Christine Sorensen Irvine, dean of the NIU College of Education from 2002 to 2007, died Jan. 27. She was 64.
Irvine left NIU to serve as the dean of the College of Education at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she still worked as a professor of Learning Design and Technology in the College of Education.
She came to DeKalb in 1996 as an assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, served as assistant chair and, following the college’s reorganization in 1999, became assistant chair of the new Department of Leadership in Educational and Sport Organizations.
One year later, in 2000, she was named associate dean. Eight months after that, she was chosen to serve as acting dean, a role she held until her official appointment July 1, 2002.
During her time leading the college, Irvine promoted a mission of “Shaping the Future with PRIDE” – Partnerships, Research, Innovation, Diversity/Development and Evaluation.
Her legacy at NIU is in partnerships across departments, colleges and school districts.
Most notably, Irvine wrote the $5 million federal grant that funded Project REAL, a partnership among NIU, the Rockford Public Schools and Rock Valley College to enhance teacher quality and student performance in Rockford’s District 205.
Trinity Missionary Baptist Church of Honolulu will livestream Irvine’s memorial service at 3 p.m. (Central Time) Saturday, Feb. 18, at https://tmbchawaii.org/live-stream/ and at www.facebook.com/tmbchawaii.
