Academic Affairs Newsletter
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Good morning!
What a great time it is to be a Huskie. NIU has been in the national spotlight this past week or so, thanks to the historic victory by our football team over Notre Dame. Watching that game brought a great sense of pride, as I am sure it did for many of you.
With that in mind, here are some points of pride I want to share with you today:
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- The 10-day count is in, and we saw a significant increase in transfer students at NIU – up 10% from last year! This is a meaningful jump, and a nod to our shared commitment to being a transfer-friendly institution.
- The new Enriching the Design of General Education (EDGE) initiative is promoting excellence in general education teaching at NIU. EDGE is helping build and enhance a thriving and supportive community of practice among faculty, while emphasizing the unique philosophy of general education courses.
- Our athletes don’t just get it done on the field; they get it done in the classroom as well. NIU student athletes posted a combined cumulative GPA of 3.4 in the Spring 2024 semester – the highest in program history. Special thanks to our Student Athlete Academic Support Services team for their ongoing efforts!
- NIU has received a silver rating in the national ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, led by our Student Affairs team. This initiative empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement. Just last week, more than 225 students attended the debate watch party hosted at Huskie Den and our Huskies Vote resources are helping students engage in this fall’s election process.
- NIU was selected as a member of the FirstGen Forward Network for 2024-25, thanks to our demonstrated commitment to improving experiences and advancing success for first-generation college students.
- We have reestablished the Academic Advising Council at NIU to support our advisors, so they can best support the success of our students. This will enhance communication between academic advisors and university administration, while providing feedback on the needs of our advisors and promoting shared leadership.
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These are just a few of the many good things happening at NIU. I look forward to collaborating with you this academic year as we support the success of our students, faculty and staff.
Go Huskies!
Laurie Elish-Piper, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President and Provost
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Resources available for freedom of expression and academic freedom
NIU is committed to freedom of expression and academic freedom for its faculty and students. With election season upon us and issues of interest in the news, we want you to know that resources are available to help you navigate conversations and potential divisive or “hot button” topics in your classrooms. Visit the NIU website to access these resources and for more information.
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Working together to promote diversity, equity and inclusion
The Office of Faculty Affairs has created the Provost’s Equity Roundtable which includes DEI directors, coordinators and fellows from each of NIU’s academic colleges, plus representatives from the provost’s office. This group will help create a community of practice for the DEI work throughout academic affairs, while increasing collaboration throughout units across campus, in particular the Division of Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
The first item on the agenda of this group will be looking at equity gaps. Contact Bárbara González bgonzalez4@niu.edu for more information.
Registering international travel
NIU’s Division of International Affairs encourages all faculty, staff, students, volunteers and groups planning to travel internationally for NIU business to carefully review the International Travel Policy and Procedures.
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- Students traveling abroad on behalf of the university or for university business or interests must purchase supplemental travel insurance; details provided at registration.
- All NIU faculty, staff, students, volunteers and groups traveling to Level 3 or Level 4 Travel Advisory Areas must purchase supplemental travel insurance; details provided at registration.
- Travel abroad should be registered 30 days in advance.
- Those traveling as part of a Study Abroad credit-bearing program will be registered through the Study Abroad
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Contact Sarah Lindell, administrative assistant for the Division of International Affairs and the Graduate School, at slindell@niu.edu or 815-753-9526 with questions.
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Assessment events for faculty
This fall, Accreditation, Assessment and Evaluation will support faculty making meaningful use of assessment for continuous student learning improvement through several virtual events.
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The Oct. 17 session will discuss findings from a study of performance expectations for the dissertation and examine example rubrics. Participants will apply lessons from the book to their own discipline/programs’ assessment practices in the Oct. 24 session.
Carrie Zack, associate director, will share this work during the “Continuous Improvement: Improving Communication and Expanding Professional Development for Program Assessment” session of the 2024 Assessment Institute in Indianapolis.
