Scholarly Activities at Northern Illinois

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Original research, scholarly, and artistic endeavors are integral to the intellectual life at Northern Illinois University. Members of the graduate faculty are scholars who are expected to engage in research, scholarship, or artistry as part of their regular responsibilities, and thus be aware of, and contribute to, advancements in their fields of expertise. Graduate students, through theses, dissertations, and other independent studies, become introduced to the processes of scholarly inquiry and expression in their academic disciplines. These activities continually confirm the university as an institution dedicated to the pursuit and transmission of knowledge, both basic and applied. The Division of Research and Innovation Partnerships is responsible for the general encouragement of research, scholarship, and artistry.

Board of Trustees Professorships

The Northern Illinois University Board of Trustees Professorship was established in 2007 to recognize those faculty who have achieved a consistent record of excellence in teaching, scholarship or artistry, service and outreach, and academic leadership; have earned a national/international reputation for professional achievements; and are deemed likely to make continued and substantial contributions in higher education. Special emphasis will be placed upon the recognition of faculty who are renowned scholars/artists who have engaged students in their research/or and other professional activities.

The NIU Presidential Research, Scholarship, and Artistry Professorships were established in 1982 in recognition and support of the research, scholarship, and artistic mission of the university. Recipients of this award are selected on the basis of significant and sustained research scholarly or creative work, including the achievement of national or international reputation in their individual fields. Up to two such professorships are granted each year, providing budgetary support and released time for research scholarly or artistic activities. After four years as a Presidential Professor, each of these eminent faculty members is designated a Distinguished Professor. Distinguished Professors and Presidential Professors are identified in the faculty listings of their respective academic departments.

The NIU Presidential Teaching Professorships were established in 1991 to recognize and support faculty who excel in the practice of teaching. Recipients of this award have demonstrated over time their commitment to and success in the many activities associated with outstanding teaching. The recipients receive budgetary support and release time for the enhancement of their teaching skills. After four years as a Presidential Teaching Professor, each of these eminent faculty members is designated a Distinguished Teaching Professor.

Presidential Engagement Professorships

Established in 2011, the Presidential Engagement Professorships recognize faculty who exemplify NIU’s commitment to engagement, that is, collaboration between the university and its larger communities for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.

Sponsored Programs Administration supports NIU faculty, student, and staff in securing and managing sponsored funding for research, instruction, service, and artistry. The office provides comprehensive services and support from funding development to project close-out. See www.niu.edu/osp/.

The Technology Transfer Office (TTO) promotes the development and protection of university-owned intellectual property (IP) for public use and society benefit. University owned IP is generated by faculty, staff, students and non- employees while teaching, researching or working on scholarly projects with university resources, with external monies funded to the university or during the daily responsibilities to the university. The office protects proprietary information, original works, tangible research property and know-how via the administration of non- disclosure/confidentiality agreements, outgoing material transfer agreements, and by pursuing patent, trademark and copyright filings. The TTO administers the University Intellectual Property Policy, coordinates invention reporting and IP obligations with external research funding sponsors and facilitates third party agreements granting rights-to-use, develop and commercialize University owned IP. The office fosters innovation by encouraging public-private collaborations and assisting faculty, students and staff make relevant connections for product development and commercialization so research can be transferred for public use and contribute to economic growth. Income generated from the transfer agreements supports further research and development at the university. To learn more visit www.tto.niu.edu/tto/.

The university maintains a wide range of research facilities, offices, and resources to facilitate a variety of research and public service activities. These include the following.

Econ Illinois

Econ Illinois is an integral unit of the Division of Outreach, Engagement, and Regional Development at NIU, working in tandem with the P-20 and NIU Centers on various economic/financial education programs and STEM initiatives. Econ Illinois, and its state-wide network of six university-based centers, offer economic and financial education programs for students, teachers, and individuals throughout the state. Econ Illinois’ activities include, yet are not limited to, in-service and pre-service teacher training, K-12 student and teacher programs, and curriculum consultation. Econ Illinois also provides development, distribution, and evaluation of economic/finance education materials and assessments.

Northern Illinois Center for Economic Education

The NIU Center for Economic Education is an affiliate of Econ Illinois and part of the NIU Center for P-20 Engagement. The center was established in 1970 to provide economic education professional development programs for K-12 teachers in the NIU service area. The center offers teachers, school districts, and community organizations the curriculum resources and training to teach the fundamental concepts and skills students need to understand and succeed in our market economy.

The NIU Center for Economic Education also provides services, materials, and consultation to school systems throughout 15 counties in northern Illinois. Contests for students, workshops for inservice teachers and preservice teachers, curriculum review, and classroom materials for teaching economics are among the offerings available through the Center for Economic Education. More information about the center is available at www.niu.edu/econ_edu or by contacting Judith Dymond at jdymond@niu.edu or 815-753-4751.

Information Technology

AnywhereApps provides course-specific software for desktops and mobile devices, free of charge to students. AnywherePrints makes printing, copying, and scanning available at locations throughout campus. Students submit print jobs from anywhere they have an internet connection and retrieve them at a campus printer of their choice.

Currently enrolled students have a free subscription to Microsoft Office 365 and the full Microsoft Office suite including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more. The software can be installed multiple times on desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Statistical analysis packages such as SAS and SPSS and some curriculum-specific software are also available in all labs.

NIU offers wired data connections to all buildings on all campuses and wireless coverage on the DeKalb campus for both authenticated and guest users.

