It is time for all NIU employees to complete their annual online ethics training.
Under the terms of the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act, all full-time, part-time, regular and temporary faculty, staff, graduate assistants, extra help and student employees must complete this annual training.
The training covers such topics as accepting gifts and bribes, conflict of interest, inappropriate use of university resources for personal matters, whistleblower protection and avoidance of political activities during the work day. Everyone who receives a paycheck from the university must complete this training.
Ethics training begins Thursday, Oct. 16, and concludes at midnight Friday, Nov. 14. There are no extensions.
Employees are notified by e-mail and through campus mail. Training should be completed during normal work hours. Employees should check with their department on whether special arrangements are being made for workstations for employees without computers, or for scheduling of training times.
Employees can contact the Ethics Training Administrator at (815) 753-6039 or Human Resource Services at (815) 753-6000 for information or assistance. Technical questions will be addressed by Information Technology Services Helpdesk at (815) 753-8100.
The State of Illinois Office of the Executive Inspector General notes that employees who do not comply with the annual training mandate can be subject to fines and disciplinary actions.
For further information, contact:
NIU’s LGBT Studies Program will hold a silent auction on its Web site from Tuesday, Oct. 14, through Tuesday, Oct. 28, to raise funds for the program.
This semester alone, six new undergraduate students and three new graduate students have enrolled in certificate programs; program administrators hope to continue this growth through increased publicity. However, because there is no budget for printing or other publicity, support is greatly appreciated.
All the books up for auction will be on display in the Holmes Student Center during the auction period. Stop by the display case between the Duke Ellington Ballroom and the Gallery Lounge to see the books.
On the menu at Ellington’s this week: Cajan Jazz Café is scheduled for Tuesday, The Eiffel Tower Restaurant takes over Wednesday and Agapi Restaurant concludes the week Thursday.
New this semester is the option to enjoy wine with your meal. One red and one white wine choice will be available with meal service. Wine will be selected for the menu based on wine-and-food pairings made by the students. Wine selections will range from $4.50 to $6.50 per glass.
Cajan Jazz Café features Creole marinated vegetables or roasted red pepper tomato bisque for starters, Cajun-style Alaska salmon or Bayou’s best red beans and rice for entrees and homemade apple whole-wheat bread pudding or Delta deep-dish blackberry pie for dessert. Each table also will be served a basketful or honey cornbread accompanied with whipped honey butter.
The Eiffel Tower Restaurant features classic French salad or spring soup for starters, pork chops with tomato sauce and freshly shredded potatoes or ratatouille bake for entrees and chocolate mousse or lemon tart for dessert.
Agapi Restaurant features Greek Caesar salad or avgolemono for starters, chicken oreganata with fashoulakia or spinach-feta calzone with orzo salad for entrees and Sifinos cheese and honey tart or phyllo nests with strawberries and honey for dessert. Each table also will be served tzatziki, a creamy dipping sauce of yogurt mixed with garlic and cucumbers and served with pita.
Seating is from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with service until 1 p.m. The cost is $9 per person. Ellington’s is located on the main floor of the Holmes Student Center. Call (815) 753-1763 or visit www.ellingtons.niu.edu to make reservations.
Local NPR news station WNIJ will broadcast a fall membership campaign from Friday, Oct. 17, through Friday, Oct. 24.
During this time, listeners are encouraged to become members by making financial pledges of support toward the public radio programming they value. In contrast to the last several pledge drives, WNIJ’s campaign has been shortened by more than a day and a half, placing special emphasis on pre-drive, Friday “Power Hour,” and early week contributions, returning listeners to regular programming with minimal interruption.
Throughout the campaign dates, radio hosts will direct listeners to call a dedicated “Pledge Line” staffed by volunteers. The radio station Web site also is equipped to receive secure pledges online at www.wnij.org. Classical music listeners will have an opportunity to show their support during a one-day drive in November.
Northern Public Radio (89.5-WNIJ and classical WNIU) is the broadcast service of NIU.
NIU Intercollegiate Athletics will enshrine one team and four individuals Friday, Oct. 17, into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the Huskies’ gala 102nd Homecoming weekend.
The formal induction ceremonies will take place at the Holmes Student Center’s Duke Ellington Ballroom.
NIU’s 2008 induction class – the 27th overall since the inception of the Huskie Athletics Hall of Fame and the 30th anniversary of the charter HOF group in 1978 – features the 1972 baseball team. Individuals are Jeremy Goeden (wrestling in 1996-98), Tammy Hinchee (basketball in 1986-90), Anne Mucci (Iwinski) (soccer in 1995-98) and Larry Satchwell (track & field in 1974-75).
Fans, friends, alumni and the general public are invited to attend the HOF induction. The festive Cardinal and Black evening begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. and the induction program at 8 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person. Table sponsorships (seating eight individuals) are available for $500.
