March 10, 2025

The niu.edu/budget website has been updated with additional guidance on swag and catering. In addition, there's new content on the Current Fiscal Year Data webpage and there’s now a link to information about compensation at NIU on the data webpage.

The MyNIU Student System will be unavailable on Monday evening, March 10th, between 5:00 PM and 9:00 PM due to system maintenance.

As part of our new travel guidelines communicated to campus in the Jan. 23, 2025 email announcements, all essential or mission-critical travel must be approved by the appropriate vice president or dean before the travel occurs. Documentation illustrating this approval must now be uploaded to an electronic travel voucher for the travel voucher to be submitted. Authorized cost center signers must review the traveler’s pretravel authorization documentation for the appropriate vice president or dean approval before approving the travel voucher in OnBase.

For employees travelling as part of their normal duties (e.g., student teaching observations, recruiting), only one authorization form is needed per fiscal year. However, each department may set shorter blanket approval periods for their areas. Please be sure to list the date range of travel and the business purpose for travel. The same authorization form can then be resubmitted with each respective travel voucher submitted during the covered period. 

For questions about the electronic travel voucher, please send an email to AccountsPayableSrvs@niu.edu. 

Proposals are now being accepted for our 118th Homecoming Grant Competition.

Do you have an idea for a homecoming event that you would like to see on campus, or want to enhance an existing homecoming event? The Homecoming Executive Committee invites all students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members to submit formal proposals for review! Our 118th Homecoming celebration will take place the week of Sept. 28 through Oct. 5, 2025. The deadline to submit a grant proposal is Friday, April 4, 2025.

The Division of Research and Innovation Partnerships will be hosting a series of launch forums designed to partner with faculty to broaden funding sources. There forums will be held will be held Monday, March 17 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. and Wednesday, March 19 from 10:30 to noon at the 71 North studio in Founders Memorial Library. Additionally, a virtual forum will be held Tuesday, March 18 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on Teams. Please register here.

NIU students have a new opportunity to gain knowledge, skills and professional connections to position themselves for early career success during Career Readiness Week. Numerous events are scheduled for the week of April 7-11 to bolster students’ career preparations; more than 60 employers are scheduled to be involved.

Two events give an overview of NIU’s new Huskie Career Launchpad program, in which students earn digital badges for their accomplishments on the road to being career-ready. Visit the NIU events calendar to register and learn more about all scheduled Career Readiness Week events.

We are excited to invite you to participate in NIU Cares Day of Service, our annual day of service where Huskies come together to give back to our community. The deadline to register is Friday, March 21, so don’t miss this chance to be part of something special. 

This year's event will take place on April 4, and we would love for you to join us in making a positive impact! The event kickoff takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Duke Ellington Ballroom at the Holmes Student Center. Work at community service sitees will take place from 1 to 3 p.m.  Register as an individual, with your student organization, or as a department team:

NIU Cares Day 2025 Sign Up  

Please consider nominating a student, colleague, or community partner for our 2025 PCPD Awards. The deadline for nominations is March 28 and the Awards Reception take place on Thursday, April 17 from 2 to 3 p.m. in Altgeld Hall, room 203.

Information on the awards:

Presidential Commission on Persons with Disabilities (PCPD) offers four awards in recognition of individuals who provide outstanding service, leadership and advocacy to persons with disabilities. View the PCPD award descriptions and nomination form for more information.

Take time to recognize those who have made a difference!

Sponsored Programs Administration will continue with our five week intensive, covering the fundamentals of research administration across the grant lifecycle. The second session will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 12, and will cover SPA Pre-award. The remaining sessions will follow every Wednesday through April 2, 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 17, for the third session of virtual open houses to focus on various aspects of grants management. This session will cover Tuition Waivers/Tuition Remission/Cost Share. Each session will include 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.For more information and to register for all sessions, please visit our Sponsored Programs Newsblog.

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.

It’s time to gear up for closing out Fiscal Year 2025 purchase orders and start planning for FY 2026. As the fiscal year wraps up, things get busy for business offices throughout the university, but Procurement Services and Contract Management is here to help with guidelines, instructions and reminders. The P2PO System is now open for FY 2026 requisitions. Check the Procurement Procedures for thresholds and processing times.  Here are the key procurement deadlines.

Important Deadlines: 

FY 2025   

FY 2026  

Reminders: 

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. 

Faculty in all content areas using technology in their classes may apply for the David W. Raymond Award for the Use of Technology in Teaching. Sponsored by the Committee for the Improvement of the Undergraduate Academic Experience, this grant awards $1,000 annually. All tenured/tenure-track faculty are eligible.

Submit your nomination by Friday, March 21. Contact fishaq@niu.edu with questions.