The thinkers and doers of tomorrow are opening wide the doors to new and exciting chapters of life. They are eager and hungry for the opportunities and challenges that await, and, as members of the university community that nurtured them, we should feel empowered by their enthusiastic appetites for what – and whatever – comes next.
For most, of course, the answer is employment.
Many of this weekend’s graduates probably have read the recent news that members of the Class of 2016 are entering the best job market since the recession. I’m sure their parents have enjoyed those headlines as well.
But this weekend’s commencement exercises will remind our soon-to-be alumni that Student Career Success takes many shapes and sizes.
Eboo Patel, who will receive an honorary doctoral degree Friday evening, and Gus Trantham, who’s joining us during the final ceremony Saturday for a very different reason, illustrate that point well.
An interfaith activist and president of the Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Core, Eboo and his cohorts work to unite people of all religious and belief systems and to find common ground in service to others.
Diversity is a critical part of our mission, something we’ve demonstrated in the last year with the hiring of a chief diversity officer, the launch of Diversity Dialogues and the formation of the NIU Presidential Commission on Interfaith Initiatives.
We’ve also partnered this academic year with Eboo’s Interfaith Youth Core to interpret results of a campus survey on the religious and spiritual climate, to train 75 faculty members to teach “Acts of Faith” in the classroom and to support the creation of the BetterTogether@NIU student organization.
In Eboo’s personal story – a journey from an apathetic adolescent to a college student who yearned to become part of something greater – our students, like many in their generation, have taken inspiration to make a difference through service to others. Our world is a smaller, and better, place.
Gus, meanwhile, will show our young graduates the benefits of leading a life well-lived.
Gus Trantham
Sixty-three years after he officially graduated from NIU, he will return Saturday to personally collect his diploma. It was something he could not do in May of 1953 as he fought behind enemy lines in the Korean War.
Like many of our graduates this weekend, Gus was a first-generation college student who worked several jobs to make ends meet. He spent summers training to become an officer in the U.S. Navy and, in the winter of 1952, was called to active duty aboard the USS Toucan.
His parents came to DeKalb with tears in their eyes and joy in their hearts to accept a diploma on behalf of their son. Nonetheless, the well-decorated veteran, successful businessman and proud NIU alum always regretted not crossing the stage himself to shake the hand of one of my predecessors, Leslie A. Holmes.
I’m thrilled that Gus and his treasured family, including children and grandchildren, are with us on campus this week. We are honored to make his dream come true.
As we gather Friday and Saturday to celebrate stories of success, and to start writing new ones, let’s aspire to follow the guidance of Eboo and Gus: Make the most of where the roads of life lead you, provide direction to those trailing in your footsteps and remember to share the rewards of the adventure.
Date posted: May 12, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on Baker Report: Something old, something new
Beginning soon, and continuing throughout the year, we’ll highlight inspirational professors and staff for our campus community and beyond.
Faculty such as Amy Newman, the newly appointed NIU Board of Trustees Professor whose poetry wins awards and whose students gush with praise, are one of many examples of why NIU is an exceptional place to work and learn.
We’ll look at husband-and-wife team Andrew Otieno and Teresa Wasonga, whose love for their Kenyan homeland moved them to build and support a school for girls. We’ll chat with Toni Van Laarhoven, inspired by her sister to pursue a career in special education and to make schools better for special learners.
NIU also is home to marvelous teachers and instructors, such as Jason Hanna, Qingkai Kong, Jeanne Isabel and Jason Akst, who challenge students not only to learn but to think critically, to see things differently and to form their own conclusions.
The David C. Shapiro Memorial Law Library in Swen Parson Hall has announced its summer hours, which begin Monday, May 16, and continue through Friday, Aug. 21.
Regular hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. The library is closed Saturdays.
From 6 p.m. to close each day, the library is only open to students, faculty and staff of the College of Law. All other patrons will be asked to leave.
Exceptions to the regular summer hours include the Saturday, May 28, graduation day, when the library is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The library also is closed Sunday, May 29, and Monday, May 30, in observance of Memorial Day, and Sunday, July 3, and Monday, July 4, in observance of the Fourth of July.
For more information, call (815) 753-0505.
Date posted: May 11, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on Law Library posts summer hours
Our robots are getting smarter. Should we be excited or scared?
At the next STEM Café, “RoboRevolution: The Future of Sentient Machines at Home and in the Workplace,” two NIU thinkers will explore the many ways cutting-edge robotics and artificial intelligence are changing our lives.
