Academic Affairs Newsletter
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Hello colleagues.
As we begin this fall semester, it is so wonderful to feel the energy of having our students and faculty back on-campus. I am pleased to share that enrollment is up at NIU. Total university enrollment on the 10th day of classes reached 16,078, an increase of 4.3% over fall 2024.
Retention of first-year undergraduate students and reenrollment of continuing students play a key role in our growing student population. The retention rate of first-time, full-time freshmen is the highest in five years and the combined reenrollment rate for freshmen, transfers and continuing students is at its highest level in over 25 years! In addition, reenrollment for our graduate students is 3.5% over last year. Our broad support system to ensure student success is leading to positive results.
Recruitment, retention, reenrollment and student success truly take a village, and I want to thank each of you for your dedication and hard work.
This fall marks my 30th year at NIU, and I am so proud to be a Huskie. I had been missing being in the classroom, so I am teaching a section of UNIV 101 this semester. Teaching freshmen students has been so energizing and enjoyable. As they are experiencing NIU for the first time, they have shared that our campus feels welcoming and inclusive, they are making friends, they have found faculty and staff to be helpful and supportive, and they are excited to pursue their dreams and goals.
While these are challenging times in higher education, the impact and importance of our work has never been greater. What an honor it is to work with all of you to help make that happen.
Laurie Elish-Piper, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President and Provost
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Student success highlights
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We are committed to student success at NIU. Here are examples of how we put this into practice during the past academic year:
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- During the 2024-25 academic year, the Huskie Academic Success Center (HASC) fulfilled 207 one-on-one academic coaching appointments (195.5 hours), supporting study strategies, test preparation and academic recovery. HASC also fulfilled 911 tutoring appointments (1,500+ hours) across 26 disciplines, with expanded support for student-athletes.
- During the Spring 2025 semester, students who didn't meet academic standards but had an approved appeal engaged with HASC programs as part of the Academic Recovery Program at NIU. 57% of these students successfully met the requirements compared to 40%, the historical average.
- We launched the Mission AI chatbot to support students around the clock and reached a 95% opt-in and 47% engagement rate between November 2024 and May 2025. Students who engaged with Mission AI had a higher fall enrollment rate compared to non-users.
- The Huskie 3-2-1 campaign, also launched this past academic year, is helping freshmen students by providing simple steps to complete to complete during their first year as Huskies.
- The Graduate School offered a virtual graduate student orientation for all newly admitted individuals, along with strong program offerings.
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New Faculty Welcome
To help kick off the 2025-26 academic year, NIU hosted a new faculty welcome and reception at Founders Memorial Library on Monday, Aug. 18. The event was designed to create a cohort among new faculty and connect them with the university community in relation to their academic roles.
The new faculty welcome event featured remarks from President Lisa Freeman and Executive Vice President and Provost Laurie Elish-Piper. Faculty then participated in breakout sessions and attended an evening reception with representatives from divisions and units who will be there to support their teaching, research, artistry and scholarship, community engagement, and student success activities as they begin their current roles.
Welcome, new faculty!
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33rd annual Study Abroad Fair
Please let students know about the Study Abroad Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8 at the MLK commons. With summer programs, semester long experiences, internships and research opportunities, there are international opportunities for every major. Students can meet program providers, faculty directors, study abroad advisors and financial aid experts.
This event is an ideal opportunity for faculty to showcase programs, support global learning and inspire students to enrich their academic and personal growth overseas. Encourage your students to attend and drop by to explore ways to internationalize your courses and expand your global impact.
Helping Huskies finish strong
The NIU Registration and Records office is rolling out two new initiatives to help undergraduate students wrap up their academic experience. Beginning in fall 2025, students who apply to graduate but cannot be tentatively cleared will receive a personalized email after the application deadline outlining any unmet requirements and pointing them to their next steps. Starting with fall 2025 graduation applicants who don’t meet all their requirements in December, graduation applications will automatically roll forward one time if requirements aren’t met in the intended term.
Starting in spring 2026, graduation application deadlines will be extended and simplified. Each graduation term will have a single deadline: February 15, June 15 and September 15. Together, these changes reflect the university’s commitment to reducing barriers and supporting timely degree completion.
NIU’s cross-divisional student success efforts featured in national publication
An article spotlighting NIU’s Registration Promotion Action Team has been selected for the fall 2025 Insights for College Transitions “Featured Program” section.
Authored by Brandon Lagana, director of Navigate and Planning and Assessment, and Nichole Knutson, associate provost for Student Success, the article highlights NIU’s collaborative, data-informed outreach efforts which are informed by intentional, customized campaigns to encourage re-registration among continuing students and to support their persistence. A national virtual author panel will be held at 11:45 a.m. Friday, Sept. 26.
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Join the newly launched NIU AI Network
The NIU AI Network is a collaborative community dedicated to advancing ethical and mission-aligned AI practices. Open to faculty, staff and students, it offers a space to connect, share resources and navigate the complexities of AI. The network aims to foster learning, explore AI use cases that support NIU’s values, and raise awareness of AI’s risks and trade-offs in teaching and learning.
The NIU AI Network meets via Microsoft Teams every other Wednesday from noon-1 p.m. Session topics are selected by a coordinating team of faculty, staff and student representatives. You don’t need to attend every meeting; join when you can and focus on the topics that interest you!
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards
Nominations are now open for 2025-26 Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards. Visit the awards website for details and submission guidelines. Nominations are due Friday, Oct. 24.
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Faculty Grant Writing Group
The Office of Research Development (ORD) is excited to announce the launch of the Faculty Grant Writing Group this fall, meeting at the 71N Partnership Studio Garage from 10 a.m. to noon every Thursday starting September 18.
