To perform maintenance and repairs on high pressure steam lines on campus, the Physical Plant and Heating Plant will conduct the annual steam outage.
West Campus: through noon Friday, May 23. This will include all buildings west of Carroll Avenue, except Stevenson and the Neptune Complex, and various other smaller buildings not served by steam. Domestic and heating hot water will not be available.
East Campus: 9 p.m. Sunday, May 25, or Monday, May 26, through noon Thursday, May 29. This will include all buildings east of Carroll Avenue and the Neptune Complex, except for various other smaller buildings not served by steam. Domestic and heating hot water will not be available.
Address any questions or concerns to Kevin Vines, chief engineer, at (815) 753-6090 or via e-mail at kvines@niu.edu.
Portions of the campus parking deck will be closed through June 15 for maintenance.
During this time, crews will clean, seal and stripe the pavement in the parking deck. At any given time during this period, two levels will be closed while three will remain open for parking.
There is a possibility that the entire parking deck will close on the weekends of June 6 through June 8 and June 13 through June 15 to ensure that striping is completed and dried by the start of summer classes.
Linda Timm, assistant controller at NIU, is celebrating her retirement after 35 years of service.
NIU will honor Timm from 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 28, in the Clara Sperling Sky Room in the Holmes Student Center. A presentation begins at 3 p.m.
NIU’s Community School of the Arts will hold auditions for the 2008-2009 CSA Sinfonia and the CSJazz Band beginning at noon Saturday, May 31.
All auditions are held in NIU’s Music Building. To arrange for an audition time, players should call the NIU Community School of the Arts office at (815) 753-1450. Auditions are free, but there is a fee upon joining one of the ensembles.
Wind, string, and percussion players wishing to join the CSA Sinfonia will be expected to play two pieces in contrasting styles for a maximum of five minutes and may be asked to sight-read. Musicians should be in middle school or high school.
The CSA Sinfonia, directed by conductor and cellist Linc Smelser, explores challenging and fun orchestral masterpieces from Dvorak and Vivaldi to the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. Rehearsals are Wednesday evenings in the NIU Music Building. There are three performances throughout the year.
To audition for the CSJazz Band, players ages 14 to 20 are expected to play a prepared piece and may be asked to sight-read and perform a jazz improvisation. This top regional jazz band plays the classics of Ellington and Basie as well as new jazz band material, some composed by director Doug Stone. The band rehearses Sunday evenings in the NIU Music Building and performs three times during the school year.
To learn more about this program and the other music and arts opportunities offered by the NIU Community School of the Arts, call (815) 753-1450 or visit www.niu.edu/extprograms.
NIU students Ramon Alberto Soto and Rogelio Jose Gamez will exhibit their work at the DeKalb Area Women’s Center Galleries through Friday, May 30.
Soto, specializing in painting, works in a postmodern manner incorporating realism and conceptual styles into his mixed media pieces. By looking through Plexiglas panels to the next layer of painting, the viewer is called to interpret the artist’s subject matter as “a study of society, nature, politics, different cultures, beliefs, religions, flaws and strengths,” Soto explains.
Gamez’ exhibit features his current body of work primarily on paper along with mixed media installations promoting “Fresh is the Word.”
In his artist statement, Gamez informs, “cultural issues are what inhabit the core of my work. Society, itself, allows me to draw and reflect upon countless ideas, yet I still tend to revisit childhood interests that I continue to value: comic books, cartoons, and golden era hip hop.”
The DeKalb Area Women’s Center is open for public viewing from 7 to 9 p.m. Fridays and by appointment throughout the month.
The DAWC is located at 1021 State Street in DeKalb. Parking is available in the paved lot off of Eleventh Street, one-half block south of the building. The handicapped-accessible lift can be reached from the alley north of the building. For further information, or to arrange a group showing, call Anna Marie Coveny, gallery director, at (815) 758-1351.
Housing and Dining staff and its partners are working hard to coordinate the best Opening Day Team ever. Nearly 4,000 students will arrive at NIU for Opening Day – Thursday, Aug. 21 – and approximately 3,000 of these will be new students.
Join the Opening Day Team to ensure that students will remember their arrival on campus as a day filled with welcoming smiles and helping hands. Be the face of NIU for each student you greet, for each student you assist with a bulky suitcase or box and for each student you aid with a cold drink on that hot and busy day.