The free talk and discussion will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 1, at Eduardo’s Mexican Restaurant, 214 E. Lincoln Hwy.
“Many of the changes enabled by robots will be unquestionably good,” says Ji-Chul Ryu, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, who will discuss his research on robots that help special needs children and disabled adults. “But other developments are more complicated, and those complications are only going to increase.”
These more complicated developments include technological advances that allow robots to take over human jobs. Ryu and his co-presenter, Stephen Haliczer, will discuss the past, present and future effects of this workforce displacement on worldwide political and social stability.
“What does it mean that we’ve built machines that can do our jobs and beat us at complex games like chess?” asks Haliczer, the special assistant to NIU’s vice president for Information Technology Innovation (and an NIU Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus from the Department of History).
But the answers are not all bleak.
Ryu and Haliczer will describe many ways in which humans and robots are working together now–and can work together even better in the future, especially as robots become increasingly “sentient,” or capable of thought.
“The key fact is that as robots’ intelligence and abilities evolve, they will become more and more different from human intelligence and abilities,” Haliczer says. “This can reduce the chances of competition and increase our opportunities for collaboration.”
Of course, ensuring harmonious human-robot coexistence will take work.
Ryu and Haliczer will discuss government and private sector efforts to regulate the development of intelligent machines and ensure they don’t escape human control.
“Visions of robots taking over the planet are common in movies and on TV,” says NIU STEM Outreach Associate Judith Dymond. “Ryu and Haliczer will bring some nuance to the subject, recognizing the real causes for concern but also for optimism.”
This event is one of STEM Outreach’s monthly STEM Cafes, all of which are free and open to the public. Food and drinks will be available for purchase from Eduardo’s.
For more information on STEM Cafés and other STEM events, call (815) 743-4751 or email jdymond@niu.edu.
Date posted: May 11, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on Robot revolution
No coding experience? No worries. Plenty of techies will be on-site. The only requirement is a passion for problem solving.
“Over the last decade, new technologies have created new ways of working that are more collaborative, data-driven, and user-centered,” says Tracy Rogers-Tryba, a research associate at NIU’s Center for P-20 Engagement. “Unfortunately, those technologies have been put to use primarily in the private sector. Hack for Change is all about bringing those innovations to the community and local government, making it more responsive, more efficient, and more useful to all citizens.”
Code for America, the national organization behind Hack for Change, has set three challenge areas for 2016: hunger, housing and entrepreneurship. Depending on their interests, participants can investigate what it takes to apply for food stamps, affordable housing or a business license in DeKalb County – then explore how technology might streamline these crucial processes.
Huskie Hack: September 2015
“The challenge areas are just options,” Rogers-Tryba says. “Everyone should raise whatever local issues they’re the most fired up about. The more people attend, and the more sectors of our community they represent, the more we’ll get done.”
NIU is rapidly emerging as a hub for “civic hacking,” the use of technology to make government resources more accessible. Tech Bark, the student organization co-sponsoring “Hack for Change,” is the first-ever “University Brigade” of computer coders to be recognized by Code For America.
Hack for Change and the recent CodeAcross DeKalb are part of larger national events focused on the recognition and utilization of coding as an integral part of critical problem solving, particularly for issues related to civic services.
NIU recognizes the growing importance of computer coding as a digital literacy skill and will continue to engage students of all ages along with community members and civic agencies in the search for collaborative solutions.
For more information, contact Rogers-Tryba at (815) 753-2090 or tlrogers@niu.edu.
Date posted: May 10, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on June 4 Hack for Change to combine local passions, digital innovation
Sharon L. Dowen, who worked at NIU in Internal Audit from 1983 to 2008 and retired as director of that operation, died May 6 in DeKalb. She was 70.
Dowen received an Outstanding Service Award from the Operating Staff Council in 2008. She also was one of NIU’s 25 Amazing Women in 2006 when the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women celebrated its 25th anniversary.
She also was a member of the Lifelong Learning Institute and convener of its well-loved book discussion study groups.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 12, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 900 Normal Road in DeKalb.
Date posted: May 9, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on NIU remembers Sharon L. Dowen
In an effort to mitigate a growing backlog of parking lot repair requirements, NIU administrators have approved parking permit price increases for the first time since 2011.
The new rates will help generate additional revenue necessary to address the current $5 million backlog of known parking lot repairs.
Parking lot repair demands are being prioritized into a long-range investment plan which will help determine a more stabilized permit pricing structure going forward.
Permit pricing increases were not made uniformly across all permit types. Reserved parking, in particular, was increased more than other permits because this type of parking typically underutilizes spaces when compared to open lot parking areas.
