HRS introduces form automation.

HRS is pleased to announce the introduction of form automation via the new online workflow toolkit, Kuali Build. Effective immediately, the following forms are accessible on the HR website through a dedicated Kuali link.

• Election of Payment Option for Faculty and SPS Employees
• Termination of Prudential LTD Coverage

HRS aims to enhance accessibility and streamline processes by making these forms available through Kuali. Additionally, we plan to introduce new forms on a regular basis, ensuring continuous process improvement in our service delivery. Regular updates regarding newly added forms will be communicated to the campus community through Monday Announcements.

 

Please visit the Kuali Build information page for addition details about Kuali Build or its functionalities.

 

Please email any questions to HumanResources@niu.edu.

University Library seeks feedback about services.

As we near the end of this academic year, University Libraries would like to ask you to reflect on the services, collections and resources they provide to assist you in your research, instruction and learning. Your responses to this survey will help plan for the future, and provide the necessary information to optimize resources to serve you better. As an additional topic, you're also asked to share your experiences related to open scholarship and open educational resources (OERs). This survey will remain open until end of day, Friday, April 19, and should take an average of five to 10 minutes to complete. The responses are anonymous, save for one option to share your email address if you would like more information or training on open access materials.

 

We appreciate your time, especially at this busy time of year, and we look forward to your responses. Please feel free to email your library liaison if you have any questions.

Operating Staff Council Call for Candidates

The NIU Operating Staff Council has five (5) vacancies on the Council to fill this year. All five (5) vacancies will be for three-year terms, starting July 1, 2024.

If you are:

• A Civil Service employee in a status position.
• Have your supervisor's permission.
• Are able to serve approximately five hours each month for council meetings and subcommittee participation.

Then the OSC encourages you to run!

We are an integral part of NIU's shared governance system through its participation, communication, advisement, and assistance on the resolution of issues and the formulation of policies relevant to the general welfare of all operating staff employees. The OSC is committed to performing its duties in a professional and conscientious manner in the furtherance of the NIU mission.

 

The council meets at 9 a.m. on the first Thursday of every month, 12 months a year. Currently, all meetings are virtual via Teams.

 

Interested in Running?

Complete the Candidate Data Sheet. The deadline is April 19, 2024 11:59 p.m. 

 

If you are unable to submit it electronically, please print the form and drop off at Altgeld 103 or scan to fmitchell@niu.edu 

 

Questions regarding elections? Contact Jim Slagstad, Election Committee, Operating Staff Council at jslagstad@niu.edu 

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.

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.

DoIT to offer "Tuesday Tech Tip."

The Division of Information Technology (DoIT) is offering “Tuesday Tech Tip” once a month. Tuesday Tech Tip is a 30-minute learning topic on one of the Microsoft Office products. There will be a 10-minute topic demonstration followed by 20 minutes for practice and questions.  DoIT is offering different topics each month at 11 a.m. Tuesday mornings. The topics include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and SharePoint.

• April 23: Excel Formulas – V-Lookup, CountIf, Sum IF.
• May 28: Word - Mail Merge.
• June 25: PowerPoint - Recording and Self-Running PPT.
• July 30: SharePoint - Creating a Site.
• Aug. 27: Teams – Creating a Channel and Using the @ Symbol.

Register for the Tuesday Tech Tips. Any questions can be directed to Cindy Kozumplik.

Register for the Happy Hour Cooking Class for staff.

Interested in honing your cooking skills while whipping up a tasty recipe? Gather your co-workers or come solo and make new campus connections. Our NIU Nutrition Crew will guide you through an interactive, hands-on cooking session making chicken caprese pasta. Plan to learn new cooking tricks, eat a delicious meal and, most importantly, have a great time! The fun begins 5 p.m. Monday, April 22. Register by April 15.

