Great teaching often leads to discovery – as in the “aha moment” that a student experiences when a complex lesson clicks.
But in the case of an organic chemistry class taught last spring by NIU Professor Douglas Klumpp, an extraordinary teaching effort actually led to a discovery that might help fight cancer.
Several years ago, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry revised its curriculum in its upper division organic chemistry laboratories, which often have small enrollments allowing for closely supervised instruction and hands-on experience. Klumpp accepted the task of selecting a textbook for Organic Chemistry Laboratory II (CHEM 339) and identifying new laboratory experiments.
“Most organic chemistry experiments tend to be like following a cookbook – mix a little of this with a little of that, and then you get a product from the chemical reaction,” Klumpp says. “It is not much different than baking a cake.”
To make the class more interesting, Klumpp decided the last two experiments each semester would be research-oriented. Students were excited about the plan. It was a welcome change from the typical cookbook projects.
Throughout the 2006 and 2007 academic years, the research experiments produced no meaningful data or results, yet they still produced meaningful lessons. “Research experiments don’t always work,” Klumpp says. “But the students enjoyed the experience nonetheless.”
In the spring of 2008, however, students in CHEM 339 got a taste of success.
It was a small class, with just five students enrolled. They were given several types of experiments involving imidazole compounds, a type of chemical structure present in a large number of clinically important drugs.
“The students obtained great data,” says Matthew Sheets, one of two lab teaching assistants. “And most of the experiment worked.”
Sheets, Klumpp and their group of student researchers discovered a simple method for preparing diarylalkyimidazoles, a class of compounds known to be aromatase inhibitors and consequently possessing activity against certain forms of cancer. With the support of a $330,000 National Science Foundation research grant, studies of the compounds were then completed by Sheets and teaching assistant Ang Li, with guidance from Professor Klumpp.
The resulting research manuscript was published in the Feb. 12 issue of the Journal of Organic Chemistry. All students enrolled in CHEM 339 – Edward A. Bower, Andrew R. Weigel, Matthew P. Abbott, Robert M. Gallo and Adam A. Mitton – are listed as co-authors.
“It’s not something you normally see – an entire lab class listed as authors on a research paper,” Klumpp says. “We’re excited about the results. One of the sets of compounds we made certainly could be used in fighting cancer, particularly breast cancer. In the past, it was difficult to make these compounds. Our study identifies a process that makes it a lot easier.
“Lab classes can get pretty dull, unfortunately,” Klumpp adds. “So to actually work on a research project, where we needed to improvise and devise experiments as we went along, the students liked that.”
The undergraduate students also gained important real-life laboratory experience.
“It gave me the opportunity to see what practical laboratory research is like, such as the time it takes to develop an experiment, the complications that come with performing the experiment and the tools and instruments used to analyze the results,” says Robert Gallo, a senior chemistry major.
“I think that anyone can perform a book experiment,” he adds. “But when you are part of a research team that can potentially get results that have meaning in today’s world, there is much more of a sense of accomplishment.”
Phi Beta Delta, the honor society for international scholars, will present its 2009 Faculty Award for Outstanding Contribution to International Education to NIU’s Susan Russell.
Russell, a cultural anthropologist who specializes in the Philippines, will accept the award in early April at the society’s international conference in Miami.
Russell served as director of the NIU Center for Southeast Asian Studies from 1999 to 2005 and was named NIU’s International Educator of the Year in 2003. She has an impressive record of international outreach.
For the past six years, Russell has directed a U.S. Department of State-funded initiative to bring peace to a conflict-torn region of the Philippines. Each spring, she and Lina Ong, director of the International Training Office, have run a month-long institute at NIU for adult leaders and youth activists from the Mindanao region of the southern Philippines.
The Philippines is a young representative democracy, but the country has been prone to corruption, civil unrest, ethnic clashes and threats from terrorist groups.
The NIU-run institute, known as the Cultural Citizens and North-South Dialogue project, aims to promote partnerships between U.S. and Filipino groups, strengthen understanding of democratic values, develop an appreciation for American governmental structures and cultural diversity, and strengthen participant skills in methods of citizen participation.
“Sue is very deserving of this national recognition,” said Chris McCord, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “When I had the opportunity to visit the Philippines and observe first-hand the work that Sue and her colleagues have been facilitating, I was quite impressed and humbled by the courage and dedication of the young Filipinos. The work she’s done has truly made a difference in people’s lives.”
