Dec. 1, 2025

Join President Lisa Freeman, her leadership team and fellow colleagues for the Annual President's Holiday Gathering on Tuesday, Dec. 2 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Altgeld Hall Auditorium. Employees are granted release time to participate. Learn more.

This summer, campers will live the life of an artist at NIU in DeKalb, exploring creativity, experiencing residence hall life, meeting mentors, making lifelong friends and more.

Percussion Camp is scheduled July 6-10. 

Visual Arts Camp and Theatre Arts Camp are scheduled July 12-17. 

Jazz Camp is scheduled July 19-24.

Summer arts camps at NIU fill quickly — register early to guarantee your spot. Early-bird registrants save $100!

Eligible families are encouraged to apply for need-based scholarship assistance through April 1, 2026.

For more information call the Summer in the Arts camp office 815-753-1450 or visit our website. 

Share your voice and vision on February 6, 2025, at NIU’s Real Talk Conference 2026: Stories of the Past, Visions for the Future! We invite faculty, staff, students, and community members to submit proposals that spark dialogue, inspire change, and highlight diverse perspectives. Whether through research, creative projects, performances, or interactive workshops, this conference celebrates authentic storytelling and courageous conversations that move us toward a more inclusive future. We have extended the deadline to submit proposals to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Don’t miss your chance to contribute your insight and experience—submit your proposal today and help shape this year’s Real Talk Conference! 

The Northwestern Medicine Community Benefit Program limits the number of proposals an institution can submit to this funding opportunity to one per grant cycle. The Office of Research Development (ORD) will manage an internal selection process to identify which proposals will be fully developed and submitted to the Northwestern Medicine Community Benefit Program.  

The Northwestern Medicine Community Benefit Grant Program  will be accepting applications for its 2026 grant cycle from Feb. 1 to 28, 2026. Through this grant program, Northwestern Medicine invests in local communities by providing direct support to local health care providers, social service agencies and other community organizations. For the DeKalb County region, funded projects must address one or more of the following issues: 

Grant amounts range in size from $10,000 to $50,000. Additional details about this grant can be found on Northwestern Medicine’s donations and grants webpage.  

View full internal competition guidelines and submission instructions.

Summary of Process and Deadlines

 For this cycle, internal proposals are due in Infoready by Jan. 14, 2026, and, if selected due to the Northwestern Medicine Community Benefit Program by Feb. 28, 2026.

For questions, please email ord@niu.edu. For research development support, use our Research Development Consultation Request form

Reminder: All current limited submission funding opportunities are listed on the ORD Infoready internal competition portal.

On Dec. 16, the Division of Information Technology will replace their IT service management (ITSM) platform known as Cherwell with a new ITSM platform called Freshservice. This change will provide a modern user experience for campus when submitting technical issues, service requests and reviewing solution articles. Nothing needs to be done for campus users to use the platform. Simply visit it.niu.edu as usual for submitting issues, requests or reviewing solution articles. Like today, users will need to log in to submit issues and requests.

The purpose of this change is to replace Cherwell before it reaches end of life in 2026. Freshservice was selected as the replacement because of its modern user experience and suite of enterprise service management tools it offers. "We’ve been configuring it for the last two months and can confirm it is a high-quality system with fast response times, streamlined request handling and a pleasant user interface," said John Kearsing, project manager.

Please contact ServiceDesk@niu.edu with any questions.

Become a Growing through Inclusive Vulnerability and Empathy (GIVE) Circle Facilitator in this two-part training!

GIVE Circles are opportunities for participants, whether students, faculty or staff, to engage in deep listening and conversation of shared experiences related to various topics. They are moments to build connections, understanding and empathy amongst those participating. GIVE Circles can play an important role in bringing the campus community together to explore our common humanity.  Sign up by Dec. 8, 2025. Learn more about becoming a GIVE Circle facilicator.

The Conservation, Food & Health Foundation (CFHF) limits the number of proposals an institution may submit to one concept application in a calendar year. The Office of Research Development (ORD) will coordinate an internal selection process to determine which concept application will move forward as a full proposal to the foundation.

The CFHF supports new or early stage projects that protect the environment, improve food production and promote public health across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Middle East. The CFHF prioritizes underfunded issues and regions where its support can make a meaningful difference by advancing the field, building local capacity, promoting replication, influencing public opinion and policy, affecting systems change and benefiting people beyond the immediate project and its local context. An important goal for the foundation is to provide seed money to help promising projects, organizations and individuals develop the track record they need to attract major foundation funding in the future. 

We strongly encourage interested applicants to review sponsor guidelines, including the FAQs and prior awardees shown on the CFHF website. This information is essential in putting together a strong proposal. The prior awards are especially informative to get a concrete sense of the types of organizations and projects this foundation funds.  

Full internal competition guidelines and submission instructions are available on Infoready.

For this cycle, the concept application proposal is due in Infoready before Dec. 3, 2025, and, if selected, due to the Conservation, Food and Health Foundation by Dec. 22, 2025.

Reminder: All current, limited submission funding opportunities are listed on the ORD Infoready internal competition portal.

The G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation is currently accepting applications for its spring cycle of their grants program. This is a limited submission opportunity, and NIU is permitted to submit up to three Letters of Inquiry (LOIs) for this cycle. Full internal competition guidelines and submission instructions are available on the Mathers Foundation Spring Cycle webpage.

The foundation supports groundbreaking research that has the power to revolutionize our understanding of science and enhance human health. The foundation funds pioneering research across key disciplines including immunology, neuroscience, cancer, genetics, stem cells, microbiome and structural biology. 

Their mission is to empower researchers whose work will create enduring breakthroughs in medicine, science and society. A full description of the program and the expectations of proposals can be found on the Mathers Foundation website.

For questions, please email ord@niu.edu. For research development support, use this form Research Development Consultation Request.

Reminder: All current limited submission funding opportunities are listed on the ORD Infoready internal competition portal.

The Community Shoebox at the Family Service Agency provides DeKalb County residents with shoes at no cost. Residents can claim shoes for themselves or a family member. The Shoebox is open to any DeKalb County resident needing shoes. All individials must be present to claim shoes.

The Family Service Agency is located at 1325 Sycamore Road, DeKalb, IL, 60115. For more information, call (815) 758-8616 or email mschultz@fsadekalbcounty.org.

Huskie Trek Talks showcases the bold, interdisciplinary work of NIU faculty and students who are driving innovation, research and artistry across campus. The proposal deadline for the 2026 Huskie Trek Talks has been extended to Monday, Dec. 1. This year, $80,000 in funding is available to support innovative projects. Whether your idea enhances forward thinking research, strengthens community partnerships or drives positive impact in other areas — we want to hear from you.

There’s still time to apply. Don’t miss the opportunity to bring your vision to life.

We’re looking for volunteers to support our Huskie Food Pantry Jan. 13, 14 and 15, 2026. With the holidays just ending and students returning to class activities, demand for pantry services remains strong. Our Huskie Food Pantry is 100% staffed by volunteers, and your support is impactful.

Whether you're helping prepare the pantry or assisting with open pantry duties, your time helps create a welcoming and supportive experience for our campus community.

Volunteer Shifts:

Register to volunteer.

Your involvement ensures the pantry can continue serving students effectively during a high-demand time. Thank you for your continued impact and support. Go Huskies!

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 November closes for all financial reporting activity at noon Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. Journals not posted at that time will go into December business. Submit November journals before end of business Monday,
Dec. 8. Final November reports are scheduled to be available Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. In addition, December reports are scheduled to be available Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. These and other important dates can be found on the Controller's Office website.