NIU President John and Mrs. Barbara Peters have announced their annual holiday luncheon for the NIU community, a festive tradition for all friends and colleagues of the university.
This spirited event to celebrate the joy of the holiday season is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center. A buffet lunch will be served.
Contact Ellen Andersen at (815) 753-1999 or via e-mail at ellena@niu.edu for more information.
Historic Altgeld Hall is the site of the annual Holiday Family Celebration from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5.
Celebrate the season with music, refreshments and family fun. The event is free and open to the public.
Contact Ellen Andersen at (815) 753-1999 or via e-mail at ellena@niu.edu for more information.
The NIU Philharmonic, under the direction of new conductor Lucia Matos, will present its second concert of the semester at 8 p.m. today in the Boutell Memorial Concert Hall.
The Philharmonic will continue its season with Brahms’ “Tragic Overture, Op. 81,” Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade, Op. 35” and a special performance of Mozart’s “Horn Concerto No. 2” with guest artist John Fairfield, NIU horn professor.
The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call (815) 753-1551.
The David C. Shapiro Memorial Law Library has announced its hours through Jan. 11.
The law library will extend its hours for reading period and final exams, ending Thursday, Dec. 18. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sundays.
The library is open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 22, and Tuesday, Dec. 23. The library is closed Saturday, Dec. 20, and Sunday, Dec. 21, as well as from Wednesday, Dec. 24, through Sunday, Jan. 4.
Hours in the first part of January are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 10 p.m. Sundays. Regular hours resume Monday, Jan. 12.
Call (815) 753-0505 for more information.
Join the NIU Community School of the Arts this December with a variety of music performances.
All recitals are scheduled in the Recital Hall of the Music Building unless otherwise noted, and many end with a gala reception. The recitals are free and open to the public.
Lessons, classes and ensembles in music, art and theater are offered for children and adults throughout the year. The spring semester begins in January. Scholarships are available for those in financial need; the deadline for spring applications is Monday, Jan. 5.
For more information about classes, ensembles and lessons, contact Renee Page at (815) 753-1450 or visit www.niu.edu/extprograms.
Members of the Greater Kishwaukee Area Concert Band will present a Christmas concert at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, in the Boutell Memorial Concert Hall.
Zach Harris, vocal soloist on “White Christmas,” will lead the audience in a sing-along.
The concert, sponsored by Milly Sulaver in memory of her sister Joan Sulaver, is free. The Music Building is accessible to all.
“Setting the Course through Strategic Planning” is the title of the Civic Leadership Academy’s Thursday, Dec. 11, workshop.
This workshop is a “guided tour” of the practical techniques and fundamental principles of the strategic planning process. It focuses on developing skills and understanding the power of analyzing current organizational situations, laying out long- and short-range objectives, developing implementation plans and building an effective follow-up policy decision framework for an organizational strategic plan.
Topics will include environmental scanning, problem identification, SWOT analyses, strategy formulation, implementation planning and various sub-elements of the process such as the construction of scenarios.
Greg Kuhn, assistant director and senior research associate for the Center for Governmental Studies, is the presenter.
Registration and more information about CLA and its upcoming workshops is available online.
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.
“Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges,” established in 1934, is a program honoring outstanding college students for their scholastic, extracurricular and community achievements. NIU is one of more than 2,300 institutions of higher education which annually nominates junior, senior and graduate-level students for these awards.
Students whose academic standing, participation and leadership in extracurricular activities and community service are decidedly above average should be considered for nomination. A campus selection committee will review all nominations and will recommend approximately 50 students, representing a variety of academic and extracurricular areas, to the national program for this honor. Students who have previously been named to “Who’s Who” cannot be nominated again.
Students selected will receive personalized certificates, local and national publicity, and be included in the 2008-2009 edition of “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.” “Who’s Who” recipients will be recognized further during the Kevin D. Knight Leadership Awards Ceremony in late April 2009.
Faculty and staff are encouraged to submit nominations for this honor. Nominations (with student signature) must be received by Student Involvement & Leadership Development no later than Wednesday, Dec. 17. Late nominations cannot be considered.
Please respond fully to all items on the nomination form. Nominators may solicit information from the candidate to give the selection committee a more complete picture of the student’s qualifications, but it is the committee’s intent that the form be completed by the faculty or staff nominator.
Women students, faculty and staff who love to sing and want to explore music from multiple cultures and traditions are invited to join the Women’s Chorus.
Rehearsals are held from 4:30 to 5:40 p.m. Mondays in Room 171 of the Music Building.
The chorus is a non-auditioned ensemble available for credit as MUSC 369 (undergraduate) and MUSC 769 (graduate credit). The Spring 2009 concert will feature music for women’s voices, instruments and dance from northern Spain. The chorus performs one concert per semester; the spring performance is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 20.
For more information, contact Glenda Cosenza at glenza@niu.edu.
The Committee for the Improvement of Undergraduate Education is seeking nominations for the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and the Excellence in Undergraduate Instruction Awards.
Students in all majors are encouraged to make nominations for these prestigious awards. Nomination procedures, guidelines, and forms are available online for the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award and for the Excellence in Undergraduate Instruction Award.
The Committee for the Improvement of Undergraduate Education is administering four different types of grants to support research in and projects for the improvement of instruction in undergraduate courses:
Use current grant forms only. Do not use any previous forms.