The NIU project has brought together students from Moro, Catholic and Lumad backgrounds to learn peace-building methods and ways to strengthen cross-cultural, inter-ethnic dialogue. Participants have gone on to develop grassroots-level, social-improvement projects, from environmental cleanups to book programs for needy children. In all, the Department of State has provided $1.5 million in funding for the NIU project.
“Sue’s research expertise in the Philippines, her strong administrative skills and inspiring goal of building peace among Moros and settlers have helped her create excellent learning opportunities for the institute participants,” said Deborah Pierce, associate provost of International Programs at NIU.
“With Dr. Ong’s help, Dr. Russell has established a solid track record for NIU in international exchange and in training for peace-building,” Pierce added. She noted that Russell is the first NIU faculty member to be nominated for the Phi Beta Delta award.
“I have personally witnessed the passion she brings to international education through the Philippines project,” said NIU Presidential Teaching Professor Richard Orem, who nominated Russell. “We need more projects like these in a world experiencing increasing levels of conflict.”
Russell continues to be active in international education efforts on campus as well.
She was a member of the organizing committee that created the petition for Zeta Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Delta at NIU. And she is helping to lead an informal group of faculty and staff who are working to mount a proposal for federal funding for a project to create a research, teaching, and service focus for faculty who are internationally active in regions other than Southeast Asia.
“I feel like this award is recognition for a lot of hard work with people here at NIU, particularly at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies and the International Training Office, as well as with people in the community and non-governmental organization leaders in the Chicago region who work with us on our projects.”
Russell teaches courses in Southeast Asian cultures, corporate cultures, economic anthropology and introductory anthropology.
NIU students have a way to feed you and the hungry in our community at the same time.
The 11th annual “Empty Bowls” project is scheduled for Wednesday, March 18, in the Chandelier Dining Room, 143 Adams Hall. Reservations are required for either of the two seatings at 4:30 and 6 p.m.
A donation of $15 buys homemade soup and bread, a beverage and, while supplies last, a ceramic bowl hand-crafted by an NIU art student. A donation of $10 buys food and drink only.
Both seatings feature raffles with prizes that include hotel stays and gift certificates for local restaurants. Additional donations are welcome.
All proceeds benefit the Hope Haven shelter in DeKalb.
The menu includes chicken noodle soup, broccoli-cheddar soup, spinach tortellini soup and minestrone soup. Guests also can munch on a variety of breads. Beverages include coffee, tea, iced tea and water.
“Our goal is to raise awareness about world hunger,” said Heather Gustus, president of the Student Dietetic Association and a nutrition and dietetics major. “Empty Bowls symbolizes hunger, and the bowl is a keepsake and reminder for the guests every time they use the bowls.”
Members of the Student Dietetic Association from the School of Family, Consumer and Nutrition Sciences (who do the cooking) and the NIU Ceramics Club from the School of Art (who make the bowls) organize the event, an international project that originated in Michigan.
Students from FCNS 406, “Global Food and Nutrition Issues,” also are volunteering at the event.
For reservations or more information, call (815) 753-1543 or visit Wirtz Hall 118.
Membership in the Northern Star Hall of Fame grew to 63 over the weekend with the induction of four new alums and a friend of the student-run newspaper.
The 2009 class includes a photographer and a sales manager for the Chicago Tribune, the director of an institute for business technology and ethics, a senior media relations officer for a university and a communications director for a nonprofit organization.
The Northern Star Hall of Fame honors former students, advisers and friends of the Northern Star who significantly affected the Northern Star, journalism or related fields, or who have otherwise received acclaim based in part on experience gained at the Northern Star.
Created in 2000, the Hall of Fame serves as a means to keep alumni actively involved in support of the Northern Star and to encourage Northern Star students toward excellence in their chosen career paths.
Inductees are chosen by an alumni board. A new class is indcuted every two years.
“These five people have been longtime leaders in their respective fields,” said Jim Killam, Northern Star adviser. “Four of them got their starts at the Star. We’re honored by how quick they are to tell people that. And the fifth has been a constant source of help to our students.”
The induction ceremony was held Saturday, Feb. 28, in downtown DeKalb. More information is available online at http://www.northernstar.info/alumni.
This year’s inductees are:
Jeremy Norman, a 2004 alum and senior Web designer at the Washington Post, received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award.
International Programs is hoping for a repeat performance.
The division is sponsoring a Student Fulbright Interest Workshop for NIU students who would like to learn more about the prestigious international exchange program. The workshop will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, in Room 305 of the Holmes Student Center.