Navigate training sessions
Take advantage of training sessions to increase your familiarity and provide effective tools for using Navigate, NIU’s comprehensive student success management technology platform that connects students with faculty, advisors, services and more. Navigate helps students succeed by connecting them with a network of coordinated care and providing an avenue to stay engaged throughout their time at NIU.
In addition to finding training session details and sign-up information on the Navigate website, you can now find these sessions listed on the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning website, under Upcoming Programs.
Stay current with your students’ employment options
NIU Career Services helps you learn about employment opportunities and meet recruiters working with your students. With a faculty/staff member account on Huskies Get Hired, you can become familiar with internship and job openings posted to this employment system.
Email CareerServices@niu.edu to request an account. You’ll receive an account ID and login information. Our Career Services staff can give you a tour of the system!
Also, stop by the All-Majors Internship and Job Fair between 1-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2 at the NIU Convocation Center. Career Services staff will give you a tour and introduce you to employers recruiting your students.
General Education monthly brown bag discussions kick off
Enriching the Design of General Education (EDGE) is a joint initiative of Undergraduate Affairs and the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. This community of practice will meet monthly during the academic year, alternating in person and online. Faculty, instructors and graduate students who are teaching or will be teaching a general education course are invited to participate.
Please register for one of these upcoming EDGE sessions. All meetings are scheduled from noon-1 p.m.
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
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Relaunch of the Huskie Conversation Café podcast
The Huskie Conversation Café podcast is designed, produced, and hosted by Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ADEI) staff. This provides conversations that matter, focused on social justice themes, books and content in an online format. Podcasts provide an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to listen and learn from guest experts and sometimes, the authors themselves.
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Listeners will gain familiarity and understanding with the concepts of cultural competence, Hispanic Serving Institution and the concept of servingness, social justice, advocacy and equity. Reach out to ADEI staff with questions or concerns.
Learn about healthy relationships with Aaron Stone
Prevention Education and Outreach invites you to a healthy relationships program featuring guest speaker Aaron Stone at noon Thursday, Sept. 26 the Holmes Student Center Sky Room.
Aaron is a retired United States Army combat medic, who was sexually assaulted at the age of 15. Aaron will share his story of resiliency and advocacy for survivors, along with his process of recovery and healing after being harmed by someone who he trusted. Participants will learn practical ways to support those who have experienced harm and share campus and community resources regarding sexual violence.
Celebrate Latino Heritage Month at NIU
Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 commemorates the celebration of Latino Heritage month. Numerous educational and celebratory events are taking place at NIU. Visit the NIU Calendar to learn more and join these events!
Register for The Real Talk Conference
NIU's Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Center's The Real Talk Conference 2024 will be held from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25 at the Holmes Student Center. Now is the time to submit your conference proposals and register for the event.
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- Asheli Mann-Lofthouse (she/her/ella), organizational anthropologist
- Marisa Miakonda Cummings (she/her/wau), senior advisor for Administration for Native Americans in the Administration for Children and Families
- Ijeoma Oluo (she/her), Seattle-based writer, speaker and internet yeller
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This year, we are pleased to also host a pre-conference workshop, “Designing Engagement for Equity: Building Inclusive Community Engagement with Human-centered Design” Thursday, Oct. 24. Register today!
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Office of Online Learning year in review
As the demand for online education grows, the Office of Online Learning was established to provide centralized support for NIU’s online learners. In its first year, our team of eight online student success specialists laid the foundation for this vital office, creating processes and procedures from scratch to better support our online student population. Explore highlights and achievements from the past year.
Online enrollment and trends – Fall 2024
With our fall enrollment numbers compiled, here are a few online learning trends and highlights for the spring semester, consistent with trends from prior semesters:
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- 1,245 students (902 graduate and 343 undergraduate) are enrolled in online programs. This is up 83 students from last fall.
- Student demand for online courses remains strong.6 in 10 undergraduate students and one in five graduate students are taking at least one online course in Fall 2024.
- In Fall 2024, 27.2% of student credit hours are from online courses and 4.1% are from hybrid courses.
- 1 in 3 faculty are teaching at least one online course and one in 11 faculty are teaching at least one hybrid course in Fall 2024.
