Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the fall semester. To continue the healing and recovery process that we began last February after the campus tragedy, a number of recovery sessions will be held Monday through Friday from Friday, Aug. 22, through Friday, Sept. 5, for instructional and non-instructional personnel at NIU.
These recovery sessions are being scheduled for a number of reasons: Many members of the NIU community reported to us that while they were coping with the emotions and thoughts in the aftermath of the tragedy, some of them experienced delayed or lingering reactions. The recovery sessions may provide the necessary support and help in the healing process.
As we make plans for the upcoming academic year, we will be welcoming a new class of entering freshmen and transfer students, and new faculty and staff who, while they were not present during the events, certainly know about what occurred and will have their own set of anticipated or surprising reactions as they come in contact with the students, faculty and staff who lived through our collective tragedy. These new members of our campus will benefit from these recovery sessions that may help them understand and feel a part of the NIU community as we move forward.
To meet the recovery needs, two types of sessions have been scheduled. The sessions titled “Returning to the Classroom” are designed to assist instructional faculty, teaching staff and graduate assistants and will include discussions on handling a variety of classroom issues such as handling large classes after a crisis. The sessions titled “Returning to School” are designed to assist non-instructional staff in coping with the aftermath of the tragedy and supporting the campus community. The sessions will be conducted by experts from the Employee Assistance Program and with the assistance of faculty.
Please forward the attached schedule of sessions to your colleagues and post them in your department offices. Faculty, instructors, staff, and graduate assistants who would like to attend the sessions are requested to contact (815) 753-9191 or ksmith12@niu.edu to register for particular sessions. Registration is requested only to ensure seating and copies of handouts and not for taking attendance or identifying attendees during the sessions. Walk-ins will be accommodated based on seating availability and additional sessions will be scheduled to accommodate demand. Sessions are also being scheduled for our off-campus centers.
Campus units, individuals or groups of employees who need additional support can contact the Employee Assistance Program (815 753-9191) for such support. Please refer students who need counseling support to the Counseling and Student Development Center at (815) 753-1206.
I am extremely grateful to all of you for your continued support in the healing and recovery process and I wish you all the best as we begin the new academic year.
Sincerely,
Raymond W. Alden III
Executive Vice President and Provost
Steven D. Cunningham, Associate Vice President
Administration and Human Resource Services
NIU students who went hunting for dinosaur fossils in a remote area of southeastern Utah this summer discovered a Jurassic jackpot – an extraordinary “bone bed” that some believe will continue to yield fossils for decades to come.
The site – where an ancient braided river once flowed – already has produced a variety of dinosaur fossils from the late Jurassic period (about 147 million to 150 million years ago).
The Burpee Museum of Natural History in Rockford, which had scouted the site with assistance from the Bureau of Land Management in Utah and arranged permits for the dig, already has brought back more than 200 bones weighing more than 5,000 pounds.
“We have a whole menagerie of the giant long-necked dinosaurs,” said Joe Peterson, an NIU Ph.D. candidate in geology and research associate with Burpee Museum. “The bones are very impressive – up to 6 to 7 feet long.
“There’s just something really cool about being able to lie next to a bone that is as long as you are tall,” he added.
Members of the Burpee expedition, which included museum patrons, recovered numerous fossils from large sauropods, the long-necked dinosaurs with small heads. They are believed to include Brachiosaurus, one of the largest known dinosaurs, and Diplodocus, another huge plant-eating dinosaur.
The Utah expedition also recovered fossils from another type of dinosaur, the spike-backed Stegosaurus, and from a meat-eating dinosaur, most likely Allosaurus, a common Jurassic predator.
While the fossils wouldn’t have been readily spotted by the untrained eye, expedition members found what they were looking for upon arriving at the site.
“You get out of your vehicle, walk a couple feet and realize you’re walking on bone chips that have weathered out of a butte,” Peterson said, describing the remote off-road site. “There’s also petrified wood all over.”
Scott Williams, Burpee collections and exhibits manager and also an NIU student, scouted the site before the museum took groups of patrons and employees out to Utah for the expedition. A number of museum employees are also students at NIU, which has a close working relationship with the Burpee. The museum intends to continue excavation at the site.