The Fulbright program is highly competitive, but NIU students have a record of success. Last year, for example, two NIU students won Fulbright fellowships.
Matt Konfirst, a geology doctoral student, is currently in Germany conducting research on climate change. Shari Meggs, who graduated last spring with a degree in communication, is working in Hong Kong as an English language teaching assistant.
At the upcoming workshop, Megan Spillman, a representative from the Midwest Regional Center of the Institute of International Education, will give a presentation on the Fulbright program and answer questions.
The Student Fulbright program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and coordinated in the United States by the Institute of International Education, is a competitive fellowship program that provides funding to study or teach abroad at the post-baccalaureate or graduate level.
Past NIU Fulbright students have characterized the program as “life-changing,” and the prestige of the fellowship program is recognized worldwide.
More information is online at www.niu.edu/international/fulbright/index.shtml.
A percussionist, a singer and a trombonist are the three finalists for the dean’s job in the NIU College of Visual and Performing Arts.
Percussionist Richard Holly, who has served as acting dean of the college since last summer and was associate dean before that, will give the first set of interviews this week.
Kathleen Wilson, professor of voice in the School of Music at Florida International University, will come to campus the week of March16. Trombonist Russ Schultz, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication at Lamar University, is scheduled for the week of March 23.
The successful candidate will replace Harold Kafer, dean of the college from 1995 to 2008. Kafer currently is serving NIU as deputy provost.
“The search committee and I were impressed with the records of all candidates invited for airport interviews, but we reached clear consensus on the candidates invited for campus interviews,” Provost Raymond Alden said. “We look forward to a successful conclusion to a very promising search process.”
NIU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts houses the schools of Art, Music and Theatre and Dance and enrolls about 1,600 students with declared majors in those fields.
Short biographies of each candidate, as well as times and places for their individual forums, are available below. Their vitas are posted on the college’s Web site.
Open Forums: Wednesday, March 4
3:30 to 4:15 p.m. – Operating Staff (Altgeld 203)
4:20 to 5:15 p.m. – Supportive Professional Staff (Altgeld 203)
5:15 to 6:15 p.m. – Students (Altgeld 315)
Holly came to the NIU School of Music in 1983 as an instructor, becoming an assistant professor two years later and achieving a full professorship in 1999. He served as assistant director of the school from 1996 to 2000 and, in 2001, was named associate dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts.
He earned his M.M. in percussion performance from East Carolina University in 1980.
During his months as acting dean, he has managed an annual budget near $10 million and secured funding for the Avalon Quartet concert series and for the dance performance program. He also acquired funding to support student travel for performances in New York City’s Lincoln Center and Costa Rica.
As a percussionist, Holly was a founding a member of the Abraxas Percussion Group and has performed with the Long Island Holiday Festival Orchestra, the Lyric Opera of New York and the North Carolina Symphony. For 11 seasons, he served as timpanist of the Illinois Chamber Symphony.
Holly, a member of the Percussive Arts Society since 1974, served as its president during 2005 and 2006. In that role he secured $3 million to facilitate the society’s move to Indianapolis. From 1986 to 2002, he was associate editor for “Percussive Notes” magazine.
Open Forums: Monday, March 16
3:50 to 4:30 p.m. – Operating Staff (Altgeld 225)
4:35 to 5:25 p.m. – SPS (Altgeld 225)
5:30 to 6:20 p.m. – Students (Altgeld 203)
Wilson joined Florida International University in 2007 and served as School of Music director during the 2007-08 academic year. (Recent budget cuts at FIU discontinued the director’s position in her school and others.)
She previously worked at the University of Central Oklahoma School of Music, the Levine School of Music and the University of New Hampshire School of Music. She earned her M.M. in musicology and an Ed.D. in vocal pedagogy from Columbia University in 1987.
In Florida, Wilson established partnerships with several other arts organizations, including the Miami Symphony Orchestra and the public school system. She raised more than $250,000, including endowed scholarships, instruments and in-kind contributions.
During her tenure as director of the School of Music at Central Oklahoma, she implemented a plan to become an all-Steinway school and secured $3 million for two endowed faculty positions.
Wilson’s current and former students perform (or have performed) on Broadway and with the San Francisco Opera, the Washington National Opera, the Boston Lyric Opera, the Navy Sea Chanters and the Singing Sergeants.
The soprano has served as general editor for Pendragon Press’ VOX MUSICAE since 1996 and was editor of the NATS “Journal of Singing” from 1998 to 2000. She also was a Fulbright Senior Scholar to Venezuela in 1992-93.
