HRS releases new automated form.

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

 

Payroll Deduction Authorizations

• General
  • (includes NIU Annuitants, NIU Accounts Receivable, State of Illinois Offset and Union Dues)
• Faculty / Staff Meal Plans

HRS aims to enhance accessibility and streamline processes by making these 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.

Faculty and staff volunteers needed for commencement.

As we approach the end of the semester, we look forward to celebrating with our Class of 2024 at the May Commencement Ceremonies held May 10 and 11, 2024 at the Convocation Center. In order to help make these events successful for our graduates, families, and guests, please consider volunteering your time at one or more events. Volunteers have been critical to creating a fun, organized and celebratory event for NIU graduates.

If you are interested in helping out, and are not already participating through your academic college or the graduate school (note, graduate faculty hooding and marching have received a separate invite), please go to the commencement volunteer website and fill out the volunteer form no later than April 29, 2024.

Register for STEAM Summer Camps.

Your summer adventure awaits. Check out sessions for grades 2-12. Various camps available in July through early August.

• Day Camps – For campers entering grades 2-5 or grades 6-9. Monday through Friday.
  Great for parents working on campus.
• Residential Camps at NIU DeKalb – For high school campers entering grades 9-12. Sunday through Friday. Campers experience life on a college campus and explore career topics like engineering, video game design, technology and health sciences.
• Residential Camps at Lorado Taft Field Campus – For middle school campers entering grades 6-9. Tuesday through Friday. Campers experience the beautiful outdoors and explore STEAM topics in nature.

Visit the STEAM Camps website for details and registration. Don’t miss the early-bird deadline of April 30.

Do you work with community partners?  We need to hear from you!

Partnerships are key to community engagement and community engagement is integral to NIU’s mission. That’s why we’re asking you to tell us about community partnerships in this simple Community Partnership Form. It will only take a few minutes to share your contact information, a brief description of your partnership, and the most remarkable outcome.

 

Why share now?  NIU is proud to be classified as a Carnegie Engaged Institution.  Throughout this year, a team of faculty and staff are working on a self-study as we prepare to apply for reclassification in 2025.  Your input will allow us to celebrate and support partnerships already happening and explore new partnership opportunities. 

 

Complete the short form now.

 

Thanks for your participation.  We look forward to hearing about your partnerships!

 

Questions?  Contact a member of the Engagement Roundtable.

Faculty, Staff and Alumni Week at the Huskie Food Pantry (May 7-9; shifts vary)

Finals week is one of the hardest weeks for our Huskie Food Pantry to recruit volunteers since it is mostly student-supported and most students are busy studying. You can help our Huskie Food Pantry fill this gap and serve students by registering to volunteer. Close to 50 volunteers are needed to help intake and sort food, organize the pantry and support students as they shop Tuesday through Thursday of finals week.

NIU employees can use their Huskies Give Back (volunteer leave) time to support the pantry/closet and our students during a time when support is sorely needed. Learn more about our Huskies Give Back program, which allows employees to volunteer during regular working hours.

Important changes for NSF proposals and awards

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is issuing several important policy changes with the new  Proposal Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) that will take effect for proposals submitted on or after May 20, 2024. Faculty and staff who work with NSF should carefully review these changes. 

Key changes involve new requirements for:

• Current and pending support and biographical sketches.
• Graduate student mentoring plans.
• Research security disclosures.

Learn more by visiting the Sponsored Programs Administration Newsblog.

OSC recreating a “Whom to Contact” list to facilitate the success of new employees.

We appreciate the ongoing support we’ve received over the last several weeks regarding our “Whom to Contact” list; much thanks to those who have taken the time to fill out our survey. We look forward to sharing this incredible resource with new employees.

 

To ensure accuracy and completeness of this resource, we ask that if you have yet to input your department’s data, that you take a moment to do so now. The survey is brief and should only require a couple of minutes of your time.

 

Thank you for your participation. Your input will help pave the way for the success of our new employees.

PCORE to present Deacon Davis Diversity Awards at annual luncheon.

The Presidential Commission on Race and Ethnicity (PCORE) will present its Deacon Davis Diversity Awards on Tuesday, April 23 in the Holmes Student Center Duke Ellington Ballroom at noon. The 2024 awardees are Honors student Dyeato Paye, the Huskie Food Pantry, Fred Barnhart, Simón E. Weffer-Elizondo and Felicia Bohanon. Students, staff, faculty and members of the community are welcome to attend the Diversity and Inclusion Luncheon. RSVP for the luncheon. 

 

Dr. Robin Hughes will serve as the keynote speaker for the luncheon. Her talk, beginning at 1:00 p.m., is titled “Season of my Missed Contempt: A Black women's origin story of revolution, rapture, and radical activist behavior.” At 2:30 p.m. the luncheon discussion will continue with a virtual panel. The panel will focus on recent issues in the news concerning Black women in higher education. Panelists will share how they have responded to challenging issues and how to persist and persevere. Confirmed speakers include Quianna Jones (NIU), Janice Hamlet (NIU), Deborah Harper-Brown (Chicago State), Asia Smith (Texas A&M University), and Teri McMurtry-Chubb (UIC). The panel will be facilitated by PCORE member and Director of Student Conduct, Joy Mitchell. Join Zoom Meeting. 

 

For more information concerning the luncheon or panel contact PCORE Chair Felicia R. Bohanon at fbohanon@niu.edu.

T-RISE May Workshop scheduled for May 15-16.

