| Week of Feb. 1, 2021
Contents: | | | Remember to complete NIU’s Self-Reporting Checklist
It’s critical to the health of our community that you let the university know if you have COVID-19, have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or if you are experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19. If you If you meet any of those criteria from now until the end of the semester, we expect you to complete the NIU Self-Reporting Checklist immediately so we can support you and take the necessary precautions to help reduce transmission of the virus. The Protecting the Pack Flowchart helps you identify next steps in the event you are exposed to or test positive for COVID-19. |
| | Resources for Teaching Remotely | Teaching Tip of the Week
Students can be great resources for each other, and study groups are possible in an online space. Help students connect with one another by launching breakout rooms during synchronous sessions. Many web-conferencing systems feature the ability to move students into small online rooms or groups (examples: Zoom, Teams, or Collaborate). Breakout rooms allow students to work in small groups, dive deeper into a compelling topic or compare or contrast a topic from multiple points of view. Structure the breakout group discussions by having students write three quotations from the reading onto note cards. On the front of the card is the quotation. On the back of the card the student writes why it is meaningful to them. Use the note cards as a means to structure the discussion in the breakout rooms. |
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| What advice would you give to students currently attending NIU?
“Be present and enjoy this unique moment in time in your lives. Take advantage of all of the wonderful academic and co-curricular opportunities that NIU offers. Also, engage in student leadership experiences. You never know what opportunities may arise from these experiences or who may come into your life as a friend or mentor.” David Walker
Professor of Educational Technology, Research, and Assessment |
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| Upcoming Events
Please check the calendar for more information and for online-only events as they become available!
• Monday, Feb. 1: Outdoor Adventures Craft Night: Vision Boards
• Beginning Tuesday, Feb. 2: Hateful Things exhibit at the Pick Museum
• Tuesday, Feb. 2: Hateful Things Virtual Exhibit Opening
• Tuesday, Feb. 2: SPSC Executive Committee Meeting (Virtual)
• Beginning Wednesday, Feb. 3: BGSA Valentines Succulent Sale
• Wednesday, Feb. 3: Homeschooler's Birding Class
• Wednesday, Feb. 3: Women's Basketball vs Bowling Green
• Thursday, Feb. 4: Operating Staff Council General Meeting
• Thursday, Feb. 4: "What's Holding Us Back?" Understanding -isms (Part 1)
• Friday, Feb. 5: Outdoor Adventures Skate Night
• Friday, Feb. 5: Night Hike
• Saturday, Feb. 6: Women's Basketball at Toledo
• Saturday, Feb. 6: Men's Basketball vs Central Michigan
• Sunday, Feb. 7: Outdoor Adventures Snowboard Clinic
• Sunday, Feb. 7: History of Weapons
• Sunday, Feb. 7: Taft History Tour
• Wednesday, Feb. 10: Paint Night |
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| Notices
2020 W-2s are Now Available
Employees can now securely access their electronic W-2 form in the MyNIU system. To view your form online please follow the steps below: - Go to MyNIU.
- Click on the "MyNIU Human Resource System" panel.
- Login with your NIU User ID and password.
- Select the "Payroll" tile.
- Click on “W-2/W-2c” on the left menu bar.
- Click on “View W-2/W-2c Forms.”
- Click on “View Form” button to view your 2020 W-2 form.
For employees that did not consent to receiving the W-2 form electronically and for those employees that have separated from the university, the Payroll office mailed calendar year 2020 W-2s on Jan. 27, 2021. These tax forms are required to be mailed to an employee’s address as listed in the Human Resource system. Any requests for reprints of mailed forms should be directed to payroll@niu.edu and will be processed after Feb. 26, 2021.
Questions regarding this information can be directed to payroll@niu.edu.
President Freeman to Host Virtual Office Hours
Members of the Northern Illinois University community are partners with the NIU leadership in creating a positive NIU experience. With that in mind, President Freeman invites NIU faculty, staff, students, as well as alumni and community members, to meet with her during scheduled office hours. President Freeman welcomes respectful, open dialogue about NIU and working together to move NIU forward.
Meetings will be held virtually either through Microsoft Teams or by phone and limited to 15 minutes. Meetings should typically include one person, but consideration for groups up to three will be made based on the topic. First-time participants will be given priority.
Office hours are currently available on Thursday, Feb. 25 from 4 to 5 p.m.; Thursday, March 25 from 9 to 10 a.m.; and Friday, April 23 from 11 a.m. to noon. Appointments can be made by visiting the President’s Office website.
Questions regarding office hours may be directed to Liz Wright, ewright1@niu.edu, executive assistant to the president.
Nominations Being Accepted for New Excellence in Online Teaching Award
The Excellence in Online Teaching Award (EOTA) encourages and honors outstanding online and hybrid teaching at NIU. It recognizes NIU faculty and instructors whose performance exemplifies a commitment to excellence in online teaching, course development and student engagement.
