Gudrun Nyunt has walked the walk. As a sophomore at State University of New York at New Paltz, she began working as a resident assistant – a job she would hold the next three years. Later, while in pursuit of her master’s
Read moreThree first-year faculty members share details on teaching, research interests
It’s still Year One for three NIU College of Education faculty members who joined the team in August. Read below to learn more about Quortne Hutchings, Farah Ishaq and Stephen Walker – in their own words. Quortne Hutchings Ph.D., Higher Education, Loyola
Read moreCongratulations!
Congratulations to these members of the NIU College of Education family! Alison Douglas, who graduated from the NIU College of Education in August 2021 with her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, is a co-winner of the AERA Special Interest Group Research in
Read moreXiaodan Hu receives funding to study equity implications of merit-based aid
Do merit-based financial aid programs narrow or widen equity gaps and social mobility in higher education? Xiaodan Hu, assistant professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs, has received $50,000 from the William T. Grant Foundation to explore that question. Collaborating with Frank
Read moreGraduate students in Higher Ed discover natural fits, futures in on-campus work
Kayce Fuentes, Ashlyn Straka and Ana Velazquez shared a common ambition as undergraduates – careers that would allow them to help others – but divergent paths. Fuentes holds a bachelor’s in Human Services. Straka completed hers in Human Development and Family Studies.
Read moreKelly Wesener Michael joins COE’s higher education, student affairs faculty as Practitioner-Scholar in Residence
Former NIU Dean of Students Kelly Wesener Michael joined the College of Education’s Department of Counseling and Higher Education (CAHE) July 1 as a Practitioner-Scholar in Residence. Wesener Michael, who holds an Ed.D. in Higher Education/Higher Education Administration from Indiana University Bloomington,
Read moreLaVerne Gyant ready for retirement, confident in future of higher education
This wasn’t the life LaVerne Gyant had sketched out for herself. She had grown up in Chester, Pa., designing her own clothes – and, under the loving tutelage of her grandmother, Lottie Ennett, sewing those garments by hand and by machine. Yes,
Read moreCAHE researchers ask students to rate their mental well-being during COVID
Living and learning on the NIU campus proved beneficial to the mental well-being of students during the Fall 2020 semester, a Department of Counseling and Higher Education study has found. Titled “Flourishing in the Time of COVID-19: How Institutional Responses to COVID-19
Read moreCAHE graduate students find validation of paths via Phyllis Cunningham honors
Valronica Scales felt the call to work toward social justice while working in Chicago with low-income students and families. Some were undocumented. Some spoke no English. Most were people of color. “Because I spoke fluent Spanish, and had lived abroad for a
Read moreGreetings from our Program Coordinator
Hello HESA Community! Happy New Year! I cannot believe that we are already a few weeks into the spring semester. Fall 2020 definitely brought unique challenges as we transitioned our programs fully online and moved various community activities to virtual platforms. I
Read moreFrom the Desk of the Dean of Students, Kelly Wesener Michael
Hello Huskies! For all of us in Higher Education and Student Affairs, 2020 was a uniquely challenging year. But, like we do at NIU, our institution and students have faced each new hurdle with Huskie grit. The Division of Student Affairs continues
Read moreCelebrations
We are excited to celebrate accomplishments and life events of our HESA community. Alumni, current students, and faculty can submit information for the newsletter. Please submit any announcements and pictures for our next newsletter (Summer 2021) to HESA Program Coordinator Dr. Gudrun
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