If improved retention of students is a goal – and it is – then cultivating an environment of belonging is one way to achieve just that. Talk of belonging took center stage Aug. 22 during the All-College Meeting, which featured words on
Read moreHope (Bess) Wilson named SEED chair
Hope (Bess) Wilson is the new chair of the Department of Special and Early Education. She comes to NIU from the University of North Florida, where she had taught since 2012 and most recently served as a professor in the Department of
Read moreNIU PLEDGE, Elgin Community College add 18 elementary teachers to pipeline
The numbers tell an amazing story. Eighteen B.S.Ed. in Elementary Education majors started the third cohort of the College of Education’s PLEDGE (Partnering to Lead and Empower District-Grown Educators) program with Elgin Community College in the fall semester of 2021. All 18
Read more‘In good hands’: Bill Pitney chosen to fill acting dean role for 23-24 academic year
Bill Pitney knows exactly why he’s moving back to Graham Hall. “The college’s mission really resonates with me,” says Pitney, professor of Athletic Training in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education. “Our mission is grounded in high-quality teaching, research and service
Read moreMessage from the Dean
Part of a dean’s job is to serve as a representative voice – a passionate champion for students, faculty, staff and, most broadly, education. Although I proudly wear that hat constantly, and most often on-campus in DeKalb, I have taken our agenda
Read moreLaurie Elish-Piper joins NIU colleagues in cultivating Indonesian relationships
The first students from Southeast Asia arrived on the campus of what then was known as the Northern Illinois State Normal School in 1903. “One of the really interesting things about Indonesia, and really all of Southeast Asia, is how deep and
Read moreMessage from the Dean
Yes, it’s true. We’re losing an hour of sleep this weekend, but I’m looking at the upside: the continuation of more and more minutes of daylight and the official, non-groundhog confirmation that spring is here. Need another reason to celebrate? My beloved
Read moreDean, leaders unveil, explore revisions to Strategic Action Planning Framework
Dean Laurie Elish-Piper unveiled the NIU College of Education’s updated Strategic Action Planning Framework during the Jan. 10 spring meeting. Revisions reflect a year of multiple conversations, reviews, open feedback sessions and administrative-level discussions and decisions about how the college has evolved
Read moreMessage from the Dean
It seems impossible that the semester is already coming to an end. Weren’t we all just on the Anderson Hall lawn for our Student Welcome Picnic or outside Gabel Hall for the Sweet Tea with the CoE event? Yet final exams are
Read moreLaurie Elish-Piper to serve as interim executive vice president and provost for Academic Year 2023-2024
Laurie Elish-Piper regards NIU as an agent for change. Consider, she says, how many Huskies are the first in their families to attend college, or who come from underrepresented or lower income backgrounds, and who go on to achieve amazing things after
Read moreMessage from the Dean
If you’re like me, you’ve had more than your fill of campaign ads and mailbox postcards – and now you’re grateful that the midterm elections are over, even if some of the results didn’t match your vote. Feeling thankful simply because you
Read moreMessage from the Dean
As we pass the midpoint of a busy and productive semester, I want to you know that I appreciate you. Our buildings and our campus are bustling with the kinds of activity we perhaps took for granted before March 2020, and I
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