NIU President John G. Peters will deliver his annual State of the University Address at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, in the Altgeld Hall auditorium.
A reception will follow in the Altgeld Hall foyer immediately after the address.
Call (815) 753-1999 for more information.
In the event of a campus emergency, a text message can be sent to your cell phone. This system will be used only in the event of an imminent and verifiable danger or threat affecting the general campus population. Sign up now at www.niu.edu/alert.
“Papers and Pastries,” an open house and faculty social sponosored by Rare Books and Special Collections and the Founders Memorial Library, will take place from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, in Room 403 of the library.
Guests can view recent acquisitions and meet the RBSC staff. A light breakfast will be served. RSVPs are not required.
For more information, call (815) 753-9838 or e-mail lmthomas@niu.edu.
The NIU Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences has announced dates for its Fall 2008 Colloquia, co-sponsored by the Graduate School.
All talks will be held at 4 p.m. in Davis Hall 308. For directions and updates to the schedule, visit http://www.niu.edu/geology. Call (815) 753-1943 for more information.
Friday, Sept. 19: NIU faculty research updates by Ross Powell, Reed Scherer, Paul Stoddard, Jay Stravers and Jim Walker.
Friday, Sept. 26: Tim Naish, director of the Antarctic Research Center at Victoria University of Wellington, “Late Cenozoic Antarctic Ice Sheet Oscillations and the Global Implications.”
Friday, Oct. 3: Eugene Perry, NIU, “The Rocks Beneath Our Feet: Using Groundwater Chemistry as a Stratigraphic Tool. Plus a Short Retrospective.”
Friday, Oct. 10: NIU faculty research updates by Colin Booth, Phil Carpenter, Mark Fischer, Kathy Kitts and Paul Loubere.
Friday, Oct. 24: Paul Wallace, University of Oregon, “Volatiles in Subduction Zone Magmas: Concentrations and Fluxes based on Melt Inclusion and Volcanic Gas Data.”
Friday, Oct. 31: Mark Frank, NIU, “Dehydration Kynetics of Serpentine up to 1023 K and 5 GPa with Relevance to Subduction Zones.”
Friday, Nov. 7: Pedro J. Jugo, Laurentian University, “Understanding the Role of Oxidized Sulfur in Magmatic Systems: From Ore Deposits to Climate Change to Martian Meteorites.”
Friday, Nov. 14: Beth Johnson, NIU, “Provenance of Slackwater Sediments in the Savanna Terraces, Northwestern Illinois.”
Friday, Nov. 21: Jennifer Jackson, California Institute of Technology, title to be announced.
Calling all prospective volunteers: Those looking to give back by lending a helping hand are intied to the Women’s Resource Center from 2 to 3 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22, to learn about some of the opportunities available.
Female high school students interested in exploring career options and learning more about the academic side of college life are invited to attend the 2008 Conference for Young Women, hosted by Northern Illinois University from 8:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6, at the Holmes Student Center.
Now in its 13th year, this popular conference has been praised by many participants with varied interests and backgrounds.
The conference introduces young women in their sophomore through senior years of high school to a variety of career areas, including professions where women have been historically underrepresented, and provides opportunities to interact with successful women faculty and NIU students.
This year’s conference includes a panel discussion on career opportunities for women; presentations by faculty on topics related to women’s collegiate experiences and career options; tours of the NIU campus; and lunch with NIU faculty, professionals and students. Conference speakers will focus on career opportunities in fields ranging from computer programming and politics to law enforcement, sports training and business management.
“I received information on the 2008 Conference for Young Women, and I think it is a wonderful event,” said Candace Gardner, mother of two former conference participants. “The campus experience was very inspiring for my two older daughters as they were leaving high school and searching for life direction.”
The conference is sponsored by the NIU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Women’s Studies Program. Registration is available online or by calling (800) 345-9472.
The registration fee is $38 before Sept. 29, with a $5 additional late charge. Limited scholarships are available. For additional information, call (815) 753-1038.
NIU’s Campus Child Care Center is celebrating 30 years of quality child care.
An open house will take place from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, at the center located within parking lot 38/S. Come for tours, refreshments and photo displays of the center’s past and present. Guest also can visit the children’s book fair, win door prizes and more.
