Mary Earick is visibly excited and honored to become the new dean of the NIU College of Education.
During the Aug. 19 all-college meeting, Earick told stories of many “critical incidents” in her life that led to DeKalb while also presenting her vision for the future that she believes will achieve national recognition and replication for the college and our collective unique, innovative work.
Among Earick’s key moments were military service in the U.S. Army, becoming a single mother, teaching kindergarten, appearing in the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Starting Small: Teaching Tolerance in Preschool and the Early Grades” documentary and coming in contact with her now-husband, Doug.
“I never in my life had felt ‘seen.’ He’s meeting me and he’s saying, ‘You need to get your doctorate.’ He saw things in me that I did not see in myself,” Earick told her audience.
“Had he not done that, I would not stand before you today,” she added. “I was 37 years old when I met Doug, and what happened was that I said, ‘Hmm. Why did it take 37 years for me to be seen?’ Isn’t that a good question? Shouldn’t every child, from the time they’re born, feel seen? Shouldn’t every one of us in this room be seen? That critical incident informed my career.”
Joining the college is “a privilege,” said Earick, who expressed appreciation and admiration for the Strategic Action Planning Framework.
“For a framework to really be impactful, there has to be a clear understanding of values behind priorities. I have not seen a framework where it was intentionally mapped at any other university I’ve been at, and I just want to say that, to me, it makes a vision of equity, inclusion and transformation actionable,” she said. “I’m using it as a launchpad for the work I will be doing here to help us advance together – building on your shoulders. The foundation here is rich and deep.”
She detailed a “1-3-5-year” roadmap for the college that reinforces her philosophies of thriving communities and critical compassion.
Year 1, to provide just one example, will reframe university partnerships through a “problems of practice” lens to help the college’s external collaborators to learn the language of that model and its “collective view of change” with “solidarity among groups that are doing the work” that is “in direct response to the community.”
By Year 3, she said, part of the focus will turn to building trust in the NIU College of Education brand through regional networking “where individuals want to learn from you.”
“Why can I say that so relaxed?” she asked. “Because four universities have already reached out to me.”
The fifth year should yield that “national recognition of the work you’re doing today,” she said, “and looking at how that can be replicated nationally.”
“Education is about thriving communities. It’s an ecosystem,” Earick said. “The work, as I see it, is grounded in dimensions of wellness – and dimensions of wellness ground this college.”
Critical compassion, meanwhile, “is about listening deeply, which I will always do, but I also always ask that we look at the data, we look at the social context, we look at the legal context. Again, it’s the ecosystem.”
IN OTHER BUSINESS, the meeting reported summer enrollment success – up 3.0% overall – and a promising forecast for the fall headcount.
Carolyn Pluim, interim associate dean for Academic Affairs, said that one-week-out numbers for the new semester project a rise in the undergraduate population over last year with a slight drop at the master’s and doctoral levels in line with international uncertainty.
Undergraduate confirms for new freshmen and new transfers climbed, and freshmen-to-sophomore retention is higher than the average reenrollment rate.
“What’s really exciting about these numbers is that we are turning applications into confirms,” Pluim said. “Overall, our fall enrollment is looking great.”
Todd Gilson, associate dean of Research, Resources and Innovation, talked about the Strategic Action Planning Framework’s value of inquiry and priority of research advancement.
The college continues to advance scholarship through a variety of programs, Gilson said, including the Senior Faculty Fellow program; the revision and expansion of internal grant opportunities; this semester’s new Morgridge Office Impact Grants; and the reinvigorated partnership with Hanover Research.
Gilson also introduced guest speakers Kellie Dyslin, director of Research Development at NIU, and Sadie Schaus, research development specialist, who gave an overview of services provided by their team.
“There’s a lot of work that’s being done at the university and the college level to try and support faculty research,” Gilson said. “We know we have to do that because you’re doing the work. Our job is to try to come alongside you and give you the supports.”
Looking ahead to next fall, Earick announced the new name (pending Board of Trustees approval) for the combined departments of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment and Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations: the Department of Learning Innovation, Leadership and Technology (LILT).
And, she said, the college expects to hire a new Morgridge Endowed Chair by the fall of 2027.
Congratulations were offered to faculty and staff in new roles as well as those who earned tenure-track promotions and/or honors:
- Ximena Burgin, associate professor, Research and Assessment
- Nicholas Grahovec, associate professor, Athletic Training
- Kim Green, director, Office for Student Success
- Dana Isawi, associate professor, Counseling
- David Nieto, Fulbright Scholar, Bilingual/ESL Program
- Mariana Ricklefs, associate professor, Multilingual Education
- Patrick Roberts, interim department chair, LEPF
- Alexios Rosario-Moore, assistant professor, Educational Administration
- Zach Wahl-Alexander, professor, Physical Education
- Tyler Wood, associate professor, Athletic Training
- Peitao Zhu, associate professor, Counseling
Welcomes were extended to Michael Belbis, visiting assistant professor of Kinesiology; Bethany Giesman, program advisor for Early Childhood Education; Christine Nelson, clinical assistant professor in Educational Administration; and Lin Zhu, assistant professor of Early Childhood Education.
Finally, the college saluted the retirement of Jim and Becky Surber, longtime clinical assistant professors of Educational Administration and the coordinator of the M.S.Ed. program in principal preparation.
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