The Faculty Grant Writing Group is open to all NIU faculty and will provide participants with quiet, dedicated time and space to work on writing for external funding pursuits. ORD research development specialists will be available during sessions to support your grant writing as needed. An adjacent room is available for ORD consultation and faculty collaboration.
Sessions are drop-in friendly; coffee and tea will be provided. Add the meetings to your calendar by visiting the event page. Please contact ord@niu.edu with any questions.
FY26 Rapid Internal Grant Program
This opportunity provides time sensitive and bridge funding for tenure-track and tenured NIU faculty facing funding interruptions or urgent opportunities related to their research, scholarship or creative activities. The purpose of the Rapid Internal Grant Program is to assist faculty in being competitive for external funding mechanisms, including as they pivot to new corporate, foundation and governmental opportunities.
Requests of up to $5,000 for project periods of up to one year will be considered. For information on eligibility, requirements and processes please visit the ORD website, the ORD InfoReady proposal portal, or send us an email at ord@niu.edu.
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Donors make College of Business classroom remodel possible
Over the summer, nearly 30% of classroom spaces in Barsema Hall, home to our College of Business, were updated with innovative resources and technology. This renovation is the first in a three-phased, 18-month remodeling project, which aims to update all classrooms throughout the building.
College of Business Dean Joan Phillips-Hernandez collaborated closely with donors, the Division of Information Technology (DoIT), the Provost’s Office, and Facilities and Campus Services to ensure this priority project could be started this summer.
“We want the students to have a seamless experience in our building, and when this project is completed, we know that every business student will have the same top-notch experience because technology will be improved across the board, regardless of classroom or major,” Phillips-Hernandez said.
Funding for the project was primarily provided by key donors, including those to the dean’s strategic fund, dean’s technology fund and KPMG.
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Disability Resource Center
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Letters of Accommodation
Each semester, students with disabilities send their Letters of Accommodation (LOA) requests to their faculty members. For accommodations to be implemented in a course, the LOA must be shared with the instructor, and a conversation should take place about how the accommodations will be provided. This conversation may occur by email, in a virtual meeting or in person.
If a student has been approved for Flexibility with Attendance, it is essential that the student and faculty member discuss how this accommodation will apply in the course and include attendance policies and participation requirements. Please visit the Flexibility with Attendance website for additional guidance on implementing this accommodation, or contact the student’s access consultant to discuss reasonable approaches to flexibility.
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Brown Bag Lecture Series
Join us online for the 25-26 Community Engagement Brown Bag Lecture Series as the 2025 NIU Presidential Engagement and Partnership Professors will share their approaches to effective community engagement and reciprocal partnerships.
Creating Partnerships Overseas
Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, noon-1 p.m.
Effective community engagement can happen locally or across the world. James Cohen, professor of ESL/bilingual education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction will describe partnerships created in recent years in Uruguay, Indonesia, Malaysia and Costa Rica.
Engaged Classrooms, Stronger Research: Expanding Faculty Capacity Through Teaching
Tuesday, Apr. 14, 2026, noon-1 p.m.
Melani Duffrin, professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Health Professions will provide practical strategies for embedding student projects into coursework. Explore how experiential learning can transform your research capacity while providing invaluable experiences for students.
Connecting campus and community
Whether you have an ongoing community partnership or want to begin a new one, NIU’s Division of Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development is ready to help you identify community partners and make your community engagement stronger and more enduring.
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Contact Jennifer Groce, director of Community-engaged Partnerships, to learn more.
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- Testing Services can help streamline the scoring of your exams and quizzes, making the process faster, easier and more accurate. In addition to scoring, you can review a variety of analytical reports to help assess your results. To have your exams processed, simply bring your completed Scantron sheets and answer keys to Peters Campus Life Building, Room 120. You can also submit exams after hours using a drop box next to the Testing Services office door. Please access and use the transmittal form for drop box submissions.
- The Academic Affairs Technology Support Team (AATS) introduced an improved classroom support structure at the start of the fall semester. This new initiative provides direct, in-person assistance to faculty and students, ensuring technology-related issues in the classroom are addressed quickly and effectively. By having dedicated support staff on hand, AATS aspires to create a smoother learning environment and minimize disruptions caused by technical difficulties. This proactive approach not only facilitates timely troubleshooting but also enhances engagement and productivity in the educational experience for our Huskies. Call 815-753-7000 for support.
- The Office of Employee Well-being offers services to address the needs of new and seasoned employees. This office provides a wide range of services and resources to support employees and family members. Check out the fall 2025 Learning Opportunities Series, offering in-person and virtual training sessions to support you throughout the semester.
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Shout-out to Jenna Pracht and Mitch Huftalin for working with a local business to provide NIU families and supporters with an opportunity to send their student a “way to go” gift at the end of their first week of class at NIU.
Heartfelt gratitude to Dan Hyde, Aleks Kosoric, and Joe Thomas for their exceptional leadership in implementing Tier 1 classroom support and the AAIT shared service model. Your commitment has truly made a difference!
A special shout-out goes to the remarkable AATS team for their incredible efforts and unwavering support as we kick off this semester. Thank you, to Dan Hyde, Aleks Kosoric, Joe Thomas, Lekeshia Parker, Rana Sanyal, Jason Michalowski, Michael Corvino, Rodney Neace, Jared Wilkinson, Rahul Thatte, Eric Schetley, Nick Stauber, Christina Reibel, Nancy Finn, Seth Kruizenga, Jason Larry, Robert Carlson, Emmalynn Hoyt, Sharif Shahadat, Oyewale Adeoye, Gabino Esquivel, and to our dedicated student workers. Your hard work and dedication are deeply 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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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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