Faculty, Staff and Alumni Week at the Huskie Food Pantry (Aug. 27-29; shifts vary)

The beginning of the semester is an important time for students as they settle into new routines. Close to 25 NIU faculty, staff and alumni are needed to support our Huskie Food Pantry’s operations as students transition from summer break. Register to help prep our pantry or assist students as they shop through one of five shifts available between Aug. 27-29.

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

Maligned Foreign Talent Program Restrictions – Updated PI Certifications

The National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Defense (DOD) have enacted strict prohibitions against participation in Maligned Foreign Talent Programs (MFTPs) due to concerns over national security, intellectual property theft and ethical considerations.  

To manage these restrictions, SPA has updated the PI certification language in InfoEd to confirm that the PI has communicated these prohibitions to all project personnel, and that no project personnel are participating in a MFTP. Principal Investigators working with these agencies should familiarize themselves with these restrictions and inform their project personnel of them.

See the Sponsored Programs Administration Newsblog for more information.

New File Size Limit for Videos Uploaded to Blackboard

NIU has limited storage available for files in Blackboard, and a recent rapid increase in file storage has placed us too close to our storage quota. Thorough analysis has identified video files as a major factor in that increase. As a result, we are establishing a file size limit for video files uploaded directly to Blackboard.

Effective Aug. 5, video files 300MB or larger cannot be uploaded to Blackboard. This limit applies to both faculty and students. These files can instead be uploaded to Kaltura and embedded into a Blackboard course(by faculty) or submitted to a Blackboard assignment (by students). Faculty and students can also upload larger video files to Microsoft OneDrive or Stream and share them via a link. Both options also provide a better experience for students on a mobile device or  slower internet connection.

Reach out to the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning at citl@niu.edu or schedule a consultation with their team with any questions about sharing videos with your students or collecting videos from students for assessments.

Don't Miss These Upcoming Shows at the NIU Convocation Center!

Friday, Aug. 9, 2024: Brian Regan
Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024: One Night of Queen performed by Gary Mullen & The Works
Friday, Sept. 6, 2024: Proud Tina: The Ultimate Tribute to Tina Turner

Friday, Dec. 6, 2024: Holiday Dreams - A Spectacular Family Cirque!

Tickets are on sale now! convocenter.niu.edu/events

New Faculty Welcome and Orientation on Monday, Aug. 19.

NIU’s New Faculty Welcome and Orientation event officially welcomes new faculty members to campus and our Division of Academic Affairs. This event provides you with the opportunity to meet and interact with fellow new faculty members, senior faculty members and key leaders in Academic Affairs while learning more about our university.

The event takes place 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 19, in Altgeld Hall, Room 315. Learn more.