Dr. Kerry Freedman, professor of art and design education in the NIU School of Art and Design is the 2026 recipient of the National Art Education Association’s Eisner Lifetime Achievement Award. Freedman has previously been honored by the NAEA with the National Higher Education Art Educator Award (2006), the Manuel Barkan Memorial Award (2012) and...
“Northern Illinois University, in partnership with Braven, helped prepare me for real-world success.” Kailah Stewart graduated from NIU in May 2024 with a communication studies degree and an emphasis on media studies. Stewart currently works as a public relations assistant for Cook County Sheriff’s Office. Stewart says, taking the UNIV 301: Braven Leadership and Career...
TJ Schoonover and Kimberly Hart The 20th cohort of NIU’s School Counselor Institute (SCI) will finish this spring. Launched in 2005, the program enables licensed clinical mental health counselors to earn their Illinois Professional Educator Licenses and School Counseling endorsements without pursuing a second master’s degree. Students complete their coursework in one calendar year of...
All are invited to attend a special presentation, “How Quantum is Changing Jobs, Industries, and Opportunities” on Thursday, February 12 from 2-3 pm in Altgeld Hall Auditorium featuring Quantum expert attorneys Robert Karr and Martin Montes, who are Partners at Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Quantum Technology Industry Group Co-Chairs, and authors of the Quantum Law...
A history major with plans to teach is spending his final year at Northern Illinois University on an educational project to elevate Latinos’ statewide contributions into public memory. Eddie Guerrero, who is earning his secondary educator licensure, was inspired to start the work during a summer internship with the Illinois State Historical Society, funded by...
NIU provides all current students, faculty and staff with free access to the full Adobe Creative Cloud suite, an invaluable resource offering industry-standard tools for design, marketing and digital media. Launched in fall 2025, a new student-led initiative is helping NIU students fully leverage this asset while building creative confidence and career-ready skills. The NIU...
Meaningful engagement with its region is a defining characteristic of NIU, and the university has once again won national recognition of the excellence of this part of its mission. Northern Illinois University has been reclassified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a Community-Engaged Institution. This classification, bestowed on only 277 universities...
The NIU College of Business will host an AI conference – “Educating the AI-Ready Graduate: An Industry Perspective” – at Barsema Hall Friday, Feb. 13. This event is open to all NIU faculty, staff and students who would like to hear from industry leaders about preparing students to succeed in today’s workplace. The event will...
Many teachers talk of playing school in their childhood basements as kids. Dana Freedlund did that, too. A chalkboard. A magnetic board. Desks. Worksheets that she handed out to her friends. She had it all. That’s not what drove her to a career in the classroom, however, or how she knew from a young age...
Three NIU School of Nursing faculty members were named as 2026 Nurse Educator Fellows by the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE). Patrice Alsaden, Rhoda Jefferson and Cristan Sabio join other Illinois nurse educators in the 2026 class after being selected based on their accomplishments, contributions to the nursing program and efforts to advance equity and...
A Collaboration Between the NIU Center for Governmental Studies and the DeKalb County Community Foundation Continues to Make a Positive Difference Ten Years Later Ten years ago, the DeKalb County Community Foundation (DCCF) had a radical idea to promote community development across the county’s rural, suburban and urban areas. They offered $20,000 for each municipal...
Last fall, our Black Business Student Association (BBSA) won its first grant, the One by One Grant from 4imprint. The One by One Grant is a program in which 4imprint awards $500 credits for promotional products to nonprofit organizations, accredited schools and other groups that are working to make a positive impact in their communities....