The Transdisciplinary Research Incubator for STEM Education (T-RISE) will host a two-day proposal writing workshop 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., May 15 and 16. Participants should come with their collaborators and prepared to work on grants for external STEM education funding or a T-RISE seed grant. The May workshop offers dedicated time and support to assist you in writing your seed grant proposal. During this workshop, we will provide meals, a comfortable workspace and opportunities for feedback from peers and mentors on your draft. 

 

Please RSVP by May 1. For questions about this event, please contact Nicole LaDue nladue@niu.edu. 

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

• Extra and Supplemental Compensation by May 17.

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 our university policy librarian at policy-library@niu.edu.

Through April 30: Asian American Heritage Month

Through April 30: Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Monday, April 22: Eating Sustainably, Eating Well

Tuesday, April 23: Ellington's: BBQ Chicken, Pork or Jackfruit Sliders, Cole Slaw, Mac and Cheese, Brussels Sprouts, Cornbread and Sheet Cake

Tuesday, April 23: Tuesday Tech Tip — Excel Formulas

Tuesday, April 23: PCORE Deacon Davis Awards Luncheon: The Challenges Black Women in Higher Ed Face and Yet Persevere

Tuesday, April 23: Asian Americans in Politics with State Representative, Theresa Mah

Tuesday, April 23: Virtual Vendor Showcase

Tuesday, April 23: NIU Jazz Ensemble Concert

Wednesday, April 24: Spring Food Truck Wednesday

Wednesday, April 24: Staff Professional Development Academy Information Session

Wednesday, April 24: Celebration of Life: Sharon Howard

Wednesday, April 24: Neurodiversity Celebration

Thursday, April 25: **ONLINE** Using the Blackboard Ultra Gradebook

Thursday, April 25: "Who's Hungry?" College Student Food Experiences in Their Own Voices

Thursday, April 25: University Staff Awards Ceremony

Thursday, April 25 through Sunday, April 28: Spring Dance Concert

Friday, April 26: Edible Campus Volunteer Day

Sunday, April 28: Latino Graduation

Monday, April 29: What is Sustainable Design? The Ecology of the Built Environment in Historical Perspective

Save the Date for the Conference on Undergraduate Research and Engagement

The Conference on Undergraduate Research and Engagement (CURE) provides NIU Undergraduate students from all colleges with the opportunity to showcase their research, artistry or engagement projects they are completing or have completed as part of a capstone or senior project, community engagement project or course, independent study or funded research and artistry program through posters and exhibits for a chance to place in their respective award category.

 

This year's event will be held in person at the Holmes Student Center on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. 

Financial Month End Close

The month of April is closing for all financial reporting activity at noon on Thursday, May 9, 2024.  Journals not posted at that time will go into May business. Submit April journals before end of business on Wednesday, May 8. Final April reports are scheduled to be available Friday, May 10, 2024. In addition, May reports are scheduled to be available Tuesday, May 13, 2024.  These dates, and other important dates related to the Controller’s Office can be found here: Calendars and Important Dates - NIU - Controller's Office.

 

Fiscal Year 2024 Due Dates for Accounting Transactions

We are preparing to wrap up another fiscal year here at NIU and it is important that we finalize the university’s FY 2024 financial statements in a timely manner. Please ensure that all FY 2024 transactions for your department are properly classified and submitted to the Accounting Office by the deadlines listed below:

• June 18, 2024: Year-end cutoff for posting all journal activity occurring prior to June from all fund sources due to General Ledger at JournalEntries@niu.edu.
• June 28, 2024: All FY 2024 cash and/or checks received must be deposited at the Bursar’s Office in Swen Parson 235, and must be made in accordance with Bursar’s Office policy
• July 15, 2024: All FY 2024 approved invoices, check requests and travel reimbursement requests due to Accounts Payable Services at AccountsPayableSrvs@niu.edu or Lowden Hall 208.
• July 15, 2024: Year-end cutoff for posting all journal activity occurring in June from all fund sources due to General Ledger at JournalEntries@niu.edu.

It is very important to note that transactions required to be processed in FY 2024 must be received by the requested due dates (do not hold FY 2024 documents even if the deadline has passed).

 

Please review all transactions and balances in applicable cost centers, paying particular attention to appropriate cut-off for transactions occurring during the months of June and July. Note that all goods and services received prior to June 30, 2024, must be recorded as an expenditure or accrued as a liability in the current fiscal year. Goods and services received after June 30, 2024, must be recorded as an expenditure in Fiscal Year 2025. University sales and services performed prior to June 30, 2024, must be recorded as revenue in the current fiscal year. University sales or services to be performed after June 30, 2024, must be recorded as revenue in FY 2025. If you have any questions concerning how transactions should be recorded, please contact an Accounting Office representative.

 

We appreciate your full cooperation as we work to ensure a successful close out of FY 2024.  Should you have any questions about the year-end process, please email the Controller’s Office at ControllerOffice@niu.edu for assistance. 

 

Monday, April 29: Faculty and Staff Commencement Volunteer sign-up deadline

Wednesday, May 1: Staff Professional Development Academy Application Deadline

Friday, May 17: Nomination deadline to serve on Presidential Commissions

U.S. News ranks NIU MPA program 4th nationally for local government management

U.S. News & World Report has named NIU’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) program fourth in the nation in the specialty field of local government management. Read more.

Departments recognized as leaders in course materials affordability

This spring, NIU’s  Course Materials Affordability Task Force (CMAT) presented the second annual  Affordable Course Materials (ACM) Department Awards. These awards are part of the task force’s  Leading Impact Program,  which supports and recognizes academic departments and individual faculty for their adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER) and other free or low-cost materials in courses. Read more.

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