“We’re hoping this strengthens the museum ties to Northern and other universities,” Williams said. “At least a couple students will be looking at this site for their Ph.D. work. And it just screams to have undergrads come out here.”
Williams, an experienced paleontologist, said the find is a dream come true.
“I’m a history buff and had read about these famous bone beds. I never in my life thought we’d be able to find one. It’s nice to know when I’m 80 years old and retired that there’s probably going to be people working at that site.”
The Burpee Museum is now cataloguing the fossils that have been brought back.
“We have to study the fossils in the lab before we’ll know what mysteries are in there,” said expedition member Reed Scherer, an NIU geologist and paleontologist and member of Burpee Museum’s board of directors.
“We know we have a number of different animals, and I believe there will be enough to reconstruct a couple of dinosaurs for display,” Scherer said. “NIU is involved in all parts of that. The bones will be prepared at the joint NIU-Burpee preparation laboratory at Burpee. The small laboratory will be significantly expanded as the museum campus expands over the next few years, following a $10 million capital campaign.”
Others from NIU who participated in the dig include NIU Ph.D. candidate Mike Henderson, curator of earth sciences at the Burpee; geography graduate student Josh Mathews and undergraduates Mindy Householder and Katie Tremaine.
“Basically, everywhere you looked, there were bones,” said Householder, a senior anthropology major from Lake in the Hills. “You could be kicking around in the sand, and there are bones. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Evidence of other pre-historic animals also was found.
“There are so many different animals here,” said Tremaine, a senior NIU environmental geosciences major from Oregon. “There were freshwater clams and also some burrows. We basically have a self-enclosed ecosystem here. It’s really exciting.”
Tremaine has been working at the Burpee Museum since her senior year in high school.
“Almost our entire staff in the lab at the museum is composed of NIU students. We all go out on these digs. The connection between the museum and university is something both places can really benefit from.”
At the start of the fall semester of 1997, John V. Knapp set out to learn what makes an expert English professor.
The research required studying one – sitting in on a course focused on 17th century writer John Milton and videotaping each lecture delivered by one of the star professors in the NIU English Department.
At the head of the class was William C. Johnson, who dubbed the course “Redeye Milton” because it was taught at 8 a.m. He began one of the first days of class in typical fashion by schmoozing with students. Talk soon turned to the death just days earlier of Princess Diana, and Johnson spent a good half-hour chatting with students about the tragedy.
“I wondered why Professor Johnson seemed to be wasting so much time,” Knapp says. After all, he was there to identify expert teaching techniques, not conversational icebreakers.
But Knapp soon found the connection as Johnson seamlessly incorporated the current events into a classroom assignment. Students were asked to read “Lycidas,” a complex Milton poem that deals with death, and develop a small-group discussion that made direct connections between the poem and the Princess Diana tragedy.
“Without students even realizing he was teaching, Professor Johnson had just laid out the pattern for understanding the poem,” Knapp says. “Milton spoke to those students that morning as if he were standing in the room and not shouting from a distance of more than 300 years.”
Now Knapp has a new book out through University of Delaware Press based on the semester-long experience observing his colleague. “Learning from Scant Beginnings: English Professor Expertise” focuses on the expert moves that a professor makes in order to motivate students and connect them to literature, even when it’s far removed in time and space from their experiences.
Knapp uses a variation of cognitive education theory called “situated learning,” a way of viewing learning that employs an initial master-novice relationship. The master’s ultimate goal is to help the novice become independent through a series of steps, each one of which is attainable by the novice via imitation, self-discovery and exploration.
“William Johnson may be one of the few teachers at NIU who has had a whole university press book written about his teaching,” Knapp says.
Knapp himself holds a Ph.D. in English and is a veteran NIU professor, having trained hundreds of students to become high school English teachers over the past four decades. He conducted the research on Johnson while pursuing a second Ph.D., in educational psychology, which he received from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2000.
