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Affinity Groups
BLACK ALUMNI COUNCIL
The NIU Black Alumni Council exists to support black students at NIU and serve as a bridge between alumni and their alma mater. They held another successful alumni reunion weekend at the Dan Ryan Woods in Chicago over Labor Day in 2019. Hundreds of alumni, friends, faculty, and staff attended and showed their support, including NIU President Lisa C. Freeman, members of the President’s Cabinet and Board of Trustees. The Black Alumni Council (BAC) also awarded three scholarships through the Fanny Ruth Patterson Scholarship Fund, totaling $9,000 in scholarships for students for the next academic year.
The BAC continued to build ties with the University, helping to select the CHANCE program director as well as the director for the Center for Black Studies and supporting plans that brought close to 1,000 alumni back to campus during Homecoming. The BAC also met with the Office of Academic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to review, discuss, and conclude work on a proposal that BAC leadership submitted to NIU leadership in 2017. This proposal included recommendations about improvements to be made to enhance recruitment and retention of students. Plans exist to continue to work with the BAC to identify areas where the group can support and enhance NIU’s mission and goals.
The Greek Alumni Council (GAC) is focused on supporting current students and alumni who participated as members of fraternities and sororities while at NIU. This year, they focused on building awareness of their organization by hosting events, networking with other affinity groups and connecting with alumni at the 2019 Boat Cruise, which they support annually. The council also sent their first all-Greek alumni email, which yielded a 19% open rate, and included a collection of Greek alumni stories. In addition, the council built a connection back to campus by meeting with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority life to discuss the current Greek student experience and how they could support these students. Their signature event, the annual golf outing, was canceled due to COVID-19.
The Latino Alumni Council (LAC) continues to be a valuable resource to the NIU Latinx community, striving toward the goal of touching the lives of the NIU Latinx community. The LAC executive committee members are leaders in educating the community and advocating for Latinx in higher education. The LAC has accomplished its mission through various activities in FY20. The group hosted social opportunities for new graduates and alumni, such as the Pilsen Neighborhood Mural Tour and the Chicago Fire soccer game. The LAC also hosted educational workshops to support student career development, such as the “Plática,” an online presentation called “Life After NIU,” and the Connecting through Networks panel discussion with other Alumni Council leaders. The council is active in fundraising for the PROMISE Fund and other funds that support Latinx students.
GREEK ALUMNI COUNCIL
LATINO ALUMNI COUNCIL
COMPUTER SCIENCE ALUMNI COUNCIL
The Computer Science Alumni Council (CSAC) seeks to serve alumni and students, act as a resource to NIU and connect industry back to the University. In Fall 2019, they completed another successful career panel for students with 55 students attending, which consisted of four NIU alumni from across the industry. The panelists discussed career planning, information technology impact throughout organizations and emerging trends. Spring plans were canceled due to COVID-19.
The Huskie Marching Band Alumni Council consists of dedicated alumni of the Huskie Marching Band, which includes the color guard, Silverettes, and twirlers. Assembling this group to perform during Homecoming for their annual “Fill the Field” event continues to grow and engage alumni spread across years dating back to the 1950s. This year, the MBAC recognized Sid Anderson, ’58, at a pre-game ceremony with a Member Appreciation Award for his continued dedication to the alumni marching band. Lastly, during a time where social distancing made it hard to connect, over 50 members of the MBAC came together to perform a “Virtual Huskie Fight Song,” which was produced by David Schultz, ‘07, and John Carlson, ’86.
The Rockford Alumni Club hosted several successful events this year, including a Huskie Send-Off with over 40 attendees, an evening out at Anderson Gardens where they connected with new alumni, a Lunch and Learn about Advocacy that filled the room, and its third National NIU Football Watch Party. They concluded the year by supportingthe NIU Alumni Association Huskie flag initiative, which helped to raise money for the NIU Student Emergency Fund and support students in need.
The NIU Rockford Alumni Club also welcomed a new president, Mark Bonne ’84, in Spring 2020. Throughout the year, members worked on solidifying the club structure, building up club communications through social media, enhancing awareness of the Diane and David Graf Scholarship, and supporting events that will engage alumni in Rockford.
