Academic Affairs Newsletter
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Hello colleagues! It is hard to believe spring semester is nearing a close, with graduate and undergraduate commencement ceremonies less than a month away. Students are preparing for finals, and some will be graduating and moving on to the next chapter in their lives.
This is a great time of year at NIU, as we get to celebrate the accomplishments of our faculty and staff members who help make this university a great place to be. The annual faculty awards ceremony is this Thursday, April 18, and the annual staff awards ceremony is next Thursday, April 25.
I encourage you to attend both events and show support for your fellow co-workers as they are honored with these awards and recognitions. I want to also recognize each of you for your efforts and day-to-day excellence. It does not go unnoticed, and I am very grateful for your hard work.
If there is anything we can do to support you as the semester approaches its completion, please feel free to contact my office at provost@niu.edu.
With gratitude,
Laurie Elish-Piper, Ph.D. Executive Vice President and Provost
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Do you work with community partners? We need to hear from you!
Partnerships are key to community engagement and community engagement is integral to NIU’s mission. That’s why we’re asking you to tell us about community partnerships in a simple Community Partnership Form. It will only take a few minutes to share your contact information, a brief description of your partnership and the most remarkable outcome.
Complete the short form now.
Why share now? NIU is proud to be classified as a Carnegie Engaged Institution. Throughout this year, a team of faculty and staff are working on a self-study as we prepare to apply for reclassification in 2025. Your input will allow us to celebrate and support partnerships already happening and explore new partnership opportunities.
Thanks for your participation. We look forward to hearing about your partnerships! Please contact a member of the Engagement Roundtable with questions.
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Provost Fellow applications
Applications are due Friday, April 19 for Provost Fellow for Faculty Affairs and Provost Fellow for Academic Affairs opportunities. This one-year program is designed for faculty members interested in exploring leadership and administrative roles. Learn more at our news site and email provost@niu.edu with application materials or questions.
A solution for video recording
Housed in Founders Memorial Library, the One Button Video Studio is a simplified, automated video recording solution for recording short studio style lectures, practicing or pre-recording conference presentations or speeches, recording in front of a green screen or recording an in-person interview. The studio requires no prior experience with lighting, sound or video production.
After reviewing support information for the One Button Video Studio, you may request a one hour appointment during the library’s business hours. Appointments must be requested at least two business days in advance.
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Faculty recognized for outstanding undergraduate teaching
The Committee for the Improvement of the Undergraduate Academic Experience is a standing committee of the Baccalaureate Council. Recently, the Committee selected the 2024 faculty teaching award recipients, and both were given a surprise visit by Provost Elish-Piper to congratulate them.
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Registration and Records staff member recognized
Congratulations to Deirdre (Dede) Young, a 2024 recipient of a Presidential Award for Staff Excellence which recognizes staff who have gone above and beyond their specific duties with excellence. Dede is the Associate Director of Registration and Records.
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FREE test prep for teacher licensure rolls out at NIU
Prepare for Illinois’ Future Program is intended to provide all Illinois college students access to free test preparation services for graduate and professional school entrance exams and professional licensing exams. Career Services is leading the program at NIU. The first test program to roll out is for the Illinois Licensure Testing System (ILTS) tests, which is being coordinated by our Office of Educator Licensure and Preparation and the educator licensure programs across four colleges. So far, more than 200 ILTS practice test vouchers have been distributed to future teacher candidates.
Additional test preparation programs will be rolled out over time including the Medical College Admission Test, the Law School Admission Test, the Graduate Record Examination and the Graduate Management Admission Test, among others
NIU forms coalition for educator equity
On March 28, the Office of Educator Licensure and Preparation and the University Committee on Initial Educator Licensure virtually hosted 75 people from over 25 different institutions, universities, organizations and agencies across Illinois to discuss issues of equity in assessing teacher candidate content test knowledge. Illinois State Code requires teacher candidates to pass a content test prior to student teaching. The meeting was a first step in bringing together stakeholders across Illinois to develop a coalition to advocate for more equitable pathways in demonstrating content knowledge proficiency. To get involved in the coalition, sign up here.
Faculty academic advisors sought for Academic Advising Council
The provost’s office has been working with the advising community to form an Academic Advising Council. If you are a faculty member who also has academic advising responsibilities, email vice provost Alicia Schatteman at aschatteman@niu.edu for more details.
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Finals Late Night Breakfast
Please let your students know they are invited to take a break, de-stress and recharge during the intense finals week by attending the Finals Late Night Breakfast from 9-11 p.m. Monday, May 6 at the Duke Ellington Ballroom in Holmes Student Center. Students can fuel up for success with free delicious breakfast, engage in exciting games, unwind in our massage chairs, groove to uplifting music and much more. The event is co-sponsored by Campus Dining Services, Campus Activities Board and Counseling and Consultation Services.
Conversations with Purpose: Building Interfaith Understanding and Unity
NIU values diversity and believes in fostering understanding and unity among individuals from various backgrounds. In line with this commitment, the Division of Student Affairs is organizing an evening of dialogue, community building, and culinary delights from 5-7 p.m. Monday, April 29 in the Holmes Student Center Capitol Room.
This special event invites faculty, staff, students and community members to come together for meaningful dialogue and cultural exchange. This dinner provides an opportunity for participants to share their experiences and learn from one another. It will be a chance to engage in meaningful conversations, build relationships, and celebrate the richness of our diverse religious traditions. Student Affairs will be providing more information soon on how to RSVP to be a part of this enriching experience!
