|
 The NIU School of Nursing was awarded $450,680 today to increase the number of students it prepares for careers in nursing, a profession in dire need of qualified workers.
Members of the Illinois Board of Higher Education voted this morning in Springfield to approve the grant, part of a $1.5 million allocation established by Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the state legislature to expand and improve nursing programs in the state.
“We are totally delighted, excited and energized,” said Brigid Lusk, chair of the NIU School of Nursing. “The key thing is that we will have 40 more students entering every two years, and at the end of the day, that’s what is really important: forty more people who will have beautiful careers ahead of them and advance health care in Illinois.”
“I’m proud that the board recognizes the excellence of our School of Nursing and has chosen to amplify that excellence with this generous grant,” NIU President John G. Peters said. “Illinois residents look to our colleges and universities to lessen the local impacts of the national nursing shortage, and this grant strengthens NIU’s ability to take a lead role in minting more nurses with a first-class education.”
FULL STORY
 When a student at the Student Recreation Center collapsed from a heart attack Jan. 30, it provided a stark demonstration of the state of campus emergency response capabilities.
And the news was good.
In an instant, all of the components of the system sprang into action and saved a life. From employees at the Rec to campus police to DeKalb paramedics to emergency room personnel, all performed their roles quickly, efficiently and successfully.
“This case provides a perfect example of how our community’s EMS system is supposed to work,” said DeKalb Fire Chief Lanny Russell. “The first responder provided vital immediate care, the paramedics continued that care and initiated advanced life-support measures and the hospital stabilized the patient until he could be transferred to a tertiary care center by helicopter.”
FULL STORY
 Particle physics and partisan politics – the two would seem to go together like oil and water.
But the differences are relative to NIU physicist Michael Fortner, who now divides his time between the halls of academia and the floor of the Illinois General Assembly.
Fortner was elected in November as state representative of the 95th District, which includes parts of Geneva, Batavia, West Chicago, Warrenville and Wheaton. The former West Chicago mayor was sworn in to his new state office early last month.
While his physics background might seem an unusual pairing with politics, Fortner says the two complement each other perfectly.
FULL STORY
 NIUNet, the high-speed, fiber-optic communication network that eventually will link the DeKalb campus and all university outreach centers, is already making Web surfing a much smoother and faster experience for most NIU students, faculty and staff.
Using the portion of the network that links the university to a high-speed Internet2 hub in Chicago, Information Technology Services struck a deal with the Michigan Education and Research network to provide a high-speed link into an Internet service provider carrier hotel called Equinix.
That connection allowed NIU to contract with Cogent Communications for Internet services, which dramatically increased the amount of bandwidth available while drastically reducing costs. The new service went online in mid-December.
The deal increases the amount of commodity Internet (versus Internet2) bandwidth available to campus computer users.
FULL STORY
 Not everyone can say a radio changed their life, but not everyone is Billy Kulpa.
Kulpa, a high school graduate without a plan, listened to 12 long hours of sports talk each day while he detailed cars at a Rockford auto dealership. One day, working on his knees, he heard ESPN Radio’s Dan Patrick read an e-mail on air that asked the famous sports broadcaster how to become, well, a famous sports broadcaster.
Patrick’s response: Learn to write.
Intrigued and empowered, Kulpa enrolled at Rock Valley College and took a job with The Valley Forge, the campus newspaper.
Only one semester later, and with more enthusiasm than experience, he became sports editor. Higher jobs followed, including managing editor his second year and editor-in-chief his third. With those positions came a multitude of responsibilities beyond writing, one of which was the paper’s design.
FULL STORY
 Read good news about – and send congratulations to – Steve Estes.
FULL STORY |
|
NIU will reveal the diverse faces of feminism by celebrating “This is What a Feminist Looks Like” Sticker Day on Thursday, March 1, the kickoff of Women’s History Month.
The NIU Women’s Studies Program initiated the campaign three years ago.
After it caught the attention of the National Women’s Studies Association last year, a number of other institutions are following NIU’s lead with their own Sticker Day campaigns. Those institutions include the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and Virginia’s George Mason University.
Those who want to participate in this year’s event at NIU can stop by Reavis 103 to pick up a sticker. They will be available Thursday.
“Dr. Wiki” and “Suspect,” two one-act Studio Series plays, will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 15, 16 and 17, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18, in the Corner Theatre of the Stevens Building.
English and theater major Patrick Hellman has written “Dr. Wiki,” a delightful play about a graphic artist who keeps finding new and wondrous ailments by surfing the Internet.
