It’s safe to say David Hedin, William Baker and Ronald Carter are at the top of their games.
They are world renowned for their research and artistry and are known for drawing students into their creative work. Not surprisingly, these NIU professors also are among the university’s most effective teachers in the classroom, praised by students and colleagues alike.
The trio has been named as the 2009 Board of Trustees Professors. The professorships, established in 2007 and first awarded last year, recognize faculty members who have achieved a consistent record of excellence in teaching, academic leadership, scholarship or artistry and service and outreach.
In the selection process, special emphasis is placed on the recognition of those who have earned national or international acclaim for their scholarship or artistry and continue to engage students in their research and professional activities.
All three are familiar names on campus: Hedin is a veteran physics professor; Baker holds a joint appointment with University Libraries and the Department of English; and Carter is director of jazz studies.
“David Hedin, William Baker and Ronald Carter rightfully join an elite group of faculty members who are recognized for excelling in all aspects of what we consider to be the top priorities of this university,” NIU President John Peters says. “Each has made outstanding contributions to their respective fields and to our NIU community – and we expect more good things to come.”
Each BOT Professorship is accompanied by a $10,000 stipend, renewable annually during a 5-year term. The BOT Professors will be honored during the Faculty Awards Recognition Ceremony at 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 28, in the auditorium of Altgeld Hall.
Here’s a closer look at the 2009 BOT Professors.
NIU enjoys an international reputation for its research program in experimental high energy physics, which seeks to indentify and understand the building blocks of nature.
Identifying the building blocks of the NIU program, however, is a much simpler task. It starts with David Hedin, who formed the physics department’s experimental group more than two decades ago.
The 54-year-old physics professor has been conducting research at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory since 1976. In 1982, Hedin began working on what would evolve into DZero, one of two large and now world-famous experiments at the Batavia laboratory.
The DZero collaboration involves hundreds of scientists and is conducted at the Tevatron, the world’s most powerful particle collider. The Tevatron has helped physicists understand nature’s forces and observe the smallest things ever seen, such as particles inside a proton.
Hedin has helped lead the design, construction and operation of a system for detecting particles known as muons (pronounced mew-ons), or heavy electrons. These particles were important sign posts for Fermilab scientists who were seeking in the early 1990s to discover the top quark, the heaviest known constituent of matter. Top quarks were thought to decay into muons – a theory that proved correct.
“Dave is one of the ‘founding fathers’ of the DZero experiment and collaboration,” says Boston University Physics Professor John Butler. “He played a key role in the most important physics result to come from experiments at the Tevatron – the discovery of the top quark in 1995.”
Hedin earned his bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University, where he graduated first in a class of 3,500, and his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He came to NIU in 1987 and recruited both faculty and student researchers for the experimental high energy physics group. Since that time, 85 undergraduates and 79 graduate students have worked with the group – with more than 120 contributing to DZero.
“The opportunities that David presented us with at DZero were transformative; we became scientists and full partners in one of the most exciting research endeavors of the late 20th century,” says Edwin Mierkiewicz, an assistant scientist at UW-Madison who was among the first students recruited by Hedin.
“Suddenly, Northern Illinois University was contributing and collaborating with the best physics departments in the world,” Mierkiewicz recalls.
Hedin also has a knack for instilling confidence in his students. “I was and am still motivated to succeed because of his belief that I can,” says former student Laura Layton, now a NASA science writer.
Hedin now has turned his research focus to the intense search for the Higgs boson, an elementary particle sometimes referred to as the “holy grail of particle physics.” Awarded NIU’s Presidential Research Professorship in 1998, he has published 276 papers, written 44 proceedings and given 50 talks. He spearheaded the creation of a physics outreach program for K-12 students. And his grant activity, some of which funds student workers, totals nearly $8 million.
Hedin teaches courses ranging from astronomy to quantum physics. He also helped write the physics department’s proposal to become a Ph.D.-granting program, approved in 1999, and serves as the department’s director of graduate studies.
Despite his achievements, the soft-spoken Hedin is quick to deflect praise.
“If I get an honor, it’s because the people I work with have done well,” he says. “It’s just I’ve been here the longest.”
Growing up in the London area, William Baker inherited a deep passion for literature from his parents. His mother read and recited poetry; his father was a publisher. Sunday nights were spent around the radio, listening to BBC serializations of Victorian writers’ stories.
Baker has made an impressive career of his love of books and the stories behind the creation of works of literature.
Today, his research is internationally acclaimed in no less than four areas: descriptive bibliographies that trace and describe the history of a book from its genesis to published formats; reconstruction of authors' libraries and the whereabouts of their books; interpretation of contemporary British drama; and literary discovery, including editing authors’ letters.
“In these days of micro-specialization, William Baker is that rare scholar who commands decisively the fields of bibliography, book history, critical theory, textual criticism and editing. His scholarship in all these fields is widely known and admired,” says James L. Harner, professor of liberal arts at Texas A&M University and editor of “The World Shakespeare Bibliography.”
Baker was awarded NIU’s Presidential Research Professorship in 2003. He has published more than two dozen books and in excess of 120 refereed articles. His inquisitiveness has led him to the discovery of the forgotten notes, notebooks, letters and manuscripts of eminent 19th century writers, including George Eliot, George Henry Lewes, Wilkie Collins and Sir Walter Scott.
He is considered the foremost biographer and a leading scholar on the works of George Eliot, the pen name for Victorian writer Mary Ann Evans. She was among the most important British novelists of the 19th century. His book, “George Eliot: A Bibliographical History,” culminated 35 years of research and was praised by none other than the London Times Literary Supplement.
Baker co-authored a bibliographical history on Nobel Prize-winning playwright and poet Harold Pinter that was selected as an Outstanding Academic Title by Choice magazine, the premier source for reviews of academic books. No author had previously consolidated Pinter’s body of work.
He also won a Choice award for “The Letters of Wilkie Collins,” a four-volume set of more than 2,000 letters of the 19th century British writer who helped invent the detective novel. More recently, Baker published “A Critical Companion to Jane Austen,” and he has monographs on Shakespeare and on forgotten Edwardian writer Leonard Merrick in press. He is working on a bibliographical history of contemporary British writer Tom Stoppard.
Baker holds a Ph.D. in English Studies from London University and a master’s in library science from Loughborough University. The veteran NIU professor teaches a range of courses, seminars and independent studies, and has directed eight dissertations with three in progress. He frequently provides students with opportunities to publish their own research.
“I have never come across a professor of such wide-reaching connections, especially internationally, and a professor who gifts his students through those connections to meaningful and impressive work,” says NIU Ph.D. candidate Linda Reinert, an English teacher at Wheaton North High School who has co-authored scholarly work with Baker.
Says Baker, “I hope my students gain a love for the written word, a healthy skepticism and a desire to learn and read more. I want them, for instance, to realize Shakespeare is fun and to appreciate the beauty of his poetry and his magnificent insights into humanity. Literature can enrich our lives, stimulate investigation and be a source of strength, wisdom and pleasure.”
To watch Ronald Carter lead a jazz ensemble is to see music in motion.
Carter, director of jazz studies in the School of Music and conductor of the famed NIU Jazz Ensemble and the NIU Liberace Jazztet, dances. He scats. He grunts. And even though the sounds energize him to a state of near nirvana, a clever improvised solo seems to excite him even more.
