| Week of March 29, 2021
Contents: | | | | | Resources for Teaching Remotely | Teaching Tip of the Week
The Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning has compiled a helpful list of handouts, activities and strategies for managing tense topics and difficult moments in the classroom and to foster dialogue, discussion and empathy.
These resources provide techniques to manage hot-button issues, foster group discussion and communication, promote student self-inquiry and strengthen teaching about racism.
University Libraries has also created an Anti-Racism and Social Justice LibGuide meant to be a starting point to learn more about social justice and activism and to find information and community. The guide will evolve to include broader social justice resources for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). |
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| What advice would you give to students currently attending NIU?
“I would tell them to listen to others. Be open to new possibilities and new perspectives. At the same time, be critical of what you hear. Never trust authority just because it is the authority; think for yourself.” Valia Allori Professor, Department of Philosophy |
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| Upcoming Events
Please check the calendar for more information and for online-only events as they become available!
Visit the Huskie Athletics’ calendar of events for all upcoming athletic events.
• Monday, March 29: Recommendations for How to Write Job Descriptions
• Tuesday, March 30: Realizing Your Potential: The Employee’s Guide to Moving from Good to Great
• Tuesday, March 30: NIU Law — Race and Law Conversation on Environmental Justice
• Tuesday, March 30: Rebuilding Democracy Lecture Series: Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL 16)
• Wednesday, March 31: Crimson Days: The Early Story of NIU exhibit
• Wednesday, March 31: Spotlighting Women Faculty Researchers at NIU Panel
• Wednesday, March 31: Esports Career Lecture: Keisha Howard, Founder of Sugar Gamers
• Wednesday, March 31: Wednesday Night Wisdom with Microsoft's Corporate Vice President: Kelly Rogan
• Thursday, April 1: Operating Staff Council General Meeting
• Thursday, April 1 through Wednesday, May 12: NIU Communiversity Gardens Plant Sale
• Thursday, April 1: April Fools' Day Egg Hunt
• Thursday, April 1: Innovation Conversation
• Thursday, April 1: 20 Steps to a More Optimized LinkedIn Profile in 2021
• Thursday, April 1: Outdoor Adventures Weekly Thursday Campfires
• Friday, April 2: April Fools In Nature at Lorado Taft
• Friday, April 2: Outdoor Adventures Outdoor Leadership Series: Introduction to Trip Planning
• Saturday, April 3: Natural Egg Dying at Lorado Taft
• Wednesday, April 7: Esports Career Lecture: Michael Sallander, Vice President of Finance at Electronic Arts
• Wednesday, April 7: Honorary Blood Drive for Matt and Alyssa
• Friday, April 9: Music Maqamat in Egypt and the Levant during the 20th Century Between Arabic and Western Research
• Sunday, May 9: Deadline to join NIU Golf League |
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| Notices
PeopleSoft Maintenance Scheduled
The MyNIU Student System will be unavailable on Wednesday, March 31, from 5 to 10 p.m. due to system maintenance.
All three PeopleSoft systems (FMS, HR, and MyNIU Student) will be unavailable on Saturday, April 3, from 7 to 8 a.m. due to firewall configuration changes.
Automation of Additional Pay Approval Process Additional Pay Forms will be moving to an online submission and approval format utilizing PeopleSoft. The deadline to submit Additional Pay Forms (effective April 1, 2021 or later) to Human Resource Services for the April 30 pay date is April 8, 2021. Normal Payroll deadlines will apply going forward. Beginning May 1, 2021, Human Resource Services will no longer accept New Additional Pay Forms via paper or email. More information about the automation of additional pay approval process is available on the HRS News blog.
Nominations Being Sought for McKinley “Deacon” Davis Diversity Award
The Presidential Commission on Race and Ethnicity (PCORE), previously known as the Presidential Commission on the Status of Minorities, invites current students, faculty, SPS and civil service staff, academic units, offices, programs and organizations to nominate an outstanding student, faculty or staff member, or organization at Northern Illinois University for the McKinley “Deacon” Davis Diversity Award. This award recognizes significant contributions made to the improvement in the status and conditions for racial and ethnic groups on NIU’s campus. The PCORE will give four awards this year, with one award specifically designated for a student. The award recipients will be honored at the PCORE diversity summit April 14. The topic of the summit this year is Policing on Campus and in America. The nomination deadline for the McKinley “Deacon” Davis Diversity Award is March 31. Complete the nomination form.
