Lemuel Watson named dean of College of Education

Faculty and staff in the Northern Illinois University College of Education knew a national search for a new dean was unnecessary: The perfect candidate was already on campus.

They also knew university administrators needed to move quickly. Lemuel Watson had announced he was leaving NIU to accept an endowed professorship at another university and wanted a “mandate” to stay.

The unprecedented chorus of support for Watson reached the right ears and, on Thursday, he rose from chair of the Department of Counseling, Adult and Higher Education to the college’s top job.

Pending approval of the NIU Board of Trustees, Watson will replace Christine Sorensen, who is leaving NIU at the end of July for a similar position at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

“This is the serendipity that happens occasionally,” Provost Raymond Alden said.

“It’s amazing. You think your life is going in one direction and, all of a sudden, it goes another,” said Watson, who joined NIU in 2003 and last year served as acting associate dean.

“NIU is a wonderful place with wonderful people. I’ve grown to love it very much and had a very difficult time with even thinking about leaving the place, even though I had an exciting position offered me,” Watson added. “I’m humbled and honored by this process of governance and overwhelmed that I had so much support.”

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Work to rebuild College Avenue will require motorists who enter campus from the east to alter their route for the next few months.

College Avenue is closed from the driveway of Kishwaukee Hall (just west of where it intersects with Woodley Road) to Castle Drive. The work, which includes resurfacing and remodeling the bridge over the Kishwaukee River, is to be completed before students return in August.

Despite soil borings, contractors are not entirely sure what awaits them when they begin digging. No records are on file from the last time the road was rebuilt, which campus engineers estimate was about 40 years ago.

The road has been resurfaced and repaired many times since then, but the constant pounding of cars, trucks and particularly buses finally necessitated a complete rebuild, said Tom Wroblewski of NIU Architectural and Engineering Services.

“We will be rebuilding from the base up: new base, new surface, new curbs, new sidewalks and new lighting,” Wroblewski said, adding that the new road will be built to withstand the heavy traffic common to the area now.

While the bridge (which also dates to the 1960s) creates its own set of challenges, the good news is that the footings and supports for that structure remain in good shape.

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All Provost-sponsored general purpose smart classrooms will have SMART interactive computer monitors installed before the fall semester. Most of the smart classrooms will have them installed for use during summer session.

SMART Technologies representatives will demonstrate the hardware and introduce the accompanying software at 2:30 p.m. Monday, May 21, in Cole Hall 101.

If you are unable to attend but would like additional information about the interactive displays or additional training opportunities being scheduled for Tuesday, June 26, contact Jim Bollenbach at jbollenbach@niu.edu or (815) 753-6677.

The NIU Employees Federal Credit Union will host a Member Appreciation Open House from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, May 17.

Current members and those interested in joining the Credit Union are welcome for refreshments, drawings and giveaways. The union will launch a loan promotion with scratch-off tickets that runs through the end of May.

The Credit Union is open to NIU status employees with benefits and their families. The office is located in the University City shopping center at 817 W. Lincoln Hwy. in DeKalb.

For more information, call (815) 753-1911.