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Northern Illinois University

Undergraduate School

Mailing Address
1425 W Lincoln Hwy
DeKalb, Illinois 60115
Phone
(815) 753-0446
Email address
admissions@niu.edu
School Information
"Northern Illinois University's vision is to be an engine for innovation to advance social mobility; promote personal, professional and intellectual growth; and transform the world through research, artistry, teaching and outreach. "The mission of Northern Illinois University is to empower students through educational excellence and experiential learning as we pursue knowledge, share our research and artistry, and engage communities for the benefit of the region, state, nation and world." The university enrolls over 16,700 students, employs over 1,170 faculty, and offers over 60 undergraduate majors. (Source: https://www.niu.edu/at-a-glance/index.shtml) (Source: https://www.niu.edu/academics/undergraduate/index.shtml)
General Information
Northern Illinois University has devoted resources and priority to diversity and inclusion. The university has provided resources to its students on diversity and inclusion. The university hosted a virtual event entitled "So-Full Friday: Anti-Racism? What Does it Look Like?" No mandatory Critical Race Training sessions are yet required of students. However, see developments below:

Actions Taken

Anti-Racism, Bias, and Diversity Training
  • The university required that student organization leaders to fill out a form identifying how they can “define antiracism,” “grow as an ally,” and how to be “equitable-minded for all identities.”
  • Northern Illinois University will be hosting a number of workshops and sessions for faculty and instructors on topics such as “white fatigue,” anti-racism,” “decolonizing the classroom,”and “understanding and rethinking resistance for equity in the classroom.”
Political Actions and Support for Anti-Racism
  • In October 2023, Northern Illinois University was awarded the 2023 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine for the third consecutive year.
Program and Research Funding
  • The Division of Academic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Northern Illinois University strives to create a diverse campus environment through various events, workshops, and trainings.
Resources
  • The university hosted a virtual event entitled "So-Full Friday: Anti-Racism? What Does it Look Like?"
  • The Faculty Senate aimed to "identify factors contributing to institutional racism at NIU -- particularly policies, procedures, and practices in hiring, tenure and promotion, retention, and other professional opportunities with a particular objective to make NIU an anti- racist institution with a diverse faculty."
  • The NIU University Libraries provide Instructor Resources on Anti-Racism and Social Justice including sample syllabi and classroom strategies.
  • On October 27, 2023, Northern Illinois University’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion hosted the Real Talk Conference: Bridging Race, Identity, and Community.
  • The Antiracist and Social Justice Task Force at Northern Illinois University works to build an anti-racist campus community by creating a “roadmap to equity by increasing awareness of the structures that promote and perpetuate institutional racism and implicit bias.”
  • In an effort to “address systemic inequities and foster a more inclusive campus,” NIU provides a webpage with a summary of all of the university’s work towards racial and social justice, equity, and inclusion.
Symbolic Actions
  • The "Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Social Justice Committee" recommended the formation of a "standing Faculty Senate Social Justice Committee."
Last updated November 8th, 2023
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