titled “Truth About Global Warming.” He visited the NIU campus earlier this month to interview Changnon.

Changnon, a professor in the Department of Geography, spent an hour with Baskerville discussing potential impacts of climate change.

“The scientific community has come to an overwhelming consensus that the climate of the planet is changing and that there is a significant probability that those changes are related to enhanced levels of greenhouse gas emissions,” says Changnon, who specializes in the study of climate variability and its economic impacts.

“For me, the big question is this: How do we use the information that scientists are gathering?”

Baskerville was particularly interested in questions surrounding the impacts of climate change on Chicago and the Great Lakes region. Changnon has conducted studies on El Niño winters, demonstrating how warmer winters in the region have affected the economy.

“There’s going to be costs and benefits in the region,” he said. “Warmer winters would mean less use of natural gas, for example, and also would improve transportation scenarios. But in the summertime there could be greater opportunity for drought and poor crop yields or even deadly heat waves like the one the Chicago area experienced in 1995.”

Changnon believes scientists need to get together with industry leaders in such areas as fuel, agriculture and transportation to learn more about how global warming would impact those sectors.

“A dialogue between the scientific community and those potentially impacted by climate needs to be developed sooner rather than later,” Changnon says.

“I believe that the next set of climate models need to examine issues at the regional and seasonal, if not weekly, scales,” he adds. “These are the space and time scales where we can develop strategies for the future. We can move in this direction if the scientific community and weather-sensitive decision makers sit down and develop a greater understanding of how, when and where weather impacts certain sectors.

Future elementary teachers to perform
puppet show for art education course

Even though students come to Mira Reisberg’s ARTE 383 course to learn how art can integrate into a traditional elementary school curriculum, they leave with something greater: a better understanding of young minds.

Reisberg teaches concepts of visual culture – the principal focus in the NIU School of Art’s art education division giving her students a good dose of social consciousness. Reisberg connects students’ learning with their local community.

Each semester, students create local animal paper maché banks to learn about their environment. They creatively paint the banks and place them out in the community to raise money for DeKalb homeless shelter Hope Haven.

“Hope Haven’s Lesly Wicks talks with the students about the surprisingly large number of homeless families in our community, how to figure out if kids are homeless or not and how to help kids in their classroom who are homeless,” Reisberg says. “The idea is to raise the students’ awareness about participating in community life and being aware of people who, through no fault of their own, just don’t earn enough money to pay rent.”

Reisberg always encourages her students to participate in the spirit of their communities, and that spirit takes center stage at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 3, during a puppet show at The House, 263 E. Lincoln Hwy.

The 75-minute show is free and open to the public.

“It’s a real fun night for kids and community members,” says Reisberg, a first-year professor in the School of Art. “We’re spoofing kids’ TV shows, kids’ books and kids’ movies with glove puppets, and every now and then we have sock puppets interrupt with commercials. The commercials are designed to show the underlying messages in advertising, hopefully promoting kids’ awareness that they are being manipulated.”

Reisberg’s 26 students, who are planning careers as elementary school teachers and take her course as an elective, wrote their own scripts and made their own glove puppets and sock puppets.

Meanwhile, their professor is not about to miss out on the fun: “I’m the MC,” she says. “I made a mini-me puppet called Mo – short for More Mira.”

Local puppeteer Keith Shubert also will perform.

Shubert saw fliers posted for the first ARTE 383 puppet show, staged last fall, and asked Reisberg if he could present “a little show-and-tell” for the standing-room-only audience.

“I have this habit of saying yes to life, and it was wonderful, so wonderful,” Reisberg says. “Keith is a local treasure, really, a phenomenal puppeteer. Now he’s kind of collaborating with us, which is great. He makes extraordinary, elaborate puppets, and has done a workshop and show-and-tell with my class. He’s helped us make more sophisticated puppets.”

Tisha Jantzen and Jaime Mack are in a group preparing a spoof on the story of the three little pigs. In their script, Mama Pig goes on a TV dating show hosted by the Big Bad Wolf.