“This is a natural outgrowth of my work preparing secondary teachers,” Knapp says. “In the last decade or so, there has been a spate of works that have come out on expertise in college teaching. But these other books almost always describe a professor who says, ‘Here’s what I do, and here’s the end product.’ As far as I know, there have been few other day-to-day empirical studies of an expert English professor. ”
Johnson, known in the book as “Professor J.,” was a natural selection for the study. He was among the inaugural recipients of the NIU Presidential Teaching Award, given annually to the university’s top teachers, and also was recipient of the Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, an honor initiated by students.
So what exactly does separate a great professor from the merely good variety? In his book, Knapp identifies a number of qualities. They include:
Knapp adds that Johnson was patient. Most of the students who took the course on Milton were unfamiliar with his body of work. The professor nurtured their vocabulary and understanding –first at word and sentence level, and later leading them to overarching concepts and abstractions. When a student struggled during classroom discussions, Johnson moved on and then returned with “a softball question” in order to build the student’s confidence.
Students in the class were required to work hard. “Professor Johnson really puts them through their paces,” Knapp says.
He recalled that students didn’t blink when Johnson asked them to memorize the first two sentences of Milton’s masterwork, “Paradise Lost.” Later they realized that the first two sentences were a combined 26 lines long.
“Memorization is an old-fashioned teaching technique, but in this case it was important because students acquired the crucial skills of being able to note certain things about the work at the word and sentence level,” Knapp says.
Johnson also frequently praised students and sometimes cajoled them into responses. He also was tough when necessary, once giving a student a private jawboning over tardiness. But the professor was careful to never embarrass a student in front of his or her peers.
“The standard model for teaching English literature is the lecture, with some small group work, a paper and a final exam,” Knapp says. “Professor Johnson did all that and so much more.”
Johnson, who is now entering his 40th year of teaching at NIU, says he learned from the semester-long experience as well.
“Having Professor Knapp be part of the class, both as observer and as participant, added a unique dimension to the teaching experience,” he says. “It didn’t change what I was doing, but it allowed me to hold a mirror up to some things I value most concerning the teacher’s role in the classroom – stimulating and encouraging students’ growth, leading them to a place where they have a command of the material and an excitement for the learning process, and engaging them in the wonders of some great literature.
“Although Knapp’s book is about my work in a particular class, I hope the message that comes through is that, for me, teaching is more about students who learn than it is about teachers who perform,” Johnson adds. “Ultimately, all I do is create the conditions, provide some guidelines and encouragement, and participate in a dance in which the students learn that they can – and do – lead. Under those circumstances, it’s always a win-win process and it yields some beautiful dances.”
A book published by Northern Illinois University Press, “Hitler’s Priests: Catholic Clergy and National Socialism” by Kevin P. Spicer, was reviewed in the Aug. 3 edition of The Washington Post.
The review appeared in Book World, the Post’s 16-page stand-alone section that includes reviews, news briefs and guest essays.
Author James J. Sheehan, an expert on the history of modern Europe, reviewed Spicer’s book along with another new book about Nazi Germany. Sheehan praised “Hitler’s Priests”as “deeply researched and deeply disturbing.”
Sheehan also noted that as “a priest and member of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, Spicer has an insider’s grasp of the church’s organization and governance. He has combed through an impressive number of diocesan and government archives to assemble a list of 138 ‘brown priests,’ who were either members of the Nazi party or at least active supporters of its program. Spicer’s treatment of ‘Hitler’s priests’ is absolutely convincing.”
NIU Press recognized the scholarly contribution of Spicer’s book early in the publication process.
“We made every effort to try to get the book reviewed in a major news outlet, but one never knows,” said J. Alex Schwartz, NIU Press director. “Because many newspapers are marginalizing or completely eradicating their book review sections, it can be difficult to secure reviews. The Washington Post has maintained a high reputation, and being reviewed within its pages is an accomplishment for anyone in the publishing industry.”
The review can be accessed at www.washingtonpost.com by searching by the book title or the author’s name. Spicer’s book can be purchased through NIU Press by calling (815) 753-1075, by ordering online at www.niupress.niu.edu or by visiting local bookstores.
NIU Press publishes books on a variety of topics in the areas of U.S. history, Russian studies, transportation, religion and regional studies. In fulfilling its broadly educational mission, the press publishes books for inquiring general readers as well as for specialists.
