Academics in the Irish Studies community coalesced around the globe’s most dispersed diaspora know Sean Farrell for his work on nineteenth-century Ulster. Undergraduates taking a general education class may simply know him for teaching them the history of the world since 1500. “For all my writing, the place where I have the most reach is...
Abu Bakarr Bah believes sociology can “smuggle” peace into discourse on international security. “What I have managed to do over the years is bring a different perspective into a scholarly space traditionally dominated by political science and law,” Bah said. “To understand the global order, you have to work through centuries-old systems tied to the...
Karen Samonds teaches biology in a way that sparks curiosities of all ages. Consider her participation in an outreach program that brings 140 middle school students to the NIU campus for a day of data collection and college visitation. “Middle schoolers get to tour our facilities, including a tour of the human anatomy lab where...
Doug Wallace spent the 1990s earning three degrees in psychology, a quest paved with stacks of books. Not among that required reading, however, was a book that would prove life-changing in his career on the faculty of the NIU Department of Psychology. “Some of the first classes I taught were modeled after courses I had...
Internationally recognized for her research on the topics of emotions, stress and health, Angela Grippo, Ph.D., professor of psychology at NIU has been selected as a 2026 Presidential Research, Scholarship and Artistry Professor. Grippo is the program director for NIU’s neuroscience and behavior program. Her area of specialization is biopsychology and how stress and emotion...
Whether it’s expertise on Roman chariot racing and spectacle of the circus in ancient Rome, serving as research director on an archaeological dig in Italy, conducting research into race, representation and social practice on Romans in antiquity, or bringing his knowledge of Greek, Etruscan and Roman art, architecture and archaeology and experiences in the field...
Rosemary Feurer brings history out of the classroom and into communities, transforming the way the public understands labor, inequality and the role of everyday people in shaping the past. Feurer earned her academic training as a labor historian and has focused her career on the political economy of social conflict from the nineteenth century to...
Carol Walther has built a career connecting classrooms to courtrooms, creating partnerships that bring students face to face with the realities of the criminal justice system. Since arriving at NIU in 2014, Walther has fostered sustained partnerships with treatment courts, state’s attorneys and court services, often leading teams of students to evaluate programs and provide...
Congratulations to Scot Schraufnagel, professor in NIU’s Department of Political Science, on winning the 2026 Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award. Schraufnagel (or ‘Schrauf’ as many of his students refer to him) teaches courses on American government, political analysis and research methods. He is known for using interesting real-world examples to illustrate the importance of these...
NIU is proud to honor Amber Ruland, instructor in the Department of Special and Early Education and Kathy Kuschman, instructor in the Department of World Languages and Cultures with the 2026 Excellence in Undergraduate Instruction Award. Both will be honored during the 2026 Faculty Awards Ceremony at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 16 in the Altgeld...
Congratulations to Quortne “Q” Hutchings, NIU’s 2026 Excellence in Online Teaching Award winner. Hutchings is an assistant professor in the College of Education’s Counseling and Higher Education Department. Presented by the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL), this award recognizes faculty and instructors whose performance exemplifies a commitment to excellence in online teaching, course development and student engagement....
NIU congratulates E. Taylor Atkins, Distinguished Teaching Professor of History in NIU’s Department of History, on receiving the 2026 Exemplary Faculty Mentoring Award. The distinction highlights the importance of faculty mentoring at NIU and its connection to faculty success. “Dr. Atkins has shown an extraordinary commitment to mentoring faculty and students across disciplines, helping them...