Jazz students of all ages absorb Carter’s enthusiasm through his busy schedule as a guest clinician as well as his prestigious appointment as program director for New York City’s Jazz at Lincoln Center Band Director Academy – “a forum for me not only to influence how jazz is taught in America,” he says, “but all around the world.”
“He is a one-of-a-kind individual. It is teachers like Mr. Carter who will keep our musical heritage alive,” says tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath, a retired professor from Queens College and a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master.
“His dedication, control and compassion for the students are phenomenal. As a performer, I have never felt as connected to a student band as I did under the direction of Mr. Carter. His demand for excellence and spiritual connection to the music is limitless.”
Naturally, music has be-bopped through Carter’s blood since his Naylor, Ga., childhood.
He began singing in church as a young boy and took up the clarinet, eventually reaching all-state honors. His jazz studies began with the invitation to join a rhythm ’n’ blues band on saxophone, prompting Carter to borrow his cousin’s alto.
Carter went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in music from Bethune-Cookman College in 1975.
As he completed his master’s degree in music education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he heard of an opportunity in East St. Louis: He could start a jazz program at Lincoln High School, the alma mater of Miles Davis, and help rebuild the entire band program.
When Carter arrived in 1977, the music program had dwindled to 15 students. Within two years, more than 100 were enrolled in music programs, touring Europe, making records and playing to international acclaim alongside legends including Wynton Marsalis.
Carter also quickly put his stamp on NIU’s jazz program when he came to DeKalb in 1994, recruiting new faculty and renovating the curriculum to create a culture-centered philosophy.
Some of the new teachers came directly from the Chicago jazz scene. He also squired his band members on bus trips to the South Side, where they listened to and participated in jam sessions at nightclubs. “There is no way to effectively create that in the classroom,” Carter says.
“Jazz is a true American art form, a synthesis of Western European harmony and African rhythm born in the songs of American slave workers,” says alum Anthony Kidonakis, grade school band director in Downers Grove. “Professor Carter teaches that anyone of any race, religion or creed can play jazz, but to play it accurately, one must ‘deal with the culture.’ ”
Carter holds precious the love and admiration of his graduates, who are “great players” and “some of the most creative jazz educators in the world.”
“Former students from all over the United States call me to present workshops and clinics for their students,” Carter says. “This makes my job a most rewarding one.”
It was the “campus car,” a hand-me-down beige, four-door Plymouth with a green interior. During the late 1970s and well into the 1980s, it became a fixture on the NIU campus, passed on from one sibling of the Sereno family to the next.
That old car took the two brothers and four sisters on countless trips between their hometown of Naperville and the NIU campus in DeKalb, where the Serenos began an extraordinary life’s journey that has taken them to the highest reaches of academia and all corners of the planet.
All six Sereno siblings are alumni of NIU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, where they pursued an array of fields, from psychology and philosophy to geology, biological sciences and mathematical sciences. Each went on to earn his or her Ph.D., studying at the nation’s elite universities, including Harvard, Brown and Columbia.
Today, few families can boast such combined intellectual might. All of the brothers and sisters now have flourishing scholarly careers—from the oldest, Martin Sereno, director of the NeuroImaging Centre at University College London and Birkbeck College; to the youngest, Sara Sereno, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Glasgow, Scotland.
For their many accomplishments, the Sereno family has been named as the recipient of the 2009 Outstanding College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Alumni Award.
“This award usually goes to an individual, but for the first time we’re presenting it to an entire family,” says Jack Tierney, president of the NIU Alumni Association.
“This is an incredible accomplishment, and it needs to be recognized in its totality,” he added. “Each of the Serenos has made extraordinary contributions to science, research and education. Together they demonstrate the value and potential of a liberal arts education. And best of all, it all started at NIU; Northern was their school of choice.”
The award was presented at the annual Alumni Awards Dinner on Thursday, April 23.
“What we proved is that from Northern you can go anywhere,” says Paul Sereno, the second oldest of the siblings and now a University of Chicago professor and world-famous paleontologist.
Paul has led expeditions to such diverse places as the Sahara desert and the Tibetan plateau, and his discoveries include the earliest known dinosaur, Eoraptor, and the largest crocodile, dubbed “SuperCroc.”
“Northern was a place where we were able to hatch our own journeys,” he says.
Unlike some of his siblings—three of whom, Joan, Anne, and Sara, were high school valedictorians—Paul struggled academically as a youngster. His sister Margaret also struggled with math for a time in middle school. Both eventually turned it around, becoming stellar students at NIU. Margaret went on to get her Ph.D. in computational modeling at Brown and shortly thereafter published a ground-breaking book entitled “Neural Computation of Pattern Motion” (MIT Press).
Paul explains, “It underscores the fact that you are what you make of yourself and your talents, and you can almost begin at any time.” He preaches that life lesson to children involved in his Project Exploration, a nonprofit organization that makes science accessible to the public and urban youth.
It’s the same kind of encouragement the six Sereno children, born within a span of just eight years, received in the home of their parents, Rena and Charles, who nurtured their children’s intellectual curiosity. Family members would pile into their Volkswagen Bus for trips to Chicago museums or “vacations” to such places as Stratford, Ontario, where they once took in four plays in a weekend at the annual Shakespeare festival.
Meanwhile, the Naperville home was a whirr of activity. Charles, a mail carrier and former civil engineer, built a giant backyard seesaw and pulley-operated swings and devised games and mini-experiments for the children.
Rena is an artist, educator and innovator. She taught art in Naperville schools for 35 years, mostly at Prairie Elementary.
“My mother by example really transformed the way art was taught in the suburbs of Chicago,” Paul says. “Some of the things she did are legendary. She even taught color theory to first graders.”
She created a learning environment at home, too, filled with books, music and works of art.
“You could always ask questions around our house,” says Rena, who now lives in Batavia. “Everybody draws, everybody paints and they all played musical instruments. I think it’s essential for the development of the brain.”
It was Rena, in fact, who first blazed the trail to NIU.
While raising the children and teaching full time, she began making the trek to DeKalb, where she earned a master’s degree in art education in 1976. By then, her two sons—Marty and Paul—were already students on campus.
“I feel their education up at Northern was tops—they had wonderful professors,” Rena says. “They liked the atmosphere because it gave them freedom, and they wanted to learn.”
Northern was affordable for a big family, and the Serenos appreciated that it wasn’t far from home.
“We never had to pick them up from college because they had that one car up there,” Rena says. “It must have stayed on campus for 10 years.”
Although they won academic scholarships, all of the Serenos held part-time jobs to help put themselves through college.
They worked as dormitory night guards, in the Blackhawk Cafeteria and at a DeKalb movie theater and took various summer jobs. Joan—now a professor of linguistics and the director of undergraduate studies and honors at the University of Kansas—drove a dump truck. Anne—who received a full scholarship to attend graduate school at Harvard and now is an associate professor in neurobiology and anatomy at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston and in psychology at Rice University—assembled, deep-fried and served up egg rolls.
Sara, the youngest in the family, says she can remember having her sights set on NIU from an early age. On visits to see her brothers and sisters, she found the campus exciting.
“NIU was the only school I applied to. By the time I arrived, I knew about the whole curriculum,” Sara says. “I even knew the names of some professors because my siblings had told interesting stories about their classes. I lived with one sister in Neptune East and halfway down the floor were my two other sisters.”