Open Forums: Wednesday, March 25
3:45 to 4:30 p.m. – Operating Staff (Altgeld 203)
4:35 to 5:20 p.m. – SPS (Altgeld 203)
5:30 to 6:20 p.m. – Students (Altgeld 315)
In a six-year period following Schultz’s 1999 appointment as dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication at Lamar University, enrollment rose 35 percent. He engaged in significant community outreach and fundraising that resulted in locally developed funds of more than $2 million, the largest discretionary budget of any of the colleges at his university.
He initiated two off-campus series of music, theater and dance performances, launched a college lecture series supported by external funding and developed new undergraduate and graduate degree programs – including a doctoral degree – in all departments.
He also hosts a weekly television and radio program called “The Dean’s Corner” and, during his first year at Lamar, began “Lunch with the Dean,” a once-a-month chance for faculty to share their personal achievements and departmental activities over food and drink.
As a trombonist, Schultz performs with the Lamar University Faculty Brass Quintet and is a professional clinician for Yamaha Band Instruments. He played with the Memphis Symphony from 1969 to 1985. He was president of the board for the Symphony of Southwest Texas from 2007 to 2008.
Schultz earned his doctor of musical arts with a major in trombone performance from North Texas State University in 1978.
As part of the Foundations of Excellence self-study, the Organization Dimension is currently exploring the how the first-year experience is impacted by the organization and policies of, and activities within, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and other administrative units. Additionally, the committee members are reviewing how faculty and staff activities and development programs and budgetary decisions affect the first-year experience.
The committee members are in the process of collecting information from offices and programs across campus that interact with first-year students (course/program descriptions and related materials, publications, brochures and Web site pages).
The committee members will:
For additional information about, to participate in, or to provide information for the Organization Dimension, contact co-chairs John Jones (jrjones@niu.edu) or Harold Kafer (hakafer@niu.edu).
Baritone Robert Sims, associate professor of voice and diction in the NIU School of Music, will appear Sunday, March 8, at New York City’s Carnegie Hall in “HONOR! A Celebration of the African American Cultural Legacy.”
Invited by festival curator Jessye Norman, Sims will be joined by pianist Paul Hamilton in a program of spirituals.
“From the drumbeats of Mother Africa to the work songs and spirituals created in a new land, a path is traced to the blues, gospel, jazz, rhythm and blues, soul and hip-hop expressions of African Americans that are celebrated throughout the world. The classical music performers have become icons of concert halls and opera stages everywhere,” Norman writes about the festival.
“In charting the story of this great cultural tradition, I invite you on a personal journey that honors the trailblazers and the courageous artists of the past through concerts, recitals, lectures, panel discussions and exhibitions.”
Other participants Sunday afternoon include Tania León, Toni Morrison, George Shirley and Anna Deavere Smith.
Physics Professor Roland Winkler has been invited to spend four weeks at the prestigious Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Beginning in mid-May, Winkler will participate in the institute’s program on “Low Dimensional Electron Systems.”
The trip to California will kick off a busy summer for Winkler, who will spend another four weeks conducting research with a colleague in New Zealand.
Faculty interested in helping first-year students to learn how to succeed at NIU can become UNIV 101/201 instructors this fall.
UNIV 101 is a one-credit, 12-week course focused on helping freshmen develop the essential academic and social skills needed to make an enjoyable and successful transition to NIU. UNIV 201 is a similar course designed specifically for transfer students.
NIU offered 84 sections of UNIV 101/201 last fall; more than 1,600 first-year NIU students enrolled. UNIV 101/201 instructors can impact the experiences of these new students and provide them with resources to help them adjust to life at NIU.
Instructors must:
Candidates who do not meet the last two criteria can be paired with teaching coaches.
UNIV 101/201 instructors typically receive a stipend of $1,000 for teaching an individual section or $500 for co-instructing. Once hired, all instructors are required to attend training workshops and department meetings and participate in course feedback through e-mail correspondence and surveys.
Instructor overview sessions are being offered from 3 to 4:30 p.m. today and Thursday, April 2, to share more information about teaching these courses. Today’s session takes place in HSC Room 406; the April session is in HSC Room 306. RSVP to firstconn@niu.edu.
More information and application materials are available online or via e-mail at firstconn@niu.edu.
On the menu at Ellington’s this week: Bella’s is scheduled for Tuesday. Touch of Thai takes over Thursday.