“We’re hoping for laughter,” says Heather Ogborn, a junior whose puppet plays Cinderella in a fairytale spoof.

The lessons of art integration also are hitting their marks.

“I absolutely love this art class,” says Mack, a graphic designer who’s earning a second bachelor’s degree with plans to teach third grade. “I’ve learned a lot of different ways to teach multiculturally.”

“I’m trying to appreciate art more,” Jantzen adds. “You really don’t have to be artistic. Art can be simple. Art isn’t really perfection. Anything can be art, really.”

“Just incorporating art into regular education makes the students smarter,” Ogborn says. “It makes for a more well-rounded child.”

Visual culture, the foundation of NIU’s art education curriculum, expects exactly that.

Children are bombarded and informed by images from seemingly everywhere, including television, movies, magazines, Web pages and more. Indigenous arts and multicultural arts are staking their ground in a modern world where European artists of past centuries also remain part of a sound art curriculum.

NIU art professor Kerry Freedman is “really opening up the field of art education” to include visual culture, Reisberg says. Reisberg’s own interest – place-based education – features the local community and its landscape in the lesson plans.

“We live in this visual world, and kids are getting an education through these images, but no one talks about what the images actually say,” Reisberg says. “People from non-Anglo-European cultures have been really marginalized. We have to make education meaningful so it relates to all kids. They’re interested in what’s happening in their own lives.”

The puppet show is “what education should be,” she adds.

“Education should be critical and pleasurable,” she says, “and when you bring those things together – engaging in a hearts-and-minds activity – it’s the kind of thing that makes you so thrilled to be an art educator. In this place of learning and love and fun, your mouth sometimes hurts from laughing so much.”

FCNS students learn lessons through outreach

In a world of fad diets, metabolism pills and gastric bypass surgeries, it’s not always easy to find unbiased advice on how best to eat.

That’s where nutritionists come in – and NIU is making sure the nutritionists it produces have practical experience in delivering that message to the public.

Housed in the College of Health and Human Sciences, the School of Family, Consumer and Nutrition Sciences includes a hearty portion of service learning in its Nutrition and Dietetics program.

“Allowing students to do outreach in the community introduces them to a different side of dietetics. It’s a whole new venue where they can find jobs beyond clinical and food service,” FCNS professor Amy Ozier said. “A special thing about our program is that we’re not only didactic. We keep the didactic work, and in every sense we have them apply it to real life. We bring the real world to them.”

Meanwhile, the work done by undergraduate and graduate/intern students in several Nutrition and Dietetics courses not only provides “hands-on” experience but also benefits the residents of northern Illinois.

Some students will conduct “Spring Wright Into Health” wellness night from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Wright School.

Other recent examples:

• Students in Ozier’s “Community Nutrition” course have made nutrition education materials for distribution at county health departments. One, titled “Fit Your Coupons in the Food Guide Pyramid,” identifies healthy foods that clients in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program can buy with their coupons for their children. Another, called “Fit Families = Healthy Families,” offers tips on how to get the whole family active and eating healthfully while emphasizing that “small changes make big differences.”
• At Oak Crest Retirement Center and Civic Apartments, graduate and undergraduate students have conducted needs assessments with the residents to determine what kinds of foods and nutrition-related educational materials and programming they want. They discussed questions about eating alone and medications and whether programs or printed pieces are more effective. Students also prepared meals and talked about serving sizes and food labels with a focus on decreasing trans fat in the diet.
• During National Eating Disorders Week, a variety of activities are implemented to raise awareness about eating disorders. Students in FCNS 502 organize a panel discussion of individuals who have experienced eating disorders. Thanks to faculty and student involvement, more than 200 students attended the main event, and some came forward for further help.
• Judith Lukaszuk’s students perform body composition analysis with Huskie athletes in track and field and cross-country while also offering nutrition education if requested.
• Children at Littlejohn, Malta and Wright elementary schools in the DeKalb School District received nutrition education, learning through fun activities coordinated by Beverly Henry’s students.
• Members of the Student Dietetic Association organized and administered the annual Empty Bowls fundraiser to benefit Hope Haven.
• The SDA also sent a team to the Relay for Life and the Crop Walk. Josephine Umoren, coordinator of the Nutrition, Dietetics and Hospitality Administration program, and students from Joan Quinn’s FCNS 406 global nutrition course also walked.
• Dietetic interns supervised by Lucy Robinson offered individual nutrition counseling to patrons of the Student Recreation Center as well as to students in UNIV 101 and the residence halls and through Health Enhancement.