At Christmastime, when family members returned from their studies, they would present their graduate-level research in “mini-conferences,” often to the amusement of their siblings, who would feign falling asleep or throw things at the speaker.
“Those turned out to be too chaotic,” Paul says.
Family members would also pick up their instruments and play Christmas carols, Handel’s Water Music and bits of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. “We still have some recordings of these musical massacres,” Sara says.
When they get together nowadays, the Serenos still discuss their work. Most of their research is in the field of psychology and neuroscience, and they’ve collaborated with each other on research projects.
They also continue to get that positive parental feedback that helped them flourish at NIU and set them on a journey of discovery.
“When she says goodbye to us, my mother hugs one and says, ‘You’re the best,’ ” Sara laughs. “Then she goes to the next and says, ‘You’re the best.’ ”
Rena Sereno (’76, M.S. Art Education) is a retired art teacher. Rena taught art at the elementary, junior high and special education levels for 35 years in Naperville. She also taught art at the university level. Rena continues to be involved with NIU’s ALPHA (Art, Literature, Philosophy, History, and Archeology): Friends of Antiquity, and has previously served on the NIU Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Martin Sereno (’78, B.S. Geology) is a professor of psychology, chair of cognitive neuroimaging and director of the NeuroImaging Centre at University College London and Birkbeck College. His research aims to map visual, auditory, somatosensory and motor areas in the human brain, and he has pioneered new techniques in brain imaging. Martin's research often delves into the areas of philosophy, brain evolution and the origins of human language and communication systems in animals. He has authored countless articles and lectured all over the world.
Paul Sereno (’79, B.S. Biological Sciences) is a paleontologist and professor in the Department of Organismal Biology & Anatomy at the University of Chicago, where he teaches paleontology, evolution and anatomy. He is known worldwide for his discoveries, including the world's earliest dinosaur, Eoraptor, and the largest crocodile, nicknamed “SuperCroc.” Paul has led paleontological and archaeological expeditions on five continents. He has authored books and articles in National Geographic and Natural History magazines, been the subject of numerous documentaries, published in numerous journals and lectured worldwide.
Joan Sereno (’82, B.S. Psychology, B.A. Philosophy) is a professor of linguistics and the director of undergraduate studies and honors in linguistics at the University of Kansas. Her research focuses on psycholinguistics and the neurological bases of language. Other interests include speech perception and second language acquisition/bilingualism. In 2006, Joan was awarded the prestigious W.T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence at the University of Kansas. She has published countless research articles and has presented talks worldwide.
Margaret Sereno (’83, B.A. Psychology) is an associate professor at the University of Oregon Department of Psychology and Institute of Neuroscience. Her research focuses on the neural bases of vision and spatial abilities. Her research involves the use of brain imaging methodologies, experimental testing and computational modeling. Margaret was awarded a Humboldt Research Fellowship to pursue research at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Germany. She has published a book, numerous research articles and has presented talks across the world.
Anne Sereno (’85, B.S. Biological Sciences, B.S. Mathematical Sciences) is an associate professor in the Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and in Psychology at Rice University. Her research focuses on the higher cognitive functions of attention, short-term memory and the programming of eye movements. Her research has a direct impact on the diagnosis, treatment and etiology of various human diseases and disorders involving the disruption of these functions, such as schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease. This year, Anne was awarded a prestigious WICN Visiting Scholar Award to pursue cognitive neuroscience research at the Wales Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience in the United Kingdom. She has published countless research articles and lectured at universities worldwide.
Sara Sereno (’86, psychology) is a senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Glasgow in Scotland and part of the Faculty of Information and Mathematical Sciences. Her research investigates the cognitive neuroscience of reading. Her research uses eye movement recording, measurement of brain evoked potentials and neuroimaging methodologies to study the temporal dynamics and localization of brain function for the processes involved in reading. Sara recently received an invitation from Sun Yat-Sen University in China and presented her research there on the reading of emotional words. She has authored countless research publications and lectured at universities worldwide.
Four members of NIU’s Operating Staff have been chosen to receive the Outstanding Service Award for 2009.
The recipients are Cliff Alexis, co-director of the NIU Steel Band in the School of Music; Angela Euhus, assistant to the chair in the Department of Management; Bill Finucane, manager of the Department of Transportation; and Barbara Rice, administrative assistant for Human Resource Services.
More than 1,700 employees make up the Civil Service staff. Each year, four are selected by a committee of their peers to receive the award of plaques and $1,500. They will be honored at a Thursday, May 14, banquet.
Here is a closer look at the recipients.
Neither time nor temperature can keep Cliff Alexis from his appointed rounds as a master builder and tuner of steelpans – especially if the NIU Steel Band can avoid steep shipping costs.
“Such dedication can be seen when he often spends 10- to 15-hour long days tuning the NIU Steel Band’s instruments in an impeccable fashion before many of its concerts off and on campus,” said Liam Teague, co-director of the band. “He has gone so far as to build instruments in the sweltering heat of Trinidad.”
Employed at NIU since 1986, Alexis is equally regarded for his performance, teaching, composing and arranging skills on the instrument of his homeland, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
He has appeared with several university ensembles and played and presented at Elgin Community College, the Birch Creek Music Center, the Singapore Festival of the Arts and the National Institute of the Arts in Taiwan.
His composition “Pan 2000” helped NIU earn second place at the 2000 World Steelband Festival.
Alexis won the Trinidad and Tobago Folk Arts Institute Award for his contribution to the development and education of the steelpan in the United States. Pan Trinbago (the governing body of steelpan) and the government of Trinidad and Tobago bestowed similar recognition for expanding the pan’s global reach.
He’s a member of the Sunshine Hall of Fame and has a lifetime achievement award from the World Steelband Festival. He also was one of the first members of the National Steel Orchestra of Trinidad and Tobago in 1964.
“He is nothing short of a wizard,” colleague Greg Beyer said, “and something of a genius.”
Angela Euhus made an extraordinary choice to work at a school when she joined the university 27 years ago.
Her response is consistently positive whenever faced with issues not easily resolved: “You know I like to learn new things.”
“Her attitude is always, always, always ‘How can I help you?’ ” said Sarah J. Marsh, chair of the Department of Management. “In the rare circumstances when she doesn’t know the answer, she takes the challenge on with energy and enthusiasm. She digs and digs and digs until she gets the answer she needs, and then closes the loop by sharing that information with relevant parties.”
“Angie will drop what she is doing,” added management professor Lynn Neeley, “telephone a few people and, remarkably, the problem will be solved.”
Praised for her commitment, speed, accuracy and efficiency, Euhus is the “go-to” person for all matters administrative. She’s also known for her compassion, recently attending grief counseling with colleagues and friends who lost husbands and coming to the aid of a Barsema Hall custodian with turmoil in her family life.
She’s a Move-In Day fixture and a frequent face at College of Business events, including the annual Hot Dog Day. Away from work, she has served on the board of directors for the Children’s Learning Center, has taught Sunday School, has led several parent-teacher organizations in DeKalb and planned Post Prom for DeKalb High School.
“Angie possesses the qualities most organizations would pay any amount of money to find in their employees,” professor Stephanie Henagan said, “including dependability, conscientiousness and a positive attitude.”
