DeKALB – Landon Larkin, Student Government Association treasurer, spoke at the Faculty Senate meeting Wednesday about SGA election voter turnout.

Voting for president, vice president, treasurer, student trustee and senators for SGA were held Monday through Wednesday.

Larkin said as of Wednesday morning, there have been 1,800 votes cast.

“That’s one of the largest turnouts from students in the last decade,” Larkin said.

Candidates have been campaigning throughout the university to encourage voting. 

CINDY YORK RECEIVES BOB LANE AWARD

Cindy York, an associate professor in the Department of Education Technology, Research and Assessment, received the Bob Lane Faculty Advocacy Award. 

The Bob Lane Faculty Advocacy Award recognizes an NIU faculty member for special service to the faculty, according to the Jan. 25, 2023 minutes.

York was nominated for the award by Hal Hinderliter, coordinator of general education courses in the Department of Education Technology, Research and Assessment. York received a plaque that will be displayed in the Holmes Student Center.

FACULTY MENTORING PROGRAM UPDATE

Janice Hamlet, associate vice provost for faculty mentoring and diversity, gave a presentation to provide an update about NIU’s faculty mentoring program.

The faculty mentoring program is meant to “help the university achieve its goals for a high quality faculty, diversity, inclusive excellence and a respectful, positive work environment in which all members of the university community can thrive,” according to the faculty mentoring website.

Hamlet said she is very pleased overall of how well the faculty mentoring program is working.

“The whole goal here, in terms of faculty mentoring, is faculty supporting faculty, and I think it’s so wonderful,” Hamlet said. “We think in terms of how competitive we can be at times and I’ve been very, very pleased since 2019, 95 new faculty members have come in and have been assigned mentors.”

Hamlet said one of the goals of the mentoring program, aside from mentoring new faculty, is to retain faculty.

“Our mentoring program also provides the opportunity to recruit and retain our faculty,” Hamlet said.

NOMINATIONS GIVEN FOR FACULTY SENATE PRESIDENT FOR 2024-2025

Elections for the president of the Faculty Senate are underway. Nominations for president were taken from the Faculty Senate floor at Wednesday’s meeting, with the single nomination being current Faculty Senate President Benjamin Creed. 

In order to serve as Faculty Senate president, the candidate must be a tenured faculty voting member elected to the Faculty Senate for the current year and for the ensuing year.

Letters of acceptance of nomination are due by April 12, and will be provided to Faculty Senate voting members by April 17. The election for president will be held during the April 24 Faculty Senate meeting.

TIFFANY PUCKETT APPROVED AS ALTERNATE TO FACULTY ADVISORY COUNCIL

Tiffany Puckett, a professor in the department of Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations, was approved to serve as associate professor in the World Languages and Cultures Department Linda Saborio’s alternate. 

Puckett will be the alternate to the Faculty Advisory Council to the Illinois Board of Higher Education during the 2024-2025 academic year.

The last Faculty Senate meeting of the semester will be 3 p.m. on April 24 at Altgeld Hall Auditorium. The agenda is posted prior to each meeting and minutes are posted following each meeting on the NIU website.