“There are so many benefits to students working in the community, especially seeing the power of theory meeting practice,” Ozier said. “Ultimately, these students can get a foot in the door, do a good job and maybe go back.”

Sandra Meister, a master’s degree student in nutrition and dietetics, is working with Lukaszuk to consult NIU athletes.

Meister designs sport-specific presentations. Her audiences include players, trainers and coaches.

“So far I have given presentations for the softball, women’s soccer, football, volleyball and golf teams,” she said. “We’re just trying to help enhance their performance and overall health. We talk to the players about fluid replacement, pre- and post-competition meals, portion sizes, protein, healthy snacking and label reading – whatever will benefit them the most.”

Additional research is involved.

“When I went to present to the golf team, I pulled up some information on the humidity levels of where they’ll be playing in April, May and June,” she said. “Since they’re sometimes on the course for 10 hours at a time, we talked about snacks they can bring along to keep their blood sugar levels steady.”

NIU’s football players also have enjoyed the lessons, she said.

Several of them kept three-day food records – two weekdays and one weekend day – and sent the information to Meister, who analyzed their nutritional practices through the Foodwise computer program. The program creates individualized reports that Lukaszuk, a registered dietitian, uses when she sits down with the team members.

Such intervention is critical for sports performance enhancement and long-term health, Meister said.

“Their training is very intense. If they are not getting the right amount of calories from the right food sources, then they can really do damage to their bodies. Proper nutrition enhances the results of the work they do in the weight room,” she said.

Tiffany Gouldsberry, also a master’s degree student and dietetic intern, helped to coordinate a health night event at Wright School.

Designed for the whole family, the evening featured programs on healthy snacks – children made “bugs” out of carrot sticks, grapes, celery, raisins and more – as well as relieving stress and physical activity.

“It was a really good start for me to do that before the internship – to go out into the community and see what kind of programming we could offer the general public to improve their nutrition and increase their physical activity,” Gouldsberry said.

Indeed, she plans to continue the community emphasis into her professional life. “I want to work with well people,” she said, “and work more in prevention rather than intervention.”

For Stephanie Kalivas, who graduated last May and now works as a diet technician and fitness coach, the outreach came in the form of the “Fit Families” and food pyramid handouts.

“We were working with the DeKalb County WIC program,” Kalivas said. “Our project was related to the childhood obesity issue and helping their nutritionists develop some materials for their clients.”

The project branched into devising strategies for nutritionists on how to use a nutrition education handout created by Community Nutrition students to address overweight or the potential of overweight in children. “It’s obviously a sensitive issue. We got very positive feedback at the end of the semester,” she said.

“It was just a great experience to be out in the professional setting working with these WIC nutritionists,” Kalivas added. “We got a little glimpse into what they do on an everyday basis and learned a lot about the childhood obesity epidemic, which continues to escalate in this country, unfortunately.”

Graduate student Tom Jordan counseled patrons of the Student Recreation Center interested in changing their diets.

“They’d give us what they’re currently eating and tell us what their exercise or fitness goals were, and then we’d try to correlate changes,” Jordan said. “A lot of people who would come in were eating just one really big meal a day. We worked on trying to get them to eat smaller meals portioned throughout the day.”

Even though the students knew “they were supposed to exercise and go over to the Rec, they didn’t know what they should be doing,” Jordan added. “It gave them an opportunity to ask other questions: ‘Is this food healthy?’ ‘I heard this from a friend. Is this right?’ They really do learn quite a bit.”

As did Jordan.

“It was good for me just to be able to have the experience of talking with people, seeing what they’re going through and approaching the problem-solving,” he said. “I’d love to do counseling at a fitness facility or with a sports team.”

