NIU Today

Growing up in East Chicago Heights, Jerry D. Blakemore clearly recognized the importance of education and public service. His father, J.D., who worked in the Youngstown Sheet and Tube steel mill for 31 years, held a seat on the village board and volunteered as a police officer and firefighter. His mother, Mattie, an operator for...

NIU’s Internet connection became faster and able to provide more bandwidth resources when the university tripled its broadband services with provider Cogent Communications in January. For students, faculty and staff who depend on the network for study, work and research, the news is welcome, said Cindy Phillips, director of customer services at Information Technology Services. The increase allows information...

NIU’s Civic Leadership Academy will offer a seminar Thursday, March 10, on “Understanding Your Government’s Finances and Financial Position.”

In 2006, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed the “Let Them Rest in Peace Act,” which prevents the disruption of funerals or memorial services with disorderly conduct. Now, with the help of 17 NIU students and one class project, House Bill 180 might undergo an amendment change. The amendment was created as a final project...

Hundreds of employment opportunities will face the NIU community this month with two job fairs scheduled on the DeKalb campus. The first is the annual spring Full-Time Job Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23. The second is the annual Mid-America Educators’ Job Fair scheduled for Monday, Feb. 28. NIU students and alumni...

Colleagues, Today Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn outlined his state budget proposal for next fiscal year, signaling his spending priorities for Fiscal Year 2012. His speech focused mostly on reduced funding levels and emphasized the importance of restructuring the state’s backlog of unpaid bills by borrowing approximately $8.75 billion to pay off most of the outstanding debt owed...

Have you ever been running late to class, wishing there were some way to quickly check your assignments on Blackboard? Now you can — and all you need is a smartphone with a data plan. Students and teachers can instantly access courses, content and communities anywhere via NIU’s Blackboard Mobile Learn app. To access the...

NIU’s Alumni Association and Career Services partnered Thursday, Feb. 10, for the third annual Career Resources Networking Night. The event was held at the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center and featured guest speaker Susan Caplan, an NIU alumna and business communication and marketing specialist. The 85 current NIU students, alumni and community members who attended...

NIU President John G. Peters offered these comments Monday, Feb. 14, 2011, at the Presentation of the Memorial Wreaths. Thank you, family, friends and neighbors of Northern Illinois University for gathering today at this memorial garden, for a moment of reflection and meditation. As you can see, the rejuvenation of Cole Hall began last month. We...

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NIU’s Regional History Center has launched a website to display items from its February 14, 2008 Memorial Collection. Created in conjunction with the archived physical collection located in Founders Memorial Library, the website allows individuals to view the memorial items online and to learn from the tragedy. It includes: Condolences sent to campus from other universities;...

An increase in Illinois’ individual state income tax rate from 3 percent to 5 percent was signed into law Jan. 13 and is effective as Jan. 1, 2011. As a result of this increase, the university is required to update the state income tax withholding rate on employee wages from 3 percent to 5 percent. The new withholding rates...