Two recent NIU engineering graduates are among the latest success stories of a local education-to-industry pathway that includes collaboration with area community colleges and professional preparation via hands-on internships. Joseph Rayner, who earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from NIU in May 2026, now works as an application engineer at Elgin-based Assurance Technologies Inc....
Great professors don’t just teach the material — they make you want to learn it. For Accountancy Professor Meghann Abell Cefaratti, that ability to spark curiosity, connect with students and make an impact beyond the classroom has earned her another well-deserved title. Cefaratti — who serves as Deloitte Foundation Professor of Accountancy, director of certifications...
For nearly ten years, NIU’s Center for Governmental Studies (CGS) has hired a graduate accounting student each year to work with the Association Management team and their nonprofit client, the American Planning Association-Illinois Chapter (APA-IL), as well as to assist other nonprofit associations. The collaboration has been a win-win, helping students experience accounting from the...
Molly Pasley in Thailand. When Molly Pasley traveled in Thailand in July 2024, it was at the invitation of NIU School of Music Professor Jui-Ching Wang. The “Songs the Blind Can See” community service project worked to adapt music education for students with visual impairments at the Roi Et School for the Blind. Several students...
Conflict may be inevitable, but making waves in the field of conflict management is anything but. In July, Management Professor Amanda Ferguson did just that, proving that sometimes the best way to make an impact is to study what happens when people don’t see eye to eye. This summer, at the annual meeting of the...
Northern Illinois University Physics Professor Roland Winkler has a new research publication that he hopes will make a lasting impact on the physics community. NIU Physics Professor Roland Winkler. Winkler and colleague Uli Zülicke, a professor in the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, propose a new...
A stroll around campus can serve as a preview of a new exhibition coming soon to the galleries of the NIU Art Museum. The Olmec Heads Experience is a traveling exhibition of twenty-five monumental, artist-designed sculptures inspired by the colossal stone “heads” created by the Olmec civilization of Mesoamerica from 1200 BC to 400 AD. The...
NIU is mourning the loss of Eddie R. Williams, Jr., a soft-spoken educator and passionate advocate of students who rose from an assistant professor of mathematics to become the university’s first African American vice president. Williams is remembered as a mentor, adviser and friend to students, faculty and staff. After earning his Ph.D. from Columbia...
We welcome all new and returning employees to the start of the fall semester and the Office of Employee Well-being reminds employees of services we provide to address your well-being needs. We provide a wide range of services and resources to support you and your family members as you encounter difficult life situations or seek...
A new chapter of the NIU College of Education’s Morgridge Endowed Chair Office has begun this fall with the launch of Adventure Book Club. Each child enrolled in a DeKalb District 428 elementary school can sign up to receive one free, age-appropriate book each month from September 2026 through May 2027. Children and their parents...
Young students from Chicago’s West Side recently spent five days exploring new possibilities through a partnership between Northern Illinois University and Altus Academy, a tuition-free private school serving students in East Garfield Park and surrounding communities. Through hands-on activities and interactions with NIU faculty, staff and students, they gained exposure to academic disciplines, career opportunities...
As AI rapidly transforms the marketing profession, teaching students to use it strategically, ethically and effectively is becoming an essential part of a modern marketing education. Associate Professor in Marketing Andy Jeon embraces this massive responsibility, and it shows through his hands-on approach in the classroom. He was recently recognized with the university’s 2026 David...
