| Week of Feb. 15, 2021
Contents: | | | In addition to the three sites above, here is a recent communication you may want to read and bookmark for future reference:
• NIU’s Current Status and Plans for Summer and Fall from President Freeman – Feb. 10, 2021
Enroll in Voluntary COVID-19 Testing Program by March 1
We are expanding the free COVID-19 surveillance testing program to allow employees and students who are on campus but not part of the mandatory testing program to opt into regular voluntary COVID-19 testing every four weeks.
The COVID-19 surveillance testing program on campus uses the saliva test from SHIELD Illinois and is administered by Northwestern Medicine in the Holmes Student Center. You will usually receive your results within 48 hours of your test.
To opt into the voluntary testing program, please complete this form by March 1.
Please note, surveillance testing is only for those who DO NOT have any symptoms of COVID-19. If you opt in, you are committing to testing during the weeks you are assigned. You will be provided with a link to schedule your appointments for your assigned weeks. No special scheduling arrangements will be available.
Employees and students who are part of the mandatory testing program or who are not regularly on campus are NOT eligible for this opt-in program.
More information on this voluntary testing opportunity – including FAQs - is available on the Protecting the Pack website. |
| | Resources for Teaching Remotely | Teaching Tip of the Week
Get to know your students by providing them with opportunities to tell you a little bit about themselves, hobbies, personal experiences, learning motives, etc. Ask them their preferred name and pronoun. You can also highlight students’ individual experiences by celebrating them and their successes. If your students pass a milestone, make an achievement or push through a barrier share it with the class or send a personal message of congratulations. Remember that every student has a unique story. Before making any assumptions, reach out to students in your classes. Try to get to know them and understand whether there are circumstances that may be challenging their ability to be successful. |
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| What advice would you give to students currently attending NIU?
“Attend class and stay in touch with your professor. If you must miss class, please e-mail your professor to explain your situation. We really do care about your success in class, but we can't help a student if they don't reach out to us.” Ferald Bryan Associate Professor, Rhetoric and Public Communication |
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| Upcoming Events
Please check the calendar for more information and for online-only events as they become available!
View the NIU Huskies’ calendar for all upcoming athletics events.
• Monday, Feb. 15: Outdoor Adventures Craft Night: Tie-Dye
• Tuesday, Feb. 16: Men's Basketball at Akron
• Wednesday, Feb. 17: Putting COVID-19 in Perspective: Vaccines and Pandemics Past and Present
• Wednesday, Feb. 17: All-Majors Internship and Job Fair
• Wednesday, Feb. 17: Women's Basketball at Ohio
• Wednesday, Feb. 17: STEM Café: Unlocking the Climate Secrets of Polar Regions
• Wednesday, Feb. 17: Wednesday Night Wisdom - Purposeful work: Perspectives on building lives and careers with meaning
• Thursday, Feb. 18: Board of Trustees (BOT) Meeting
• Thursday, Feb. 18: SPS Council Meeting (Virtual)
• Thursday, Feb. 18: Rebuilding Democracy Lecture Series: Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
• Friday, Feb. 19: Outdoor Adventures Skate Night
• Saturday, Feb. 20: Nature Ed Series: Birding Hike
• Sunday, Feb. 21: Outdoor Adventures Rescheduled Valentine’s Skate
• Sunday, Feb. 21: Outdoor Adventures Snowboard Clinic
• Monday, Feb. 22: Outdoor Adventures Craft Night: T-Shirts Reimagined
• Monday, Feb. 22: Education Job Fair
• Thursday, Feb. 25: Dr. Douglas E. Sperry - The role of overheard speech in the ambient verbal environments of young children |
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| Notices
State Universities Retirement System (SURS) Urges Members to Carefully Read Emails Offering Retirement Counseling
SURS members are receiving unsolicited, potentially misleading emails from companies offering retirement counseling. These emails may appear to come from SURS or appear to represent SURS. However, they are not from SURS. SURS encourages members to be cautious of email solicitations and skeptical of any attempts by outside firms to request personal or financial information.
Members nearing retirement may schedule a retirement counseling appointment with a SURS counselor. To schedule, log in to the SURS Member Website at www.surs.org or call SURS at 800-275-7877 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and speak to a SURS Member Service Representative.
Nominations sought for Great Professor Award The Great Professor Award honors an NIU faculty or staff member who has contributed significantly to the education of University Honors students at NIU. The awardee is recognized at Honors Day on April 18 and will receive $500. Please nominate a deserving colleague by Friday, Feb. 26, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. View the nomination form for more details.
PCSW Faculty and Staff Award Nominations
The Presidential Commission on the Status of Women announces the call for nominations for the 2021 Faculty and Staff Awards. More information about the awards is provided below. For criteria, eligibility, and nomination information, please visit go.niu.edu/PCSW-awards. Nominations are due by March 5, 2021.
Wilma D. Stricklin Award
Awarded to an NIU affiliated individual who has demonstrated exemplary leadership/service resulting in a more favorable campus climate for women, provided continual leadership/service over an extended period of time, and expended efforts beyond expectations and work responsibilities.
Outstanding Mentor Award
Recognizes individuals who have shown exceptional commitment to advancing the career and/or educational goals of NIU women students, staff and/or faculty. This person is someone who consistently acts as an exemplary teacher, coach, advisor, facilitator, resource and creates opportunities that help protégés achieve their goals.
Sharon Howard Faculty/Staff Who Make A Difference Award Acknowledges outstanding dedication to the empowerment of NIU faculty & staff by making important contributions to addressing issues that are important to women’s issues and/or the promotion of gender equity in the campus community. |
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| NIU’s Rebuilding Democracy Lecture Series welcomes Sen. Tammy Duckworth Feb. 18
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences proudly welcomes Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) as the next guest in their Rebuilding Democracy Lecture Series at 2 p.m. CT on Feb. 18. Read more.
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| Pick Museum’s “Hateful Things” exhibit explores racism in America through objects
When Joe Flynn first heard about the “Hateful Things” traveling exhibition from Ferris State University, he immediately thought that it would be an interesting exhibit for the Pick Museum of Anthropology at NIU. 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
New Alumni and Visitors Center opens (2005)
NIU was on a roll in the early 2000s, having reconnected with many alumni and created a development program that offered donors important ways to help their university. One such project was the Alumni and Visitors Center, a gathering place to welcome alumni home and make a first impression on those new to the campus. Learn more about the Alumni and Visitors Center > |
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| This message has been approved for distribution by the appropriate NIU party and is distributed by the Division of Enrollment Management, Marketing and Communications. NIU Mass E-Mail Policy |
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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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