Oct. 20, 2025

NIU celebrates National Transfer Student Week Oct. 20–24, honoring the achievements and contributions of transfer students and the partnerships that make their success possible. Faculty and staff are encouraged to show their community college pride on Wednesday and share these events with your students to help spread awareness and support participation. Your engagement helps strengthen NIU’s culture of belonging and highlights our ongoing commitment to collaboration, access and student success.

Assessment, Accreditation and Evaluation invites you to join a virtual discussion about NIU general education rubrics this Friday, Oct. 24. The focus will be on the Critical Thinking rubric, a priority item for this semester as part of NIU’s commitment to data-informed decision-making, and in accordance with expectations from the Higher Learning Commission.

This is your opportunity to shape the assessment tool you’ll be asked to use when you teach. Your input will help ensure the assessment criteria are meaningful, relevant and representative of the learning experiences in your general education courses.

RSVP to aae@niu.edu. We look forward to your insights. 

Huskie Trek Talks is coming back on Saturday, April 18, 2026, with another exciting opportunity for faculty and staff to showcase innovative research, impactful programs and novel initiatives. The deadline for proposal submission is Friday, November 14. Finalists will be chosen and notified in December. Presenter coaching will take place from January through early April in preparation for the Trek Talks event later that month. Submit your proposal today! 

Please consider nominating students, staff or faculty for an Outstanding International Award. The nomination and submission information is on our website.

The award winners will be announced during International Education Week (Nov. 17-21) at the International Recognition Reception, which takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18 with remarks at noon, in the Sky Room of the Holmes Student Center.

We are seeking nominations for the following awards:

The deadline for all nominations is 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, 2025.

Each year, the Division of International Affairs celebrates International Education Week (IEW), an opportunity to recognize the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide.

International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, reflecting efforts to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn and exchange experiences. 

This year, International Education Week takes place the week of Nov. 17-21.

We want to feature and encourage others’ celebrations of International Education Week. If you plan on hosting an international education event between Nov. 17-21, please visit our Division of International Affairs website to have your event featured on our NIU International Education Week calendar feed. Simply follow the steps under the Submit an Event section.

A new policy is open to review and comment for a 30-day period. This provides our NIU community the opportunity to consider and respond to the policy before it takes effect. The policy is:

Sponsored Programs Equipment and Property Policy by Nov. 10.

To submit a comment, go to our Policy Library website. Click on “Comment on New/Renew Policies.” You’ll be able to review the policies and provide your comments. If you have any questions, please contact the university policy librarian at policy-library@niu.edu.

Three new Slate Success Series Events and Office Hours are now open for registration! These sessions are designed to deepen your understanding of Slate, whether you’re looking to explore new features or get help with tools you already use.

Additionally, we invite you to visit the new Slate Resource Portal. Here, you’ll find a variety of resources and helpful information for your recruitment efforts, all in one place.  You can also review previous Slate Success Series Events.

Questions or recommendations for future sessions?  Email Ted Campbell to get the conversation started.

Securing research support from the Department of Defense (DoD) requires more than a strong idea—it demands strategic insight, relationship-building and a clear understanding of how defense agencies operate.

“Cracking the Code: Winning DoD Research Funding” on Monday, Oct. 20 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. is an interactive seminar designed to help faculty successfully navigate the DoD funding landscape.

During the month of October, the following three (3) mandatory trainings for all employees will be available in Blackboard:

Each training varies in length from 45 minutes to one (1) hour. These trainings will be open from Oct. 6, 2025 through Oct. 31, 2025. All training must be completed by the last date of the training period prior to midnight. There will be no extensions available. Learn more about the trainings by visiting the NIU Calendar.

After a successful inaugural event last year, NIU is proud to again partner with all Illinois public universities to offer the second annual Illinois Online Higher Education Symposium. This free, virtual conference on Friday, Nov. 7 is for all those who learn, teach, develop, support or administer online education. This year's theme, "Doing Less with Less, Effectively," emphasizes innovative strategies for impactful online education within evolving resource constraints. Learn more and register today.

Dozens of crowdfunding teams from across the NIU campus are raising money to help fund important projects in their departments. Initiatives include student travel, food insecurity, lab equipment, scholarships and so much more. Visit crowdfund.niu.edu to learn more and make your donation today.

Who are Orientation Leaders (OLs)? 

An Orientation Leader (OL) is an undergraduate student who helps incoming first-year and transfer students transition to NIU, building a sense of connection and belonging. OLs lead small group discussions, lead campus tours, answer questions, and more!

Do you know any students who would be a good Orientation Leader?  

Serving as an Orientation Leader is a unique opportunity for students to develop leadership and communication skills, share their Huskie story by highlighting their academic and involvement journey, and make an impact on new Huskies.

Why should you recommend a student? 

This is a great way to recognize students for their hard work and share another opportunity for them to engage with the campus community. You can also recommend a student who is already highly involved on campus to recognize their hard work. There is no obligation for them to apply after being nominated. 

Recommend an Orientation Leader

Have any questions? Contact Scott Johansen, Program Assistant for Student Training and Development in the Office of Orientation and First Year Programs at sjohansen@niu.edu

Applaud a Colleague is a show of appreciation for those coworkers who go above and beyond. These are just a few of the employees throughout the university that go the extra mile:

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

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