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Recognition for Adoption of Affordable Course Materials
This spring, NIU's Course Materials Affordability Task Force (CMAT) presented the second annual Affordable Course Materials Department Awards. These awards are part of the Leading Impact Program, which supports and recognizes academic departments and individual faculty for their adoption of Open Educational Resources and low-cost materials.
Starting in 2022, affordable course materials designators for sections with zero cost or low-cost materials ($40 or less) were implemented in MyNIU so students could search for and filter courses with affordable materials – required books, textbooks, ebooks, streaming video, CDs or DVDs – at registration. CMAT used these attributes to identify the departments offering the highest percentage of course sections with affordable course materials.
The top three departments for the 2023-2024 academic year are:
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- Departmental Achievement Award: Department of English with 75% of their courses designated as low or zero cost.
- Departmental Honorable Mention Award: Department of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment with 44% of their courses designated as low or zero cost.
- Departmental Outstanding Effort Award: Department of World Languages and Cultures with 30% of their courses designated as low or zero cost.
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Curricular Innovation Grant Celebration
The 2023 Curricular Innovation Grants supported 20 faculty projects that experimented with innovative teaching methods including transdisciplinary learning, virtual reality, digital learning, inclusive teaching practices, open education resources and so much more.
A celebration and reception this Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. will provide an opportunity to learn about these projects and the impact they had on their students through informal conversation and a panel of faculty that includes: Pi-Sui Hsu, Department of Educational Technology, Research & Assessment; Venumadhav Korampally, Department of Electrical Engineering; Amanda Littauer, Center for the Study of Women, Gender & Sexuality and Department of History; Jamie Mayer, School of Allied Health & Communicative Disorders; and Biagio Palese, Operations Management & Information Systems.
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Do you have a family member or friend who is looking to change careers and make a positive difference in the lives of others?
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- Thanks to $2.5 million in federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education, graduate students who enroll in the NIU College of Education’s Project Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion will gain not only the necessary knowledge and skills to serve people who are blind or visually impaired but also a heightened understanding of, and best practices for, diversity.
- Our grant covers tuition, fees, health insurance and $9,500 in living expenses (per calendar year) for 80 students to participate over the next five years.
- Graduates will become in-demand teachers of students with visual impairments, orientation and mobility instructors or assistive technology specialists.
- Visit the NIU website for more information.
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CLAS unveils Strategic Plan
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) recently unveiled an eight-year strategic plan to guide priorities and growth. The plan is the result of a collaborative, two-year process that was informed by the university mission, vision and values and the college’s mission and vision. The pillars in the plan are the college’s grounding, encompassing all the operational areas within CLAS. The focus areas are where targeted work is needed to make improvements.
Pillars:
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- Student growth and success
- Disciplinary and transdisciplinary program excellence
- Scholarship, research and knowledge generation
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- Applied and adaptive learning
- Transdisciplinary research, teaching and engagement
- Enhancing the learning and facilities environment
- Enhanced communication and visibility
- National and international leadership in the liberal arts and sciences
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Within the focus areas, there are 14 short-term goals with timelines of 1-3 years and 10 long-term goals with timelines of 4-8 years. A web presence for the strategic plan is in development and will go live later this semester. The plan was developed by the Center for Governmental Studies. Greg Kuhn, Mel Henrickson and Alli Hoebing developed the methodology, conducted in-person focus groups, surveyed stakeholders and created the report.
“We have undertaken a very big effort in charting a pathway for the future in the college and I am really excited about the results, said Dean Robert Brinkmann. “The Strategic Plan will give us a framework for the coming years.”
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Disability Resource Center
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Letter of Accommodation
Sometimes, students with disabilities will request academic accommodations without their Letter of Accommodation (LOA). In these circumstances, the professor can verify that a student receives academic accommodations by requesting the LOA be sent to them. To do so, the professor can ask the student to have the access consultant send their LOA. If the student is registered, the student will be able to request their letters through the DRC Portal. If the student is not registered with the DRC, the professor can email drc@niu.edu and the DRC will send registration directions to the student.
Accommodations are legally required to occur in a course. If a student receives accommodation via the Disability Resource Center, they have supplied documentation and completed the interactive process to determine this. If the student does not have a Letter of Accommodation, the professor can refer the student to the DRC to start the process for determining accommodations.
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- Applications are now being accepted for the 2024-25 Staff Professional Development Academy cohort. This yearlong, cohort style program promotes professional development and creates a network of leaders across campus. We aim to have diverse cohorts with representation across campus and encourage staff at all levels to apply. Learn more about eligibility requirements and how to apply. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, May 1.
- The Division of Information Technology (DoIT) is offering “Tuesday Tech Tip” once a month. Tuesday Tech Tip is a 30-minute learning topic on one of the Microsoft Office products. There will be a 10-minute topic demonstration followed by 20 minutes for practice and questions. DoIT is offering different topics each month at 11 a.m. Tuesday mornings. The topics include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and SharePoint. Register for the Tuesday Tech Tips.
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Thank you, Andy Pemberton for always being helpful and kind in helping with various requests for assistance.
Shout-out to John Acardo and the HR team for your willingness to help and for your quick turnaround on time-sensitive tasks and needs.
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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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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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