News Archive

Congratulations to philosophy alumnus Anthony Capezio, who received a 2023 Deans’ Award in recognition of outstanding scholarship and service to NIU’s Sustainability and Climate Action Planning Taskforce.
Congratulations to M.A. student Anton Skretta, who has received the Graduate School's Outstanding Graduate Student Award, in recognition of exceptional achievement in research and scholarly activity.
Congratulations to M.A. student Pierce Neal, who has been awarded the 2023 JoAnne Rafalson Memorial Essay Prize for his paper, "Gibbardian Parity Theses and Moore-Paradoxical Assertions."
Professor Mylan Engel has been named a 2023 Presidential Engagement and Partnership Professor, in recognition of his outstanding record of community engagement.
The department’s office administrator, Linda Davis, has been selected as the recipient of NIU's 2023 Patricia S. Siebrasse Administrative Professionals Award for Excellence.
The department mourns the loss of Associate Professor Emeritus Elston Wells van Steenburgh ("Van"), who passed away on Dec. 8, 2022, at age 94. Van arrived at NIU in 1968 and retired in 1993. He worked in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language, and the history of philosophy, especially Berkeley and Hume. He also served ably as department chair from 1976 to 1981. He will be missed. Read his obituary.
Congratulations to M.A. students Nurit Matuk Blaustein and Dashiell Shulman, who have been awarded the 2022 C. Mason and Madeline Myers Award for outstanding achievement in graduate study in philosophy.
The 15th annual Northern Graduate Philosophy Conference was held October 28-29, 2022, in Holmes Student Center University Suite. Prof. Sanford Goldberg (Northwestern) delivered the keynote address.
Congratulations to philosophy M.A. student Keith Lui, whose essay "The Value of Majoring in Philosophy" was selected for a Jan Kiergaard Award. The Kiergaard Award recognizes the best essays written in select NIU composition courses.
Congratulations to senior philosophy major Chelsie Verstraete, who has received a 2022 Deans' Award in recognition of outstanding scholarship and contributions to the university community.
M.A. student Nick Piedmont has been selected as the winner of the 2022 JoAnne Rafalson Memorial Essay Contest for his paper, "Equivocating the Norms of Assertion." Congratulations, Nick, on a job well done!
In a recent interview on Engaged Philosophy, Professor Mylan Engel discussed the use of service learning and civic engagement projects in philosophy courses.
Congratulations to M.A. student Lixing Miao, who has received the Graduate School's Outstanding Graduate Student Award, in recognition of exceptional achievement in research and scholarly activity
The department mourns the passing of Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus Theodore ("Ted") Kisiel. Professor Kisiel worked at NIU from 1969 until his retirement in 2006. An internationally renowned Heidegger scholar, he inspired generations of NIU students.
Philosophy major Keelyn Sarmiento discusses her experience as an NIU transfer student in a Huskie Spotlight interview.
M.A. student Will Perrin has been selected as the winner of the 2021 JoAnne Rafalson Memorial Essay Contest for his paper, "What Slurs Do Not Mean: In Defense of a Prohibitionist Account." Congratulations, Will, on a job well done!
Congratulations to philosophy major Janai Crumbley, who is one of five recipients of NIU's Forward, Together Forward Scholarship for 2021
Congratulations to Meredith Sheeks (M.A., expected 2021), who has received the 2021 Myers Award for outstanding graduate student in philosophy.
Two philosophy majors—seniors Brooke Lavite and Claire Miller—were named as finalists for NIU's Lincoln Laureate Award. Congratulations to both!
Professor Alicia Finch has received NIU's 2020 Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award, in recognition of outstanding contributions to graduate education at NIU.
Professor Valia Allori discussed the philosophy of physics in a recent interview with 3:16.
Evan Dutmer (B.A., 2012), Instructor of Latin at Culver Academies, was recently named 2020 Teacher of the Year by the Indiana Classical Conference.
Congratulations to Zachary Smith (M.A., expected 2020) for being the Philosophy Department's recipient of the Graduate School's 2020 Outstanding Graduate Student Award, in recognition of distinction in the area of scholarship.
Congratulations to Maria Altepeter (M.A., 2014) for receiving the American Philosophical Association's 2020 Sanders Graduate Student Award for one of the three best papers submitted to the APA Eastern Division Meeting by a graduate student. Ms. Altepeter is currently a doctoral student at Washington University in St. Louis.
Congratulations to Devin Lane (M.A., expected 2020) for being selected recipient of the 2019 Myers Award for outstanding graduate student.
Congratulations to Brian Wagner (B.A., 2007; M.A., 2009), who recently received the Rock Valley College Faculty of the Year Award.
Professor Mylan Engel spoke on "Eating Sustainably, Eating Well: Effective Ways to Reduce Our Ecological Footprint at Meal Times" for the College of Business Passport Program on November 13 at 5:00 p.m. in Barsema Hall 300.
Congratulations to Sarah Castle (B.A., philosophy, 2019) for taking First Place in the 2019 Undergraduate Research and Artistry Day Humanities Awards.
Congratulations to Anna Rdzok (B.A., philosophy, 2019) for taking Third Place in the 2019 Undergraduate Research and Artistry Day Humanities Awards.