Continuing 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.
Bella’s features artichoke heart vinaigrette or bruschetta Romana piccante for starters, egg plant parmesan or orrechiette carbonara for entrees and kiwi fruit gelato or tiramisu for dessert.
Touch of Thai features tom yum soup or spicy cucumber salad with peanuts for starters, vegetarian pad Thai or Thai-style stir-fried chicken for entrees and coconut milk sticky rice with mangoes or green tea cheesecake with raspberries and raspberry-mint tisane for dessert. Each table also will be served Thai iced tea.
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.
Faculty of the NIU School of Music will come together at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 3, for an evening of compositions from Spain, South America and Brazil.
Diane Ragains, soprano; Mathias Tacke, violin; William Koehler, piano; Peter Middleton, flute; Greg Barrett, clarinet; Lucia Matos, conductor; and guest artist Racheli Galay-Altman, cello, will present works of the early 20th century through the present.
The composers include Joaquin Rodrigo, Manuel deFalla, Isaac Albeniz, Heitor Villa-Lobos and Mario Davidovsky.
The concert will be held in the Recital Hall of the Music Building. It is free and open to the public, and the hall is accessible to all.
For more information, contact Lynn Slater at lslater@niu.edu or (815) 753-1546.
Join the NIU Alumni Association and the NIU Women’s Studies Program for a presentation and reception featuring Jolene Skinner, 2006 Ph.D. in psychology. Skinner will speak about Dell’s award-winning, work-life flexibility strategy.
The event will be held at the Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave., from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19. A reception will follow the presentation, providing the opportunity to network with prominent women from the NIU and Chicago communities.
Visit myniu.com or call (815) 753-1452 for more information and to register for the event.
Northern Public Radio’s spring membership campaign is scheduled from Friday, March 20, through Friday, March 27.
Reliable volunteers are sought to help answer incoming pledge calls from radio listeners. Hours vary during the campaign week, with some shifts beginning as early as 6 a.m. and others ending around sunset. Weekend hours also are available.
Scheduled volunteers will report to the NIU Broadcast Center, 801 N. First St. in DeKalb.
To learn more or to book shifts, contact Diane Drake at (815) 753-0061 or via e-mail at ddrake@niu.edu.
NIU’s Task Force for Campus Sustainability will offer free recycling of personal “e-waste” – environmentally preferable electronic waste disposal – for all student, faculty and staff participants in the NIU Wellness Fair.
Scheduled for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center, participants can bring items from the “A” list:
Fair participants also can sign up to bring “B” list items Wednesday, April 8, at times and locations to be announced. The “B” list includes:
University-owned property – anything with a university inventory tag – is not eligible for this recycling effort. Secure and personal information should be removed from all devices and media prior to drop-off.
Call (815) 753-9191 for more information.
Alan Rosenbaum, Department of Psychology, is completing his third year of service as the faculty and SPS personnel adviser. Members of the Faculty Senate commend him for his excellent work and professional effect.
The Faculty Senate invites letters of recommendation and nomination for the position of faculty and SPS personnel adviser for the 2009-2011 academic years.
The adviser must be a full-time, tenured faculty member who has had experience with the personnel process at various levels and who is familiar with the administrative structure and operations of the university.
The adviser shall receive compensation equal to one month of the median salary of all tenured professors each semester and summer session funded through the budget of the University Council. The adviser may not concurrently hold membership on any committee dealing with the personnel process.
The initial appointment is a two-year term of 11 months each year and is renewable for an additional 11 months. The adviser is ineligible for a successive term.
Please address all correspondence to Paul Stoddard, president, Faculty Senate. Recommendations and nominations should be received by Friday, March 27.
The David W. Raymond Grant is an annual grant to faculty who are working on ways to use new technologies in their teaching. The $2,500 grant is awarded to the faculty member with the best proposal for incorporating new technologies into his or her teaching.
Tenured and tenure-track faculty are eligible to apply for the grant. Applicants must describe a project that incorporates instructional technologies in the teaching of a course or the preparation of supporting materials for a course according to the proposal format.
The proposal must include a budget for the project and a letter of support from the chair of the applicant’s department, school or division. Five copies of each proposal should be submitted to the Grant Review Committee, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, Adams Hall 319, by March 27, 2009.
For proposal format and more information about the grant, e-mail facdev@niu.edu or call (815) 753-0595.
Gregory Schraw, professor of educational psychology at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, is the keynote speaker at the 2009 Graduate Student Research Conference on Education, Learning & Human Development.
