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Thursday, March 31, 2016
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SA to vote for speaker Madison Kacer Staff writer
Vincent Dhan | Northern Star
Matt Streb, administrative task force co-chair, (left) and George Slotsve, academic task force co-chair, discuss the progress of NIU’s program prioritization efforts at the Faculty Senate meeting Wednesday in the Holmes Student Center, Sky Room.
Program prioritization task force increases meeting hours considered a third program... . You to review the program reports every may offer a minor, that would be Friday since Jan. 8. The administraDeKalb | The program priori- treated as a program.” tive task force meets for approxitization academic task force has mately five hours, said Matt Streb, increased the hours it meets from administrative task force co-chair. There [are] two steps to four hours to eight hours every FriSlotsve said task force members, the process — there is the on average, spend 15-30 hours a day for the next two weeks in order scoring step, which helps week reading 20 reports, which are to complete their recommendalead to the next step, tions by the April 30 deadline. usually 30 pages. Every member then there is the categoProgram prioritization, which beon the academic task force reads rizing step, which is the gan in 2014 after a recommendation every report. They are currently most important thing.” from the Higher Learning Commisthree quarters of the way through Matt Streb their initial sorting and will sort sion, uses task forces to create reports Academic task force co-chair that review 223 academic programs through them again. At least 17 out and 236 administrative programs to of 21 members need to agree on the influence the allocation of university Administrative and academic placement of the program. funds, according to the program pri- task forces have separate gradThe administrative task force has oritization website. ing scales and initially scored split up the readings into 11-mem“[An academic] program, for ex- programs on quality and perfor- ber groups, in which nine need to ample, is if [a department offers] a mance. The programs then must agree on where a program will be B.A. or a B.S. or a B.A./B.S., [that] be placed in one of five categories: placed and is on track to be comwould be considered one pro- candidate for enhanced resources, pleted by April 30, Streb said. gram,” said George Slotsve, aca- no change in resources, reduced “There [are] two steps to the demic task force co-chair, at a Fac- resources, transformation or sub- process — there is the scoring ulty Senate meeting Wednesday. “A ject to additional review. The goal step, which helps lead to the next masters, an M.E. or an M.S., would is to equally distribute the graded step, then there is the categorizing be considered another program. programs into each category. step, which is the most important If you offer a Ph.D., that would be The task forces have been meeting thing,” Streb said. Alexander Chettiath News Editor
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Website
For more information on program prioritization, go to bit.ly/1KNCElV. Concerns from Faculty Senate members include the lack of transparency on the goal of program prioritization and the objectivity of the grading scale. “It’s wonderful that you are working very hard,” said management associate professor Mahesh Subramony. “I think the key is to make sure that folks outside, such as [Faculty Senate members] and people in the campus community, have a stamp on what you are really doing. And the fact that we don’t oversell this as an objective mathematical model because... it’s essentially a way for you to make a judgement.” Streb said the task force was not given any financial goal in grading the reports and did not create the grading scale.
Indian student enrollment hits 500 International grad students increase Leah Nicolini Assistant News Editor
DeKalb | The number of graduate students from India has increased by 50 students since fall 2015 and by 200 students since fall 2014, accounting for 60 percent of the international graduate population. Out of the 4,900 students enrolled in a graduate program at NIU, about 17 percent of the students were from foreign countries — the second highest group to enroll after Illinois residents. Since 2012, international student graduate program enrollment has increased by 450 students, according to 2014-15 NIU Institutional Research. Chris McCord, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said more international students are interested in a graduate program because the degree for the graduate program is cheaper than an undergraduate
Leah Nicolini | Northern Star
International student graduate enrollment from 2010-2016.
degree and U.S. higher education is highly valued internationally. Of the 843 international students enrolled in a graduate program this semester, 500 are from India and 105 are from China, said Stephanie Brown, associate director of the International Student and Faculty Office. Tuition is typically double for a non-Illinois resident compared to an in-state student.
Bradley Bond, dean of the Graduate School, said recruitment for international students occurs through word of mouth by NIU international students and faculty, and recruitment is advertised with NIU’s online presence. On-campus organizations reflect the increase in international student population like the growth of the Indian Students Association, which helps
incoming Indian students initially settle at NIU, said Satya Abhilash Chintala, Indian Students Association president. The Indian Students Association has 800 members and about 600 people attend semi-annual events. Chintala has had a hand in encouraging 20-25 peers to enroll at NIU since December, Chintala said. The association has become a network of facilitating the travel of new students coming from India by arranging pick-up times at the airport, setting up temporary homes and giving cultural advice, Chintala. Utkarsh Ahuja, first-year engineering graduate student, said he came to NIU in December after learning about NIU through the Internet and friends who attended NIU. Ahuja said international students like himself are treated with less respect than natives and some employees at NIU are not patient with him and don’t explain things well.
DeKalb | Members of the Student Association Senate will vote on one of three Senate speaker nominees for the upcoming one-year term, which begins after the last Senate session in May. The duties of the senate speaker include leading the legislative branch; allocating the SA budget, which provides services to students, and appointing individuals such as the deputy speaker, according to the SA Bylaws. The voting will be done at Sunday’s SA Senate meeting. The nominees are Deputy Speaker Robert Kreml, Senator Christine Wang and Senator Demone Robert Kreml Williams, who SA Deputy Speaker were nominated during Sunday’s Senate meeting. Nominees will give statements and answer questions during Christine Wang SA Senator Sunday’s Senate meeting, after which the Senate will vote on a candidate. Senator Demone Williams did not reply to a request for comment.
Robert Kreml Kreml, senior physics major, has served as deputy speaker since fall 2014. He was nominated for speaker by Sergeant at Arms Timothy Brandner. His experiences with the SA include being a voting member of the University Council, member of the Campus Security and Environmental Quality Committee and member of the Campus Parking Committee. “I have a lot of involvement,” Kreml said. “I have a lot of experience and I have a lot of great ideas and not only that, I have the ability to complete those ideas and I’m already having them put in place.” If elected, Kreml said he plans to address program prioritization issues, institute voting on the pay scale for paid positions within the SA and create a campus organization contact tree. Christine Wang Wang, sophomore accounting major, began serving as a senator during the last two sessions of spring 2015. She was nominated for speaker by Senator Jordan Clayton-Taylor. While serving on the SA, Wang has had experience as the vice chair of the Rules and Procedures Committee and conductor of executive reviews. “The responsibilities of the speaker, besides the cut-and-dried stuff, is to be the spokesperson of the Senate,” Wang said. “To be that spokesperson, you need to be a role model to the students, have connections and be able to network. I think I fit all of that.” If elected, Wang said she plans to create a culture of open discussion within the SA Senate, create a better reputation for the SA, change the election policy and address student diversity within the Senate.