When compared to other universities, said Campus Parking Services Director Darren Mitchell, the new prices range from being 80 percent to 20 percent lower than most other institutions with only a couple examples of schools being lower in price.
The change to make remote (green permit) parking free also provides patrons with another option to fit their parking needs, Mitchell added.
Free permit parking will be available in lot C3 north of the Convocation Center. Permits will still be required and will need to be obtained from Campus Parking Services.
For more information, call (815) 753-1045 or email parking@niu.edu.
Finalists for the position of senior director for Housing and Residential Services will hold presentations and open forums on campus.
The senior director for Housing and Residential Services provides primary leadership in the areas of staff supervision, housing operations, budget management and residential student development including implementation of new programs and services.
Other responsibilities are the development of a cohesive and effective departmental staff as well as the administration and daily operation of the campus housing facilities.
All are welcome to participate in this important search by attending the forums, scheduled from 11 a.m. to noon.
Licensing company Solid Oak Sketches LLC filed a complaint Feb. 1 of this year against Visual Concepts LLC, 2K Games Inc. and Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. for copyright infringement. Solid Oak is the exclusive licensor of tattoos displayed on the bodies of National Basketball Association players who appear in the “NBA 2K16” video game.
“After more than a decade of conjecture, debate and closed-door settlements .. (and ) with much of the copyright world now watching, not to mention those living at the crossroads of the sports and gaming worlds, the courts are about to weigh in — finally,” King wrote.
“If this case proceeds to trial, and Solid Oak succeeds in establishing its tattoos as copyrightable works and enforcing its rights in those works against the defendants, then there will be more tattoo copyright lawsuits to come.”
Ryzhov, an associate professor in the NIU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, will explore a typical issue for large universities: Only one instrument representing a major technique is on hand for instructional purposes which limits the students’ time on the instrument.
However, Ryzhov says, a virtual laboratory experience augments students’ experimental experience. Virtual labs are digital modules that give students the control of the parameters and produce simulated outcomes. They are fast, interactive and user-friendly.
The talk is open to the public. For more information, call (815) 753-8381 or email jrat@niu.edu.
Date posted: May 5, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on Chemistry professor to talk May 9 on virtual labs
Data is the topic of the Thursday, May 12, installment of the Alumni & Foundation Forum, weekly presentations and Q-and-As hosted by the Alumni Association and the NIU Foundation that demonstrate how they can support the campus.
Participants can learn:
how records of alumni and friends are created, stored and updated;
all there is to know about completing Request for Information forms to access data;
Beginning this fall – and in another format next summer – the program provides specialized training in assistive technology used by people with visual impairments.
Project VITALL (Visually Impaired and Assistive Technology for All), taught two years during fall and spring semesters to people with bachelor’s degrees in any field; and
Camp VITALL, taught over two summers for currently licensed professionals in vision. This includes teachers of students with visual impairments (TVI), certified orientation and mobility specialists and certified vision rehabilitation therapists.
“NIU is the first university offering a course of study toward this,” said Stacy Kelly, associate professor in SEED and alumna of the program. “Individuals who choose this career path experience a sense of fulfillment not commonly found in other careers. These teachers play a significant role in the lives of children who are visually impaired and their families.”
And they are desperately needed.
Sean Tikkun
Stacy Kelly
“We have a critical, national shortage. It’s crazy how many blind students there are who don’t have teachers,” added Sean Tikkun, who is a SEED graduate staff and also an alum. “It’s a crisis. It always has been and it always will be. We will never catch up.”
Project VITALL encourages students in its cohorts to complete both licensure for teaching children who are visually impaired, which takes 16 months, and to also obtain dual certification in CATIS.
Classes are taught face-to-face on the NIU campus in DeKalb.
The deadline to apply is June 15; each cohort begins in the fall. The financial aid – all tuition and fees as well as health insurance and a stipend of $5,520 per calendar year – is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to qualified applicants.
Camp VITALL, which provides the CATIS credential without interrupting the August-through-June employment of teachers includes full tuition, fees and a $920-per-summer stipend for two consecutive summer sessions.
On-campus courses take place over eight weeks in the summer of 2017; the 12-week internship is completed in the summer of 2018.
For more information on either program, contact Kelly at (815) 753-4103 or skelly@niu.edu.
Date posted: May 5, 2016 | Author: Mark McGowan | Comments Off on NIU Visual Disabilities Program awarded $1.25 million federal grant
Commencement is an extraordinary time.
