Electrical work Friday, Dec. 19, will close Founders Memorial Library until at least 1 p.m. Access to electronic resources also will be unavailable during this time period.
For building status updates Friday, call (815) 753-9844 or check the university’s main Web site.
NIU’s Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center will host two workshops in January: “Teaching Inclusively: An Approach to the Dynamics of Diversity in the University Classroom” and “Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive, High Engagement Process and Philosophy for Increasing Teaching and Institutional Effectiveness.”
“Teaching Inclusively” is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8. “Appreciative Inquiry” is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9. Both take place in the Regency Room of the Holmes Student Center.
These workshops are only for NIU administrators, faculty and staff. Registered participants for either or both of the seminars will receive workshop materials, lunch, refreshments and certificates of participation. Advanced registration is required by Friday, Dec. 19.
Registration is available online. Those who are unable to attend either or both of the workshops after registering should inform the center by Jan. 6 to give others on the waiting list the chance to participate. Call (815) 753-0595 or e-mail facdev@niu.edu for more information.
The college classroom has become a critically important place where students can explore their assumptions about diversity and social justice, learn about communities other than their own, try on new perspectives and gain a more expansive and complex humanity as a result of their interaction with people whose experiences differ from their own.
Maurianne Adams, professor emeriti at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, will lead the workshop. Adams, editor of “Equity & Excellence in Education,” teaches social justice education graduate courses on foundations of social justice education and social identity.
Her institute examines four educational components of diversity in classrooms:
Appreciative inquiry (Ai) is both a worldview and a process for facilitating positive changes in systems. Its assumption is simple: Every system has something that works right, things that give it life when it is vital, effective and successful.
In the last 20 years, Ai has found its way into every sector, including higher education. Ai has been used to facilitate positive change in medical schools, academic departments, student affairs, human resources, extension services, library systems and institutionally, through work with boards of trustees.
Ray Wells, president of Abington, Pa.-based Wellbeing Systems, Inc., will lead the workshop. Wells has held student affairs positions at Arizona State University, Southeast Missouri State University and Temple University. He is co-owner of Appreciative Inquiry Consulting, LLC.
Media Services will offer training on the use of the audiovisual equipment in Provost-sponsored SMART classrooms from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9, in DuSable Hall 348, or by appointment earlier in the week. Call Keith Bisplinghoff at (815) 753-0172.
These seminars are open-ended and run continually. A complete demonstration with hands-on practice takes about 30 minutes.
NIU’s Civic Leadership Academy hosts its next workshop Thursday, Jan. 8, on “Governmental Cooperation, Collaboration, and Consolidation in the New Economy: It’s Not Just a Concept Anymore.”
This workshop will explore the changing dynamics between units of government. Current research and writings on the topic about “the strains on the system” will be debated. Do old models really work, and if so, for how long? What can we do better? What can we do together? What shouldn’t we do any longer?
Regions and regionalism also will be explored. Are they really dirty words or simply modern recognition that the world and intergovernmental relations has changed? You decide. We’ll take a closer look at networks and collaborations, particularly their logical models and some real world local government examples.
Participants will be stimulated to ponder and critically assess “how long can we go on/operate like this?” Professional insight will be presented as to what’s realistic, what’s on the horizon and what might be forced on us with regard to governmental consolidation and cooperation.
Co-presenters are Robert Gleeson, director of NIU’s Center for Governmental Studies and associate director of the Regional Development Institute, and Kurt Thurmaier, professor of public administration at NIU.
Registration and more information about CLA and its upcoming workshops is available online.
NIU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences External Programming will offer two review courses during the spring semester for those intending to take the GRE, GMAT and LSAT. Sessions begin in January and in April and take place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays in Swen Parson Hall. Sessions include a lunch break.
Register online at www.niu.edu/clasep, by phone at (815) 753-0277 or at the Monat Building, 148 N. Third St., Room 152.
NIU hosts the Northern Illinois Bridal Expo from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11, at the Holmes Student Center Duke Ellington Ballroom. The free admission includes a complimentary buffet. Don’t miss the professional fashion show at 2 p.m.
Parking is available at the visitors lot on Carroll Avenue, just south of the student center. For more information, visit www.niu.edu/hsc.
The Lifelong Learning Institute will offer the following study groups beginning Tuesday, Jan. 20. Classes meet over a four-week period unless otherwise noted; visit the Web site for specific dates and register online.
