For the seventh year in a row, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Northeastern Illinois University No. 1 for students who graduate with the least amount of debt among Midwest regional universities. NEIU also ranked highly in three other categories. This week, Northeastern also announced that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded the University a five-year, $3 million Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program grant. If you’re looking for some fun, it’s also NEIU Weekend! Read about all this and more in this week’s Noteworthy at Northeastern.
Around the Commons
2021 U.S. News & World Report rankings
According to the 2021 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Colleges” publication, Northeastern graduates its students with the least amount of student debt among Midwest regional universities. Northeastern also ranked in three other categories among Midwest regional universities: ethnic diversity, economic diversity and social mobility. This marks the seventh year in a row that Northeastern has earned the No. 1 spot for students who graduate with the least amount of debt among Midwest regional universities.
$3 million grant
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Northeastern Illinois University a five-year, $3 million Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program grant that will help the University increase the number of students who complete STEM majors. The grant will establish CASA: Creating Access to STEM for All.
And there’s more!
- The Angelina Pedroso Center for Diversity and Intercultural Affairs invites the NEIU community to participate in their inaugural "So You Think You Can Drag?" amateur drag show. The show is open to performers of all gender identities. Please submit your video for the first-round audition by Oct. 1. The selection team will invite up to seven performers to submit their final performance video by Oct. 15. The final performance will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. Oct. 22.
- Stage Center Theatre (SCT) is now accepting submissions or potential projects for a month-long Digital Theatre Festival for Social Justice to take place Oct. 15-Nov. 17. SCT welcomes submissions through Oct. 15 from all members of the NEIU community.
To do
NEIU Weekend
Get ready for a virtual NEIU experience for alumni, students, family and friends! Join Alumni Relations on Sept. 18 and 19 to create community and connect with fellow Golden Eagles! As part of NEIU Weekend, there will be a screening of the brand new Project Success documentary. View the schedule to register for events today.
Coming next week!
- Virtual Latinx/a/o Book Display, through Sept. 30
- The Reality of Latin America: Venezuela, Colombia and Cuba, 1-3 p.m. Sept. 23
- Carreras Speaker Virtual Series: Latin@xs in Corporate Social Justice, 3-4 p.m. Sept. 24
In the media
Plate Beacon
Northeastern students developed the Plate Beacon app as a way to address local hunger and food insecurity issues. The app was mentioned in the Chicago Tribune as part of the City of Chicago Winter Dining Challenge, which offers a $5,000 prize to winners. Read the proposal and support Northeastern students by liking (clicking the heart) and sharing the Plate Beacon idea.
Also in the media
- Ensemble Español was featured in a Lawndale News story about the company’s 45th season.
Student Support Spotlight
Keep Learning
The COVID-19 Keep Learning page provides academic information for students who are learning remotely. It has been updated with new information for the Learning Success Center (LSC) and Center for Academic Writing (CAW). In Fall 2020, appointments will occur online via Nmail Meet. Appointments are required while all tutoring is remote. To make an appointment, students should use Nmail (Google) Chat to contact LSC or CAW. Students are encouraged to email lsc@neiu.edu or caw@neiu.edu if they need assistance with using Nmail Chat or Nmail Meet.
Study Spaces
For the Fall 2020 semester, the Student Union and Ronald Williams Library offer students study spaces by reservation only. These spaces provide access to Wi-Fi, computers and copiers/scanner/printers. A color copier/scanner/printer will be available in the Ronald Williams Library only. Students may reserve a two-hour block for use of either the Student Union or Ronald Williams Library. Please note that there are limited spaces available in each building. The Ronald Williams Library continues to offer Grab & Go services for physical library items.
Student Counseling Services
Students are welcome to contact NEIU’s Student Counseling Services to set up an appointment to talk either by phone or their online platform for teletherapy. To access NEIU’s Student Counseling Services, call (773) 442-4650 or send an email to counsect@neiu.edu. The hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. After hours, students may also reach a counselor for more urgent consultation by calling the main number and pressing “2” during the outgoing message.
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