Director's Message

We just concluded the 2021-2022 academic year with the first inperson spring Honors Day since the pandemic began. It was a joy to have a celebration where our accomplished graduates walked across the Duke Ellington Ballroom stage and received their certificates and Honors regalia. As always, our students – those who graduated as well as those who are working toward that goal – amaze us with their talents, work ethic and public-spirited pursuits.

Over the last couple of years, University Honors Program leadership has engaged in introspection and dialogue to ensure that the values and practices of our program serve meaningful goals. We have looked for ways to engage students in this conversation, especially the wonderful Honors Fellows who work with the program as peer mentors and advisors. We have reaffirmed our commitment to providing students with the support, resources and opportunities to reach their goals. And, beyond this, we have articulated the importance of encouraging students to take the reins of their own educational journeys so that they have the tools to learn and grow over the course of their entire professional – and personal – lives. Their majors will give them the credentials they need to start their careers, but their Honors experience will provide them with the self-belief and breadth of learning to meet unexpected challenges and rise to the top of their professions – or to pivot to new professions over time. We want to continue to deliver this nourishing and productive environment for all NIU students who are motivated to participate. And we want all our students to feel welcome, included and equipped with the resources they need to succeed. We have been looking carefully at our practices, communications, and curricular and cocurricular offerings to ensure that we are proponents of inclusive excellence. A crucial element of our success lies in the hands of our incredible Honors community. Alumni and friends who donate their time, expertise and financial resources do more than offer the means for our students to succeed: You offer community and continuity. You offer the linkages between past, present and future without which an honors program or any community becomes bereft of meaning. Thank you for all you do!

Sincerely,

Andrea Radasanu, Ph.D. Director for University Honors Northern Illinois University