Academic Advising Council
Academic advising is integral to the mission of NIU. The purpose of the Academic Advising Council is to foster two-way communication between academic advisors and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost to offer feedback on issues and needs of advisors, improve networking among advisors and promote leadership, training and professional development opportunities for advisors.
Students: You can submit a note of thanks to the academic advisors who have helped you at NIU by completing a Thank Your Advisor form.
Membership
Council membership will be comprised of those individuals with academic advising responsibilities, as defined by a list maintained by the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost using job classifications provided by Human Resources.
Executive Committee
While all members of the council are invited to participate in all activities of the council, an executive committee will be responsible for representing the membership by participating in regular meetings and overseeing activities of the council.
The executive committee of nine individuals will include one representative from each of the six undergraduate colleges and the Academic Advising Center, one representative from faculty advisors and one representative from the supplemental roster of advisors (University Honors, CHANCE, Student Athlete Academic Support Services, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, Pre-health advising director, International Affairs).
Awards
The Top Dog Academic Advising Excellence Award is given to an academic advisor who demonstrates outstanding commitment to student success, university engagement and advising excellence. Nominees must have served in an advising role at NIU for at least one full semester.
Students, faculty or staff members may submit nominations for the Top Dog Award. The Academic Advising Council will select the award recipients and announce them at the end of spring and fall semesters.
- Megan Woodruff, chair: representative from the College of Business (2024-26)
- Rachel Lower, vice chair: representative from the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology (2024-26)
- Alex Blake, secretary: representative from the College of Health and Human Sciences (2024-26)
- Ray Jenkins, representative from the Academic Advising Council (2025-27)
- Julie Oberheim, representative from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (2025-27)
- Bethany Geiseman: representative from the College of Education (2025-27)
- Stephanie Sailer, representative from the College of Visual and Performing Arts (2025-27)
- Cherena Pollard, representative for program advisors (2025-27)
- Virginia Naples: representative for faculty academic advisors (2024-26)
- Megan Woodruff, chair: representative from the College of Business (2024-26)
- Rachel Lower, vice chair: representative from the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology (2024-26)
- Julia Broome-Robinson, secretary: representative from the Academic Advising Center (2024-25)
- Alex Blake: representative from the College of Health and Human Sciences (2024-26)
- Bethany Geiseman: representative from the College of Visual and Performing Arts (2024-25)
- Melissa Burlingame-Greenhagen: representative from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (2024-25)
- Virginia Naples: representative for faculty academic advisors (2024-25)
- Tracy Ash: representative for program advisors (2024-25)
Newsletters
Contact Us
Alicia Schatteman
Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
aschatteman@niu.edu
Jeanie Sparacino
Administrative Assistant
jsparacino@niu.edu
Ian Gawron
Curriculum Coordinator and Catalog Editor
igawron@niu.edu
International Student Scholar Services
isss@niu.edu