Jan. 21, 2025

Supportive Professional Staff (SPS) and Operating Staff (OS) have a critical role in NIU’s success. NIU annually recognizes current staff members and staff teams who have demonstrated exemplary performance and service in promoting the goals of the university while demonstrating the core values of excellence, advancement of NIU’s mission, vision and values, integrity, collaboration and service.

The staff awards provide an opportunity to acknowledge staff members’ extraordinary effort and exemplary service. The nomination deadline is Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. and references must be submitted by Monday, Feb. 17, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. Please plan to submit nominations early, so references have enough time to provide information by the deadline.

Awarding an honorary degree is an opportunity for the university to recognize someone especially outstanding in a field of interest to the university. It is necessary, though not sufficient, for a nominee to be accomplished and renowned in their field; an honorary-degree recipient should be clearly exceptional among other outstanding persons in that field. While a connection to Northern Illinois University or to the state of Illinois is not a requirement for nomination, any such relationship should be noted and will be considered during the selection process. Learn more about honorary degrees and the nomination criteria by visiting the Division of Academic Affairs website.

Any person affiliated with NIU may submit a nomination indicating the nominator’s identity and connection with the university. As the university does not intend to award more than two honorary degrees in a year, the selection process is stringent.

This year’s nominations, with the required supporting information, should reach Kayla Doane at kdoane@niu.edu  by Friday, February 28, 2025. 

Developing a Study Abroad Program Workshop

3 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4.

Interested in developing a first-time study abroad program? Register for our virtual workshop to learn about how you can work with the Study Abroad Office to develop a new study abroad program. This workshop introduces the faculty-led program model, provide an overview of the program development process and provide some resources to get started. This workshop also walks faculty step-by-step through the proposal, as well as the proposal review process.

This workshop is required for faculty submitting a new program proposal for the first time.

Register for Developing a Study Abroad Program Workshop.

This semester, Huskie Den is offering two staff and faculty packages open to all NIU nonstudent employees (including part-time, temporary and extra help) and their significant others.

Lunch Break Bowling — offered between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Two games and rental shoes for $4 ($2 with your own bowling shoes).

Pick-a-Day Special — Three games and shoe rental for $7 ($5 with your own bowling shoes). Bowlers can choose the day of their discount from Mondays, Wednesdays (must be finished before 5:30 p.m.) or Fridays (except the last Friday of the month which offers 50 cent games and dollar shoe rentals). Bowlers can only use this special once a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays are omitted because there are already lower prices on those days)

Staff and faculty must present their OneCard to receive discounts. Visit go.niu.edu/huskieden to learn more. 

Testing Services, located in the Peters Campus Life Building in room 120, can help streamline the scoring of your exams and quizzes making the process faster, easier and more accurate. In addition to scoring, we offer a variety of analytical reports to help assess your results.

To have your exams processed, simply bring your completed Scantron sheets and answer key(s) to our office in the Peters Campus Life Building, Room 120. You can also submit exams after hours using our drop box next to our office door. Please access and use our transmittal form for drop box submissions.

For more details, visit our website. Questions? Email testing@niu.edu. We look forward to assisting you soon.

Everyone can experience the arts this semester at NIU — registration for the NIU Community School of the Arts is open for spring.

Piano and guitar group classes for adults make learning to play music a fun and more affordable experience. Keep your New Year’s resolution to learn an instrument with weekly classes this semester.

Students of any age can learn to play a new musical instrument or brush up skills with private music lessons. Inquire today and start lessons in January.

Piano Starter class for kids ages 5-7, Symphonette strings for ages 8-16, CSA Steelband and Sinfonia youth orchestra all begin new spring sessions soon.

Please visit our CSA website for details and to register. Call us at 815-753-1450 for more information.

The Lincoln Academy Student Laureate Award is a prestigious honor that recognizes the efforts and accomplishments of NIU's top graduating students. Each year, this award is given to an outstanding senior from each of the four-year, degree-granting institutions of higher learning in Illinois.

NIU academic chairs and directors: Please review and complete the nomination form.

All NIU faculty are encouraged to put forward excellent nominees for endorsement consideration by their department. Nominations are due Friday, March 7, 2025. You will answer four questions about the nominee in the nomination form.

Have you been considering changing a few nutrition habits and you’re looking for guidance? Do you know what to do, but need accountability to get there? NIU Recreation has you covered. Meet with one of our nutrition coaches to learn eating strategies for your nutrition challenge. Whether you want to lose weight, get stronger at the gym, improve a health marker or build a better relationship with food, we’re here to help. For a one-time fee of only $99, you meet with a nutrition coach through the spring semester (rates outside NIU range from $70-100 per session). The earlier you register, the more sessions you’ll receive this spring (up to 12 visits).

Applications are now being accepted for NIU Impact, the NIU Foundation's crowdfunding platform where students, faculty, staff members and researchers can raise money to turn their great ideas into reality. Since its inception in 2021, NIU Impact has helped raise over $600,000 from more than 3,600 total donations.

Spring campaigns will run in February or mid-April to mid-May. Please submit your application at least two weeks before you would like your crowdfunding project to start. Learn more and submit your crowdfunding application on the NIU Foundation crowdfunding page. Questions? Contact Cody Carter, ccarter1@niu.edu.

Faculty are invited to participate in an exciting research study funded by NIU T-RISE, investigating the impact of consistent mindfulness practice on student curiosity in STEM and non-STEM courses. This 8-week study will run from February 3 to April 4, 2025, with no sessions during spring break.

Faculty can participate in one of two groups:

Experimental Group: Facilitate short mindfulness practices in class (max 6 minutes per week).

Control Group: Provide survey links without mindfulness practice.

Both groups involve minimal effort. A $200 stipend is available for faculty in the experimental group.

This is a unique opportunity to contribute to research while engaging your students in mindfulness practices that may enhance their learning experience.

If interested, please email LHerrmann@niu.edu or join the T-Rise Mindfulness Outlook group by Monday, January 27, 2025. An introductory faculty training session will take place on Friday, January 31, 2025, 2-3 PM via Teams.

We hope you will consider participating and contributing to this meaningful initiative.

If you are a parent (18 years or older) with at least one child under 18 years of age living at home and speak English, you are invited to take part in our “Child-related attitudes, beliefs, feelings, and related discipline and punishment choices” study.           

Compensation: $40 cash.

If you agree to participate in this study, in part one, you will be asked to provide demographic information, such as gender, age, marital status, education level, ethnicity, race, primary language and number of children. 

In part two, you will be asked to rate pictures of child faces on different traits, evaluate children’s behaviors, and describe your likelihood of using discipline and punishment for the described children’s behaviors.

In part three, you will be asked to view child faces paired with descriptive words (rapidly presented on the computer screen). In part four, you will be asked to re-evaluate the child pictures and behaviors seen in the second part of the study.

Finally, you will be asked questions about your general child-related beliefs and your personality characteristics.

Estimated participation time: 45 minutes

To set up an appointment, please call:1-815-246-2362

If an NIU research staff member is not available, please leave a voicemail with your name and telephone number. Your call will be returned as soon as possible.

Tip: Submit your event, lecture, training session or deadline to the NIU calendar to help inform Huskies about everything that is happening on campus. 

Financial Month End Close

The month of January is closing for all financial reporting activity at noon Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. Journals not posted at that time will go into February business. Submit January journals before end of business Friday, Feb. 7. Final January reports are scheduled to be available Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. In addition, February reports are scheduled to be available Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. These and other important dates can be found on the Controller's Office website.