Dec. 8, 2025

Human Resource Services and Campus Dining Services invite you to celebrate Finals Week and the upcoming winter break with free hotdogs in the MLK Commons on Wednesday, Dec. 10, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All students, faculty and staff are welcome to stop by, enjoy a hotdog and connect with staff from both departments.

The Holmes Student Center will be open during the following times through the end of the semester and beyond.

Founders Memorial Library will be closed on Friday, Dec. 19 due to campus-wide water conservation work being completed as part of the University’s sustainability initiative. This work requires a full building water shutoff, so access to the building will not be possible that day.

Please consider joining us for our December Leadership Training Series for faculty and staff. Coordinated by Human Resource Services and Employee Well-being — and led by Holly Nicholson, the 2025 Presidential Staff Fellow — this months’ discussion will explore “Trust and Building Relationships,” and will feature Dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences, Kelly Fiala, Ph.D.; and Michael Daigler, president and CEO of University Advancement and NIU foundation. Our panelists will share their perspectives, approaches and experiences with developing and maintaining relationships within the workplace. Please join us from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, over Teams. To register Go to campus training. Deadline to register is 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10.

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! 

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.

Two revised policy are open to review and comment for a 30-day period. This provides our NIU community the opportunity to consider and respond to the policies before they take effect. The revised policies are:

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

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.

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.