Although the work in the community can be rigorous, students mostly are positive about their experiences and walk away with a better idea of what a dietitian or nutritionist does in the community.

“Seeing the work the nutrition and dietetics students do is inspiring,” Ozier said. “They make the ND faculty and the NIU community proud.”

PCSW honors Levin, Skorek with awards

Amy Levin and Judy Skorek are the winners of two new awards given by the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women.

Levin, of the Women’s Studies Program, has received the “Outstanding Mentor Awards.” Skorek, an instructor in the Department of Counseling, Adult and Higher Education, is the winner of the “Women Who Make a Difference” award.

During the past decade, the commission has offered an annual award to a woman judged to have achieved lasting changes in the climate for women on campus. Named after Wilma D. Stricklin, one of the first female chairs in the traditionally male field of management, this award has typically been given to women in positions of authority or to those most able to influence university policies and procedures.

But commission members had talked for years about the need to create awards for faculty and staff invest their time and energy not just in improving the climate for all women on campus, but in helping women succeed in the existing climate.

The work of these people often takes place behind the scenes. Their contributions often affect one woman at time.

The Outstanding Mentor Award has been established to recognize an exceptional commitment to advancing the career and/or educational goals of NIU women students, staff, and/or faculty.

The outstanding mentor is expected to be an exemplary teacher, coach, adviser, facilitator or resource in helping NIU women achieve career and/or educational goals. She (or he) creates opportunities that help protégés achieve their goals, and she (or he) demonstrates the characteristics of an outstanding role model within their area of expertise.

Levin abundantly fulfills the spirit and accomplishments of this award. Her nominators describe her many contributions to the Women’s Studies Program and her outstanding contributions as a mentor to colleagues, students and women throughout the university

Because mentoring is one of the services shown by research to be a key factor in the educational careers of women students and the careers of women faculty, Levin’s contributions have been meaningful in creating a welcoming climate for women at NIU.

She also has provided leadership in the university through work in the Women’s Studies Program, on the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women and on the Multicultural Curriculum Transformation Institute in ways that have helped NIU women in their careers or their education

The Women Who Make a Difference award recognizes outstanding dedication to the empowerment of NIU women by making changes at the unit level, by addressing issues that are important to women, and by going “the extra mile” to assist others.

Skorek’s nominators describe her as a person who has worked tirelessly to help returning and nontraditional students, as well as NIU employees, in dealing with life’s challenges in their time at NIU. They extol her efforts in helping other women succeed, by providing education, advice, counseling, coaching and advocacy.

Her collaboration on issues such as sexual harassment prevention, sexual assault response and services have truly made a difference in the lives of the women she has assisted and has helped create an environment that promotes the empowerment of women at all levels of the university.

All of her supporters identify her as a person who dedicates herself to addressing issues important to women, through policies, projects and helping women as individuals.

Accounting sets schedule for accounts payable, reports

Please note the following deadlines and information with regard to the FY 2007 closing. Please make sure this information is distributed to everyone in your area who processes items for payment.

Accounts Payable

• Non-appropriated Funds including Foundations funds (all funds except 02) – If the goods and services are received and invoiced as of June 30, 2007, all paperwork and invoices must be in Accounting no later than 4:30 p.m. Monday, July 16, to be processed against FY 2007.
• Appropriated Funds (02) – as indicated in prior memos, the final cut-off in Accounting for acceptance of invoices and merchandise on appropriated funds will be Thursday, Aug. 2.

Interdepartmental Sales Journals

• All FY07 interdepartmental sales journals for goods and services between university departments must be sent to the Accounting Office GroupWise Inbox no later than 4:30 p.m. Monday, July 16, and clearly indicate FY07.
• Items received after that date will be posted FY08.

Journal Vouchers

Journal voucher transactions submitted by departments which cross funds (involves more than one fund, for example 02 & 41), must be submitted by Thursday, June 21, if they relate to transactions posted prior to Friday, June 1. Those transactions posted during June may be reclassified to another fund through Monday, July 16.

