Once Sarah Johnston-Rodriguez dismissed her early notions to become a ballerina or an archaeologist, she turned her attention to nuclear physics. “I used to have a lab in our basement and blow things up,” Johnston-Rodriguez says. “But I had a career counselor
Read moreRobin Miller Young writing next chapter in retiring from Early Childhood faculty
Robin Miller Young always knew that she wanted a career making positive differences for children and families. How to meet and exceed that goal, however, has evolved continually since the beginning of her pursuit – and, unsurprisingly, another chapter is soon to
Read morePat Kee follows family encouragement, retires after hometown lifetime at NIU
Pat Kee was born and raised in DeKalb, just like her parents and their parents before them. “My mother’s side of the family lived in town. My dad’s side of the family lived in Pierce Township and owned a farm. All the
Read moreSport Management alum Jamaal Hines scores job leading after-school programs
Jamaal Hines grew up hooked on police procedurals on TV, imagining that he someday would solve crimes like the detectives on “CSI” and “NCIS” on behalf of innocent victims. Enrolling at Old Dominion University in his native Virginia, he earned a bachelor’s
Read moreCI, College of DuPage ink 2+2 agreement for seamless Elementary Education path
Future B.S.Ed. in Elementary Education majors who want to start their studies at the College of DuPage can transfer seamlessly into the NIU College of Education. Thanks to a newly signed, non-cohort-based 2+2 agreement between COD and the Department of Curriculum and
Read moreLaVerne Gyant shares U.S. perspective in global webinar on Black Lives Matter
LaVerne Gyant shared her view on Black Lives Matter with an international audience. A professor in the Department of Counseling and Higher Education and former director of the NIU Center for Black Studies, she was invited to serve as the keynote speaker
Read moreO Canada: Alissa Droog finds perfect mix in job duties for NIU education librarian
Alissa Droog is eager to run workshops that teach NIU Huskies how to read peer-reviewed articles and how to practice academic integrity in citations. She’s counting the days until she can welcome College of Education majors to Founders Memorial Library to teach
Read moreEnd of an era: Pat Wielert to retire Aug. 1
For the daughter of a United Methodist minister and the granddaughter of United Methodist missionaries to the Belgian Congo, the thought process behind major decisions is rooted in a higher authority. And so it was for Pat Wielert this summer as she
Read moreA message from Dean Laurie Elish-Piper
Dear Colleagues, I hope you had a chance to read the important message that our Academic Equity Committee shared last Thursday. I want to take this opportunity to amplify a pledge from that letter – “the College of Education’s commitment to fostering
Read moreSocial Justice Summer Camp 4.0 turns to podcasts to continue vital momentum
Joe Flynn heard the news without any sense of surprise. “It came out in late April that there was a disproportionate representation of African Americans and Latinos who have been contracting and, most importantly, dying from the virus,” says Flynn, an associate
Read moreCOVID-19 challenges counselors to treat children, paves long, difficult road ahead
COVID-19 changed abruptly from just a concerning topic in the news to a crushing force that isolated and locked down schools, communities and economies. The pandemic continues to claim a heartbreaking inventory of victims, from small businesses and gainful employment to human
Read moreZoom! 2020 Kalisiak lecture goes online to beat COVID-19, draws huge viewership
When the arrival of COVID-19 abruptly shuttered life as we knew it, Nicholas E. Grahovec already had most of the pieces in place for the 15th annual Roger and Cathy Kalisiak Lecture Series. The date. The venue. The keynote speakers. The invitations.
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