For questions, contact Felicia R. Bohanon, PCORE chair at fbohanon@niu.edu or 815-753-1867.
NIU 403(b) Supplemental Retirement Plan approved vendor virtual appointments
Northern Illinois University sponsors the Northern Illinois University Supplemental Retirement Plan – Internal Revenue Code Section 403(b) (“Plan”). As an employee of Northern Illinois University receiving compensation reportable on a W-2, you are eligible to voluntarily elect to invest a portion of your compensation to the Plan to supplement your retirement savings. The Plan allows employees to make tax-deferred (pre-tax) and/or Roth option (after-tax) 403(b) investment contributions. The approved Vendor(s) in the Plan will be holding virtual appointments to provide individual financial counseling. Whether you are currently enrolled in the Plan or seeking additional information for future enrollment, each vendor listed below has provided a link to their company information and the dates of their future appointments for those who would like individual financial counseling. Vendor | Virtual Appointment Dates | Vendor Information | Fidelity Investments Nicholas Camarella Bob Intoccia | April 20, 2021 April 23, 2021 May 4, 2021 June 23, 2021 | Call 800-642-7131 or make an appointment online. For more information, visit www.fidelity.com. | TIAA
Patrick Windle Jennifer McClure | April 13, 2021 May 7, 2021 June 18, 2021 | Call 800-732-8353 or make an appointment online. For more information, visit www.tiaa.org. |
To obtain more information on the NIU Supplemental Retirement Plan 403(b), please visit the Human Resource Services website.
Presidential Commissions Accepting Membership Nominations
The Office of the President invites nominations of faculty, staff and students for appointment to the presidential commissions for terms to begin in fall 2021. Self-nominations are welcome.
• Presidential Commission on Interfaith Initiatives.
• Presidential Commission on Persons with Disabilities.
• Presidential Commission on Race and Ethnicity.
• Presidential Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.
• Presidential Commission on the Status of Women.
Forward nominations, including name, title, classification (faculty, instructor, supportive professional staff, operating staff, undergraduate student, graduate student), email and a brief statement summarizing your qualifications and desire to serve to Pat Erickson, Office of University Council, at pje@niu.edu. |
| Deadlines
Financial Month End Close
The month of March is closing for all financial reporting activity at noon Friday, April 9, 2021. Journals not posted at that time will go into April business. Submit March journals before end of business Thursday, April 8. Final March reports are scheduled to be available Monday, April 12, 2021. In addition, April reports are scheduled to be available Tuesday, April 13, 2021. These dates, and other important dates related to the Controller’s Office can be found on the Controller’s Office webpage.
Wednesday, March 31, 2021: Deadline for the 2021 Patricia S. Siebrasse Administrative Professional Award for Excellence
Sunday, May 9: Deadline to join NIU Golf League |
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| New recruitment and financial aid programs are drawing interest for fall 2021
As the spring semester nears its end, many at Northern Illinois University are looking ahead to next year, working to attract next fall’s incoming class. Aiding in that effort is a suite of new tools to make enrolling at NIU easier. Read more. |
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| NIU’s Rebuilding Democracy Lecture Series welcomes Rep. Adam Kinzinger March 30
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences proudly welcomes Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL 16) as the next guest in their Rebuilding Democracy Lecture Series at 6 p.m. CT March 30. 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
Lisa Freeman becomes 13th NIU President (2017)
The sudden departure of former President Doug Baker in the summer of 2017 gave NIU’s governing board a strong sense of urgency about finding a new leader. Not only was the timetable short, but NIU’s next president would have to move quickly in repairing damage from the just-ended state budget impasse. Learn more about President Lisa Freeman > |
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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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