Through April 30: Asian American Heritage Month

Through April 30: Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Monday, April 8 through Friday, April 12: Spring Into Wellness

Monday, April 8: Solar Eclipse Viewing and Party

Tuesday, April 9: Brain Food - Innovation Conversation

Tuesday, April 9: Ellington's: Greek Chicken, Lemon and Garlic Tofu, Quinoa Veggie Chop Salad, Vegetables and Creme Brulee

Tuesday, April 9: "That Sucked. Now What?" with author Dr. Neeta Bhushan

Tuesday, April 9: Reality Bytes Independent Student Film Festival

Tuesday, April 9: Why We Eat What We Eat: Processed Food and Addiction

Wednesday, April 10: Spring Food Truck Wednesday

Wednesday, April 10: "That Sucked, Now What?" A story of resiliency with Neeta Bhushan

Wednesday, April 10: Charting Your Career Path: Leveraging Career Services and UNIV 301

Wednesday, April 10: Reality Bytes Independent Student Film Festival

Thursday, April 11: Supportive Professional Staff Council

Thursday, April 11 through Saturday, April 13: Booked and Blessed...OR BUST

Friday, April 12: Disability Justice Initiative: Oppression Response: Beyond Disability Related Legislations to Empowerment in the Context of the Family

Friday, April 12: World Music Fusion

Tuesday, April 16: Unite for Recovery: Bridging Healthcare Perspectives in Substance Use Disorders (SUD)

Wednesday, April 17: Curricular Innovation Grant Celebration

Wednesday, April 17: Introductory Commercial Card Training

Wednesday, April 17: STEM Café: Theatrical Special Effects: Engineering Spectacle

Thursday, April 18: Student Fulbright Workshop

Thursday, April 18: Northern Illinois Federal Credit Union Annual Meeting

Saturday, April 20: 2024 Northern Illinois Regional History Conference

Monday, April 22: Eating Sustainably, Eating Well

Monday, April 22: Huskie Fresh Staff Cooking Class: Chicken Caprese Pasta Register by April 15.

Wednesday, April 24: Neurodiversity Celebration

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

Friday, May 3: CISLL Year-end Retreat

Financial Month End Close

The month of March is closing for all financial reporting activity at noon Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Journals not posted at that time will go into April business. Submit March journals before end of business Monday, April 8. Final March reports are scheduled to be available Wednesday, April 10, 2024. In addition, April reports are scheduled to be available Thursday, April 11, 2024. These and other important dates can be found on the Controller’s Office website.

 

Fiscal Year Early Planning Procurement Guidelines effective March 1, 2024

It’s time to gear up for closing out Fiscal Year 2024 purchase orders and start planning for Fiscal Year 2025. 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 FY25 requisitions. Check the Procurement Procedures for thresholds and processing times.  Here are the key procurement deadlines: 

 

FY24   

New transactions less than $100K with an anticipated July 1st start date should be submitted to Procurement Services by June 1, 2024. 

Submit Change Order requisitions (increase/decrease), and requests to Rollover purchase orders to FY25 no later than May 1, 2024. 

Transactions requiring 2-party agreements should be submitted to Procurement not later than April 15, 2024. 

P-Card Transactions:  

Last recommended day to make P-Card Purchases to post this fiscal year – June 21, 2024. 

Last day to allocate P-Card transactions in PaymentNet to post this fiscal year- July 2, 2024. 

 

FY25  

Start your planning early for Fiscal Year 25 requests to ensure timely processing. 

P2PO (FMS) System opened on March 1, 2024 – time to enter your requisitions for routine purchases, and open orders for FY25.  

New requirements and open orders less than $100,000 must be submitted by June 1, 2024. 

New requirements greater than $100,000 must be submitted immediately.  

New FY25 RFP, IFB, Sole Source – time is of the essence. Just to be clear, there is a chance that new submissions might not be processed before July 1, 2024, because of the lengthy process and necessary approvals for these procurement types. Departments are encouraged to submit their requirements as soon as possible. 

 

Friday, April 5: Homecoming Grant Competition Deadline

Friday, April 19: Deadline for Operating Staff Council Call for Candidates

Wednesday, May 1: Staff Professional Development Academy Application Deadline

NIU Edible Campus springs into a new growing season

In 2023, NIU’s Edible Campus program broke ground on more than 100 raised beds throughout campus as well as the 5,000-square-foot Anderson Market Garden. One year later, the campus – and many hearts and minds – have been transformed. Read more.

Outstanding graduate students to be honored at upcoming ceremony

The Graduate School will celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of NIU’s graduate students on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. These students were nominated for recognition by their academic departments, are fellowship recipients, or are dissertation and thesis prize winners.  Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistants will be recognized by the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. Read more.

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