All proposals must be submitted to the committee by Tuesday, Jan. 20. E-mail the forms to jganshir@niu.edu by the deadline.
The Office of Assessment Services presents the Winter 2008 issue of Toolkit, its quarterly “nuts and bolts” e-newsletter. Toolkit is specifically designed to assist the NIU community with practical assessment issues in a user-friendly format.
This issue features an in-depth look at the University Writing Project: how it works, how faculty can participate using only existing course assignments and results from the 2008 writing project.
Also featured in this issue are stipends available to faculty for developing or redesigning a Capstone Course; a rubric for assessing group participation; and a preview of upcoming assessment events, including the 2009 Assessment Expo.
Back issues are posted on the Assessment Services Web site under Toolkit. Contributions to the newsletter are welcome at any time.
Candidate interviews for the position of director of NIU’s CHANCE Program have been scheduled.
Open interview forums are scheduled for faculty (4 to 5 p.m.) and the public (5 to 6 p.m.) on each date. All open forums will be held in Room 203 of Altgeld Hall. Call (815) 753-8381 for more information.
There are still a few seats available for the NIU Alumni Association holiday trip to Hawaii.
Warm trade winds and a traditional Hawaiian “Aloha!” await on this three-island touring itinerary. The islands of Maui, Hawaii and Oahu offer a vast diversity of landscapes, natural beauty and attractions.
Visit myniu.com or call (815) 753-1452 for more information.
Join alumni and friends for a private skating party from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4, at the new DeKalb Community Ice Skating Rink located at First and Locust streets. Enjoy skating, hot chocolate, cookies and fun.
Tickets for this event are $7 for adults, $5 for kids and free for Cardinal and Black and Legacy members of the NIU Alumni Association. Ticket costs include entrance fees, skate rentals, hot chocolate and goodies.
Registration is required. Visit myniu.com or call (815) 753-1452 for more information.
The Office of External Programming in the College of Liberal Arts and Science is organizing a Friday, Dec. 5, trip to the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago to see “The Seafarer” by celebrated playwright Conor McPherson.
The bus departs from the Normal Road entrance of the Holmes Student Center at 4:30 p.m. with a pick-up at NIU-Naperville at 5:30 p.m.
“The Seafarer” tells the tale of Christmas Eve in Dublin. In the rundown house where Sharky cares for his blind brother, old acquaintances gather for a card game – and are joined by an ominous stranger.
As the booze flows and the game intensifies, Sharky discovers he is playing for his soul. In this eerie, darkly humorous tale, McPherson examines how we face the demons of our past as we struggle to find redemption. For more detailed performance information, visit www.steppenwolf.org.
Cost is $25 for NIU students and $45 for others (includes transportation and theater ticket). For more information or to register, call (815) 753-5200 or e-mail LASEP@niu.edu.
In accordance with President Peters’ holiday closure schedule for 2008-09, all departments within the Materials Management area will close from 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 23, until operations resume at 8 a.m. Monday, Jan. 5.
No receiving of U.S. mail, parcel post, UPS, Fed Ex, Fed Ex Ground, DHL/Airborne or any common carrier packages will take place during this time.
Employees who anticipate delivery of any packages to Central Receiving at NIU near or during this time period should make necessary arrangements for delivery to an alternate address to avoid delays or packages being returned to sender as undeliverable.
When operations resume in January, Central Receiving and Campus Mail Services will begin processing the backlog of mail and packages as quickly as possible. Exercise patience and do not call to find out where or when packages will be delivered.
Hearing loss is not just a part of old age: It can affect people of any age. Unfortunately, too many people wait years before seeking help.
NIU’s Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, 3100 Sycamore Road in DeKalb, will host a free hearing screening and technology demonstration from 9 a.m. to noon Monday, Dec. 8.
The screening and demonstration are by appointment only. Call (815) 753-1481 (voice) or (815) 753-2000 (TTY) for more information or to reserve a time. The clinic is part of the College of Health and Human Sciences.
NIU’s Supportive Professional Staff Council is requesting nominations for the Presidential Supportive Professional Staff Award for Excellence.
This award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the university. All Supportive Professional Staff are eligible. If you have previously nominated an individual, please consider re-nominating them.
Four awards worth $1,500 each will be presented. In addition, each recipient will receive a plaque in recognition of their accomplishments. To be eligible, an employee must be actively employed at the time the award is presented (in March or April 2009).
The nominator is asked to address the following topics in a letter addressed to the SPSC Awards Committee:
A completed application packet consists of the nomination referral form and four letters: a nomination letter and three letters of support.
The support letters must address the above topics. Only these four letters will be considered for each nominee. All nominations must include the nominee’s and nominator’s name, title and department.
Awards will be announced by the president in February 2009, and awards will be presented at a reception hosted by the president in March or April 2009. Nominators are responsible for submitting the complete set of nomination materials. Contact Deborah Haliczer at (815) 753-6039 or via e-mail at dhaliczer@niu.edu for more information.
The nomination referral form, nomination letter and three letters of support should be sent to Deborah Haliczer, co-chair of the SPSC awards committee, and must be received in the office of Human Resource Services (1515 W. Lincoln Hwy.) by 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3. There will be no extensions of the deadline.