Alumni of the program are welcomed and encouraged to come; a special photo display of campus child care alums is in progress.
Parking is available in the center’s circle drive or by requesting a visitor’s pass. Call (815) 753-0125 for more information.
NIUs Office of Assessment Services presents the Fall 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 answers to frequently asked questions about NIU’s annual assessment update reports; a look at upcoming assessment events, including workshops to be presented Friday, Sept. 12, by Linda Suskie at NIU; and conferences at which NIU faculty and staff will present. Also featured are an online resource for rubrics; a matrix of assessment methods in use at NIU; and an introduction to Sonja Herington, who is in charge of college-level assessment and accreditation activities in the College of Business.
Back issues are posted on the Assessment Services Web site under “Toolkit.” Contributions to the newsletter are welcome at any time.
The Ally Program is a campus-wide program designed to foster a welcoming and supportive campus environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, faculty and staff by creating a visible network of allies.
NIU employees and students interested in volunteering for the Ally Program can learn more and register online. The online form provides the specific workshop dates and times and allows registrants to indicate first, second and third choices.
Training is divided into two two-hour workshops (Part I and Part II). Volunteers must attend both Part I and Part II. Space is limited, and advance registration is required. Multiple dates are available.
Part I
Monday, Sept. 22: 2 to 4 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 30: 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Part II
Thursday, Oct. 9: 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Monday, Oct. 20: 9 to 11 a.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 22: 2 to 4 p.m.
The Ally Program is sponsored by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center, Division of Student Affairs.
NIU faculty and staff are invited to attend a one-day regional drive-in conference on “Strengthening the First Year of College: Purposeful Strategies for Pedagogy and Practice.”
The conference will be held Friday, Oct. 24, at the Holmes Student Center. The conference is co-hosted by Oakton Community College and Rock Valley College.
The early bird conference fee is $69. The registration fee is $79 after today. A continental breakfast and luncheon are included. Registration and other conference information are available online or through Orientation & First-Year Experience at (815) 753-1535.
The keynote address, titled “Promoting First-Year Success through Collaborative Partnerships,” will be given by Charles C. Schroeder of Noel-Levitz, Inc. As a senior associate consultant for Noel-Levitz, Schroeder offers more than two decades of experience as an administrator, writer, and consultant on student affairs and the student experience. He is a past president of ACPA (College Student Educators International) and has published more than 70 articles and chapters in various refereed journals and books.
The plenary speaker, Trudy Bers, is executive director of research, curriculum and planning at Oakton Community College in the northern suburbs of Chicago. Bers’ research interests include the community college, the assessment of student learning outcomes and college choice for community college students and their parents.
This regional drive-in conference provides a forum for faculty, academic administrators and student affairs professionals to share ideas, resources and engaging pedagogy to enhance the learning of first-year students on two- and four-year campuses.
Concurrent breakout session topics include:
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.
All letters of nomination for the 2009 Presidential Teaching Professorships should be submitted to Vice Provost Earl “Gip” Seaver, Office of the Provost, Altgeld Hall 215, no later than Monday, Sept. 29.
Following receipt of a letter of nomination, the selection committee will invite each nominated faculty member to prepare materials in accordance with the published procedure. Only full professors with tenure and at least six years service at NIU are eligible for the award.
The Presidential Teaching Professorships were established in 1990 to recognize those outstanding teachers who have demonstrated over time that they:
The procedure calls for a rigorous and thorough portfolio review including contacting former students. The 2009 recipients will be announced next spring.
Hazel Domangue, recruiter for the Peace Corps, will come to campus Thursday, Sept. 18, and Friday, Sept. 19.
Domangue will attend the Study Abroad Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center.
From 5 to 7 p.m. that evening, she will host a general information meeting in Room 306 of the student center. This important session is one of the first steps in learning more about the process of joining the Peace Corps. Handouts are available; questions are encouraged.
On-campus interviews take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, in the Career Center (Room 260) of the Campus Life Building. Applications must be submitted and appointment must be scheduled by Friday, Sept. 12.
Contact Domangue at (312) 353-5224 or hdomangue@peacecorps.gov for more information.