LLI also will host the Winter Notables Lecture Series. Presentations are held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays in the Holmes Student Center, Room 505. The lectures are free and open to the public. Topics are subject to change; confirmation is recommended.
Join NIU and the University of Chicago in a Friday, Feb. 6, exploration of the Yerkes Observatory at Williams Bay, Wis.
Established in 1897, the observatory housed the University of Chicago’s Astronomy and Astrophysics Department. The historic building, located on the 77-acre park-like site, houses the world’s biggest lens-type telescope and continues to provide laboratory space and access to telescopes for research and instruction. The observatory was constructed outside the hustle, bustle and smog of Chicago to provide the clearest possible air for observations.
The facility includes a library and museum with displays featuring astronomers who had a profound impact on the scientific and local communities within the last century, as well as information on comets, galaxies, nebulae and the death of stars. Participants will learn about the observatory’s history, important discoveries and ongoing research in astronomy and astrophysics.
Depart at 2:45 p.m. from the Holmes Student Center, Normal Road entrance; return approximately 7:30 p.m. Cost is $35 and includes entrance fees, guide, snack and transportation.
To register, call (815) 753-0277 and reference Event #10121 or to register online, visit www.niu.edu/clasep and click on Special Events. For more information, contact LA&S External Programming at (815) 753-5200 or lasep@niu.edu.
The Southeast Asia Club of NIU announces a call for papers for the 2009 Student Conference on Southeast Asian Studies. One-page abstracts are due by Wednesday, Dec. 31.
One of the distinct characteristics of Southeast Asia is its complex and deep mixings of traditions, cultures and systems. This conference will explore these blends on various levels. Papers from all disciplines pertaining to the 2009 theme will be accepted from undergraduate and graduate students.
E-mail the following information to conference organizers:
Final drafts are due by Feb. 13, 2009. Best papers will be awarded $150 (undergraduate) and $250 (graduate).
Housing with students on campus can be arranged.
Please direct inquires and abstracts to Sarah Wiley, conference coordinator, Southeast Asia Club at NIU, by calling (630) 670-5703 or e-mailing SEA.Conference.2009@gmail.com.
The 2009 Graduate Student Research Conference on Education, Learning and Human Development is scheduled for March 27 and March 28 in the Holmes Student Center and will feature paper and poster presentations by NIU graduate students.
Sponsored by the College of Education, the conference seeks proposals for research papers in education, health and human services, the social sciences and in liberal arts areas that focus on education-relevant issues (for example, history and economics of education, human learning and human development).
Workshops, a keynote speaker, a series of brief “how-to” sessions by NIU faculty and a free buffet lunch are all part of the GSRC 2009. All NIU students, faculty and instructors are invited to attend this free conference.
Deadline for submission of proposals is Thursday, Jan. 15. All proposals will be peer-reviewed by a panel of graduate students. Accepted proposals are notified Feb. 15. Registration deadline is March 10.
Contact Professor M Cecil Smith at mcsmith@niu.edu or 753-8448 for more information.
NIU’s annual Multicultural Curriculum Transformation Institute is scheduled for the week of May 11, 2009, at the Holmes Student Center.
Full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty, instructors and supportive professional staff are invited to participate in the institute, which assists participants in incorporating multicultural perspectives and content into their courses, improving communication with students and preparing alumni to participate in a diverse workplace and society.
The institute features plenary sessions by prominent specialists, focused thematic discussions by NIU faculty and students, syllabi critiques, video presentations and small group discussions. The sessions in the institute focus on topics such as race, gender, social class, disabilities and sexual orientation. Plenary sessions and some panels are open to the public; small group sessions are restricted to participants.
Approximately 220 individuals have participated in the institute since its inception, and they have benefited from opportunities to learn about multicultural issues, share experiences and ideas and establish lasting professional relationships. Participants have made a significant impact on NIU’s programs at all levels across all colleges.
Qualified faculty and instructional staff interested in participating in the institute are encouraged to apply for Multicultural Curriculum Transformation stipends. Individuals selected will receive $1,000 stipends to support transforming existing courses or developing new classes that address multiculturalism. Faculty and staff on 12-month contracts can participate in the institute but are not eligible for the stipend.
The deadline for applications is Thursday, Dec. 18. Information about applications for the institute is available on the Multicultural Curriculum Transformation Web site. Applications should be submitted electronically to mcti@niu.edu.
For more information, contact graduate assistant Charles Stapleton at (815) 753-8557 or e-mail mcti@niu.edu.