Year End Dating Conventions

In order to include all final FY 2007 activity in a single Period 12 report for each cost center, our dating conventions will be as follows:

Activity Through-Date Accounting Date

6/28/2007-6/30/2007 6/28/2007
7/01/2007-7/31/2007 6/29/2007
8/01/2007-8/31/2007 6/30/2007

Report Schedule for Period 12 of FY 2006

In order to provide departments with regularly updated information, Financial Summary Reports and all detail reports will be produced weekly during the months of July and August and loaded to the Web by Thursdays if possible. Report “as of” dates will reflect the year-end dating conventions listed above.

Tentative Report Schedule for Periods 1 and 2 of FY 2007

During July and August, Financial Summary and all detail reports will run weekly. They will usually be loaded to the web by Tuesdays. Following the above procedures will allow for an improved year-end closing.

Kudos

NIU’s Ron Carter is featured in “CHOPS,” a film being shown several times this week and next at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City.

Directed by Bruce Broder, the 88-minute “CHOPS” focuses on the Essentially Ellington Festival. Carter, coordinator of jazz studies in the School of Music, has played a key role in the festival for a number of years.

In one uniquely heartwarming scene, Carter visits a Jacksonville, Fla., high school to help prepare the young musicians for the Essentially Ellington competition.

More information is availble at http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org. A clip of Carter also is online.

Spring ‘Toolkit’ online

The latest issue of Assessment Services’ “Toolkit” is online at http://www.niu.edu/assessment/Toolkit/vol5_ish4.pdf.

Registration begins for Huskie Pup Summer Camp

Registration for Huskie Pup Summer Camp continues until all weekly sessions are filled. This camp is designed for children ages 6 to 12.

For more information, contact Recreation Services at (815) 753-0231 or visit http://www.stuaff.niu.edu/rs/pupcamp.shtml.

Jerusalem Post correspondent to speak for Israel Independence Day

Jerusalem Post diplomatic correspondent Herb Keinon will present “Israel and the Press: Why it is so Difficult for Israel to Get a Fair Shake in the Media” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 24, in the Barsema Hall Auditorium.

The lecture is sponsored by the JCRC Hillel Israel Initiative in celebration of the 59th anniversary of Israel Independence Day. No food or drink is allowed in the auditorium.

NIU graduate students to offer guided Tours of ‘Josef Albers’

Two NIU graduate students will lead guided interpretive tours of the “Josef Albers: Formulation: Articulation” exhibition at the NIU Art Museum.

The public tours are scheduled for noon in the museum’s Rotunda Gallery on Wednesday, April 25, led by Pam Rohleder, and on Thursday, April 26, led by Dave Binder. The tours provide historical background and insights on the artist and his optical and color theories.

The exhibition is on display in the NIU Art Museum North and Rotunda galleries and runs through May 12. For more information, visit www.vpa.niu.edu/museum or call (815) 753-1936.

Theatre and Dance presents 'Giselle' ballet

Choreographer and dancer Martha Graham said in her 1992 autobiography, “Bloody Memory,” that “Dance is the hidden language of the soul of the body.” Dancers from NIU’s School of Theatre and Dance use the language of ballet in order to tell the story of Giselle from April 26 through April 29 in the Stevens Building O’Connell Theatre on the DeKalb campus.

Giselle is a young peasant girl who falls in love with Loys. Unbeknownst to her, Loys is actually Prince Albrecht in disguise, who is betrothed to another woman. Hilarion, who loves Giselle, discovers Loys’ true identity and tells Giselle. Distraught and her heart broken by the news, Giselle is killed when she falls on Albrecht’s sword.

When the Wilis, ghosts of young women who were betrayed by love, attempt to lure Albrecht deep into the forest to atone for his betrayal, Giselle emerges from the grave to save Prince Albrecht from a dance to the death.

Giselle runs Thursday, April 26, through Sunday, April 29, in O’Connell Theatre, in the Stevens Building. There is no children’s matinee for this production and children younger than 5 will not be allowed in the theatre. Show times are 7:30 p.m. weekdays and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $14 for adults, $8 for seniors and $7 for students. For more information and reservations, call the Stevens Building box office at (815) 753-1600.