When NIU needs a ride, it calls Bill Finucane.
Finucane oversees operations for nearly 250 vehicles, including their purchase, scheduling and maintenance, and manages 11 full-time employees.
The 30-year employee who started as extra help in 1975 is a leading force in transforming NIU’s fleet into the largest “green” fleet in Illinois. He works tirelessly to ensure his operation is fiscally efficient and sound, including negotiations for low fixed rates for gasoline.
But it’s Finucane’s calm, helpful and patient demeanor, and his commitment to safety, that resound most.
“During our annual high school speech camp last summer, the weather was quite bad,” said Judy Santacaterina, director of NIU forensics events. “On three different occasions, Bill was able to provide us with buses on short notice to make sure that all our high school students and staff made it safely back to the residence halls.”
“Bill was first on the scene as the sky began to darken and the tornado sirens started to blare on Opening Day 2007,” added Kelly Wesener, assistant vice president for Student Services.
After Feb. 14, Finucane drove President John Peters to the funerals for the five fallen students. He coordinated transportation for the families of the killed and injured as they attended memorial events and for the legion of counselors brought to campus.
Finucane, a double NIU alum with a master’s degree in public administration and a passion for Huskie sports, is active in Kiwanis and chairs the DeKalb Citizens Environmental Commission. He also serves on the board for the Volunteer Action Center, the board of advisers for NIU’s public administration program and manages the annual girls’ soccer tournament for DeKalb High School.
Everyone in Human Resource Services is committed to NIU’s employees.
Barbara Rice, a member of the NIU family since 1998, elevates her commitment “above and beyond.”
Among Rice’s many duties, which include being “the voice” of supervisor and colleague Steve Cunningham and managing his busy schedule, is service to the university’s shared governance. She coordinates annual faculty and staff recognition ceremonies that sometimes honor a collective 1,000 employees.
“Each spring, Barb becomes the ‘field marshal’ of functions. She organizes all the details, from invitations and guest lists, scripts, menus, decorations and job responsibilities for many of us who also work at these events,” said Deborah Haliczer, director of employee relations. “It is a massive undertaking, like organizing a wedding for several hundred people each and every year.”
“Barb’s work on these events greatly exceeds the level of anticipated responsibility,” Cunningham said, “and is a true representation of her dedication to our employees and staff councils.”
Lauded for her friendly strength, calm, fortitude and integrity, Rice is always prepared to staff meetings, committees and advisory panels. She coordinates several HRS events and helps to produce the annual supplier diversity fair.
Since 2000, she has coordinated the university’s annual campaign through the State Employees Charitable Appeal.
Away from work, Rice has been a Sunday School teacher, church choir member and on stage or backstage at community theater plays. She supports Hope Haven and Safe Passage and prepares homemade chicken soup for friends and family who are ill.
NIU English Professor Larry Johannessen experienced the horrors of war and lived to teach about it.
Johannessen, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps who had served two tours of duty in Vietnam, taught popular courses at NIU on the literature and films of the war – courses that some students described as life-changing.
He deeply understood the power of literature, cared about the art of teaching and empathized with the struggles new teachers encountered in the classroom. For most of his academic career, Johannessen mentored students who would go on to inspire others as he had inspired them.
Johannessen, of Wheaton, died Tuesday, April 21, at Rush Medical Center in Chicago. He was 61. He had been on medical leave this semester but was planning to return to the NIU campus.
“People have been saying all week that he was a teacher’s teacher,” said Jan Vander Meer, office administrator in the NIU Department of English. “He loved to teach, and he opened his heart and gave his knowledge to so many others.”
Johannessen received his master’s degree in English and Ph.D. in education from the University of Chicago. He taught at Lyons Township High School and several Chicago area universities before coming to NIU in 2001. He worked for four years as the English department’s director of undergraduate studies and played a large role in the department’s teacher certification program.
He also was a prolific author of scholarship on the teaching of English at the secondary level, having published books and numerous articles on the topic. In 2005, he co-authored a landmark study on how to anticipate and counteract the daunting challenges that oftentimes drive new English teachers out of the profession.
“In a department that has many wonderful teachers, Larry was nonetheless a standout,” said Phil Eubanks, acting chair of English.
“He was one of those lucky people who worked on his two passions,” Eubanks added. “One of those passions was teaching students how to teach English; the other was the literature of Vietnam. Students would frequently describe his courses as the best class they had taken at NIU or even as a life-changing experience. All of his courses got high praise, but the one that moved students the most was the literature of Vietnam.”
Fondly known to students as “Dr. J.,” Johannessen taught the literature class at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He frequently brought in veterans of the wars in both Vietnam and Iraq as guest speakers. While he rarely spoke with colleagues about his military service, he opened up to students.
“It was a very unique and special class. He shared some of his own experiences,” said Bonnie Miller-O’Dell, an NIU Ph.D. student who took Johannessen’s course on Vietnam. “We learned what literature can do. It can make a profound experience, such as war, real – even for people who didn’t experience it.”
Colleagues also remember Johannessen for his friendliness – he always had a wide smile, kind words and a stash of chocolate. He would regularly replenish a candy jar in the undergraduate advising office, and it suddenly became a popular place to congregate, said Professor Judy Pokorny, coordinator for teacher certification in English.
“Larry was a very fine teacher, but he was just the nicest person,” Pokorny said.
“He instituted the chocolate candy routine,” she recalled. “It was in the spirit of the idea that we all need to be positive and that we all need a little cheering up from time to time. By putting out that candy jar, it actually bolstered relationships among faculty members and students – people started stopping in to say hi.
“Larry left quite a legacy,” she added. “We’re really going to miss him.”
Johannessen is survived by his wife of 27 years, Elizabeth Kahn. A memorial service was held Saturday, April 25, in Wheaton.
NIU Board of Trustees member John Butler and doctoral student Joshua Adair are the 2009 recipients of the 15th annual Eychaner Award.
Established in 1995, the Eychaner Award recognizes individuals affiliated with NIU who have made outstanding contributions to social justice and equality on behalf of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT).
The award is presented in two categories, one recognizing the contributions made by an NIU student and one recognizing the contributions of a faculty or staff member or an NIU alumnus/a. The award will be presented Thursday, April 30, at the 15th Annual Pride Awards Dinner.
The Eychaner Award is given in honor of Milly and Howard Eychaner, members of the DeKalb community who were outspoken advocates on social justice issues, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights. Milly Eychaner was an alumna of NIU, having earned her bachelor’s degree in education in 1948.
Butler is being recognized for his long-time advocacy for equal rights for the LGBT community, spanning his NIU career as a student, faculty member and now as a trustee. One nominator commented, “DeKalb and Northern Illinois University would not be the supportive places they are today without John’s work. Again and again, John has combined his skills as a teacher and an advocate to further social justice.”
Another nominator wrote, “As a former NIU student, I wish that all NIU faculty members would wed their strengths and talents to their convictions in the way that John has; his skill and expertise in advocacy, scholarship and teaching have already had a profound and lasting impact on NIU’s campus, in the larger DeKalb community, and beyond.”
The 2009 student Eychaner Award recognizes Joshua Adair, a graduate student completing his Ph.D. in English and soon moving on to a faculty position at Murray State University in Kentucky.