Be a part of a great Huskie welcome to our students on Opening Day. To volunteer, visit http://www.housing.niu.edu and click on the Team NIU link.
Huskie Pup Camp, a summer camp for children ages 6 to 12, is being offered again by Recreation Services.
The nine-week camp is designed to help campers become more independent, enhance self-confidence and develop both mind and body in a fun and safe learning environment. Camp registration is on-going. For complete information, a copy of the brochure can be obtained at www.rs.niu.edu.
NIU’s Civic Leadership Academy will present a workshop Thursday, May 22, to explore the influence of globalization on leadership roles in local communities. Participants also will hear different strategies for coping with the challenges and maximizing the opportunities of increased competition and interconnectivity in the global economy.
The purpose of the workshop is to better understand economic development and workforce development theories which maximize the competitive advantage of local places in an increasingly global world. Case studies from other cities and regions will be used to demonstrate emerging best practices, and an interactive dialogue process will be used to help participants understand new techniques that can be used to more effectively lead their communities in this era of globalization.
The presenter is Rebecca Steffenson, a senior research associate for NIU’s Center for Governmental Studies
Registration and more information about CLA and its upcoming workshops are available online.
If you’re a current or retired NIU faculty or SPS staff member who wants to extend the spirit of “NIU Cares” to new freshmen next fall, First-Year Connections (FYC) is looking for you: Join a team of volunteers interested in mentoring new students during their transition to NIU.
The Student-Faculty Links mentoring program is a component of Orientation & First-Year Experience. Mentors are asked to fill out a short survey to match them with new students who express similar interests or are in a related academic department.
Mentors and protégées are contacted in early August with each other’s contact information, and are invited to an informal reception hosted by the FYC staff Friday, Aug. 22. All meetings after the reception are to be determined by the mentor and the student.
Student-Faculty Links gives NIU faculty and SPS staff a unique opportunity to reach out and make a difference in the lives of new students. Your involvement is highly beneficial to new students seeking support and encouragement to make their college experience successful and enjoyable.
If you are interested in mentoring a new student for fall 2008 or would like to learn more, contact First-Year Connections by phone at (815) 753-0028 or e-mail firstconn@niu.edu.
NIU’s Fall 2008 Teaching Effectiveness Institute is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 14, and Friday, Aug. 15, in the Capitol Room of the Holmes Student Center.
Hosted by the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, the workshop is open only to NIU faculty and staff. Registered participants will receive workshop materials, lunch and refreshments and certificates of participation.
Advanced registration for both days is required by Friday, July 25. Register early at http://www.facdev.niu.edu or via e-mail at facdev@niu.edu. Those who register and later are unable to attend should inform the center by Monday, Aug. 11, so others on the waiting list can enjoy the opportunity.
Day One – “Fundamental Principles of Effective Instruction” – will introduce faculty to basic principles of teaching, offer information about support resources related to teaching and discuss how faculty deal with students’ needs. Participants will have opportunities to network with new and experienced faculty at NIU.
Day Two features speaker Robert Noyd, a professor of biology and former director of faculty development at the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he teaches botany, general biology and senior seminar courses. Noyd is known for his innovations in faculty and curriculum development, including work with classroom observations, microteaching and course design.
Noyd will cover “Overteaching: When is Less Really More?” and offer his expertise on selection of effective instructional methods and simple ways to drive content, promote thinking and assess learning.
The summer semester is right around the corner, and the NIU Community School of the Arts has great classes and ensembles to offer people of all ages. Registration is open. Look at the summer’s offerings on the updated Web site: www.niu.edu/extprograms.
Are you looking for a fun, exciting summer camp for your children or grandchildren? Look no further than your own back yard.
NIU offers summer sports camps for all sports with a fun and challenging atmosphere for all skill levels. NIU employees receive a discounted rate on all camps.
Campers receive Division 1 college coaching as well as interaction with collegiate athletes combined with the college campus experience. For more information, call (815) 753-5300, e-mail sportscamps@niu.edu or visit- www.niuhuskies.com.
Diane Schlosser is retiring after 32 years of service at University Bookstore.
A celebration in her honor is planned for 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, May 23, in the University Suite.
Eligible faculty and staff now can obtain their new NIU OneCards.
To get new IDs, members of the faculty and staff should bring their current NIU OneCards to the OneCard Office, located on the lower level of the Holmes Student Center across from the University Bookstore, from 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Lost ID charges will apply for failure to return current cards. Call (815) 753-9569 for more information.