Academic Affairs Newsletter
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Colleagues,
Welcome back to campus for the beginning of the spring 2026 semester. I hope you had a restful and enjoyable winter break.
I am pleased to announce that, as of Jan. 1, Jennifer Salmon has been named executive director of Academic Success and Support Programs. Jennifer recently served as director of the Disability Resource Center and interim director of the Huskie Academic Success Center, which saw a 245% increase in number of students returning for additional academic coaching appointments since fall 2024. Integrating both units will help ensure that all NIU students receive coordinated, high-impact support to promote their success.
As we continue to navigate the complexities of higher education in 2026, each of us can make valuable contributions every day toward positive outcomes for our students. Whether it is taking a few extra moments to listen to a student’s concerns, supporting a colleague by lending expertise or simply by sharing a smile, you can make all the difference here at NIU.
Thank you for all you do. I look forward to working together, and to an excellent semester ahead.
Sincerely,
Laurie Elish-Piper
Executive Vice President and Provost
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Apply for provost fellowship
The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost is seeking applications until Feb. 27 for a provost fellowship opportunity in Academic Affairs. This one-year program is designed for faculty members who have an interest in exploring leadership and administrative roles.
Any member of the faculty appointed to the ranks of tenured associate professor (or clinical associate) or tenured professor (or clinical professor) is eligible. The appointment is for one academic year starting Aug. 15, 2026 and ending May 15, 2027.
Contact your department chair/school director or email provost@niu.edu for more information.
Faculty Resources
Faculty are encouraged to visit NIU’s Faculty Resources website for links to resources including information about awards and honors, development opportunities, institutional memberships and much more.
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Proposals sought for interdisciplinary summer 2026 courses
Faculty proposals are being sought through Feb. 1 for interdisciplinary special topics courses to be offered in summer 2026. All tenured/tenure-track, clinical and research faculty on nine-month contracts, plus all instructional faculty are eligible if they do not already have full-time summer contracts.
Contact your department chair/school director or email aschatteman@niu.edu for complete information.
UNIV 101 instructors sought for fall 2026
Internal applications from faculty, instructors and staff are invited for UNIV 101 (1 credit) instructor positions to create a pool for fall 2026 sections. UNIV 101 instructors provide instruction in person or online using the UNIV 101 course shell, which includes course learning objectives, assessment, resources and topics. Visit the NIU Human Resource Services website to apply and for complete details. Applications are due by March 2. Contact aschatteman@niu.edu with questions.
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NIU's MLK Dream Week
The Center for Black Studies and Social Justice Education invite the NIU campus community to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of service, equity, justice and community change. MLK Dream Week events will include:
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The Real Talk Conference: Stories of the Past, Visions of the Future
Register now for NIU’s Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Center’s The Real Talk Conference 2026 led by the Division of Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Division of Student Affairs.
This dynamic conference centers on intergenerational dialogue and the power of oral history. Through storytelling, shared experiences and meaningful conversations, participants will explore how the wisdom of the past can inform and inspire visions for a more just and connected future. Learn more about the conference, keynote speakers and pre-conference events by visiting the event website.
FACCE Academy
Join an engaged learning community of educators and scholars at 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15 for a Faculty Academy on Cultural Competence and Equity (FACCE) virtual session on power, ungrading and collaborative course design.
This session will discuss how syllabi, course collaboration with students and power can influence classroom settings.
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New Look for Blackboard
Blackboard has an exciting new look for 2026! These changes are designed to maximize space, reduce clicks and create faster and easier navigation. Highlights include:
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- Cleaner layout to the base navigation
- Full screen course pages
- Redesigned course header to reduce wasted space
- Home button replaces the X, reducing the likelihood of accidentally closing your course
- Default banner for all courses; custom banners are still available
- Course switcher for quick access to your most recently accessed courses
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Student Guide to AI
During the first week of the semester, consider sharing the new Student Guide to Artificial Intelligence with your students. This student-focused resource introduces key AI concepts, responsible and ethical use of generative AI, and expectations related to academic integrity. The guide also includes short videos from NIU Libraries offering an interactive introduction to generative AI and a brief overview of AI and academic integrity. The guide is easy to link in your syllabus or Blackboard course to help establish shared expectations early in the term.