Adair has contributed significantly to the development of NIU’s LGBT Studies Program, having taught classes, served as graduate assistant, organized scholarly events and promoted the certificate program to students. He has also published scholarly work on gay literature and explored the topic in his dissertation.
His work was acknowledged by a nominator who wrote, “the effects of his contributions will last long after he graduates in May.” Another commented, “I have repeatedly been impressed with his awareness of the issues in LGBT scholarship, his unswerving commitment to enriching and improving the life of all LGBT students at Northern Illinois University, and his thoughtful approach to the challenges of building and maintaining a new program of academic study and research. These factors in combination make him one of the most dynamic graduate students I have had the chance to work with.”
The Eychaner Award is sponsored by NIU’s Presidential Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and student organization Prism.
At Slobomir P. University, a group of students is grappling with a project that challenges them to find locations in Bosnia-Herzegovina where fast food restaurants might thrive.
It’s a tougher assignment than one might think.
For most of the students, fast food restaurants are a foreign concept and so is the idea of class projects. Most universities in their country still rely upon an old-school model of education that is based exclusively upon lectures and exams – no projects, no case studies and no outside speakers.
Such a situation was simply not tolerable to Slobodan “Mike” Pavlovic, who founded Slobomir with the vision of creating a western-style university to graduate students better equipped to help set his homeland back on the road not only to prosperity, but also to peace.
“We need educated people who understand how to function in the global marketplace and who know how to negotiate rather than wage war. This university will help create that.”
Looking for a western university to assist him in those efforts, he recruited the NIU College of Business.
“When this was first proposed, we thought of it in terms of a way for the college to achieve its strategic objective of establishing some international relationships,” says Denise Schoenbachler, dean of NIU’s business school. “However, it quickly became more than that. On our first visit there, when we spoke to the students and the faculty at Slobomir, it was clear that they truly believe education is the road to peace. After a little investigating we realized that not only did we have the capacity to help them, but that it was something we had to do.”
Leading that initiative for NIU is Nancy Russo, past chair of the college’s Department of Operations Management and Information Technology. Russo is technically a visiting professor at Slobomir, but she carries the title of acting rector and carries out essentially the duties of a university president.
“It’s an amazing and rare opportunity to be part of building a university almost from the ground up,” says Russo, whose seven years as chair of OMIS gave her invaluable experience in skills such as designing assessment systems, establishing a network of alumni and business partners and recruiting students.
Implementing those structures is crucial, says Russo, but she also spends a good deal of her time implementing the sort of hands-on learning that is the cornerstone of classes at the NIU College of Business.
“Most universities there are almost entirely theory-based,” she says. “They talk a lot about how things should work and little about how they do work. Students have few opportunities to apply what they have learned in the real world.”
Introducing students to a new teaching style isn’t the only hurdle, Russo says. The university also finds itself working to change attitudes and instill an entrepreneurial spirit.
“Even though the war has been over for more than 15 years, its effects are still devastating,” Russo says. “It destroyed most of the industry in the region, and to this day unemployment remains around 40 percent. You have to change their ideas about what is possible.”
A cornerstone in her efforts to do that is the introduction of the Business Learning Center, modeled on the Experiential Learning Center pioneered at the NIU College of Business.
In the ELC, NIU students take on actual projects from companies such as Caterpillar, McKesson, Walmart as well as smaller businesses and even not-for profit agencies, analyzing problems and proposing solutions.
The fast food project at Slobomir is an example of an effort to implement a similar program there. Russo has recruited representatives from a handful of companies that have worked with the ELC at NIU to visit Slobomir and share their experience with faculty and local businesses.
A few local businesses have signed on, and faculty around Slobomir (in the business school and beyond) are excited about adapting the concept to their own areas. For instance, Slobomir’s law school is contemplating creating a mock courtroom, while the “fiscal academy” is creating a tax preparation service to assist the public.
Such developments please Pavlovic.
“We are already the best university in the country,” he boasts. “No other university has students that can walk out of the classroom and into a job and be as well prepared.”
The Illinois Governmental Ethics Act requires certain public officers and employees of NIU to file a Statement of Economic Interests by May 1 of each year. P.A. 90-737 requires these disclosures be submitted to the University Ethics Officer for review before they are filed with the Secretary of State.
The forms are mailed in mid-March to employee home addresses.
All questions must be (1) fully answered (or indicate “not applicable” if appropriate), (2) personally signed, and (3) without delay sent for review to the General Counsel and University Ethics Officer Kenneth L. Davidson, Altgeld Hall 330. After his review, the completed forms will be forwarded to the Index Division of the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office, and a stamped receipt for the filing will be mailed to the employee.
Important Special Note: Completed forms should not be sent directly to the Secretary of State’s Office. Failure to transmit the forms through the Ethics Officer may result in filing delays and possible late-filing penalties for employees.
Who is required to file?
Members of the Board of Trustees of Northern Illinois University are required to file.
The criteria that apply to compensated Northern Illinois University employees are described in Section 4A-101(f) of Public Act 88-187 as amended in August 1993. The applicable criteria include:
Persons who are, or who function as, the head of a university department or other administrative unit.
Persons who have supervisory authority over, or direct responsibility for the formulation, negotiation, issuance or execution of contracts entered into by the University in the amount of $5,000 or more.
Persons who have authority for the issuance or promulgation of formal administrative rules and regulations within the university.
Persons who adjudicate, arbitrate or decide any judicial or administrative proceeding, or review the adjudication, arbitration or decision of any judicial or administrative proceeding within the authority of the university.
Persons who have supervisory responsibility for 20 or more University employees.
In January, the names of employees whose responsibilities were expected to include one or more of the above criteria were certified to the Office of the Secretary of State by the University President in consultation with Human Resource Services and the University Ethics Officer.
Accuracy and completeness required
The law states that any person required to file a statement of economic interests who willfully files a false or incomplete statement shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
Penalties for late filing/failure to file
Employees required to comply with this Act should note there are personal penalties imposed through the Secretary of State’s Office for failure to timely file an original, fully completed Statement of Economic Interests.
These include:
Failure to file by May 31 will result in ineligibility for, or forfeiture of, office or position of employment.
Assistance is available
Questions regarding this act or filing requirements should be directed to the General Counsel and University Ethics Officer Kenneth L. Davidson at (815) 753-8364, or e-mailed to him at: Ethics@NIU.EDU. Renee Paine at the Office of the Secretary of State at (217) 524-0309 is also a resource.
Summer means fun – and learning – for children and teenagers who take advantage of NIU’s wide offering of summer camps, lessons and musical ensembles.
Students interested in engineering camps have several options.
The popular Rural Health Careers Camp returns the weekend of June 11.
Athletics always provides plenty of NIU Huskie Sports Camps for youth athletes. Recreation Services offers the always popular Huskie Pup Summer Camp.
Summer camps through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences External Programming include NIU Speech Camp, Creative Writing Camp, Film Camp, Sci-Camp Discovery, Sci-Camp Explorations, Sci-Camp Investigations and, for the first time, the KEMPA Journalism Workshop.
The camps allow students to explore topics of interest to them, experience life on a college campus and have fun learning.
The camp fees include room and board. An early bird discount applies until June 1, but parents and students are urged to apply as soon as possible to guarantee spots in their camps of choice.
A full application packet is available for download at www.niu.edu/clasep under Academic Summer Camps.
