NIU last hosted the Student Affairs 101 Conference in 2021, drawing an impressive 70 people despite the lingering circumstances of COVID-19. Four autumns later, the event returned to DeKalb – as did a crowd. A big crowd. More than 180 people representing
Read moreVisual Disabilities students head north to visit Wisconsin School for the Blind
Eleven students in NIU’s program in Visual Disabilities gained close-up exposure this fall to a career option they might never had considered. Molly Pasley, assistant professor in the Department of Special and Early Education, drove the group to the Wisconsin School for
Read moreNew P.E. grad Juel Mecklenburg follows destiny, father into teaching, coaching
Juel Mecklenburg is entering the family business. The new graduate of NIU’s Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education has a job secured for January – teaching P.E. at Crystal Lake’s Prairie Ridge High School – as she continues a McHenry County legacy
Read moreCOUN 500 graduate students present research on profession-related topics
Burnout. Social anxiety. Communication barriers. Intimacy. Negative parental emotions. New graduate students in COUN 500: Professional Identity and Ethics in Counseling researched these topics and more for the course’s annual poster presentation, held Dec. 8 in the Sky Room. Melissa Fickling, associate
Read morePE alumni launch mentorship program
Members of the NIU Physical Education Young Alumni Network officially kicked off a mentorship program in the fall – and it’s already thriving. Forty-five alumni mentors are now working with current P.E. majors, sharing advice, stories and support. “It’s been inspiring to
Read moreMWERA researchers present work, gain new ideas, build professional networks
Twenty-eight students, faculty and alumni of the NIU College of Education attended the 47th annual meeting of the Mid-Western Educational Research Association. Held Nov. 5 to 7 in Milwaukee, the conference focused on “Navigating the Future: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence in Education for
Read moreEchoes of NIU history resonate loudly for HESA students in archival research
Aspiring practitioners in Higher Education and Student Affairs continue to examine the past to inform their future professional approach, thanks to an assignment in their NIU master’s degree program. For Lauren Asbury, it’s watching how a university president can tread successfully in
Read moreHESA master’s student Sophie Miller celebrates NASPA Rising Star honors
The answers come to Sophie Miller just when she needs them. Growing up in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, Miller harbored dual fascinations with communications and political science – and when she enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, her solution was to
Read moreEducate Global trip to Indonesia offers rich experiences in cultural awareness
Before Daisy Cruz went on the Summer 2025 Educate Global trip to Indonesia, she considered herself “a very shy person.” Now the senior Elementary Education major classifies that as “stepping into her voice.” “My biggest reason why I wanted to experience this
Read moreU-46 administrators share stories, take questions from aspiring superintendents
Members of the School District U-46 leadership team were front and center Sept. 30 for the latest Aspiring Superintendents Forum. Launched in 2021 by NIU Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations Associate Professor Ben Creed and Clinical Assistant Professor Lynn Gibson,
Read moreNew, federally funded project to prepare special education teachers for rural, small-town northwest Illinois districts
More than two dozen classroom paraprofessionals and long-term substitutes in rural and small-town school districts throughout the northwest corner of the state are embarking on a tuition-free path to becoming special education teachers. The NIU College of Education’s Licensed Educator Accelerated Pathway
Read moreSESE 448 students visit Batavia to see Valley Sheltered Workshop operations
For students with disabilities, life naturally goes on after school ends. To help facilitate that, their IEPs (individualized education programs) are required by federal law to include a coordinated set of activities, measurable post-secondary employment goals and annual updates based on age-appropriate
Read more