Schraw will address “Six Characteristics of Effective Learners” at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 28, in the Capitol Room South of the Holmes Student Center.
A reception for Schraw will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, March 27, at a location to be announced.
The Graduate Student Research Conference takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and includes three research paper sessions, a poster fair, workshops and other events. Pre-registration is required for attendance, but is free for NIU students, faculty and staff.
Register online by Friday, March 20. The event is co-sponsored by the Graduate Colloquium Committee, the College of Education, and the Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations. Call (815) 753-4404 for more information.
NIU’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies, along with the Center for East European and Russian/Eurasian Studies at the University of Chicago, are co-sponsors of a colloquium called “Islam at the Edges: Southeast Europe and Southeast Asia.”
The event takes place at 8:30 a.m. Monday, March 30, in the Heritage Room of the Holmes Student Center.
“Islam at the Edges” is a colloquium aimed at exploring European-Asian continuity from a salient and innovative perspective: Europe and Asia as parts of the Islamic world.
This colloquium will bring together diverse scholars, including anthropologists, historians, linguists and specialists working on religious studies as well as popular culture and art to explore the links between Europe and Asia through their participation in the Islamic world, as its peripheral geographic members.
By focusing on the “edges” of the Islamic world, namely Southeast Europe and Southeast Asia, organizers expect to find a new vantage point for locating the present and past unities of Eurasia, as well as the inherent fragility of such peripheral areas of confrontation and conceptualization.
With the cooperation of various institutions in the United States, Europe and Asia, a series of colloquia is being planned for the next five years, as well as appropriate publications flowing from these colloquia and future research and teaching collaborations.
In conjunction with the March 30 event, a parallel afternoon session is being offered from 2 to 5 p.m. for registered K-16 educators on resources for teaching about Islam in Southeast Asia and Southeast Europe. CPDUs are available for the full day or half day for current K-12 Illinois educators.
Registration information is available online. For more information, call (815) 753-1771.
NIU will host “How Green Really Works,” a one-day conference designed for meeting and event planners, Wednesday, July 29, in the Holmes Student Center.
Deborah Popley, president of Green Events Source, a full-service resource for green meeting planning, products, education and consulting, will provide the keynote presentation. Chicago caterer Greg Christian, who specializes in green, local, sustainable and organic cuisine, will discuss and demonstrate green menu planning.
The event also will include a green vendor show and an opportunity to tour the Hoka Turkey Farm, Heritage Prairie Market or Waterman Winery & Vineyards.
Registration fee is $25 (before June 1) or $40 thereafter. Cost includes a continental breakfast, buffet lunch, transportation to tours, as well as coffee and desserts.
Registration and more information is available online or at (815) 753-6389.
NIU’s Strategic Planning Initiative identified general education reform as a priority for the institution. The first phase of this reform is a review of the university’s baccalaureate degree goals: What skills, knowledge and abilities should NIU graduates achieve? What values and ideals should be promoted?
To promote this activity, the Baccalaureate Review Task Force will hold three open forums. These forums are designed to give the NIU community additional opportunities to provide input regarding NIU’s baccalaureate goals.
The open forums will last 60 minutes and will be held:
Those unable to attend an open forum who still want to share ideas can read and respond to the Baccalaureate Review Online Survey.
Heesun Majcher, director of the International Student and Faculty Office, will deliver a presentation on Korean language and culture at NIU's International Women’s Day luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 4, in the Chandelier Room of Adams Hall.
Reservations are required by Wednesday, Feb. 25, at (815) 753-9530. Cost for the luncheon is $15 per person, and seating is limited. Guests are welcome to attend the talk only, which will begin at 12:15 p.m.
The luncheon is co-sponsored by the Division of International Programs and Women’s Studies Program.
NIU’s Presidential Commission on the Status of Minorities will host an interactive presentation from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 4, in the Holmes Student Center, Blackhawk Annex.
The presentation, led by LaMetra Curry-Chapman, coordinator of Recruitment Services in NIU’s College of Education, will focus on diversity and higher education, exploring the expectations and experiences of students of color in higher education and investigating the attitudes, beliefs and behaviors held by professors and administrators in supporting these students.
The presentation is free and open to the public. For details, contact Angeline Stuckey at (815) 753-9406.
NIUs’ University Bookstore will closed for inventory from Monday, March 9, through the Wednesday, March 11. Regular store hours will resume Thursday, March 12.
Call (815) 753-1081 for more information.