The outstanding academic achievements of students and faculty will be recognized on NIU’s first University Honors Day April 26.

The event, originated by the senior honor society Mortar Board, will include initiations and recognitions by university honor societies and the University Honors Program, said F. Marion Miller, program director.

Following a 6 p.m. presidential reception, a banquet will be held in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center at 7 p.m., in order to recognize Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award winners and graduating seniors in NIU’s honors program.

The three recipients of the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Awards are journalism professor Donald Brod, associate professor of learning development and special education Elliott Lessen and mathematics professor Peter Nicholls.

Each were selected by NIU’s Committee on the Improvement of Undergraduate Education from about 1,200 faculty members, based on departmental nominations.

At the banquet, NIU President John LaTourette will greet honoraries and their parents; and William Monat, former NIU president and Board of Regent chancellor, will give the honors address.

In addition, the J. Robert Hainds Award will be presented by James Miller, president of NIU’s Phi Betta Kappa Association, and the Phi Kappa Phi National Fellowship will be presented by Sue Doederlein, NIU’s Phi Kappa Phi president.

James Miller said the Hainds award is given to a graduating senior in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences who is judged by Phi Beta Kappa to have the most outstanding academic achievement over a four year period at NIU. The recipient, who will be announced Sunday, will receive $200.

The Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship is awarded to a graduating senior in any area of the university, said Doederlein. This year’s recipient is chemistry major Eric Voss, who will use his award of up to $6,000 for his graduate studies at Northwestern University, Doederlein said.