Spring 2026 Teaching Assistant Institute – registration now open
The Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning invites new graduate teaching assistants to register for the Spring 2026 Teaching Assistant Institute. This online institute will be available through Friday, Jan. 30 and is fully asynchronous and self-paced.
Participants will complete required core content and select elective modules tailored to their experience and role, covering topics such as inclusive teaching, student engagement and NIU teaching and learning resources. The spring institute is an opportunity for new TAs or those who could not attend in the fall. The content is the same, so those who attended in the fall do not need to participate again.
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NASA partnership benefits NIU MBA students
NIU graduate students no longer must figuratively “shoot for the stars.” A new partnership with NASA’s Glenn Research Center allows MBA students to work with real NASA technologies through spring 2026 in Associate Professor Furkan Gur’s MGMT 627 course.
Students collaborate in teams to develop invention assessment plans and commercialization reports, with the chance to gain rights to commercialize NASA or NIU technologies if their proposals are compelling.
“The purpose of this group project is for students to learn practical skills for developing an understanding of a complex technology and its commercial applications, assessing its viability, and developing a model for its commercialization in a group setting similar to a real-life scenario,” Gur said.
Participants earn a NASA Technology Transfer Program certificate and compete in the NIU Graduate Technology Commercialization Challenge.
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Disability Resource Center
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Supporting student success
Under Section 504 and the ADA, NIU must ensure equal access to learning, and faculty play a key role. Audio recording lectures can be a critical accommodation; for some students, recording lectures is the only way to capture essential content when note-taking isn’t possible. Students must share their Letter of Accommodation and discuss implementation before recording begins. Recordings are for personal academic use only and must be destroyed after the semester. If you have concerns about reasonableness or need alternatives, contact drc@niu.edu or 815-753-1303.
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Brown Bag Lunch Series
If you're curious about how to get started teaching community engaged courses, join us Thursday, Feb. 19 as Alicia Schatteman, vice provost for Academic Affairs, shares her experiences with community engaged teaching and learning at NIU. Learn about the new NIU community-engaged course designation and find out best practices to build and teach a successful community-engaged course during this virtual event.
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- The Presidential Student Service Leadership Awards Ceremony honors students who have made a significant contribution to our NIU community. Students who are interested in applying for any of these awards should visit our Student Involvement website to review the different awards and will need to complete the application process. Those who are looking to recommend or nominate students can do so, too. Applications and nominations are due 11:59 p.m., March 6.
- A new Navigate support folder has been added to NIU’s DoIT help ticketing system. The folder contains brief, action-oriented articles to address common issues in Navigate360 Staff including login access issues, student lists, availabilities and calendar synchronization. Just type what you need into the portal’s interactive search bar and relevant articles will appear.
- The Study Abroad Office is now accepting proposals for the 2026-27 academic year. Faculty interested in developing a first-time study abroad program should register for the virtual “Developing a Study Abroad Program” workshop to be held from 3-4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17. This workshop is required for faculty submitting a new program proposal for the first time and will introduce the faculty-led program model, provide a program development process overview and resources to get started.
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Thank you to all faculty and staff members who volunteered to help at December commencement ceremonies. Your support makes a big difference in providing an excellent experience for our graduates and their families.
Shout-out to CITL for organizing a successful Teaching Effectiveness Institute. It was great to see all the collaboration taking place during the event. Thank you to the faculty teaching mentors who participated, and to all who attended.
Thank you to Joan Parrish for all you do to support NIU’s faculty. You are appreciated!
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Do you have comments, ideas for future newsletter topics or shout-outs about your colleagues to share? We would love to hear from you. Please complete this form to submit your feedback. Thank you!
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