| Week of August 17, 2020
Contents: | | NIU Well-Being Tip: Supporting Your Students’ Wellness
by Counseling and Consultation Services, Employee Assistance Program and RecWell.
The start of the school year can be an exciting time for all. Students are eager to see their friends, try new opportunities and enjoy the college experience. Faculty and staff are working hard to finish course plans and design programs to inspire, engage and support students. While this feeling of excitement is present, it may feel a bit different this year. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many aspects of our lives and the work that we do. Perhaps your motivation to prepare for the school year is lower and your stress levels are higher. Concerns of uncertainty about the semester or even the world could be lingering more often. Know that you are not alone in these thoughts and feelings. Not only are your friends, family and colleagues facing similar experiences, but our students are as well. As higher education professionals, we care about our students, their success and their well-being. We know how important it is to support their wellness, for it is a crucial factor to their success. Together, we can help support student wellness, here’s how: • Encourage students to Protect the Pack. Caring for ourselves and the NIU community by practicing proper hygiene, practicing physical distancing, wearing a mask and staying well is the best way we can get through this pandemic. It takes all of us to make a difference and it’s important that we encourage our students to follow the guidelines and protocols of Protecting the Pack. • Be a role model. Students look to us for guidance, support, and knowledge. When we model good behavior, students notice and learn from our actions. Model the Protect the Pack guidelines, take care of yourself, and be a wellness advocate. • Advocate for wellness. Emphasize and incorporate wellness into your work with students. You can have a discussion about self-care and wellness as a “get to know you” activity by talking about how you are staying well. You can also share resources and educational materials, request presentations or create assignments about wellness. • Show you care. Simply showing students that you support and care about them can make all the difference. Get to know your students and practice grace, patience and understanding. Want to learn more? • Explore the Protect the Pack website so you know what resources are available and how to best help students follow the guidelines. • Check out RecWell’s website to discover how they can help you and your students improve your physical wellness. • Take a look at the Employee Assistance Program’s website to see how they can best meet your wellness needs as a faculty or staff member. |
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| Upcoming Events
Please check the calendar for more information and for upcoming events!
• Monday, Aug. 17 through Friday, Aug. 21: Department, college, and university faculty meetings
• Monday, Aug. 17: Restorative Yoga - Group Fitness
• Monday, Aug. 17: Cardio Dance - Group Fitness
• Monday, Aug. 17: Balance & Stretch
• Wednesday, Aug. 19: Wednesday Night Wisdom with Erek Benz -MKTG '08
• Thursday, Aug. 20: Move More - Fitness Class
• Thursday, Aug. 20: Board of Trustees (BOT) Meeting - Live stream now available
• Monday, Aug. 24: Classes begin (Fall 2020) | Protecting the Pack Q&A for Faculty, Instructors and Graduate Teaching Assistants
Faculty, instructors and graduate teaching assistants are invited to an informational Q&A session to discuss Protecting the Pack and what that means for the classroom, be that face-to-face or virtual. The Teams live event will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 19 from 5-6 p.m.
Please come to the meeting prepared with questions you have about teaching this fall semester.
The Panel answering questions will be:
• Cindy Graves, Director of Community Health & Prevention, DeKalb County Health Department
• Beth Ingram, Executive Vice President and Provost
• Matt Streb, Chief of Staff to the President and Liaison to the Board of Trustees
• Omar Ghrayeb, Vice Provost, Undergraduate Studies
• Chad McEvoy, Vice Provost, Faculty Affairs
• John Heckmann, Associate Vice President, Facilities Management & Campus Services
• Liz Guess, Director of Insurance and Benefits, Human Resource Services
While the information session will cover the administration's plans for in-person instruction, including "Protecting the Pack," the United Faculty Alliance and the administration are still engaged in active bargaining over health and safety matters related to the upcoming year. |
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| Notices
Employee Training for Returning to Work on Campus
Before returning to campus for work, all employees must complete the Returning to Work on Campus training. If you aren’t planning to return to campus, it is still strongly encouraged that you take the training. Graduate assistants and student employees will need to log in to Blackboard using their ZID and password. If you are unable to find the training in Blackboard, please contact Karen Smith at ksmith12@niu.edu.
Register for NIU Community School of the Arts and apply for need-based scholarships
Fall 2020 registration at the NIU Community School of the Arts is now open.
Learn to play a new musical instrument or brush up skills by taking private music lessons — register for music lessons and start as soon as the week of Aug. 24.
Guitar and piano group classes for adults and for kids make learning to play an instrument more fun — register now for classes that begin in early September.
CSA Guitar Ensemble, CSA Steelband, Symphonette, Suzuki music instruction and Art Express "Saturday School" all start new fall sessions soon.
Families in need of tuition assistance should complete a need-based scholarship application. A family with an annual adjusted gross income of less than $75K will now qualify to apply, and applications will be accepted through Oct. 15. Call the CSA office for more information or pick up an application at the Music Building, Room 132.
A variety of programs for personal enrichment are offered in person or online. Programs that meet in person in the NIU Music Building will strictly adhere to safety measures outlined by the NIU Community School of the Arts and the safety requirements of Northern Illinois University.
Call the CSA office for more information at 815-753-1450 and visit the NIU Community School website for complete details and to register.
University Council and Faculty Senate staff continue remote work
University Council and Faculty Senate staff will mainly work remotely through Dec. 31, 2020. Please feel free to contact via email.Kendall Thu President of Faculty Senate Chair of University Council kthu@niu.edu | Pat Erickson Administrative Assistant pje@niu.edu |
Faculty Senate meetings and University Council meetings will take place via Microsoft Teams during the fall 2020 semester. The Teams meeting link, as well as the agenda packet, will be emailed to members on the Friday preceding each Wednesday meeting.
President’s Office announces scheduled office hours for fall semester
Members of the Northern Illinois University community are partners with the NIU leadership in creating a positive NIU experience. With that in mind, President Freeman invites NIU faculty, staff, students, as well as alumni and community members, to meet with her during scheduled office hours. President Freeman welcomes respectful, open dialogue about NIU and working together to move NIU forward.
Meetings will be held virtually either through Microsoft Teams or by phone and limited to 15 minutes. Meetings should typically include one person, but consideration for groups up to three will be made based on the topic. First-time participants will be given priority. The following dates and times are available for appointments: • Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020 from 1 to 2 p.m. • Monday, Sept. 21, 2020 from 9 to 10 a.m. • Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020 from noon to 1 p.m. • Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020 from 4 to 5 p.m.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit the Office of the President’s website. Questions regarding office hours may be directed to Liz Wright, ewright1@niu.edu, executive assistant to the president. |
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| Northern Illinois P-20 Network becomes “Illinois P-20 Network” to reflect statewide focus
Since 2014, the Northern Illinois P-20 Network has brought together community college presidents, school district superintendents, key state leaders and NIU faculty and staff to improve college and career readiness for K-12 students through regional collaboration. Read more. |
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| MAC decision not a surprise to Huskie football team
The Northern Illinois University football team was in the middle of its second day of preseason practice Saturday morning when news broke that the Mid-American Conference would be the first Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) league to postpone the 2020 football season. 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
First community college transfer policy published in NIU catalog (1972)
Everywhere they looked, state officials and higher education leaders in the 1950s and 60s saw babies – and lots of them. It was the post-WWII boom, and planners were scrambling to expand educational opportunities for an impending avalanche of high school graduates. Learn more about NIU's partnerships with community colleges. |
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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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