Nominations are to be submitted by Friday, March 5 to the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) for consideration by a review panel comprised of a subcommittee of members of the Innovative Teaching and Learning Advisory Committee (ITLAC) and Online Learning Advisory Council (OLAC), chaired by the executive director of CITL. This review committee will select the award recipient(s).
The recipient(s) of this award shall receive a plaque and a $2,000 one-time stipend. All recipients shall be required to present a campus-wide seminar describing their approach to online teaching, with emphasis on teaching philosophy and innovative pedagogical approaches.
If you have any questions about the award or nomination process, contact Jason Rhode, executive director of CITL, at jrhode@niu.edu.
Bursar Cashier and OneCard Office — COVID-19 Hours: Effective Feb. 1 From Feb. through April, the Bursar Cashier Office will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. The office will be closed from noon until 1:30 p.m. each day.
The Bursar Cashier Office accepts several types of payments. More information about acceptable forms of payment are available on the Bursar’s website. Departmental deposits can only be made during open office hours. Please contact cashier@niu.edu or call 815-753-1885 with questions.
From Feb. through April, the OneCard Office will be open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Scheduling appointments through the online app is highly recommended. Faculty and staff can request a OneCard and submit a photo online.
Please review the OneCard Office’s frequently asked questions. If you have additional questions, contact onecard@niu.edu or call 815-753-9569.
Campus community input sought for ombudsperson end-of-term review The University Council is conducting its end-of-term review of the performance of NIU Ombudsperson Sarah Klaper, and seeks input, which will help in the preparation of its review. The NIU campus community is invited to provide input via a brief anonymous survey. The survey will close on Wednesday, Feb. 10. The following resources are available for review before completing the survey: Office of the Ombudsperson NIU Bylaws, Article 11, The University Ombudsperson NIU Ombudsperson 2018-19 Annual Report
NIU Ombudsperson 2019-20 Annual Report
For more information, contact Pat Erickson, Office of University Council and Faculty Senate.
Strengthen Your Relationship with Help from the Couple and Family Therapy Clinic
The Couple and Family Therapy Clinic at NIU is offering a special promotion during the month of February for couples who want to strengthen their relationship. Using Prepare/Enrich, a customized relationship assessment tool that identifies a couple’s strength and growth areas, couples will meet virtually with a trained therapist for six sessions and learn about strengths and areas that are crucial for growth within their unique relationship. The cost is $90 which includes the Prepare/Enrich assessment and six follow up sessions. Call 815-753-1684 or visit The Couple and Family Therapy Clinic to get started. In response to COVID-19, the clinic has successfully switched to Telehealth therapy, using Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant video and phone sessions. |
| Deadlines
Friday, Feb. 5: 2021 Operating Staff Outstanding Service Awards Nomination Deadline
Wednesday, Feb. 24: Faculty and Staff COVID-19 Work-Life Balance Survey Deadline
Monday, March 1: Presidential Commission on Persons with Disabilities Award Nomination Deadline
Friday, March 5: Excellence in Online Teaching Award Nomination Deadline
Financial Month End Close
The month of January is closing for all financial reporting activity at noon Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021. Journals not posted at that time will go into February business. Submit January journals before end of business Monday, Feb. 8. Final January reports are scheduled to be available Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. In addition, February reports are scheduled to be available Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. These dates, and other important dates related to the Controller’s Office can be found on the FMS Reports Calendar.
Wednesday, Feb. 3: Faculty ISGC Grant Deadline
The Illinois Space Grant Consortium (ISGC) is offering five different grant opportunities to all faculty at their member institutions, including Northern Illinois University. All faculty are encouraged to review the grant opportunities online.
ISGC’s mission is to coordinate opportunities in the STEM disciplines in pursuits aligned with the National Space Grant Program’s objectives and NASA’s Mission Directorates; by inspiring, engaging, educating and employing the diversity of Illinois’ students, faculty and the public through stimulating research, education and outreach programs. The deadline to apply for all faculty grant opportunities is 11:59 p.m. Feb. 3. |
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| Next steps underway for enhancing ‘belonging’ in DeKalb
Efforts by Northern Illinois University and local partners to increase racial healing recently got a boost from the State of Illinois in the form of a grant to foster efforts to create a Belonging leadership council and fund public art and engagement activities in DeKalb. Read more. |
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| Updated artwork allows you to show your #HuskiePride!
The way Huskies meet and work may have changed while we are Protecting the Pack, but #HuskiePride has not. Make a statement at your next online meeting with the latest NIU–inspired Zoom and Teams backgrounds. 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
NIU earns Carnegie Foundation designation as top-tier research university (2000)
A second major public recognition of NIU’s growing reputation was its designation by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as one of the nation’s top research institutions. Learn more about NIU's Carnegie Foundation designation > |
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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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