Northern Illinois University
NIU Black Faculty and Staff Association

Mission

The primary mission of the Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA) is to ensure the support, positive valuation of, and inclusion of black faculty and students at Northern Illinois University, and to bring issues important to our community to the attention of the university’s leadership. The BFSA is committed to working with all people to achieve these goals and objectives.

Objectives

The objectives of the association include:

• Communicate and advocate the concerns of black faculty at NIU to the administration.
• Provide a support network for the concerns and professional development needs of black faculty at Northern Illinois University.
• Mentor new and junior black faculty in helping them to become fully acclimated to the university and community.
• Facilitate research collaborations among black faculty.
• Advance the research done by all faculty at NIU focusing on the peoples of Africa and the African Diaspora.
• Provide collegial networking opportunities among Black faculty and staff at NIU.
• Institute and maintain an effective and positive relationship between the university and its black constituency both on and off campus.
• Reinforce self-awareness among black people by implementing programs and activities designed to achieve these aims.
• Gather and disseminate information about available talent, opportunities, and activities that will provide the university with a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of the black experience.
• Carry out other activities of a charitable and educational nature to promote the welfare of black faculty.
• Promote and assist in the effort to increase the number of black faculty at NIU.
• Encourage the university to provide inclusive educational, personal and career opportunities for black faculty, and to serve as a resource clearinghouse for the university and black community.
• Identify and act upon those issues which affect the welfare of black people at NIU and the community it serves, especially as they relate to the mission of the university.