Feb. 24, 2025

Join President Freeman for the State of the University conversation on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 at 3 p.m. in the Altgeld Hall Auditorium. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions both in-person and online, and  employees are granted release time to join the event.

NIU faculty members, staff members and students are invited to attend open forums with the finalists for dean of the College of Education.

Open forum sessions with the candidates will be in person with a virtual attendance option, and are as follows:

Contact the provost's office at provost@niu.edu for more information on the open forums.

The Supportive Professional Staff Council is accepting nominations for the SPS Awards, SPS Certificates, and the SPS Personnel Advisor. We are also asking that you respond to the SPS Workplace Climate Survey.  Learn more about these opportunities and criteria for nominations by visiting the links below: 

As previously indicated, HRS is actively pursuing form automation. Effective immediately, the following form is accessible on the HR website through a dedicated Kuali link.

Excess Hours Permit

HRS aims to enhance accessibility and streamline processes by making forms available through Kuali Build, an online workflow toolkit.

Please visit the Kuali Build information page for addition details about Kuali Build or its functionalities. Please email any questions to HumanResources@niu.edu.

Huskies, be sure to mark your calendars! Ellington’s Restaurant reopens its doors Tuesday, Feb. 25. Each week, BADM 303 students will create and prepare themed meals for you, your friends and your colleagues to enjoy. Service takes place every Tuesday through April 29 except for spring break. Menus are posted to both our Ellington’s website and NIU Events Calendar. We thank you in advance for your continued support as our students gain hands-on experience. No reservations required. Dining Dollars, Huskies Bucks and debit/credit accepted.

The Faculty Senate is accepting self-nominations from among tenured faculty for the position of NIU representative to the Faculty Advisory Council to the IBHE. The person elected will serve a four-year, renewable term beginning fall 2025 (2025-26, 2026-27, 2027-28, 2028-29).

The Faculty Advisory Council to the IBHE meets in person and monthly on Fridays. Meetings convene at 9 a.m. and adjourn at approximately 3 p.m. Meetings are held at various institutions of higher education throughout the state, and the NIU representative is required to attend these monthly, in-person meetings on a regular, consistent basis (travel reimbursement, in accordance with state reimbursement policies, is provided).

Further, the NIU representative is expected to report back to the Faculty Senate and to the University Council regarding issues related to the Faculty Advisory Council and to NIU. Faculty Senate and University Council each meet in person and monthly at 3 p.m. Wednesdays. If not otherwise a member, the NIU representative will serve as an ex officio nonvoting member of the Faculty Senate and the University Council.

The NIU representative receives annual compensation equal to one month of the median salary of all tenured faculty.

Interested faculty members should send a letter of self-nomination describing their interest and qualifications to Ben Creed, president of Faculty Senate, by Monday, March 17. Questions should be directed to Ben Creed.

Faculty Senate is accepting self-nominations for the position of faculty personnel advisor. The person elected will serve a three-year, renewable term beginning fall 2025 (2025-26, 2026-27, 2027-28).

The faculty personnel advisor’s role includes the following activities:

For additional information, including a summary of anticipated workload, see current FPA Carrie Kortegast’s 2023-24 Summary of Service.  

The advisor must be a full-time faculty member and have experience with the personnel process at various levels and be familiar with the administrative structure and operations of the university.

The advisor shall receive an annual stipend equal to one month of the median salary of all tenured professors.

For a more detailed description of the faculty personnel advisor role, see Faculty Senate Bylaws, Article 13.

Interested faculty members should send a letter of self-nomination describing their interest and qualifications to Ben Creed, president of Faculty Senate, by Monday, March 17. Questions should be directed to Ben Creed.

The Division of Information Technology is offering multiple learning opportunities this semester. We have Tuesday Tech Tips, monthly, topic-specific workshops and custom workshops for your departments.

Tuesday Tech Tips were a hit this past semester, so we will continue to offer a variety of short topics.  These sessions are 30 minutes with allotted time to practice and ask questions.

Monthly workshops are offered in virtual format over Microsoft Teams. We offer workshops on Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint, Planner, Teams, Access and OneNote.

