Week of Sept. 30, 2024

Join us for an evening that blends culinary excellence with community impact at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3, in the Gallery of the Holmes Student Center. 

With Chef Bryan leading the charge, every donation made will nourish both the Edible Campus and Huskie Food Pantry initiatives, ensuring our students and community thrive together. Your support will plant the seeds for a healthier, more sustainable future at NIU.

Learn more about giving opportunities and purchase your tickets to the event by visiting the NIU Foundation website.

We hope you are making plans to join us during the week of Oct. 13-20, 2024. If you would like to volunteer to help with these special events, you should communicate with your supervisor about release time or flexible hours. With supervisor approval, and assurance that appropriate coverage is maintained for the unit/department, all employees are encouraged to volunteer and participate in Homecoming week activities. We hope you'll help us welcome Huskies back to DeKalb for our 117th Homecoming. Please sign up to volunteer by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024.

Who are Orientation Leaders (OLs)? 
An Orientation Leader (OL) is an undergraduate student who helps incoming first-year and transfer students transition to NIU, building a sense of connection and belonging. OLs lead small group discussions, lead campus tours, answer questions and more.

Do you know any student who would be a good Orientation Leader?  
Serving as an Orientation Leader is a unique opportunity for students to develop leadership and communication skills, share their Huskie story by highlighting their academic and involvement journey, and make an impact on new Huskies.

Why should you recommend a student? 
This is a great way to recognize students for their hard work and share another opportunity for them to engage with our campus community. You can also recommend a student who is already highly involved on campus to recognize their hard work. There is no obligation for them to apply after being nominated. 

Have any questions? Contact Scott Johansen, program assistant for student training and development in the Office of Orientation and First Year Programs, at sjohansen@niu.edu.

Plan to attend the The Real Talk Conference: Opening Pathways to Embrace Our Humanity on Friday, Oct. 25. Come make new connections while engaging in powerful conversations that promote understanding, increase empathy, and facilitate change in our community. Experience dynamic keynote speakers and interactive sessions led by NIU's students, faculty, and community members.

Join us in celebrating our amazing NIU employees Saturday, Oct. 5 at our Employee Appreciation Football Game where our Huskies take on UMass. The Campus Pride committee is providing discounted tickets for the NIU vs. UMass football game to show appreciation to our employees. Purchase your discounted game tickets here and enter CAMPUSPRIDE in the promo code box.

We’re accepting submissions through Nov. 2 for our Student Engagement Fund (SEF) for spring 2025 projects. SEF provides funding for undergraduate students working on faculty-mentored research, artistry and creative inquiry projects.   

Faculty can apply for stipends to pay up to two undergraduate student researchers and to cover up to $500 in project supplies per student. Access full details and apply now.  

Emai ugresearch@niu.edu for questions about eligibility and guidelines.

SEF will accept applications annually starting spring 2025.  

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will host a free Grants Policy Updates: Fiscal Year  2025 webinar from noon to 1p.m. CDT Oct. 17, 2024, to inform the NIH grants community on the agency’s latest policy news. 

See our Sponsored Programs Administration Newsblog for additional information.

Nominations for our 2024 Outstanding Contributions to International Education Awards are now being accepted.

The award winners will be announced during International Education Week (Nov. 18-22) at our International Recognition Reception, which takes place 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19 in the Sky Room of the Holmes Student Center.

We are seeking nominations for the following awards:

The due date for all nominations is Monday, Oct. 28, 2024.

The #HuskiePride Committee will be around campus each day during Homecoming week to hand out NIU swag and other prizes for folks sporting that day’s theme. Additionally, all Huskies, including our remote employees and online students, are encouraged to upload a photo each day for entry into a drawing for a Pride with Purpose t-shirt (one given out for each day of the week). The photo submission form will be made available during the week of Homecoming.

Tip: Submit your event, lecture, training session or deadline to the NIU calendar to help inform Huskies about everything that is happening on campus. 

The month of September is closing for all financial reporting activity at noon Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. Journals not posted at that time will go into October business. Submit September journals before end of business Tuesday, Oct. 8. Final September reports are scheduled to be available Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. In addition, October reports are scheduled to be available Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. These and other important dates can be found on the Controller's Office website.