Alex Hinton

Online Student Success Specialist

Responsibilities

Alex supports the success and online student experience of NIU's online prospective and new student population, counseling prospective online students through the application and admissions process and providing encouragement and support. For continuing online students, he coordinates closely with college/academic unit advisors, financial aid professionals and technical support specialists to provide students with a seamless student support experience.

Programs Supported

• Bachelor of Science in Applied Management: Public Service Leadership
• Master of Business Administration
• Master of Public Administration Local Government Management or Strategic Public Management and Leadership
• Master of Science in Education: School Business Management 
• Certificate of Graduate Study: Family and Child Development
• Certificate of Graduate Study: Leadership in Aging Services
• Certificate of Graduate Study: Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
• Certificate of Graduate Study: Public Management

Background

Alex was born and raised in Illinois and currently resides in Aurora. Prior to his time at NIU, he spent seven years working in higher education in both the admissions office and the office of the registrar. In those years he gained experience helping students in determining the best path for them as well as assisting with any obstacles they ran into on the road to graduation.

For leisure, Alex enjoys spending time with friends, playing video games, reading new books, listening to podcasts and trying to pick up new skills with varying degrees of success.

Education

B.S., Computer Science, Aurora University, 2014

Success Tip

Alex’s #1 tip for online students is to embrace the experience. As an online student it can be a bit more difficult to feel at home in a program, so don’t be afraid of reaching out to your community. Online study groups, Zoom meetings with professors, group chats with classmates, NIU events or anything else that keeps you engaged and connected are all invaluable.

Applause

The following comments from NIU faculty were shared through NIU Today Applaud a Colleague:

Alex really cares about his students. He works very hard to help prospective students discover if they are a good fit for NIU, as well as help current students throughout their academic careers. Recently, Alex has gone above and beyond, communicating with his contacts in both the Education Department and Grad School, to make sure three students seamlessly were admitted to a program that best meets their personal and professional goals. Alex is always very kind and professional, and he is a great asset to NIU. (May 15, 2025)