For more information on the banquet or to RSVP, call (815) 753-5510 or e-mail mattmiller@niu.edu.
The Office of the Secretary of State will be located in the Holmes Student Center, lower level, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20.
Services available include: driver’s license (renewal, replacement, corrections), state ID card (renewal, replacement, corrections), vehicle sticker sales, NIU collegiate license plates, passenger and B-Truck license plates, organ/tissue donor information, vehicle title and registration and parking placards for persons with disabilities.
All faculty and staff are invited to receive hands-on assistance with MyNIU by attending an open lab session.
The open labs are an informal setting. Come for a few minutes or stay for longer to become more familiar with MyNIU. This is great opportunity to learn more and to receive help with any area that you have access to in MyNIU.
Open labs are from 8 a.m. to noon Monday, Oct. 20, in Founders 297 and from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, in Founders 297.
Visit the MyNIU training Web site to view job aids and other helpful resources.
Human Resource Services announces the opening of an on-campus Human Resource Service Center with an open house scheduled Tuesday, Oct. 21, in its new location: Swen Parson Room 110.
This office will provide many of the services offered at the main location at 1515 West Lincoln Hwy. Visitors can tour the new office during an open house between 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
A dedication ceremony is scheduled at 11:30 a.m. with Eddie Williams, executive vice president for Business and Finance, and Steve Cunningham, associate vice president for Administration and Human Resources, as well as many HRS representatives in attendance. The open house will include refreshments, door prizes and giveaways.
“Common Ground,” an upcoming exhibition at the NIU Art Museum, will bring together a selection of contemporary ceramics produced throughout the state of Illinois.
The exhibition is scheduled from Tuesday, Oct. 21, through Saturday, Dec. 6. An opening reception will take place from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23. Guest artist Chris Berti will present a lecture from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Room 110 of the Visual Arts Building/Jack Arends Hall before the reception.
“Common Ground” artists use common clay material to explore relationships to the world in which we live. Curated by artist Doug Jeppesen, a professor at Waubonsee Community College, the exhibition also includes Dan Anderson, Berti, Charity Davis-Woodard, Paul Dresang, Erin Furimsky, Shane Harris, Steven Hill, Doug Jeppesen, Jim Kearns, Ron Kovatch, Yih Wen Kuo, Tyler Lotz, Ron Mazanowski, Kurt Webb and Matt Wilt.
“There is a wide variety of subject matter in the exhibition,” Jeppesen said. “Concepts range from personal introspective issues of dealing with a recent illness diagnosis and iconic industrial Americana to the traditions of pottery that bring people together every day over a cup of coffee or a sip of bourbon.”
The NIU Art Museum is located on the first floor west end of Altgeld Hall. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. Group tours may be arranged by appointment. More information is available at www.niu.edu/artmuseum.
“Common Ground” is funded in part by the llinois Arts Council, a state agency; Friends of the NIU Art Museum; and the Arts fund 21.
“Maley/Hand: Journey Toward Healing” is a poignant collaboration between Janette Maley and Art Hand – wife and husband, artist and photographer – that explores how they each faced Maley’s breast cancer in their own way, emotionally and artistically.
NIU’s Art Museum will host the exhibition from Tuesday, Oct. 21, through Saturday, Dec. 6. An opening reception is scheduled from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, including a 6 p.m. gallery talk by Hand. He will conduct an additional gallery talk from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8.
Diagnosed in late 1998, Maley began making collages that she credited with helping her in her journey “to a life richer, more mindful of what I have and how I want to live.” She described the creation of the collages as “one of these remarkable experiences I have embraced” and noted that the inspiration for her images “comes out of my need to truly acknowledge what my life, my fight for life, has been.” Each image represents what Maley was feeling during different aspects of her treatment.
Hand photographed his wife, first as a way to record her body before surgery. The photographs continued throughout her treatment with chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and her struggle with her cancer’s return.
The couple exhibited their works many times together. Now, after Maley lost her battle, Hand wants to display the photographs and collages as a way to share their journey and that of women throughout the world facing breast cancer. The images are intimate, emotive, touching and a testament to the will of both Janette and Art to face illness personally and together.
The NIU Art Museum is located on the first floor west end of Altgeld Hall. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. Group tours may be arranged by appointment. More information is available at www.niu.edu/artmuseum.
“Journey Toward Healing” is funded in part by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; Friends of the NIU Art Museum; and the Arts fund 21.
Paul Ilsley, a professor in the College of Education’s Department of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment, is retiring from NIU after 30 years of service.
A farewell reception is scheduled from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct.24, in the Clara Sperling Sky Room of the Holmes Student Center.
