GradConnect: NIU Graduate Student Announcements
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August 2025
WELCOME HUSKIES!
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Welcome from the New Dean of the Graduate School
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I am thrilled to welcome you to Northern Illinois University for the 2025-2026 academic year!
Thirty-four years ago, I stepped onto NIU's campus to begin graduate school. I had chosen NIU because of the reputation of the faculty and the opportunities to do cutting-edge research. At the time I had no idea how transformational this decision would be. All of the successes I have had in my career can be traced back to my NIU graduate experience. My research on human evolution and my deep collaborations with colleagues around the world, began because of the doors that were opened by NIU. The mentoring and teaching I experienced at NIU became the model for how I should be a professor and how graduate education should be. The friendships that I formed at NIU have carried me through the ups and downs of life. Thus, when the opportunity arose to return to this summer to NIU to help lead and support graduate education at the university and in the graduate school that opened up so much to me, I jumped at it.
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NIU is committed to helping you gain expertise in your field and succeed just as it did for me and countless others. Our graduate faculty, the colleges, the Graduate School, and the entire university community are here to guide and support you on your journey. I encourage you to soak up what NIU has to offer, embrace being part of the Huskie family, and take advantage of the resources, services and community that NIU offers.
Go Huskies!
Dr. Jim Ahern
Dean of the Graduate School
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International and Graduate Student Resource Fair
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August 19, 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Holmes Student Center, Duke Ellington Ballroom
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Start your journey as a graduate student Huskie on the right foot! Attend the Resource Fair to learn about all that NIU has to offer. Connect with graduate student organizations, campus groups, and local community organizations that help support your success and enhance your student life at NIU!
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International and Graduate Student Welcome Back Social
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The International Student and Scholar Services and the Graduate School are hosting a welcome back social for international and graduate students! The event will be hosted at the East Lagoon and will include boat rides, yard games, and ice cream! This is an opportunity to meet and connect with other students, and staff! Come on out and enjoy the outdoors! We look forward to seeing you there!
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August 20, 4 PM
MLK Commons
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Celebrate the rich cultures of our Huskie community! Meet cultural resource centers, student organizations, and get connected with people who celebrate you and your story. Visit here for more information on week of welcome and a list of events.
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Week of Welcome Block Party
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August 21, 6:30-10:30 PM
Central Park
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The WOW Block Party is a high-energy annual event hosted during Week of Welcome (WOW)! Join the Campus Activities Board (CAB) for an unforgettable evening featuring a zipline, inflatables, games, food, and plenty of fun. It’s the perfect chance to meet new people and kick off your year with excitement. *Please note: A waiver will be required to participate in certain activities. Visit here for more information on week of welcome and a list of events.
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President's Welcome Back Picnic
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August 24, 4-6 PM
East Lagoon
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Join NIU President Lisa C. Freeman at the East Lagoon for the President’s welcome back picnic. Ther will be fun activities, food and music. This event is a great opportunity to connect with other students and build community. Friendly faculty, staff and university administration will greet you as we kick off the start of the new academic school year.
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September 2, 4-6 PM
Latino Resource Center
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Join the Latino Resource Center and meet the community on campus, learn about student organizations, resources, enjoy dancing, and live music! NOTE: area will be on Newman Ln between the Latino Resource Center and East Chiller and Parking Lot 5.
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Fall Course on Programming Tools for your Research!
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Tuesdays 5-6:30 PM (Tech Tacos) & Wednesdays 5-7:40 PM (Lecture)
71 North Innovation Partnership Studio, first floor of Founders Library
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Build essential computational skills for modern research! ECON 691 is a team-taught course is open to all graduate students and offers hands-on training in Python, R, LaTeX, Julia, and GitHub. These programming tools are increasingly vital across disciplines for data analysis, document preparation, and reproducible research. Lectures are Wednesday evenings, with the expectation of attending Tech Tacos each week as well.
Can't fit another course into your schedule? Join us for just the Tech Tacos portion! These informal weekly Tuesday sessions are open to all students and cover computational topics in an accessible, hands-on format. Network with students across disciplines while building your technical toolkit, and stick around afterward for dinner.
Contact aklis@niu.edu for more information, including the course syllabus. Learn more about Tech Tacos, including past topics and the upcoming schedule, at https://techtacos.org/ or by emailing fede@niu.edu.
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Thesis and Dissertation Assistance
Do you plan to defend your thesis or dissertation this semester and graduate in December? Set up an appointment with the Thesis and Dissertation Coordinator, Christine Holloway, to discuss the formatting of your document. Email her at cholloway@niu.edu.
Fall 2025 Graduation Application
The last day to apply for Fall 2025 graduation via self-service in MyNIU (Fall 2025), is September 1, 2025. Visit the Graduate School for a list of deadlines and contact gradrecords@niu.edu with questions.
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GRADUATE HUSKIE SPOTLIGHT
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Samantha Econie
Nutrition and dietetics graduate student
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My cohort here at NIU is one big family. We are all going through the same program (M.S. in nutrition and dietetics), which allows us to look to each other for support. Sometimes we even have game nights and spend time outside of the classroom with each other, too.
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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. Learn more about NIU’s vision, mission and values.
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