Congratulations to Mack Sullivan (M.A., expected 2019) for being the Philosophy Department's recipient of the Graduate School's 2019 Outstanding Graduate Student Award, in recognition of distinction in the area of scholarship.
Maggie Hitchcock, a Philosophy major, is featured in the Huskie Spotlight.
The ever-enthusiastic Varun Ravikumar (M.A., expected 2019) is in the Huskie Spotlight.
Professor Mylan Engel Jr. is in the Huskie Spotlight for his 2018 Presidential Teaching Professor Award.
Wi-Phi, an open-access source of educational videos in philosophy co-directed by Professor Geoff Pynn, just received a $250,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Congratulations to John Hill (M.A., expected 2019) for being selected recipient of the 2019 Myers Award for outstanding graduate student.
Jeremy Shipley (M.A., philosophy, 2006), currently assistant professor of philosophy at Volunteer State Community College, has been named President of the Tennessee Philosophical Association.
Professor Mylan Engel is recipient of a 2018 Presidential Teaching Professorship.
Evan Dutmer (B.A., 2012), who is currently finishing his Ph.D. in philosophy at Northwestern University, will be a full-time, tenure-track Instructor in Latin at the Culver Academies in fall 2018.
It is with sadness that we announce that our former colleague C. Michael Gelven passed away on June 1. Professor Gelven (1937-2018) taught at NIU for 46 years, inspiring generations of students. The author of a dozen books, he served as Distinguished Research Professor from 1997 until his retirement in 2011.
Peter van Elswyk (M.A., 2012) will be assistant professor of philosophy at University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee in fall 2018.
Renee Jorgensen Bolinger (M.A., 2012) will be assistant professor at Princeton University in fall 2019, with appointments in the Department of Politics and the University Center for Human Values.
Junior philosophy major Maggie Hitchcock is recipient of the Austin Sawicki (M.A., 2006) Memorial Scholarship for 2018.
Brianna Campbell and Christopher Copan are co-winners of the 2018 C. Mason and Madeline Myers Graduate Philosophy Award for outstanding achievement in graduate study in philosophy.
Sayid Bnefsi (M.A., 2018) is the Philosophy Department's recipient of the Graduate School's 2018 Outstanding Graduate Student Award, in recognition of distinction in the area of scholarship.
John Pindel (B.S., philosophy, 2016) is featured in NIU Today.
Junior philosophy major Maggie Hitchcock is one of five recipients of the 2018 Forward, Together Forward Scholarship.
Anthony Chiarito (M.A., 2011) has been named one of "The 10 Most Powerful Young People Working in PR Today" by The Observer.
Philosophy major Matthew Wolf won the 2017 Illinois Philosophical Association Undergraduate Student Essay Contest for his essay "Negative Existentials: A Problem of Mistaken Beliefs."
Prof. Valia Allori discusses "Gravity and the Dark Side of Science" at the Institute for Arts and Ideas.
Prof. Mylan Engel received a Service-Learning Faculty Fellowship to offer a new course on The Philosophy of Food in Spring 2017.
Jason Hanna was awarded the 2016 Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award, marking the third consecutive year that a Philosophy faculty member has received the award.
Prof. Geoff Pynn did an "Ask Me Anything" on Reddit. Check out what he had to say.
Geoff Pynn has received high praise from Open Culture for his work with the WiPhi open access philosophy project.
Junior philosophy major and Research Rookie David Lorenzo won Third Place Humanities Prize at the Undergraduate Research and Artistry Day.
James "Twigz" McGuire (M.A., 2016), in his capacity as outreach coordinator for the Jerry L. Johns Literacy Clinic, helped open a Little Free Library to serve the children of Sycamore.
Matthew Babb (B.A., 2006; M.A., 2010) won the 2015 Philosophical Quarterly Essay Prize for his essay "The Essential Indexicality of Intentional Action," which will appear in the July issue of Philosophical Quarterly. Matt is currently a doctoral student in philosophy at University of Southern California.
G. K. Wuori (B.A., 1967), former Illinois Arts Council Fellow, has just published his fourth work of fiction, HoneyLee's Girl, with Black Rose Writing.
Tanya Kostochka (M.A., 2013) has become a cartoonist for the philosophy blog Daily Nous. In her day job, Tanya is a doctoral student in philosophy at University of Southern California.
Emma Duncan (M.A., 2015) just published "Trolleys and Transplants: Derailing the Distinction Between Doing and Allowing" in De Ethica. Emma is currently enrolled in the Ph.D. program in philosophy at University of California at San Diego.
Renee Jorgensen Bolinger (M.A., 2012), who created the above picture of the Philosophy Department faculty and the Philosopher Portraits series, just had her paper "The Pragmatics of Slurs" published in Noûs. Renee is currently enrolled in the Ph.D. program in philosophy at University of Southern California.
Andrew Chapman (M.A., 2009) has become Project Editor of 1000-Word Philosophy, "an ever-growing set of original 1000-word essays on philosophical topics."
Andy Carson (M.A., 2012) has received coverage in The Chronicle of Higher Education for his study of job placement by doctoral programs in philosophy. He has now published a follow-up study reporting on the placement records of M.A. programs in philosophy.

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