Relationship challenged, he is forced to confront his 21st century hypochondria when his roommate brings an abrasive but interesting Starbucks employee to hang out. “Dr. Wiki” is directed by Beth Schrader and includes performances by Erin Edwards, Jacqueline Perez, Jerrod Capiak and Mark Umstattd.
“Suspect,” written by New York City-based actor Al Pagano, is directed by Ben Thomas and stars Mark Lester and Phillip Claudnic.
Tickets are $5 and available only at the door.
The technical team responsible for producing the special effects for NIU’s next theatre production faces the challenge of creating a flowing stream in an indoor theatre space.
The School of Theatre and Dance 2006-2007 Subscription Series production, “Yerma,” by Federico Garcia Lorca, which runs Feb. 22 through Feb. 25, and Feb. 28 through March 4, calls for an actual stream to flow for the duration of the play and into a refilling-and-draining pond.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $14 for adults, $8 for seniors and $7 for students. For more information and ticket reservations, contact the Stevens Building box office at (815) 753-1600, or visit the Web site at www.niu.edu/theatre. -- MORE
The proposal deadline for the Lillian (“Pauline”) Cobb Grant Program for Faculty Travel Fellowships for International Teaching and Service has been extended to Friday, Feb. 23.
A total of $8,000 will be available for awards of varying amounts, and applicants will be notified whether they have received awards by Friday, March 23.
More information about this unique grant program is available online or by calling Deb at (815) 753-1989 or Sara at (815) 753-9526.
The 22nd Annual Mid-America Educators’ Job Fair takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 26, at the NIU Convocation Center.
The fair is open to NIU students and alumni, current educators and those from other institutions. There are no fees and no advanced registration for candidates. Simply bring a copy of your resume upon entering.
Lists of schools attending and anticipated positions, as well as directions and useful hints, can be found online at www.niu.edu/careerservices. Click on the Mid-America Educators’ Job Fair button. Information is updated as confirmations are received.
Adobe 6.0 is needed to open the updated list of employers attending.
Contact Barbara Kaufmann at (815) 753-1645 or bkaufmann@niu.edu for more information.
The NIU Art Museum will host an “After Hours with the Collector” Event at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28, for museum members only.
People who wish to become members before the presentation by Chris Hubbard, an associate professor of biology at NIU, can apply for membership at the museum or print the online form and mail with payment to the NIU Art Museum, 116 Altgeld Hall, DeKalb, Ill., 60115. Memberships also can be processed by phone at (815) 753-1936.
For more information, visit www.vpa.niu.edu/museum or call (815) 753-1936. -- MORE
NIU’s Jack Olson Memorial Gallery is hosting “MEMBRANES · MARGINS · DISRUPTIONS” through Thursday, March 1.
The exhibition is a sculptural fiber installation by Chicago based artist Joan Livingstone. Combining felt, epoxy resin, rubber, metal, wood, pigment and stain, the artist creates works that investigate female human physicality.
Livingstone brings together works from four significant series she produced over the past eight years: “At capacity,” “Vestigial,” “Migrations” and “Re/Locations.”
Combining these series in a single exhibition affords the viewer a glimpse at the intricate and complex world of a contemporary urban artist interested in chronicling how time manifests change in the body, mind and environment.
For more information, call (815) 753-4521. -- MORE
Come celebrate all things Irish at the St. Patrick’s Day party from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, March 10, at the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center.
Enjoy an Irish Buffet, open bar and three types of live entertainment, including City of Chicago Pipe Band, Irish comedy and music by Paul McHugh and two performances by the McNulty School of Irish Dance.
Tickets are $55 per person. Please register online at www.myniu.com or call (815) 753-1452.
NIU is proud to offer the Izzo-Inge Family Award for Students with Disabilities for the 2007-2008 academic year. This scholarship was made possible by a generous gift from Charmaine Izzo-Inge and David Inge.
The scholarship is available to students who will be full-time (minimum 12 hours per semester), degree-seeking juniors or seniors at NIU.
Candidates must possess a grade point average of at least 2.5 and demonstrate a significant disability that affects the cognitive process.
The deadline for applications is April 1. For an application and/or more information, please contact: Office of the Dean, College of Health and Human Sciences, Wirtz Hall 227, NIU, DeKalb, Ill., 60115. Call (815) 753-1877 or TTY (815) 753-3000. -- MORE
|