The Women’s Resource Center, Women’s Studies and other campus women’s organizations will sponsor “Girls, Grills and Games” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 26.
All campus women (and men as well) are invited to the lawn near the Women’s Resource Center, 105 Normal Road, for good food off the grill and fun games. Call (815) 753-0320 for more information.
Campus knitters – from rookies to crochet experts and everyone in between – are invited to the Fireside Lounge of Neptune Central from 9 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28, for creativity, conversation and snacks.
Upcoming dates are Sept. 25, Oct. 30 and Nov. 20. Co-sponsors are the Women’s Resource Center and Alpha Phi Omega. Call (815) 753-0320 for more information.
NIU’s Alumni Association has several exciting travel destinations coming up.
Celebrate the winter holiday season with a Hawaiian Escape. Warm trade winds and a traditional Hawaiian “Aloha!” await guests on this three-island touring itinerary. The islands of Maui, Hawaii and Oahu offer a vast diversity of landscapes, natural beauty and attractions.
Travelers also are invited to discover the jewels of Northern Ireland next spring. Don’t miss out on the charm and the zest that encompasses the Emerald Isle. Northern Ireland brings back the joy of touring with breathtaking Irish landscapes, historical forts and palaces, famous coastlines and ancient accounts that mingle myth and legend.
Visit myniu.com for more information about these travel destinations.
Penne McCabe, secretary in the NIU Office of Publications, will retire Friday, Aug. 29, after 27 years of service.
In lieu of a formal farewell reception, McCabe would appreciate cards or notes to include in a memory book. Send remembrances to Virginia Seymour, Gilbert Hall B105, by Friday, Aug. 22.
Media Services is offering training on using the audiovisual equipment in Provost-sponsored SMART classrooms. Both new and returning instructors should benefit from these brief seminars. Refreshments are provided.
These seminars are open-ended and run continually. A complete demonstration with hands-on practice could take 30 minutes. Those who cannot attend one of these sessions can contact Keith Bisplinghoff at (815) 753-0172 for other training opportunities.
Fall registration for the Community Dance School at NIU begins soon. Classes meet weekly from Monday, Sept. 8, through Saturday, Dec. 13.
The school is sponsored by the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education and is directed by Diane Rimmer. The Community Dance School’s mission is to reach all members of the NIU community and surrounding areas, teach fundamentals of various dance forms and to allow each individual to expand upon their own abilities. Its main focus is to explore the joy of movement through dance, instilling a strong appreciation and understanding for it.
Classes begin at age 4 and continue through teen and adult. Classes offered include creative movement, ballet, tap, Irish step dancing, jazz/hip-hop, modern as well as ballroom, Latin and swing. Students are taught by NIU faculty and instructors who hold degrees in dance education, have danced professionally or who are currently dance performance majors at NIU.
NIU faculty member Barbara Heimerdinger will teach the ballroom, Latin and swing classes.
Registration will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, in Anderson Hall Studio, Room 130. For more information, call (815) 753-0277 or (815) 756-4092.
NIU innovators have less than a month to submit proposals to the Technology Transfer Office for the further development of inventions for entry into the commercial marketplace.
Friday, Sept. 5, is the deadline to apply for up to $20,000 to support development of novel applied technologies which have the near-term potential for licensing and commercialization.
The Technology Development Fund is a new program offered by the Division of Research and Graduate Studies to
Exact funding guidelines and applications are available online at www.tto.niu.edu.
The fund, which does not support basic research, has a limit of $50,000 for Fiscal Year 2009. Money awarded is available for up to one year and is not renewable. The proposed work must have a reasonable chance of being accomplished in one year.
Awards can be used only for technical support, supplies and contracted services directed to the funded projects. The money is not meant to supplement investigator’s salaries.
Members of the university’s Intellectual Property Committee will review the submitted proposals for commercial feasibility with the assistance of technical evaluators and will make recommendations for award to the interim vice president for research.
For more information, contact Rita Yusko, acting manager of the Technology Transfer Office, at (815) 753-9281 or ryusko@niu.edu.
After 27 years on the job, Leroy Mitchell will retire as director of the CHANCE program.
All are welcome to an open house celebration from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28, in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center.