NIU Today

When Madeline Alger, ’18, graduated from Northern Illinois University with a marketing degree and a graphic design minor, she knew she had the tools to succeed in the fast-paced world of digital marketing. What she didn’t anticipate was how those same skills would empower her to take on a second role — helping her family...

Juel Mecklenburg is entering the family business. The new graduate of NIU’s Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education has a job secured for January – teaching P.E. at Crystal Lake’s Prairie Ridge High School – as she continues a McHenry County legacy begun by her father, Rob. “My dad – he’s always fun. He’s like...

NIU Libraries invites you to explore a new digital exhibit celebrating the beauty, history, and creativity of Japan. This collaborative exhibit brings together the work of retired NIU professor and photographer Michael Day and photographer and printmaker Ron Caplain, both longtime members of the DeBlois Gallery in Rhode Island. Drawing on more than 40 years...

Eleven students in NIU’s program in Visual Disabilities gained close-up exposure this fall to a career option they might never had considered. Molly Pasley, assistant professor in the Department of Special and Early Education, drove the group to the Wisconsin School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WSBVI) in Janesville. A state-operated school, WSBVI offers...

Honor Morgan, ’23, has dedicated her life to serving the public, and she continues that role with her job at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Morgan’s time at NIU helped solidify her love for service and helped shape her growth. “Looking back, my NIU experience was about more than involvement – it was about discovery,...

Experiencing a resurgence, NIU’s National Pan-Hellenic Council expects to have a “full yard” this spring. During 2025, all nine historically African American fraternities and sororities in the NHPC welcomed new members. In total, 22 students crossed in spring 2025, with another 42 joining in fall 2025. Commonly referred to as the “Divine Nine,” these organizations...

Andria Williams stepped behind the podium, smiled and raised a victorious fist in the air. “We did it, y’all!” The new graduate of the NIU College of Education’s LEAP (Licensed Educator Accelerated Pathway) program with the Rockford Public Schools served as the keynote speaker for the Dec. 11 completion ceremony at the NIU Rockford center....

NIU graduate students no longer must figuratively “shoot for the stars.” Thanks to a new partnership with NASA, they’ll be working with the people who help rockets get there. Beginning last spring and continuing through the spring 2026 semester, our College of Business has been collaborating with the Office of Technology Integration and Partnerships of...

A month ago, when he was inducted into NIU’s College of Engineering and Engineering Technology’s inaugural Hall of Fame class, Joe Sener needed to walk only a few steps to be at the ceremony. That’s because he had already arranged to travel from his home in Galena to be a guest speaker earlier in the...

Northern Illinois University is serving as the host institution for the 2025 ACM/IEEE Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL 2025), which will take place online from December 15 to 19, 2025. JCDL is a premier international conference on digital libraries and digital knowledge infrastructure, jointly sponsored by the IEEE Computer Society, ACM SIGIR, and ACM...

One research presentation title captured the spirit of this fall’s Treinta y Tres Conference at Northern Illinois University: “Compartiendo nuestros papelitos guardados.” Or, “sharing our saved notes.” “I like to look at this as every note that we put in our pocket is a memory or experience we have,” said Yaniz Rodríguez, a graduate student...

Nearly 700 undergraduate students and more than 400 graduate students participated in commencement ceremonies December 13 and December 14 at the Convocation Center in DeKalb, to the delight of their families, friends and supporters. The commencement ceremonies featured videos with stories of graduating Huskies, plus the sounds of the talented NIU Steelband. Prior to the...