Northeastern Illinois University has awarded emeritus status to seven retiring faculty members. They will be honored during Commencement on May 6.
Northeastern awards the prestigious status to eligible retiring faculty members upon the recommendation of the department or program, with the concurrence of the dean and the provost, and with the approval of the University president.
The new faculty emeriti are:
Rasoul Afifi
Associate Professor Emeritus
Associate Professor Afifi joined the faculty of the Department of Management and Marketing in 1986. During his 33 years of service, Afifi developed and designed courses in the field of quantitative methods. He served as department chair for 10 years and published numerous journal articles and conference proceeding articles.
Lee Beaty
Professor
Professor Beaty joined the faculty of the Department of Counselor Education in 1995. During his 23 years of service, Beaty taught a wide variety of courses and paid special attention to internship supervision. He served as one of the primary student advisors and assisted the department with development and systematic revisions of the Department Proficiency Exam. Beaty published a number of journal articles on issues in school counseling and other areas of academic interest.
Rodney Higginbotham
Professor
Professor Higginbotham joined the faculty of the Department of Communication, Media and Theatre (then the Department of Speech and Performing Arts) in 1995. During his 24 years of service, Higginbotham taught a wide range of courses in areas such as theater performance and history, acting, improvisation, dramatic theater and communication. He played an important role in the programmatic shift that accompanied the department’s name change. Higginbotham directed more than 25 productions for the Stage Center Theatre and created the Theatre Ephemera website that serves as a resource for U.S. theater history before 1900.
Mary Kimble
Professor Emerita
Professor Kimble joined the faculty of the Department of Biology in 2003. During her 16 years of service, Kimble taught a variety of courses with an emphasis in the area of human genetics. She co-wrote a General Genetics Laboratory Manual with two fellow faculty members that has been used by the department since 2002. Kimble successfully worked individually and on teams to secure key grant funding for research, including a matching grant to acquire the department’s first gene sequencer.
Dragan Milovanovic
Professor Emeritus
Professor Milovanovic joined the faculty of the Department of Justice Studies (then the Department of Criminal Justice) in 1987. During his 32 years of service, Milovanovic played a leading role in the department’s shift from a focus on criminology to a social justice framework. He published 22 books, 60 peer-reviewed articles and essays, and more than 40 book reviews. Northeastern recognized Milovanovic’s excellence numerous times over the course of his career with 17 Faculty Excellence Awards as well as the Bernard J. Brommel Distinguished Professor Award in 2016.
Wamucii Njogu
Dean Emerita
Dean Njogu joined the faculty of the Department of Sociology in 1996. During her 23 years of service, Njogu served as Chair of the Departments of Sociology, African and African American Studies, Latino/Latina American Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies. She served as Associate Provost before taking over as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Njogu taught a range of core and required courses focusing on research methods and social statistics, and made significant scholarly contributions in the field of global health research. Njogu also served as Acting Provost and Acting President during times of critical need at Northeastern.
Jade Stanley
Professor Emerita
Professor Stanley joined the faculty of the Department of Social Work in 1993. During her 26 years of service, Stanley was instrumental in creating the Master of Social Work program and in ensuring accreditation for the bachelor’s and master’s programs. She established relationships between Northeastern and more than 150 field agencies. Stanley has served as department chair and bachelor’s program director. Northeastern has recognized Stanley with numerous awards, including the Faculty Excellence Award and Chair Meritorious Award. Known for her innovative teaching practices, Stanley led numerous overseas study tours.