NIU students have access to computers for research, instruction, and individual use in academic departments, classrooms, and student computing labs. Depending on the department and the location, labs contain both Windows and Macintosh computers and most offer adaptive technologies for students with disabilities.

The Department of Information Technology (DoIT) Service Desk offers support for passwords, e-mail, and access to NIU’s network and student systems and is available 24/7/365 at ServiceDesk@niu.edu or 815-753-8100. The Technology Support Desk on the first floor of Founders Library provides walk-in assistance for computer virus removal, laptop and smartphone problems, password issues, email and enterprise application support, and many other technology-related questions. The Residential Technology Helpdesk (ResTech) provides support for students living in the residence halls, including connecting personal devices to the NIU network, anti-virus, and other software support needs.

For more information, visit visit DoIT.niu.edu.

Interdisciplinary Academic Centers and Institutes

Several centers encourage and coordinate multidisciplinary research and graduate study. The following are described in the “Interdisciplinary Academic Centers and Courses” section in the back of this catalog.

Center for Biochemical and Biophysical Studies
Center for Burma Studies
Center for Governmental Studies
Center for Latino and Latin American Studies
Center for Southeast Asian Studies
Institute of Nanoscience, Engineering, and Technology (INSET)
Plant Molecular Biology Center

Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)

Northern Illinois University is a member institution in the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). The Consortium was founded in 1962 as a partnership between the Center for Political Studies of the University of Michigan and some 190 other universities, colleges, and nonprofit research organizations in the United States and abroad. It is committed to interdisciplinary inter-university research and training for the social sciences. Its objectives are to maintain archives of machine-readable social and political data sets that will serve a variety of research and training needs; to develop and distribute computer-based systems for the analysis of these data sets; and to conduct training in the use of quantitative methods for social science investigations.

ICPSR is based at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. A liaison office in the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) at NIU provides a link for the campus to Consortium archives and other services. Research areas are international in scope. The data sets range from U.S. election returns and U.S. Census data to public opinion surveys. A substantial number of data files on social structure, public policy, economics, health, and political life in over 130 other countries are also available. These data sets lend themselves to comparative research, particularly on modernization processes and social change in many nations. Access to these data is generally via Superwylbur; however, some data files are now available for PC use. For detailed holdings of data available from ICPSR, faculty and students are encouraged to consult copies of the ICPSR Guide to Resources and Services that the SSRI provides to chairs of all social sciences departments on campus or the ICPSR home page at www.icpsr.umich.edu.

Regional History Center and University Archives

The Regional History Center has as its basic goal to acquire, preserve, and make available to the public the most significant historical records of the northern Illinois region. The center actively collects historical material from the 18 northernmost counties of Illinois, excluding Cook County. Since 1964 the center has evolved from a small university archival unit to a multifaceted research center containing three related sets of historical records available to researchers: Regional Collections, University Archives, and Local Government Records.

Holdings in the Regional Collections include original manuscripts and records generated by private individuals, institutions, and organizations from throughout the area, with particular emphasis on several major themes in the region’s history: agriculture, politics, ethnic heritage, commerce and industry, the role of women, and urban expansion. University records that have permanent historical or administrative value are housed in the University Archives. These materials include Illinois Board of Higher Education and governing board proceedings, records of university administrative offices, faculty papers, records of student government and organizations, a range of publications, and extensive photographs of campus life. The Local Government Records collection, as part of the Illinois Regional Archives Depository system administered by the Illinois State Archives, has the responsibility of preserving local public records and making them available to researchers.

University Libraries

The Northern Illinois University Libraries system consists of Founders Memorial Library and branch libraries which include Faraday Library and the Music Library. The University Libraries collections contain over 2 million volumes as well as numerous periodicals, government publications, microforms, maps, recordings, audiovisual materials, electronic databases, and other resources.

Founders Memorial Library, the main library, has six levels with 327,000 square feet of space and seating capacity for 1,600 students. Faraday Library serves faculty and students in the disciplines of chemistry and physics. Similarly, the Music Library serves the music curriculum.

For further information, see “University Libraries” in the “Other Academic Units” section of this catalog.

Founded in 1965, the Northern Illinois University Press publishes scholarly monographs and books of general interest. With a focus on the humanities and social sciences, NIU Press has particular strength in Russian and Slavic Studies; European, Southeast Asian, and U.S. history; religion; and philosophy. Seeking to advance knowledge about the Midwest, the press has published a wide range of books on the archaeology, history, literature, and culture of Chicago, Illinois, and surrounding states in the region. At present, NIU Press has nearly 600 titles in print.

The publication of any book through the NIU Press must be approved by the University Press Board, a faculty committee made up of representatives of the colleges and chaired by the vice president for research and innovation partnerships. The main function of the board is to assure high standards of quality in all publications of the University Press.

One of three state-supported presses in Illinois, the NIU Press has been a member of the Association of American University Presses since 1972.

The Northern Illinois Theatre Ensemble, SummerNITE, Northern Illinois University’s professional intern company, works in collaboration with Chicago’s Organic Theater Company. SummerNITE is dedicated to bridging the gap between training and the profession by providing opportunities for NIU’s School of Theatre and Dance students to work with professionals in all the areas of theatre. SummerNITE fellows work as actors (both performing and understudying), technicians, assistant designers, and marketing and public relations trainees. The company is the ideal bridge between the academic and professional theatre worlds.