Continuing this semester, we offer custom workshops by department. You can review our custom workshop request form and select from a list of topics we have available to meet your department’s needs. The workshop format will be to your department’s needs. Please allow two to four weeks for custom workshops requests.

View our full workshop calendar.

Please direct any questions to Cindy Kozumplik, business analyst, Division of Information Technology.

Submissions for the Student Engagement Fund (SEF) are being accepted through Feb. 28 for projects funded 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, with the following limitations:  

Read the full details and apply by Feb. 28 to be considered for funding. Questions can be emailed to ugresearch@niu.edu. 

Sponsored Programs Administration is pleased to provide a virtual, six-week intensive covering the fundamentals of research administration across the grant lifecycle. This program kicks off with an “Intro to Research Administration and Grants” session followed by five virtual sessions. The first session will be held 10 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 5, 2025. The remaining sessions take place every Wednesday through April 9, 2025. For more information and registration for all sessions, please visit our Sponsored Programs Newsblog. We look forward to working with you.

Join Sponsored Programs Administration Monday, March 3, 2025, for the second session of virtual open houses to focus on various aspects of grants management. This session will cover building a budget. Sessions will run biweekly from 10 to 11 a.m. Mondays through May 12, 2025. Each session includes a Q&A segment. Upcoming sessions will include topics such as nonfinancial award actions, time and effort, compliance and more. If interested, please register and join us.

The NIU Alumni Association is excited to announce the new Northern Lights Award. This award recognizes the incredible efforts of exemplary volunteers while honoring the life and spirit of a faithful volunteer, Liz McSpadden ’10, M.B.A. ’16. Help us recognize the generosity, initiative, reliability, joyfulness and curiosity of your fellow alumni volunteers. Nominations for our inaugural Northern Lights Award opened Jan. 26, Liz’s birthday, with a priority deadline of Feb. 28. Learn more and submit your nomination today. Learn more. 

Campers live the life of an artist at NIU in DeKalb this summer exploring creativity, experiencing residence hall life, meeting mentors, making lifelong friends and more.

Summer arts camps at NIU fill quickly — register early to guarantee your spot.

NIU staff, faculty, students and returning campers receive a camp fee discount, and early-bird registrants save an additional $50.

Eligible families are encouraged to apply for need-based scholarship assistance through May 1.

Call our Summer in the Arts camp office at 815-753-1450 and visit our website for more information. 

 The Study Abroad Office is now accepting proposals for Academic Year 2025-26. Visit the Study Abroad Office Sharepoint site for access to all forms, and detailed instructions on the 2025-2026 proposal process. The proposal deadlines are as follows:

You are invited to participate in a significant research project by Stephanie D. Uhr, Ph.D.: Examination and Validation of the Breastmilk Feeding Awareness Level Measurement Tool. Your contribution will be invaluable in quantifying previous exposure/experience of breastmilk feeding. You do not need any breastmilk feeding experience to participate.

This study began in fall 2024 with focus groups to develop the measurement tool. This second phase will collect responses on the newly created Breastmilk Feeding Awareness Level measurement tool (16 questions). An additional 17 questions will measure breastfeeding attitude. This survey is designed to be brief, taking only five to 10 minutes of your time.

Your participation in this research is entirely voluntary. You can withdraw at any point by simply stopping the online survey without any negative consequences.

If you have any questions about this study, don't hesitate to contact Professor Uhr at suhr@niu.edu or 815-753-6556.

Take the survey.

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. 

Mark your calendars for Huskie Trek Talks 2025: Ideas in Motion. Come witness the ingenuity and artistry of some of NIU’s most inventive minds as they share groundbreaking ideas, creative breakthroughs and transformative experiences that will shape the future. 

Join us for this free look into inspiration at NIU on Saturday, March 1. Hybrid video and in-person Trek Talks begin at 3:00 p.m. in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center! niufoundation.org/TrekTalks25 

The month of February is closing for all financial reporting activity at noon Monday, March 10, 2025. Journals not posted at that time will go into March business. Submit February journals before end of business Friday, March 7.  Final February reports are scheduled to be available Tuesday, March 11, 2025. In addition, March reports are scheduled to be available Wednesday, March 12, 2025. These and other important dates can be found on the Controller's Office website.