| Week of April 5, 2021
Contents: | | | | | Resources for Teaching Remotely | Teaching Tip of the Week
With only a few weeks remaining for the semester, it is a good time to start thinking about strategies to end the semester with your students. Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning staff will lead a discussion on Wednesday, April 7 from 11 a.m. to noon. Learn ways to prepare to the end the semester by helping student finish strong and reflecting on your teaching style. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own challenges and victories on how the semester went. Advance registration is required. |
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| What advice would you give to students currently attending NIU?
“My advice to current NIU students would be to take advantage of all of the resources NIU has to offer. Don't be afraid to seek out or ask for help when you need it. You don't have to go through your journey alone. Amanda Smothers Teaching and Learning Coordinator, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning |
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| | Applaud a colleague is a show of appreciation for those co-workers who go above and beyond. These are just a few of the employees throughout the university that go the extra mile:
• Sue Gossman
• Carrie Blackwood-Williams
• Tom Parisi
• Lianne Mace
• Dee Malm
• Karina Degaetano
• Alexander Savitt
• Jeffrey Salmon
• Claire Mogren
• Mariana A. Ricklefs |
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| Read recent applause and take the time to applaud a colleague for a job well done > |
| Upcoming Events
Please check the calendar for more information and for online-only events as they become available!
View the NIU Huskies’ calendar of events for all upcoming athletic events.
• Monday, April 5 through Friday April 9: NIU Cares: Service to your Community
• Tuesday, April 6: DeKalb County Consolidated Elections
• Tuesday, April 6: Hospitality 320 "Ellington's" served at The Depot
• Tuesday, April 6: Outdoor Adventures Lagoon Hourly Boat Rentals
• Tuesday, April 6: Seeking a Position in Academia: Preparing Your Application Materials
• Wednesday, April 7: Medical Device Forum Series, NIU Biomedical Engineering Society
• Wednesday, April 7: Nature Tots at Lorado Taft
• Wednesday, April 7: Honorary Blood Drive for Matt and Alyssa
• Wednesday, April 7: Start by Believing
• Wednesday, April 7: Inclusion By Design--Not Default
• Thursday, April 8: SPS Council Meeting (Virtual)
• Thursday, April 8: Hospitality 320 "Ellington's" served at The Depot
• Thursday, April 8: Networking and Building Professional Relationships
• Thursday, April 8: Innovation Conversation
• Thursday, April 8: Resume Trends & Forecasts for 2021
• Thursday, April 8: Outdoor Adventures Weekly Thursday Campfires
• Friday, April 9: Outdoor Adventures Outdoor Leadership Series: Introduction to Boats
• Friday, April 9: Campfire Trivia and S'mores at Lorado Taft
• Friday, April 9: Music Maqamat in Egypt and the Levant during the 20th Century Between Arabic and Western Research
• Saturday, April 10: Edible Plants at Lorado Taft
• Sunday, April 11: Music for Self-Care and Healing
• Wednesday, April 14: STEM Café — Trash Talk: Rethinking Recycling |
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| Notices
Tune in to celebrate 30 years of WNIJ
89.5 WNIJ-FM is celebrating 30 years of public broadcasting this year — we went on the air April 28, 1991 — and we're asking you to join us! Tune in throughout April for “30 Reasons to Love WNIJ.” The feature airs daily during Morning Edition and All Things Considered, or listen on our mobile app or website.
Catch up with former WNIJ staff who have gone on to bright careers in public broadcasting, hear stories of pivotal moments in WNIJ history — and the history our reporters have covered — and learn why other listeners love to learn something new every day from NPR and WNIJ.
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.
GrubHub is now accepting Huskie Bucks
GrubHub now accepting Huskie Bucks – Support NIU by using your NIU OneCard on or off campus, nationwide!
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| 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.
Sunday, May 9: Deadline to join NIU Golf League |
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| NIU Foundation launches new crowdfunding program
Those looking to make a difference at NIU have a new tool to help raise much-needed financial support. NIU Impact, the NIU Foundation’s new crowdfunding program, launched April 1 at http://crowdfund.niu.edu and features ten campaigns. Read more.
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| ADEI and Safe Passage host events recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness Month
NIU’s Office of Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ADEI) and Safe Passage join communities, workplaces and campuses across the country in hosting awareness and prevention events throughout the month of April, which is nationally recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. 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
Pandemic tests Huskie resolve (2020 – present)
On Jan. 30, 2020, NIU faculty, staff and students received an email that urged anyone who had recently traveled to China to be tested for an unknown virus known as COVID-19. Two months later, that virus had caused the largest public health crisis in more than a century, shutting down the entire campus, much of the nation and world in the process. Learn more about NIU's response to the COVID-19 pandemic > |
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| NIU Well-Being Tip: Celebrating Our Colleagues
by the Employee Assistance Program and Counseling and Consultation Services
As we enter April, we near the end of another academic year and the beginning of what is a month of celebrations on campus. Faculty and staff are traditionally honored and recognized during one of our many celebratory events – although most will continue to be hosted virtually. Are you feeling a bit left out of the celebrating? The celebration does not just have to stay with those campus winners. Over the past year we have proven in one way or another that we’re all winners while navigating work during the time of COVID, but what do we do to recognize, celebrate and show our appreciation to each other in our departments and offices? We share some ideas to possibly consider for your own celebrations.
• During your work meeting, take time at the end of publicly recognize an employee for a job well-done. If recognizing the outcome of a team effort, take the time to recognize each person on the team by name versus recognizing “Mary’s Team.” Otherwise, the only person who might end up feeling appreciated is Mary.
• Share some wonderful comments another person might have shared about one of your colleagues.
• Send a handwritten “Thank You” note to show you appreciate something your colleague has done.
• Share a virtual lunch together or host another virtual event (like a game night or after hours gathering) where everyone can gather.
• Continue our campus traditions virtually. “Red and Black Fridays” can continue online. Plan for everyone to check in on Microsoft Teams or Zoom during an agreed upon time to show how they are celebrating their Huskie Pride.
• Celebrate and recognize employees who have come up with creative or unique ways to do office tasks remotely.
• Don’t forget to continue to celebrate work anniversaries, retirements, the birth of a baby, new pets and birthdays.
• Maybe you work with one of the individuals who will be receiving one of the campus awards, make it a time for your team to gather and recognize their colleague.
• Still need an idea? Celebrate the end of another academic year, the start of spring, or maybe the completion of some big project in your area.
Do not forget to take the time to recognize and show we value one another. There is always a reason to celebrate, let’s take the time to do more of it! |
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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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