NIU Art Museum announces three ‘Get-on the-Bus’ trips

Want to meet other art lovers, keep up with what’s happening in the art world, see innovative historical exhibits and travel without the hassle of traffic, tolls and parking?

Then “Get-on-the-Bus” and enjoy the ride.

The NIU Art Museum schedules the trip and makes the itinerary and arrangements. Travelers just need to sign up and prepay by the deadlines posted. All trips depart from the NIU School of Art parking lot.

Friday, April 27
Artropolis: International Antiques Fair & Art Chicago
Travel to Chicago’s Merchandise Mart for the Chicago Art Expo & International Antiques Fair. Lunch on your own at the Mart. The Intuit Show, the Artist Project and the Bridge Art Fair located in the Mart Complex are also included in admission. More details can be found online at http://www.merchandisemart.com/artchicago/. The bus departs DeKalb at 9:30 a.m. with return arrival at 6:15 p.m. Transportation and ticket costs are $30 for NIU Art Museum members, $33 for students and seniors 65 and older and $35 for others. Registration deadline is Tuesday, April 24.

Friday, May 4
Members Only: “Birds in Culture, Art & Nature”
See two exhibitions at the Illinois State Museum Chicago Gallery: “Audubon: The Birds of America, Prints from the Collection of the Illinois State Museum” with a selection of prints and artifacts from the collection, and “While All the Tribes of Birds Sang,” an exploration of the use of birds in art and design from various cultures and time periods. Lunch on your own in Hyde Park. Trek with the Art Museum’s own birder Pete Olson through Jackson Park’s Wooded Island for avian sightings and immersion in nature in the city. Please bring appropriate footwear for unpaved paths, binoculars and dress for the weather. Vans will depart DeKalb at 8:30 a.m. with return arrival at 6:15 p.m. Cost (members only) is $20. Registration deadline is Tuesday, May 1.

Saturday, June 23
Madison, Wis.
Explore downtown Madison, Wis., and the Dane County Farmers Market (produce, arts and crafts, information booths, street musicians). Visit the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art for “MMoCA Collects” and “Wisconsin Triennial.” Optional Chazen Museum of Art visit to see Jennifer Argus’ “Silver Wings and Golden Scales” installation and “Jane Hammond: Paperwork” or explore more of downtown Madison’s eclectic shops and galleries. Galleries and museums are free. Lunch and shopping on your own. Depart DeKalb at 8 a.m. Return arrival at 6 p.m. Transportation and ticket costs are $25 for NIU Art Museum members, $30 for students and seniors 65 and older and $35 for others. Registration deadline is June 19.

To register for these trips, stop by the museum (first floor, west end of Altgeld Hall), call (815) 753-1936 or e-mail jburke2@niu.edu. More information about the museum and its programming can be found online at www.vpa.niu.edu/museum. Payment can be made with cash, a check made out to NIU or a major credit card. Payment must be made in advance to guarantee your seat on the bus.

NIU Art Museum members receive discounts on our bus trips as well as access to members-only trips. Please note dates and prices of bus trips are subject to change and trips are frequently added throughout the year, so check the Web site for the most updated information.

NIU art alumnus’ work featured in Venezuelan Culture Day exhibitions

The mixed media paintings of NIU alumnus Edgar Yanez are featured in two exhibitions celebrating Venezuelan Culture Day.

A double closing reception will be held Friday, April 27, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the NIU Latino Resource Center, 515 Garden Road, and from 5 to 7 p.m. at the DeKalb Area Women’s Center (DAWC), 1021 State Street.

Yanez graduated from NIU in May 2006 with a master of fine arts degree, and is now a university professor in Venezuela. His mixed media paintings incorporate pastel colors with active patterns layered over the background.

Three Chicago-area artists also will display their art in the exhibitions.