For more camp details, contact Mark Pietrowski at (815) 753-1456 or pietrowski@niu.edu or visit www.niu.edu/clasep.
NIU’s Community School of the Arts kicks off summer with new and familiar ensembles and classes for children and adults. The semester begins June 15 and runs through July. All classes are taught on campus.
PRIVATE LESSONS
Private lessons in music and art are offered on most musical instruments and in visual art. Teachers are NIU students and faculty, as well as community artists. Students and teachers meet every week for six weeks and are taught at the mutual convenience of students and teachers.
SUMMER CAMPS
Ronald Carter, director of jazz studies, directs the NIU Jazz Camp. School of Theatre and Dance professor Melanie Parks directs the two theatre camps. School of Art alumna Lynn Stockton is in charge of Visual Arts Camp.
Children and grandchildren of NIU employees, staff and students receive a $25 discount for any Summer in the Arts at Northern camp.
Theatre Arts Camp Junior (from July 12 to July 17) is for those who have completed sixth- through eighth-grade; Theater Arts Camp Senior (from July 19 to July 24) is for those who have finished ninth- through 12th-grade.
Both theater camps offer an array of classes in theater arts skills such as auditioning, dialects, lighting, costuming, movement and make-up. Students also have classes in acting and improvisation.
The NIU Jazz Camp (from July 19 to July 24) is a concentrated week of jazz studies for those who have finished eighth- through 12th-grade. Campers rehearse in combos or big bands, enjoy classes in music theory and improvisation and participate in group lessons.
The Visual Arts Camp (from July 19 to July 24) is an innovative camp designed for young artists who want a taste of university art classes. Campers choose studio classes from an array that includes drawing, watercolor and acrylic painting, sculpture, design and mixed media. This camp is for students who have completed eighth- through 12th-grade.
Campers stay in university residence halls and eat in the residence hall and the Holmes Student Center. The staff is NIU faculty, students and alumni. Need scholarships are available for these camps. The deadline to apply for scholarships is Friday, May 1.
Register for the camps by June 1 and save $50. Detailed information about the camps, along with registration forms and scholarship application forms, is available at www.niu.edu/extprograms or by calling (815) 753-1450.
SUMMER DAY CAMPS
The community school has offered popular day camps for children for many years. These camps offer in-depth hands-on arts experiences and are taught by NIU alumni, faculty, and students. Space is limited; early registration is recommended. All camps end with a final day recital or open house.
NIU Choral Camp (ages 8-13) is a mix of rehearsals of challenging choral music, with classes in drumming, playing the piano and reading music. Director Mary Lynn Doherty is a long-time children’s choral director who is on the music education faculty at NIU. She directs the CSA Children’s Choir during the school year. The camp is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, June 15, through Thursday, June 18.
Arts Jam (ages 6-12) is a long-standing community school tradition. This multi-arts camp includes daily activities in art, music and theater as well as arts-related field trips. The theme this year is Fairy Tales. DeKalb music teacher Jill McCormick joins the staff. The camp is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, June 22, through Thursday, June 25.
CSA Summer Band Camp (ages 11-14) is a beginning concert band experience with sectionals and a final day concert. Director Diana Zaleski is a clarinetist and music teacher in the DeKalb public schools. The camp is scheduled from 9 to 11:55 a.m. Monday, June 15, through Thursday, June 18.
String Chamber Music Camp (ages 12-19) is an ensemble experience for intermediate and advanced string players. Campers rehearse in two ensembles and learn about music history and theory. The final day includes a master class with members of the Avalon Quartet. The camp is scheduled from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday, July 6, through Thursday, July 6. The camp kicks off with a sight-reading party Tuesday, June 30. Teacher Laurie Rodriguez is a violin teacher and chamber music coach. Placement auditions are from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 30. Call (815) 753-1450 for a timeslot.
Karaoke Superstar Day Camp (ages 9-12) shows singers how to move and sing using popular music. Teacher Jodeen Coulter is a music teacher in the DeKalb public schools and teaches voice and piano lessons for the community school. The class meets from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday, July 27, through Thursday, July 30.
MUSIC ENSEMBLES
The community school offers ensembles for people of all ages who enjoy playing and want to learn more and have fun playing with others.
Rockin’ Strings (all ages) is a string ensemble for string players who want to learn the basics of jazz and improvisation. Director Amanda Nelson is a local public school string teacher in Dundee. The group meets from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays from July 7 to July 16.
CSA Band in the Park (ages 14-18) is a new band for high school students interested in playing with area musicians. Director Mike Kasper is a recent graduate of the University of Illinois and has recently been a substitute director for the Sycamore High School band. Rehearsals are in the NIU Music Building from 6 to 9 p.m. Mondays, from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and 5 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Performances are at the band shell in Hopkins Park at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Students may choose from three sessions: June 15 to June 17, July 6 to July 8 and July 27 to July 29.
CSA Brass Ensemble (ages 13-18) is for brass players who enjoy playing all types of music, from baroque to contemporary to jazz. Director Gene Vanden Bosch has been a public school band director for many years and teaches trombone and tuba in the community school. The ensemble meets from 7:30 to 8:25 p.m. Thursdays from June 18 to July 30.
CSA Guitar Ensemble (ages 9-adult) is for beginning and intermediate players. Director Quentin Dover is a guitar teacher and studied at NIU with Fareed Haque. The ensemble meets from 7 to 7:55 p.m. Wednesdays from June 17 to July 22.
MUSIC AND ART CLASSES
Prelude (ages 1-3) and Development (ages 3-6) are group classes with singing, dancing, early exploration of instruments and rhythm activities. Teacher Laurie Rodriguez is an early education music teacher who also teaches violin and chamber music. Both classes are taught on Tuesdays from June 16 to July 21. Prelude is from 5:45 to 6:15 p.m. Development is from 6:20 to 6:50 p.m.
Guitar Basics (Section 1 is for ages 9-12 and Section 2 is for 13-adult) is for beginning students interesting in learning the fundamentals of the guitar. Teacher Quentin Dover is a guitar teacher and studied at NIU with Fareed Haque. The children’s class meets from 5 to 5:55 p.m. and the teen/adult class meets from 6 to 6:55 p.m. Both classes meet Wednesdays from June 17 and July 22.
Paper Free Music Theory (ages 12-adult) is a new theory class that builds on listening skills to help students improve their ability to read, memorize and improvise music. Bring your instrument to class. Teacher Eric Schroder teaches traditional and Suzuki guitar lessons for the community school. Class meets from 6 to 6:55 p.m. Mondays from June 15 to July 20.
Arts Carnival (ages 7-10) is a mix of music and visual art designed around the famous and delightful Carnival of the Animals by Saint Saëns. Children enjoy activities that bring the animals to life. Teacher Lila Chavez is an art and music student at NIU. Class meets from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Monday, July 6, through Thursday, July 9.
Outer Space Art Adventure (ages 7-10) uses different art media and fun projects to visualize the world of outer space. Teachers Andrew Pemberton and Ashley Goy are art education students at NIU. The class meets from 1:45 to 4:15 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays beginning June 29 and ending July 8.
Basic Drawing Concepts (ages 10-15) is for beginners and shows how drawing geometric forms leads to basic figure drawing. Portrait Drawing (ages 10-15) is for intermediate students and shows the basic forms that make up the process of drawing the human face. Both classes are taught by NIU arts student Lila Chavez from Monday, July 6, through Thursday, July 9. Basic Drawing Concepts begins at 1:30 p.m. and Portrait Drawing begins at 3:15 p.m.
