As my maiden voyage into a Midwest autumn begins, with temperatures somehow higher than the current highs in Albuquerque, I remain overjoyed by my first 90 days at NIU.
This place and the students, faculty, staff, alumni, partners and donors connected to it continue to amaze and impress me.
I already have engaged with so many proud and talented Huskies from all of those categories and have learned great things during those conversations.
My first NIU Homecoming celebration is in the books: Wow, what a party – and the one-room schoolhouse is a priceless journey into history. I’m also now a season ticket holder for football, and I’ve added the delicious Tapa La Luna to my growing list of favorite DeKalb and Sycamore restaurants.
Speaking of Huskie athletics, I recently attended a women’s basketball practice, where I met the outstanding new coach, Jacey Brooks, and enjoyed chatting with the phenomenal team. Yes, I’ve purchased season tickets for their games as well! I’m all in!
Road trips have taken me throughout our northern Illinois region, including a stop at the College of DuPage and a visit to meet the incredible Carolyn and Tony Kambich at their Riverwoods Montessori School. What a testament to where an NIU College of Education degree can take our graduates, and what a visible and profound impact our programs and our alumni make on the generations of thriving communities where they live and work.
Passport in hand, September brought my first international trip with some of my new colleagues.
Joining me at our longtime partner University of Tetova were Yenitza Guzman, Dana Isawi, Eric Junco and doctoral students Kristen Lee and Irem Pilgir.
We delivered workshops, engaged in dialogue with educators, conducted research and helped to design educational strategies that will strengthen the professional capacity of North Macedonian teachers in the areas of social-emotional learning and trauma-informed approaches.
Last week, I logged into this semester’s edition of the Aspiring Superintendents Forum via Zoom. My compliments to such an innovative, informational and interesting value-added for the students in our Ed.S. program to hear directly from current – and successful – practitioners.
Coming soon, I’m traveling Tuesday Oct. 21, with the Project FLEX team – Jenn Jacobs, Zach Wahl-Alexander, Jeremy Butler and special guest Steve Howell – to see this remarkable program on the ground and in action. I have enjoyed reading about their work with youth and look forward to watching some of those life-changing interactions in person.
Finally, my thanks to those who sent input on our “1-3-5-year” planning process. As communicated previously, I will provide an update on that in November.
Thanks again for continuing to make me feel welcome and privileged to serve with you, and Go Huskies!
Mary
