Ask Danny Oest to name the Top 5 challenges confronting school superintendents, and he succinctly boils his list down to just two. But they’re big ones. First, says Oest, the former shared superintendent of Richmond-Burton Community High School 157 and Nippersink School
Read moreNIU Ed Admin alum Brian Harris serves Barrington 220 with ‘what’s best for kids’
Brian Harris sports an impressive résumé. Superintendent of Schools in Barrington 220. Former superintendent of Wheaton-Warrenville 200, and assistant superintendent for Human Resources and Secondary Education in St. Charles 303. President of the Large Unit District Association in Illinois, an organization representing
Read moreLoyal Huskie R.J. Gravel thrives in career, embodies ‘definition of lifelong learning’
Growing up in suburban Des Plaines, R.J. Gravel wanted to live a life in song. He enrolled at NIU in the fall of 2001 to major in music education and vocal performance, but something happened before classes began in August that would
Read moreEd.S. student accepts new challenge while closing in on NIU superintendency degree
During Matt Birdsley’s high school days in Fulton, Ill., he took advantage of – and thoroughly enjoyed – service-learning opportunities that allowed him to work with elementary school students. Those positive interactions led Birdsley to the NIU College of Education, where he
Read moreSuperintendency alums look back fondly on NIU preparation, forward to new roles
Charlie Kyle and Matt Barbini, alums of NIU’s various Educational Administration programs, are celebrating new professional milestones. Kyle, who completed his Ed.D. in 2017, his Ed.S in 2004 and his M.S.Ed. in 2001, was named in 2018 as the assistant superintendent of
Read moreFor better or worse: Two couples gaining new credentials in principal prep cohort
Jessica and Keith Langosch will clink the champagne glasses on two years of wedded bliss this June. By the end of the summer, they will celebrate two new and shiny M.S.Ed. in Educational Administration degrees from NIU – and they’re not the
Read moreAlumni Accomplishments
Congratulations to these alumni who are making a positive impact on the leadership and administration of education at all levels! John Avendano, B.S.Ed. Physical Education, ’86, and M.S.Ed. Adult and Continuing Ed, ’91, will become president of Florida State College at Jacksonville
Read moreMore than meets the eye: Two principals from one district take Ed Admin journey
Tricia Rollerson grew up in various homes around the country, moving from one state to the next. So did Teresa Polson. Both went to college, earning bachelor’s degrees in psychology and social work, respectively. Later, they both found paths into education, eventually
Read moreA homecoming 40 years in the making: Lynn Gibson starts second career at NIU
During Lynn Gibson’s undergraduate years in the NIU College of Business, then housed inside Wirtz Hall, she lived directly across the street in the Timbercrest Apartments on the corner of Lucinda Avenue and Garden Road. Hers was Apartment 5, she knows for
Read moreFive years, nine cohorts: NIU maintains excellence in Principal Prep program following update of Illinois standards
Soon after new Illinois standards for school principals were introduced in 2010, Jim and Becky Surber joined the NIU College of Education’s efforts to modify its program to comply. NIU’s program soon became one of the first in the state to gain
Read moreCOE alumna Ashley Van Sickle honored for teaching excellence
Ashley Van Sickle loves foreign languages and cultures. While earning her NIU bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, she pursued a minor in Spanish. Her licensure endorsements include English as a Second Language along with language arts and social studies. Now Van Sickle
Read moreEd.D. in Ed Administration receives new name, focus
Following the Illinois General Assembly’s update of the Illinois School Code standards for new school superintendents, the NIU Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations accordingly redesigned its programs. That work has resulted in untangling the Ed.S. – an educational specialist degree
Read more