For more information about these programs, call the NIU Community School of the Arts at (815) 753-1450. All information, including a registration form to print and mail, is available at www.niu.edu/extprograms.
As part of the Foundations of Excellence (FoE) Dimension’s assessment process, first-year students and faculty/staff who interact with first-year students were asked to take surveys about their perceptions of the first-year experience.
Twenty $50 prizes were awarded to selected respondents from each survey and a $1,000 prize was awarded to one first-year student and one faculty/staff member.
Members of the FoE Dimensions Task Force have announced the winners of the $1000 drawings.
Amanda Page, a first-year English major, is the student recipient of the $1,000 scholarship. Page says she selected NIU because she wanted to attend a big campus with a diverse community. She is pleased with her choice because she says she has had numerous opportunities to become part of the diverse community and to open herself to different ways of thinking. She is also happy that the faculty and staff get to know the students as individuals.
The faculty/staff winner of the $1,000 is Betty Corn, an instructor in the Department of Mathematics. Corn has been at NIU for 24 years and primarily teaches introductory level algebra to first-year students. She loves being part of the NIU community because she loves working with the students and providing extra help to enhance their experiences.
Gregory Ward, a professor of linguistics at Northwestern University, will give two presentations today to kick off the Linguistics Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Planning Initiative.
The first presentation, titled “The Problem with ‘Having Sex,’ ” will be held at 3:30 p.m. in Graham Hall 342. The second presentation, titled “Who’s the Pad Thai? A Pragmatic Analysis of Deferred Equatives,” will begin at 6 p.m. in the Sky Room of the Holmes Student Center.
Ward’s research is in discourse/pragmatics, with specific interests in pragmatic theory, information structure, intonational meaning and reference/anaphora. His recent publications have investigated deferred reference, event anaphora and functional compositionality.
The NIU community is invited to the 2009 Faculty Awards Ceremony and Reception, scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 28, in the Altgeld Hall auditorium. The recognition ceremony begins at 4 p.m.
This event honors the newly named Presidential Teaching Professors, Presidential Research Professors, the recipients of the Board of Trustees Professorships as well as the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching award recipients and the Excellence in Undergraduate Instruction award recipient.
For more information, call (815) 753-1999.
NIU alumna Amy Dyer will speak at noon Wednesday, April 29, on the Youth Nutrition Department of the Northern Illinois Food Bank.
Dyer’s presentation will take place at a Bread for the World meeting held at Baptist Campus Ministry, 449 Normal Road, and includes a free lunch. As a nutrition, dietetics and hospitality major at NIU, Dyer was co-founder of a student BFW chapter on campus.
The Northern Illinois Food Bank provides USDA- and ISBE-regulated snacks and suppers to after school at-risk sites in northern Illinois (including DeKalb) and Kankakee. It also participates in the BackPacks Program, giving food to children on weekends, and provides summer lunches.
NIU’s Office of Assessment Services has introduced a new resource: NIU’s Assessment Manual.
The Assessment Manual is a compilation of assessment tips, tools and resources from NIU, other universities, experts, committees and higher education boards. Its contents are designed to provide assistance to those who are new to assessment as well as those who are experienced.
The manual contains nine chapters:
Calling all sellers of antiques, collectibles, sports cards, crafts and garage sale items.
The NIU Convocation Center will host the first “Convo’s Colossal Clean Sweep” from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 2, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 3. Admission is $1 for adults and free for children ages 6 and younger.
Local vendors include Mary Kay, Cracker Jax and the University Bookstore. Children ages 4 to 12 can enjoy the Convo coloring contest and everyone can get a bite to eat at the food court.
All NIU students with a valid NIU OneCard will receive a 15 percent rental fee discount. Only indoor space is available for rent.
To reserve a spot, download a registration form or stop by the NIU Convocation Center ticket office. For more details, call (815) 752-6800.
Art Graesser, of the University of Memphis, will present “Learning with Conversational Agents on Computers: Cognition, Emotion, and Metacognition” at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 7, in 01F Gabel Hall.
This event is sponsored by the Interdisciplinary Institute for the Study of Language & Learning (IISLL). For more information, contact iisll@niu.edu or call (815) 753-5793.
NIU’s Community School of the Arts will host an interactive Webcast featuring world-renowned composer Libby Larsen from noon to 2 p.m. Monday, May 11, in Room 202 of the Music Building.
The event is free and open to the public.
The topic of the Webcast is “The Changing Landscape of Arts Education,” and the focus is on the new technologies that are changing accessibility and methods of teaching the arts. Also speaking is arts educator David O’Fallon, CEO of the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis.
The event has received a grant from the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts and is broadcast from the MacPhail Center. Other host sites are in Champaign, Chicago, St. Louis and Milwaukee.
For more information, contact Renee Page, NIU Community School of the Arts, at (815) 753-1450.
NIU’s Civic Leadership Academy will host a workshop Thursday, May 14, titled “The Local Impact and Realities of Globalization.”
This workshop explores the influence of globalization on leadership roles in local communities, and presents different strategies for coping with the challenges and maximizing the opportunities of increased competition and interconnectivity in the global economy. Participants will 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.
Presenter: is Rebecca Steffenson, a visiting assistant professor in the NIU Department of Political Science.
Registration and more information about CLA and its upcoming workshops are available online.
NIU Recreation Services invites children ages 6 to 12 for a summer of fun at Pup Camp.
Nine week-long sessions begin Monday, June 8, and run through the week of Aug. 3. A variety of exciting activities and themes are planned to keep the summer interesting and educational. Campers will swim daily, create arts and crafts, play games and sports and participate in numerous field trips that enhance the weekly theme.
Camper registration forms, themes, dates and prices are available at www.recservices.niu.edu. For more information, contact camp coordinator Ashlea Wilson at awilson16@niu.edu.
NIUTEL will not mail individual faculty/staff directory information change forms this year.
The new online directory provides a self-service format. Employees now can update their work information, as well as choose to hide or display personal (home) address and phone number, by accessing the directory Web site.
To update work-related information:
Employees can update: Directory Title, E-Mail Address, Alias Address, Office Address/Location and Office Telephone Number. To make updates:
Personal employee information is hidden by default and requires the employee to change that status in order for it to be displayed. Personal information that remains hidden in the online directory will not appear in the Communiversity 2009-2010 Telephone Directory. To display this information:
To change personal address or telephone information, contact Human Resources Services at (815) 753-6000.
All updates (work-related and personal) must be made no later than Monday, Aug. 3, in order to appear in the Communiversity 2009-2010 Telephone Directory. For more information or assistance, contact NIUTEL at (815) 753-0963.
What better way to show Huskie Spirit than by sharing it with someone else?
Volunteers are needed to help more than 3,000 students move into the residence halls Thursday, Aug. 20. Opening Day begins at 9 a.m.
The Division of Student Affairs also needs faculty and staff volunteers to help with two more events: Huskies Helping Huskies and House Calls.
Huskies Helping Huskies: Volunteers will be stationed at kiosks across campus on Monday, Aug. 24, and Tuesday, Aug. 25, to answer students’ questions or direct them to particular destinations on campus.
