Promoting Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity

NIU is dedicated to recruiting and hiring a diverse workforce. Our Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity (AAEO) unit helps us work toward this goal. As you’re recruiting and hiring for the university, we’ll help you follow the policies and laws that ensure equal opportunity for employment. We can also provide you with training and guidance on inclusive recruitment and hiring strategies, as well as data on employee and applicant demographics.

Affirmative Action Plan

NIU is required to have an affirmative action plan. Our plan helps us establish fair access to employment opportunities in order to create a workforce that reflects the demographics of the qualified available workforce in the relevant job market.

For more information on our affirmative action plan, please review NIU's notice to applicants and employees of availability of AAP for protected veterans and for individuals with a disability.

Equal Opportunity Policy Statement

NIU policy supports affirmative action and bans discrimination against employees and applicants due to attributes such as race, religion and sexual orientation. Read the complete statement.

Inclusive Recruiting and Hiring

We’ll help you follow unbiased, inclusive processes for recruiting and hiring candidates.

Implicit Bias Training

Annual implicit bias training is required for members of search committees for faculty and supportive professional staff (SPS) positions. 

Guidelines, Templates and Forms

We provide information on best practices for diversity in recruitment, guidance on advertising and more on our SharePoint site. Learn about using AAEO Help and Support.

Search Documentation

Complying with AAEO policy includes documenting employment searches. Learn more about search documentation.

Federal Regulations

NIU complies with the following AAEO regulations:

Department of Labor Posters

Frequently Asked Questions

Do we have to create our own folders within the AAEO Help and Support website?

Each division has its own folder within the AAEO Help and Support site. Within each folder are subfolders that include each division's colleges and departments and their respective searches organized by fiscal year. Within each search subfolder, AAEO created subfolders that correspond to the required documents. Departments can create additional subfolders within job search folders and upload and download data as needed.

If someone who has access to a department's folder on the AAEO Help and Support site leaves the department or university, what should be done to terminate their access?

AAEO is responsible for monitoring the AAEO Help and Support site and terminating the access of individuals who no longer should have access. However, the exiting employee's department must notify AAEO that the employee's access should be removed. This process should be an important part of the department's exit interview process and should be done immediately. In addition, Human Resource Services will send a monthly report of exiting employees to AAEO for review. AAEO will verify if any exiting employees still have unnecessary access.

What employment types/classifications should have their own folders on the AAEO Help and Support site?
Folders for positions are dependent on the department. For instance, academic departments may have folders for faculty, staff, students and extra help positions, whereas some administrative departments may have folders strictly for staff positions.

Departments that hire instructors should use the "faculty" folder. Departments that hire temporary positions, including adjunct instructors, should use the "extra help" folder.

We highly encourage you to save all relevant hiring and recruitment data and documentation in the appropriate folders within the AAEO Help and Support site according to the employment/classification of the position.
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