Student Move-in is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 19 and Thursday, Aug. 20. Help welcome our Huskies to campus and show your Huskie spirit by volunteering to greet students as they arrive and help them get to their rooms. Move-in is a high-energy, fun and rewarding experience, and your contribution truly makes a difference to our students and their families. Please volunteer where and when you are able, and let's welcome our new Huskies! Sign up to volunteer. 

The Presidential Commission on Well-Being invites faculty and staff to apply for a 2026 Well-Being Mini-Grant to support programs and initiatives that advance a culture of well-being at NIU. Made possible by a gift from Northwestern Medicine, the grants fund ideas that foster connection, care and engagement for students, staff and faculty. 

Requests of up to $1,500 are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed about twice a month until the $50,000 in available funding is awarded. An early application window runs through Sept. 14, 2026, and priority may be given to programs taking place before Dec. 31, 2026. 

Learn more and apply for a Well-Being Mini-Grant. Questions? Email pcwb@niu.edu. 

Week of Welcome is packed with energy, connection and NIU pride—and you can be part of the experience! Week of Welcome kicks off on Wednesday, Aug. 19. Volunteers help set the tone for new students by supporting fun, engaging events like the Color Run, Jewel Jamboree, Pajama Party, and more. Whether you're hyping up the crowd, helping with setup or welcoming students, your presence makes a difference. It's a great way to meet colleagues and kick off the year. Sign up to support WOW events today! 

The NIU community is invited to attend an open forum with a finalist for the director of online program development and support position in the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL). Open forums are being held July 16, July 21 and July 23 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in Altgeld 125 or on Teams.

The director of online program development and support provides strategic leadership for the development, launch and continuous improvement of NIU’s online academic programs. This role leads end-to-end program development efforts, working in close partnership with colleges, departments and institutional leadership to design high-quality, market-responsive and student-centered online programs. As part of Academic Affairs and CITL leadership, the director plays a central role in advancing NIU’s online growth strategy, supporting adult and returning learners, and ensuring alignment between program design, workforce needs and institutional priorities.

Faculty, staff and administrators are encouraged to attend and provide feedback as part of the search process.

Candidate materials, including a résumé/CV and cover letter, will be posted approximately 48 hours prior to the forum on the CITL website.

Please consider joining us for our July 2026 Leadership Training Series discussion for faculty and staff. Coordinated by Human Resource Services and Employee Well-being and moderated by Holly Nicholson, University Marketing, this month’s discussion, titled “Understanding Neurodiversity,” will be the first in a short series of monthly presentations on this important subject. We will first explore it from a “Neurodiversity 101” perspective where we will discuss the features and nuances of neurodiversity. Please join us over Teams from 11 a.m. to noon Wednesday, July 29 with our featured panelist Lise Schlosser, MSW, clinician, a specialist in this area. In August the panel will discuss leadership considerations such as engagement, communication, empowerment, and task accomplishment and neurodiversity. We look forward to you joining us. Please register by Tuesday, July 28.  

Go to campus training 

Interested in a career in IT security management in both industry and government settings?  The new cybersecurity master’s degree program offered by the computer science department equips you with the skills and knowledge to break into this important field.  

Program Benefits

Our program focuses on training you to excel on industry-standard certification exams. Enjoy the resources available through our CISCO Academy Partnership.

Learn more at go.niu.edu/cybersecurity. Apply by July 15 to begin your journey this fall.

Planning is underway for Family Weekend 2026. The Department of Student Involvement invites faculty, staff and campus partners to help create a memorable weekend for NIU students and their families.

Do you have an event already planned that would be a great fit for Family Weekend? Or an idea for a new program, activity or partnership? Submit your event or idea through the Family Weekend Event Idea Submission Form for consideration as part of our official Family Weekend schedule.

We encourage campus partners to save the date and consider ways to engage students and their families throughout the weekend.

We are preparing to wrap up another fiscal year here at NIU and it is important that we finalize the university’s Fiscal Year 2026 financial statements in a timely manner. Please ensure that all FY 2026 transactions for your department are properly classified and submitted to the Accounting Office by the deadlines listed below:

It is very important to note that transactions required to be processed in FY 2026 must be received by the requested due dates (do not hold FY 2026 documents even if the deadline has passed).

Please review all transactions and balances in applicable cost centers, paying particular attention to appropriate cutoff for transactions occurring during the months of June and July. Note that all goods and services received prior to June 30, 2026, must be recorded as an expenditure or accrued as a liability in the current fiscal year. Goods and services received after June 30, 2026, must be recorded as an expenditure in FY 2027. University sales and services performed prior to June 30, 2026, must be recorded as revenue in the current fiscal year. University sales or services to be performed after June 30, 2026, must be recorded as revenue in F Y 2027. If you have any questions concerning how transactions should be recorded, please contact an Accounting Office representative.

This is also a good time to review any accruals in your cost centers to ensure they are up to date. All accrued balances should have support justifying why the amounts are accrued (receivable, payable, deferred, etc.) as of June 30, 2026. The Controller’s Office is responsible for all tuition accruals, and no adjustments should be made to tuition accounts. Please reach out if you have any questions.

We appreciate your full cooperation as we work to ensure a successful close-out of FY 2026.  Should you have any questions about the year-end process, please email the Controller’s Office at ControllerOffice@niu.edu for assistance.