| Week of Dec. 7, 2020
Contents: | | NIU Well-Being Tip: Practicing a Season of Gratitude
by Counseling and Consultation Services and The Employee Assistance Program.
The end of the fall 2020 semester is in sight and for many of us (all of us?) 2021 cannot arrive soon enough! As we continue to cope with the challenges and impact of the pandemic, it remains important to maintain a perspective of gratitude as you reflect on the past year. What are you most grateful for as you think about all that has happened? How have your priorities and values shifted based on what you and others have experienced? How do you want to spend your time during winter break? Your answers to these questions can help you practice a season of gratitude in the weeks ahead.
Gratitude, and maintaining a perspective of gratitude, is all about identifying who and what we are thankful for and acknowledging this in meaningful ways.
• Showing gratitude and appreciation does not need to include money or gifts. In fact, sharing a kind word, card, or conversation are often the most powerful and significant ways to express our gratitude to others.
• Small gestures or tokens of appreciation that have personal significance can show your appreciation for others in a way that no monetary gift can.
• Being grateful and expressing this to ourselves and others can redefine our views on “gift giving” and the true joys of the holiday season.
Even if you or others have experienced significant challenges or losses this year, practicing a perspective of gratitude can help. As 2020 ends, it is a good reminder that difficult times provide an opportunity to gain greater appreciation for what matters most. Melody Beattie, a self-help author on topics such as addiction, co-dependency, and relationships, put it this way: “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” With all that has happened, taking steps to focus on what is most important can help you maintain a healthy mindset and foster your wellness and well-being. This is our wish for you as we prepare for a new year. |
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| Upcoming Events
Please check the calendar for more information and for online-only events as they become available!
• Monday, Dec. 7 through Saturday, Dec. 12: Final examinations (Fall 2020)
• Monday, Dec. 7: BGSA Succulent Sale
• Tuesday, Dec. 8: Men's Basketball vs Ball State
• Wednesday, Dec. 9: Future Telling: Does the Future Compute?
• Thursday, Dec. 10: Board of Trustees (BOT) Meeting
• Thursday, Dec. 10: SPS Council Meeting (Virtual)
• Thursday, Dec. 10: Social Justice Town Hall: Religion and Oppression
• Thursday, Dec. 10: Women's Basketball vs Toledo
• Thursday, Dec. 10: Lithography History and Historic Prints Lecture with Professor Michael Barnes
• Friday, Dec. 11: Hot Cocoa, S'mores, and Story Time at Lorado Taft
• Saturday, Dec. 12: Cross Country Skiing at Lorado Taft
• Saturday, Dec. 12: Football at Eastern Michigan |
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| Notices
PeopleSoft HR System Maintenance Scheduled
The PeopleSoft HR System will be unavailable on Saturday, Dec. 12, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. due to system maintenance.
New Commercial Cardholder Virtual Training Session
The next introductory virtual training session will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020 from 9-11 a.m. New Commercial Card Program participants are required to attend an introductory training session prior to card distribution. Please email cardservices@niu.edu if you would like to attend this virtual training session.
Get your Gifts at Huskie Books & Gear
Huskie Books & Gear is having their “Last Minute Gifts Sale” Dec. 8 and 9. Take 30% off T-shirts, sweatshirts and hats. Online Only. Use Code: Holiday30 at checkout. Visit go.niu.edu/books-gear for more information.
NIU Recreation T-shirt Sale Looking for a terrific deal on a holiday gift that supports your favorite fitness and recreation provider? NIU Recreation is selling 14 different varieties of brand-new, comfortable, black, red and grey custom T-shirts from past competitions and events for only $3 each (cash only).
View images and order your favorites online, then stop by the Rec Center to pick up and pay during regular business hours. For credit card, check or Huskie Bucks, the cost is $6 per shirt, two for $10, or five for $20. To thank you for your support, every shirt order will also receive a swag goody bag.
All funds from each purchase support operations and events for our students and community. If you have any questions or looking for a large quantity order discount, please email outdooradventure@niu.edu.
Electronic Requisition Training Session Are you someone who has been asked to create, modify or submit electronic requisitions for your department? If so, you can now sign up to attend the December training session, which is required before authorization will be provided. The training is also available to anyone who needs to serve as a requester for their department or unit. If you have been identified as a requester and haven’t yet attended training, please use the link below to sign up and reserve your seat. Please sign up by noon on Wednesday, Dec. 9. • Dec. 10, 2020 – 1:30 – 3 p.m. The session will be conducted via Teams. It is highly recommended that you have a headset with a microphone for the training session. Approvers are encouraged to obtain the Approver’s Training Guide as well as the Quick Reference Guide for instructions on how to review and process requisitions. If you have reviewed the available training materials and still have questions, please contact your business manager for assistance.
For questions, please contact Cindy Kozumplik or Kevin Lam.
Register for music lessons and classes at the NIU Community School of the Arts
Spring 2021 registration at the NIU Community School of the Arts is now open! Our teachers and advisors include talented NIU faculty members and NIU School of Music students, as well as professional artists based in the community.
Learn to play a new musical instrument or brush up skills by taking private music lessons — register for music lessons and begin the week of Jan. 18. Guitar and piano group classes for adults and for kids make learning to play an instrument more fun! Register now for online music classes starting in January.
As a member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education, we work to make high-quality arts education accessible to all. We offer private and group instruction in music and we are an outreach program of the NIU College of Visual and Performing Arts.
Call for more information at 815-753-1450 and visit the NIU Community School website for complete details and to register.
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| Co-writer Mary Holland ’07, stars in Hulu’s acclaimed holiday movie “Happiest Season”
Mary Holland, a 2007 BFA graduate of the NIU School of Theatre and Dance is the co-writer and co-star of Hulu’s acclaimed new holiday movie, Happiest Season. Holland co-wrote the romantic comedy with Clea DuVall, whom she starred with on HBO’s Veep, and the film also stars Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Dan Levy, Mary Steenburgen, Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza and Victor Garber. Read more. |
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| Counseling and Higher Education’s Patrick McMillion helps to draft new credential for adventure therapists
Christmas has come early for Patrick McMillion. The instructor in the Department of Counseling and Higher Education is celebrating the October debut of a Certified Clinical Adventure Therapist (CCAT) credential now being offered by the Association for Experiential Education. Read more. |
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| | Celebrating our amazing history
America’s most enduring institutions are those created to meet specific needs and allowed to evolve as those needs change. Such is the story of Northern Illinois University, which this year celebrates its 125th anniversary. |
Featured Key Moment
Disability Resource Center established (1990)
NIU can trace the history of its programs for disabled students to the 1970s. Following passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Dr. John Britton was hired as a faculty member in the College of Education and was named Director of Programs for the Physically Handicapped. Learn more about the history of the Disability Resource Center. |
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|  Northern Illinois University's vision is to be an engine for innovation to advance social mobility; promote personal, professional and intellectual growth; and transform the world through research, artistry, teaching and outreach.
Learn more about NIU’s vision, mission and values.
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