Peter Sagal – host of NPR’s popular program, “Wait Wait . . . Don’t Tell Me!” – will make an appearance on campus later this month to help Friends of Northern Illinois University Libraries celebrate its 25th anniversary.
Sagal will be the featured speaker at the anniversary celebration, beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, at the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center, 231 N. Annie Glidden Road. A reception with a cash bar and hors d’oeuvres will be held prior to Sagal’s 7:45 p.m. talk, titled “Behind the Scenes at ‘Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!’ ”
The talk will be followed by a book signing. Tickets to the event cost $25 and can be purchased by calling Angie Schroeder at (815) 753-8091.
All faculty and staff who are members of the Phi Beta Kappa Association are invited to contact Mary Cozad in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at (815) 753-6447 or mcozad@niu.edu.
Efforts are being made to reactivate the organization and reinstitute the annual Hainds Award for the most outstanding College of Liberal Arts and Sciences graduating senior. Interested faculty and staff are asked to send their names, departments, e-mail addresses and phone numbers to Cozad by Saturday, Nov. 1.
Information Technology Services introduces the new online document production order form.
Visit https://ssl.niu.edu/its/asp2ssl/ds to place a “quick print,” “quote only” or “request for services” order online.
Users can manage all print and copy needs through ITS Document Services. The new online order form allows users to enter all pertinent job information using a familiar Web browser interface. In addition, users can attach files or create PDFs using the link to a free, simple-to-use PDF creator.
Try it today and start saving time. Visit http://its.niu.edu > Forms > Document Services.
The NIU Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, now housed in the NIU Family Health, Wellness and Literacy Center at 3100 Sycamore Road, invites the community to schedule evaluations or participate in research projects.
Certified and licensed audiologists and speech-language pathologists provide speech, language and hearing evaluations as well as clinical intervention. For general information about the clinic or to schedule an evaluation, call (815) 753-1481.
In addition to providing clinical services, a variety of research programs are ongoing. Members of the community are welcome to contact individual faculty if interested in participating in a research project or would like more information about a specific area of study.
James Erman, NIU interim vice president for research, is seeking nominations for honorary doctoral degrees to be awarded from the university.
An honorary degree provides an opportunity for the university to recognize someone especially outstanding in a field of interest to the university. Recipients must be clearly exceptional among other outstanding persons in his or her field.
While a connection to NIU or the State of Illinois is not a requirement for nomination, any such relationship will be considered during the selection process.
A nomination must be accompanied by:
Any person affiliated with NIU may submit a nomination. The Honorary Degree Committee encourages nominations by groups as well as by individuals. Nominators should alert all university departments and divisions related to the area of the nominee’s accomplishments and invite those units to provide the committee with input regarding the merits of the nomination.
This year’s nominations, with the required supporting information, should be submitted to Erman by Friday, Dec. 19.
Past recipients of NIU honorary degrees have included Hermann A. Grunder, director emeritus of Argonne National Laboratory; J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; distinguished historian and Pulitzer Prize-winner Arthur Schlesinger Jr.; astronomer Carl Sagan; and Leon Lederman, former Fermilab director and winner of the 1989 Nobel Prize in physics.
Travel with the NIU Alumni Association this spring to experience the jewels of Northern Ireland.
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 this and other exciting travel destinations.
NIU’s Jack Olson Gallery will host artist Mary Ann Papanek-Miller’s “Look for Alice: You Won’t Know Who to Trust” exhibition through Thursday, Oct. 30.
The Jack Olson Gallery, located in the NIU School of Art’s Jack Arends Hall, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. For more information, visit www.olsongallery.niu.edu.
Born in the vicinity of Chicago, Papanek-Miller received her M.A. in metals from NIU and her M.F.A., with a dual emphasis in drawing and metals, from the University of Houston in 1984.
She has exhibited widely across the country, was one of the recipients of the 2004 State of Minnesota Artist Initiative Grants co-supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and completed a commission through the Seattle Arts Commission for the new federal justice center building in Seattle, Wash., which opened to the public in November 2002.
Currently, she is a professor and chair of the Department of Art Media and Design at DePaul University in Chicago. Formerly, she served in the same capacity at the University of Montana, Bemidji State University and the Cornish College of the Arts.
Her current works are available at http://papanekmillerartist.wordpress.com. Past works are hosted at www.papanek-miller-artist.com.
For more information, call (815) 753-4521.
NIU is seeking nominations for the 2008-09 class of Board of Trustees Professorships. Application portfolios are due Wednesday, Oct. 29.
The NIU Board of Trustees Professorships were established in 2007 by President John Peters and the Board of Trustees to recognize those tenured professors who:
In considering the qualifications of nominees, special emphasis will be placed upon those who are renowned scholars or artists and have engaged students in their research and/or other professional activities.
