Feb. 23, 2026

We will soon implement a new system, Simple Journal, designed to provide an alternative and more efficient method for submitting journal entries.

Training sessions are now available and are strongly recommended prior to using this new system. These sessions include a comprehensive, step-by-step walkthrough of the entry and submission process, along with time for questions throughout.

Register for training today.

Interested in developing an open educational resource (OER) or an open pedagogy project for your undergraduate course? NIU Libraries is seeking faculty projects for inclusion in our grant proposal for the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI) Member OER Initiative due March 31.

Eligible project types:

All materials produced must carry a CC BY 4.0 license. Projects must be completed by June 30, 2028, and participating faculty must teach with the OER and collect data for three years afterward.

If funded, you will receive compensation, and NIU Libraries will provide training plus copyediting and peer review support.

For consideration, please submit your NIU Libraries’ CARLI OER Grant Application: Faculty Interest Form by Feb. 25, 2026.

Questions? Contact larissagarcia@niu.edu.

University-level committee service provides an important opportunity for NIU faculty to take an active role in shared governance. It is through shared governance that faculty can impact campus-wide academic decisions, help set the direction of NIU for the future and contribute to the promotion of academic freedom and productivity.

Soon the administration of NIU’s colleges and University Libraries will be reaching out to offer these opportunities to serve on a wide variety of committees, councils and boards for terms to begin in fall 2026. Faculty are encouraged to engage in this process and consider representing their college or University Libraries in this way.

Shared governance rests on the idea that the healthy functioning of our university is the shared responsibility of faculty, administration, staff, students, and the Board of Trustees. Serving on these committees is one way for faculty to directly contribute to the health of our university.

We’re excited to share a few updates to HSC retail dining options, including extended hours and new weekly specials beginning Monday, Feb. 16.

Updated Hours
The Grill at Huskie Den will now be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, extending service by one hour.

Weekly Specials
The following specials will be offered each week:

Please note: Specials are in-person only, not available on Grubhub, and open to NIU students and faculty/staff only.

A new policy is open to review and comment for a 30-day period. This provides our NIU community with the opportunity to consider and respond to the policy before it takes effect. The policy is:

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

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.

The NIH Basic Instrumentation Grant (BIG) Program (S10; Clinical Trial Not Allowed), supports the acquisition of state-of-the-art scientific instruments that are essential for advancing modern biomedical research. For full details of this opportunity, please see the NIH BIG NOFO. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) limits the number of proposals an institution can submit to this funding opportunity to one application per institution. The Office of Research Development (ORD) will manage an internal selection process to identify which proposals will be fully developed into proposals to the NIH Basic Instrumentation Grant (BIG) funding opportunity. Information for internal submission is available on the InfoReady/NIH BIG portal.

NEA Grants for the Arts

The NEA announced new guidelines for the Grants for Arts Program on Feb. 19, 2026. The institutional limit has been removed and the internal competition on InfoReady has been taken down. For proposal development support, please email your RDS or fill out a Research Development Consultation Request.

Reminder: All current limited submission funding opportunities are listed on the ORD InfoReady internal competition portal. 

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.

Submit a clever, lightweight and creative idea for something we can attach to our weather balloon (to be launched April 26, 2026) such as a meaningful symbol, unique object or cool experiment that represents our university spirit without adding too much weight (less than 6 ounces which is a standard hockey puck).

Last year's winner was Steve D., for his suggestion of "space radishes," a packet of radish seeds that were planted in the NIU community garden after the weather balloon was recovered, simultaneously representing NIU's commitments to sustainability (community gardens/edible campus) and innovation (sending the seeds to edge of space). We look forward to seeing what new and unique ideas the Huskie community comes up with.

The deadline is March 26, 2026. The winner will be notified by email and receive $100 in cash. This event is hosted by Proxima Centauri Alpha, an honorary STEM society recognized by NIU. All NIU staff and students are invited to participate.

Submit your idea today.

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 February is closing for all financial reporting activity at noon Monday, March 9, 2026. Journals not posted at that time will go into March business. Submit February journals before end of business Friday, March 6. Final February reports are scheduled to be available Tuesday March 10, 2026. In addition, March reports are scheduled to be available Wednesday, March 11, 2026. These and other important dates can be found on the Controller's Office website.