Feb. 16, 2026

This semester, Student Wellness is rolling out a new training option for faculty and staff called Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). MHFA is an evidence-based skills-focused training that teaches teams how to recognize the signs of mental health and substance use challenges. You will learn how to offer support and connect someone with the help they need. MHFA gives you and your team the tools to step up with confidence when someone is struggling. During your training, you’ll increase your knowledge of signs, symptoms and risk factors of mental health and substance use challenges and after your training, you’ll feel more confident talking about mental health and substance use.

Student Wellness has two workshops scheduled this semester, broken up into two parts:

If you're interested in participating, and the dates don't work with your schedule please reach out to the Student Wellness Team at BeWell@niu.edu.

The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost is seeking applications and nominations through Monday, March 2 for the position of vice provost for Faculty Affairs. This is an internal search open to employees who would merit tenure in an academic department or school at NIU.

Visit NIU’s Human Resource Services website for information on the position and how to apply online.

To nominate a candidate, please email committee chair Fred Barhnart at fbarnhart@niu.edu.

Final candidates for this position will host open forums on campus for students, faculty and staff. Candidates’ names and resumes, along with open forum dates and times, will be available 48-72 hours beforehand on the Academic Affairs Searches website.

Join us for NIU Cares Day of Service March 27, 2026

NIU Cares brings together NIU students, faculty, staff and alumni to serve and support the DeKalb community for our annual day of service Friday, March 27, 2026.

The day kicks off at 11 a.m. in the Ellington Ballroom, Holmes Student Center where you will meet your service team, enjoy a complimentary lunch, get free Cares Day merch and learn about your service project. Then, from 1 to 3 p.m., you'll take part in your service project. Transportation will be provided to your assigned location and back to Holmes Student Center once you’re done.

Participants engage in a variety of service projects, such as:

It’s a day dedicated to service, engagement and Huskie pride, reinforcing NIU’s commitment to making a positive impact. Sign up today. The deadline to register is March 9.

Visit the AI at NIU website and check out the new guide, How Microsoft Copilot Can Help Administrative Staff.

This resource highlights practical ways that Copilot can help administrative staff reduce manual effort, stay organized and work faster in the following areas:

Do you lead or oversee a volunteer leadership group like an alumni council? Looking for ways to support their professional development? You and your volunteer leaders may be interested in the 2026 Volunteer Leadership Summit. Hear from professional experts about key university initiatives, expand volunteer leadership skills and network with fellow volunteer leaders.

Learn more and register by the priority deadline Feb. 27.

NIU’s Campus Climate Survey is open until March 6, 2026. The survey, which was sent to your NIU email address, will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Please note that your email address will not be linked to your responses. By partnering with Viewfinder to collect survey data on our behalf, we’re able to ensure the confidentiality and anonymity of responses. Each employee has received a unique survey link tied to their NIU email address.

The survey includes sensitive topics related to individual identities, discrimination, sexual harassment and the overall campus experience. These topics may bring about different emotions, and there are several university resources available to support you before, during or after taking the survey. 

Resources for Employees: 

If you have questions, please reach out to JadeSilva Tovar, Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at equity@niu.edu. Further information can be found online. 

PCORE announces its call for nominations for the 2026 Deacon Davis Awards. This award recognizes significant contributions made by students, faculty, staff, departments or organizations in advancing belonging and the campus culture related to race and ethnicity on Northern Illinois University's campus. Awards will be presented at the Joint Presidential Commissions Awards Ceremony Thursday, April 30, 2026. Learn more. 

Nominations and one additional letter of support are due on or before Monday, March 23, 2026. Submit your nomination.

The PCPD invites nominations for the Exemplary Advocate Award for Faculty/Staff, the Exemplary Advocate Award for Community Partner, and the Gregory Long, Ph.D., Award for Excellence in Service and Leadership. Please see the Presidential Commissions Award site for more information and to access the nomination form. Nominations are being accepted through Monday, March 2, 2026.

Campus visits by both prospective and admitted students are a critical part of the recruitment and enrollment process, playing a definitive role in helping students choose to enroll at NIU. The Undergraduate Admissions team hosts more than 15 on-campus events each academic year, welcoming hundreds of admitted and prospective students to learn what it’s like to be a Huskie.

During the spring 2026 semester, those events include:

While information is available online and electronically, visiting in person and seeing buildings, residence halls, classrooms, athletic facilities, green space and social spaces gives our prospective students a true feel for what our campus is like. And talking with faculty, staff and current students helps them understand what it means to be part of the Huskie Nation.  

Interested in volunteering at these events and helping welcome future Huskies? Sign up at the NIU Admission Events Volunteer Form.

Whether you play a direct role in these crucial events or can simply offer up a smile and wave to a group of touring students as they pass by, we hope you’ll help welcome our future Huskies.

The Office of Research Development (ORD) is pleased to announce an internal selection process for the Public Impact Research (PIR) Award sponsored by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU).

NIU is limited to one institutional nomination. To ensure a strong and competitive submission, ORD will conduct an internal competition through the InfoReady portal to identify NIU’s nominee.

Deadlines:

ORD will provide robust proposal development support. If interested, please use the Research Development Consultation Request Form.

The APLU Public Impact Research Award recognizes an APLU member institution for exceptional outcomes from one or more PIR initiatives. PIR reflects how university research improves lives and serves society locally, regionally, nationally and globally through multidisciplinary, community-engaged, research-practice partnership, participatory, translational, co-produced, and other use-inspired, public-facing efforts.

Applications are evaluated based on four core criteria: connection to public need, leveraged resources, evidence of impact and sustainability.

For more information:

Submissions for the Student Engagement Fund (SEF) are being accepted through Feb. 27 for proposed projects in the upcoming academic year (summer, fall and/or spring). SEF provides funding for undergraduate students working on faculty-mentored research, artistry and creative inquiry projects.

Faculty are eligible to apply for a maximum of $3,800 per year.  

Read the full details and apply by Feb. 27 to be considered for funding.  

Questions can be emailed to ugresearch@niu.edu.  

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.