Up to three professorships can be awarded each academic year; the 2008-2009 awards will be made April 30, 2009, at the Faculty Awards Recognition Ceremony. The recipients will receive a stipend of $10,000 per year that will be renewed annually during the five-year term of appointment as Board of Trustee Professors.
The responsibilities of the professorship include delivering the Board of Trustees Professorship Lecture; participating in workshops for the professional development of junior faculty and in activities that advance the university’s reputation and mission; maintaining an active program of teaching, scholarship or artistry and service; and submitting a report detailing activities and accomplishments during the award period.
Additional information about the nomination process and the professorships can be found at http://www.niu.edu/strategicplan/board. Application portfolios should be submitted electronically to the Office of the Provost (kjahns@niu.edu).
NIU’s Presidential Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity has limited travel funds available to help support faculty, staff and students who wish to attend conferences, workshops or seminars for the purpose of learning about or presenting scholarship on lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender topics.
Individuals requesting funds will be asked to submit a PCSOGI Request for Travel Support form, including a breakdown of costs and other sources of funding support. All travel must take place before June 30, 2009). The Request for Travel Support form is available online.
For more information, call Patricia Liberty Baczek at (815) 753-5428 or e-mail lgbt@niu.edu
Northern Pride weekly lunches offer an informal opportunity for those in NIU’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and ally community to meet, socialize and network.
The lunches are from noon to 1 p.m. Thursdays in the Blackhawk Cafeteria East Meeting Room and are open to students, faculty and staff. Those attending can purchase lunch at the Blackhawk Cafeteria or bring their own lunch. The East Meeting Room is located directly across from the cash registers in the cafeteria.
For more information, contact the LGBT Resource Center at (815) 753-5428 or at lgbt@niu.edu.
This interactive, reality-based self-defense workshop will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 13, in the Chick Evans Field House.
The event is sponsored by the Women’s Resource Center. Space is limited; call (815) 753-0320 to make a reservation.
The University Women’s Club of NIU will hold its annual fall open house from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, at the home of President and Mrs. Peters, 901 Woodlawn, DeKalb.
The University Women’s Club invites every woman associated with the university, whether she is a current or retired faculty or staff member, or the wife of a current, retired or deceased faculty or staff member, to join this long-standing organization of NIU women.
Meet people with a common interest in NIU, participate in distinct interest groups, enjoy social events and support the club’s philanthropic endeavor of providing scholarships to deserving NIU women students.
The Greater Kishwaukee Area Concert Band will present “Going Through Europe” at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, in the Boutell Memorial Concert Hall, which is accessible to all. Conductor John Hansen has selected music from different parts of Europe for this free “tour.”
Open to anyone age 18 and older who has played a wind or percussion instrument in the past, this all-volunteer band requires no auditions. Rehearsals are held from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday evenings in the Huntley Middle School band room in DeKalb.
For more information, call (815) 825-2350 or (815) 899-4867.
The NIU Division of International Programs is seeking nominations for two awards that will be presented this fall during the annual International Recognition Reception.
The “Outstanding International Educator Award” honors an NIU faculty or staff member who has contributed significantly toward international education at the university. The Division of International Programs for the first time this year will recognize the award recipient with a travel reimbursement of $500.
The 2008 award recipient will have made sustained contributions to the enhancement of international education at NIU through teaching, research, public service and student-service efforts.
Joseph Grush, vice provost for resource planning, will speak at this year’s International Recognition Reception, which will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17, in the Holmes Student Center Sky Room.
The second major honor, the award for Outstanding Contribution to International Education at NIU, recognizes the academic unit or support unit that made the most significant contribution toward international education on campus during the last academic year. Last year, the award was won by the Department of Political Science; Marketing Professor Dan Weilbaker was recognized as the Outstanding International Educator.
The deadline for this year’s award nominations in both categories is Friday, Oct. 17.
More information on the awards and nomination forms is available online or by calling Sara Clayton at (815) 753-9526.
Nominations are being sought for NIU’s 2009 Presidential Research Professorships, which recognize outstanding accomplishment and future potential in academic research or creative artistry.
Faculty members may be nominated, or may initiate their own candidacy, by submitting letters of nominations or self-nominations to James Erman, interim vice president for research, by Monday, Oct. 20.
The nomination and self-nomination letters must include the candidate’s qualifications in accordance with the award specifications. Four complete sets of application materials must then be submitted to Erman’s office by Monday, Nov. 10.
Up to three new Presidential Research Professors are designated each year. Upon appointment, each award recipient will receive a base-salary increment of $2,000.
Additionally, a grant of $5,000 will be provided during each year of the appointment, provided the recipient remains a full-time NIU faculty member. The grant money is to be used for scholarly activities. Award recipients also receive one semester of release from teaching and other non-research responsibilities.
More detailed information on the award and on the call for nominations can be found at www.niu.edu/provost/awards/prp.shtml.