House Calls: Volunteers will greet first-year students at assigned residence hall floors the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 25. The volunteers will welcome the students and answer any questions they might have.
Volunteer registration is available online. Volunteers will receive additional information over the summer. Members of the Operating Staff who wish to participate can request release from their normal duties. Staff participation is subject to supervisory approval and should not interfere with normal operational needs of the university.
For more information, visit www.housing.niu.edu or contact Wendy Rodriguez at (815) 753-9651 or wrodriguez@niu.edu.
From the Galapagos Islands to Martha’s Vineyard, the NIU Alumni Association Travel Program is on the move.
Travel to Iceland in July to be surrounded by some of the most awesome scenery found on this planet.
In September, it’s off to the East Coast to discover some of America’s treasures in Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard. Fall is the ideal time to see the East Coast in all of its autumn splendor.
For the truly adventurous, a trip to the Galapagos Islands is planned for December. Experience the biological diversity of the islands that inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution from the luxurious comfort of an expedition-style cruise ship.
Visit myniu.com for more information about these and all other travel destinations.
NIU’s Art Museum will present “Assessing Exhibition Excellence,” a lecture by Deborah Wood, at 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, in the South Gallery.
Wood is senior curator at the Block Museum, Northwestern University, where she takes the leading role in developing the museum’s exhibitions and collections.
Since her arrival in 1999, she has focused on 20th century art and the history and study of prints. Her prior experience includes work at the Elvehjem Museum of Art (now called the Chazen Museum of Art) in Madison, Wis.; the Baltimore Museum of Art in Maryland; and an assistant professorship of art at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. She earned a B.F.A. from Cornell University and an M.F.A. in printmaking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Wood will discuss exhibition education while addressing the exhibition “Moonlight Cocktails are the Thing,” which attempts to summarize a lifetime of remarkable achievements by printmaker David Driesbach. Driesbach, a former professor of art at NIU, creates prints that contain rich narratives and are complex, colorful and whimsical.
“Moonlight Cocktails are the Thing” was co-organized with students enrolled in “Exhibition Interpretation” a graduate-level Museum Studies course.
Located on the west-end first floor of Altgeld Hall, the galleries are open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and by appointment for group tours. Exhibitions and lectures are free; donations are appreciated.
The exhibitions of the NIU Art Museum are funded in part by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, the Friends of the NIU Art Museum, and the Arts Fund 21. For more information, visit www.niu.edu/artmuseum or call (815) 753-1936.
Friends of the NIU Libraries invites the public to attend its third annual Book Appraisal Fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, May 3, in the Rare Books and Special Collections Department on the fourth floor of Founders Memorial Library.
Members of the Friends of NIU Libraries will receive their first three books appraised free of charge, with additional appraisals at a rate of $5 each. Appraisals for non-members will cost $10.
“We will gladly accept new members that day for non-members who wish to take advantage of the ‘member rate’ for appraisals,” said Lynne Thomas, faculty liaison to the Friends of NIU Libraries and head of Rare Books and Special Collections.
Thomas Joyce of Thomas J. Joyce & Company and the Chicago Rare Book Center, who has also appeared on HGTV’s “Appraisal Fair,” and Bill Butts of Main Street Fine Books in Galena, will serve as book appraisers. Joyce specializes in printed books, and Butts has extensive experience in appraising autographs and other ephemeral materials.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the Friends of the NIU Libraries. For more information on the Book Appraisal Fair, call (815) 753-8091.
NIU’s College of Education is hosting a retirement party for Nina Dorsch from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 12, in the Sky Room of the Holmes Student Center.
Dorsch is co-chair and associate professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning. The program will begin at 3:30 p.m.
Members of the NIU Annuitants Association and fans of “A Prairie Home Companion,” broadcast each weekend on 89.5 FM-WNIJ, have the opportunity to see Garrison Keillor and watch a nationally broadcast performance Saturday, June 20, at the Ravinia Festival.
The group departs DeKalb at 1:30 p.m. and will have time at the festival grounds to visit one of the restaurants or enjoy a picnic before taking their seats in the pavilion for the 4:45 p.m. show. The group will depart the festival grounds in Highland Park about 7:15 p.m. to return to DeKalb.
Space and more information are available from Steven Johnson at sjohnso11@niu.edu. More details about the NIU Annuitants Association can be found at www.niu.edu/annuitants.
The final exhibit of the 2008-2009 gallery season is a significant show of drawings and prints at the Nehring Gallery, in the historic bank building on the corner of Lincoln Highway and Second Street in downtown DeKalb.
“P2: Peter Squared” is a collection of contemporary artwork by NIU artists Peter Olson and Peter Van Ael that was assembled to coincide with the Southern Graphics Council, held last month in Chicago.
Olson, assistant director of the NIU Art Museum in Altgeld Hall, holds a master’s degree in printmaking and has accumulated a wide record of exhibitions. He works with an ornithological theme conveying a sense of his vast knowledge of species found in Illinois, Oregon and Costa Rica. Visit www.peterolsonbirds.com for more information.
Olson will share his expertise in bird walks from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on two upcoming Sundays: May 3 at Afton Forest Preserve on Crego Road, and May 10 at Wilkinson-Renwick Marsh on Annie Glidden Road.
Van Ael, coordinator of the Jack Olson Gallery on the second floor of the NIU Visual Arts Building, comes to residency in Illinois with an extensive exhibition record from Belgium and throughout the United States. Van Ael’s specialty is reduction wood cuts in which the wood block is carved, inked and printed; it then is further carved to develop the design in layers of intense hues. For more information and visuals, visit www.petervanael.com.
The public is invited to a free reception to meet the two artists from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 16, and to participate in their gallery talks beginning at 5:00 p.m. Additional viewing hours are from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays, from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays through May 2, and by appointment at (815) 758-1351.
Artworks are available for purchase from the artists, and a drawing for one print by Olson and one by Van Ael will be held to benefit the gallery.
Free parking is available on-street and in the city lots to the south. Entrance is under the logo awning at 111 S. Second Street to use the stairs or elevator to the second floor. All ages are welcome.
Volunteers are needed Saturday, May 9, to assist with NIU Athletics’ Inaugural Track and Field Meet. E-mail Sue Hansfield at shansfield@niu.edu with name and contact information.
The NIU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences External Programming will sponsor a trip Wednesday, June 3, to Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” performed at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier.
Depart from the Normal Road entrance of the Holmes Student Center at 2 p.m. and return at approximately 12:30 a.m. Explore Navy Pier and enjoy dinner on your own before the performance begins at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $85 or $55 for students. Fee includes theater ticket and transportation. Parking is available at the NIU visitor parking lot for a $5 fee.
For more information, contact (815) 753-5200 or LASEP@niu.edu.
Registration is open for ACT test prep scheduled for four Saturdays in May.
Classes meet from 9 a.m. to noon May 9, May 16, May 23 and May 30 in the Monat Building, 148 N. Third St. in DeKalb.
The program covers English, math, reading and science reasoning. The final session covers a sample testing of an actual retired ACT test and scoring.
Cost is $175 (or $200 one week before start of class) and includes instruction, textbook, CD-ROM and retired ACT tests. It does not include registration to take the actual ACT test.
For more information, contact Mark Pietrowski at (815) 753-1456 or pietrowski@niu.edu.