- Faculty who teach online continue to utilize online teaching support at NIU. Of the 400 faculty teaching online courses and 108 faculty teaching hybrid courses in Fall 2024, 71% received individualized support and 51% attended online teaching workshop(s) during the past five years.
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Orientation for new online students launches
Orientation for New Online Students launched this July for new online students enrolled for the fall semester. Over 350 students enrolled in the orientation and have made great progress in the self-paced orientation housed in Blackboard Learn.
Students are welcomed by faculty and staff videos to help them navigate online learning at NIU. Key topics include starting with a positive mindset, establishing a foundation of academic success and understanding support systems. Students are issued a digital badge upon successful completion of the orientation.
Call for nominations for Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards
Nominations are now open and due Friday, Oct. 25 for Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards for 2024-25. Find details and submission guidelines at the CITL website.
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HAVI Center for Analytics and Technology to Open in October
The College of Business’ much-anticipated HAVI Center for Analytics and Technology will officially open in mid-October.
Located on the third floor of Barsema Hall, this new lab represents the college’s commitment to experiential learning using cutting-edge technologies. Through real-world projects in partnership with HAVI, a global leader in supply chain analytics solutions, business students – and students from across campus – will be prepared for jobs of the future.
The lab will feature industry-relevant, hands-on learning experiences in five key areas: machine learning, blockchain, big data, internet of things (IoT), and artificial intelligence.
For more information about this new space, contact Department of Operations Management and Information Systems Associate Professor Ying Wang, HAVI Fellow, at ywang15@niu.edu.
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Disability Resource Center
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Inclusive classrooms at NIU
As we start the new academic year, the Disability Resource Center is working to create more inclusive classrooms. Fusion, a software system now available to all faculty, staff and students, offers tools for accessibility: JAWS provides screen reading capabilities, while ZoomText enhances screen magnification and contrast, making digital content more accessible.
Download Fusion, then use your university email and login to activate an account.
Faculty can also mark which students use accommodations in their roster in Blackboard.
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Upcoming professional development events
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NIU faculty are doing impactful community engaged research, teaching and collaboration. Hear their stories, ask your questions, make connections and leave with tools and inspiration to pursue your community engagement goals. Browse and sign up for these Division of Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development lectures and workshops by visiting the NIU events calendar.
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Thursday, Sept. 19
Outreach, Engagement and Partnerships: Lessons Vital to Universities in a Post-Pandemic World
Wednesday, Oct. 2
Designing and Implementing an Experiential and Community-Engaged Service-Learning Course
Thursday, Oct. 24
Designing Engagement for Equity: Fall 2024 Engagement Executive-in-Residence Workshop
Thursday, Nov. 21
Journey to Teach Scientific Argumentation: Lessons for Creating Mutually Beneficial Partnerships
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- We are grateful for the dedication of our faculty at NIU! The new “Thank a Professor” feature gives NIU students the opportunity to highlight faculty members for their meaningful and impactful work. Check out the website to see who’s been mentioned so far and thank you to all faculty for your hard work!
- Togetherall is a peer-to-peer 24-7 support service offered by NIU Counseling and Consultation Services, which allows students to speak with trained college students via an online chat about what they may be struggling with. Please let students know this anonymous, supportive and safe peer-to-peer service is available to them.
- The Undergraduate Admissions team hosts more than 15 on-campus events each academic year, welcoming hundreds of students to campus to learn what it’s like to be a Huskie. The team is forming a group of faculty and staff they can tap regularly to participate in these events and play a key role in turning prospects into Huskies. It just takes a little of your time and you’ll have an opportunity to interact with future Huskies and their families. Send an email with “Volunteer” in the subject line to Alex Torres at atorres8@niu.edu if you are interested.
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Thank you to Diane Alberts for the support in creating the new Thank a Professor feature! Looking forward to celebrating our faculty, and so glad to have the assistance in making this happen.
Congratulations to the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning on their 25th anniversary! We are grateful for the excellent support and professional development the CITL team offers!
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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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