The exhibitions are sponsored by the NIU Latino Resource Center, the NIU Center for Latino and Latin American Studies and the DeKalb Area Women’s Center. Special guests at the receptions include the General Consulate of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela as well as dignitaries from NIU and the City of DeKalb. Mayor Frank Van Buer will present a proclamation in honor of Venezuelan Culture Day. Both events are free and open to the public.

The Latino Resource Center gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Parking is available for a fee on campus in the NIU visitor lot. An accessible ramp is located on the north side of the building. For further information, call (815) 753-1986.

DAWC gallery viewing hours are from 7 to 9 p.m. Fridays and by appointment. Free parking is available one-half block south on Eleventh Street. The accessible lift can be located from the alley just north of the 1021 State Street building. To arrange a group showing, call (815) 758-1351.

Benefits Choice Fair scheduled

The second annual Benefits Choice Fair will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, May 3, in the Regency Room of the Holmes Student Center. This event is co-sponsored by Human Resource Services and the Operating Staff and Supportive Professional Staff councils.

Employees will have the opportunity to talk with representatives from Human Resource Services and from the various benefits vendors in preparation for making benefit choices and changes during the annual Benefits Choice Period from May 1 to May 31.

Representatives of SURS, Social Security, Deferred Compensation (403b), Health Plans and various campus resources will be present with current information on questions including health coverage, sick leave bank, insurance and other benefits. Operating Staff Council will sell raffle tickets in support of the Operating Staff Dependent Scholarship.

Employees are encouraged to take the time to seek information that will allow them to make more informed choices on benefits.

Operating Staff employees may attend without loss of wages or use of vacation time and are encouraged to use portions of their lunch hour or rest periods (breaks) to attend this event with reasonable schedule flexibility. The decision to release any Operating Staff employee to attend this event is at the discretion of the employing supervisor and shall take into account the operational needs of the department.

The Benefits Choice Fair is a university-sponsored event and supervisors are encouraged to provide employees with the opportunity to participate. For more information, contact Employee Relations at (815) 753-6039 or Eric Smith at (815) 753-2345.

Retirement party scheduled for CEET’s Trish Sellers

A retirement party for Trish Sellers, alumni relations coordinator in the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, will take place from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 1, in Room 354 of the Engineering Building.

Call (815) 753-1284 for more information.

Theatre and Dance’s ‘Third Onion’ presents Parks’ ‘Topdog/Underdog’

The NIU School of Theatre and Dance's all-student run “The Third Onion” theater company presents “Topdog/Underdog,” a 2002 Pulitzer Prize winning play by Suzan-Lori Parks, opening May 2.

The play revolves around the relationship of two jealous and feuding brothers, living in a confined apartment and trying to cope with women, work, gambling, racism and their troubled upbringings.

Brothers Lincoln and Booth have had to depend upon each other for survival since they were teenagers, after their second parent had abandoned them. Now in their 30s, the brothers struggle to make new lives for themselves that will lead them out of poverty.

The play will run Wednesday, May 2, through Friday, May 4, at the Stevens Building Corner Theatre. Performance times for all three days will be 7:30 pm. The Stevens Building is located on the NIU campus behind the McDonald’s and Pizza Hut restaurants on East Lincoln Highway.

Tickets are $3 and available only at the door. More information is available by contacting Robert Schneider at the School of Theatre and Dance at (815) 753-8263.

Kishwaukee Concert Band closes season Saturday, May 5

The Greater Kishwaukee Area Concert Band will present the final concert of the fifth season at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 5, in Boutell Memorial Concert Hall in the NIU Music Building.

Director John Hansen has titled this concert “Made in America,” and all selections but one are by American composers.

The concert will be dedicated to Tara Dirst, a band member and NIU employee who recently died as a result of an auto accident. The band will play Bach’s “May Sheep
Safely Graze” in her memory.

College of Education to host two retirement parties in May

A retirement party for Sharon Freagon, director of the Center for Child Welfare and Education, is scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, in the Heritage Room of the Holmes Student Center.

A retirement reception for Toni Heinze, a professor in the college’s Department of Teaching and Learning, will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 9, in the HSC’s Capitol Room.

4-23-07