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1 Celebration of Excellence April 14 through April 28

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Celebrating Excellence highlights the accomplishments and contributions of NIU students, faculty, staff and alumni to the university’s mission of promoting excellence and engagement in teaching and learning, research and scholarship, creativity and artistry, and outreach and service during the academic year. The events will take place between Sunday, April 14 and Sunday, April 28.

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Page 1: Celebrating Excellence at NIU

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Celebration of ExcellenceApril 14 through April 28

Page 2: Celebrating Excellence at NIU

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Schedule of Events

Sunday, April 14

John Henrik Clarke Honor Society Inducti on Ceremony .............................10

Tuesday, April 16

Supporti ve Professional Staff Awards Ceremony ..................................... 4-5

Friday, April 19

Alumni Associati on Awards Program Recepti on and Dinner .....................6-7

Sunday April 21

Outstanding Women Awards .................................................................... 8-9

Adela de la Torre Honor Society Inducti on Ceremony................................10

Phi Kappa Phi Inducti on Ceremony .............................................................10

University Honors Program Recogniti on Ceremony for Graduati ng Honors Students ......................................................................11

Monday, April 22

Faculty Awards Ceremony .....................................................................12-13

Building Ethical Leaders: Presentati on by Professor Pam Smith.................14

Tuesday, April 23

Undergraduate Research & Arti stry Day ....................................................15

Outstanding Graduate Student Recogniti on Recepti on ..............................15

Wednesday, April 24

NIU Foundati on Venture Grant Final Presentati ons ...................................16

Keynote Speaker: Jaron Lanier ....................................................................18

Thursday, April 25

University Honors Scholars Research & Arti stry Presentati ons and Recepti on ......................................................................17

Saturday, April 27

Graduate Student Research Associati on Conference Seminar by NPR’s Ira Flatow ........................................................................17

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From April 14 through April 28, Northern Illinois University will showcase the talent and intellect of faculty, students, alumni and staff with the fi rst ever observance of “Celebrating Excellence at NIU.”

During that time, awards and recognition ceremonies will honor those who have exhibited excellence in fulfi lling the university’s mission of teaching and learning, research and scholarship, creativity and artistry and outreach and service during the 2012-13 academic year. To be included, an event must: reward, honor or recognize excellence in research, artistry or service on campus; highlight a university-wide award or multi-disciplinary award; and honor contributions to the academic excellence of the institution.

During this inaugural observance, 16 events will take place including presentation of the university’s most prestigious faculty awards, presentations of outstanding research by graduate and undergraduate students, recognition of outstanding alumni and lectures by top faculty.

As part of the event, two special guest speakers also have been invited to inspire and spark conversation. Jaron Lanier, known as the “father of virtual reality,” will serve as keynote speaker for the celebration, (8 p.m. April 24, in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center), while Ira Flatow, of NPR’s Science Friday will speak during the Graduate Student Research Association Conference (1 p.m. April 27, in the Capitol Room of the Holmes Student Center.) The public is welcome at both of these events.

The campus and members of surrounding communities are invited to participate in these events and join NIU in recognizing the “best of the best” that the university has to off er.

From April 14 through April 28, Northern Illinois University will Northern Illinois University will Northern Illinois University

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Supportive Professional Staff Awards CeremonyTuesday, April 16, 2 - 4 p.m Holmes Student Center, Duke Ellington Ballroom Each year, SPS Council awards a number of Certi fi cates of Recogniti on to mem-bers of the Supporti ve Professional Staff who have achieved accomplishments above and beyond their regular job duti es. Those deemed the most outstanding receive the SPS Presidenti al Award for Excellence. This year’s winners of that award are:

Terry BorgDirector of External Programs, College of Educati on

Terry Borg has a reputati on for going the extra mile to ensure students hear and understand the NIU message of opportunity and success. Last year, he oversaw the launch of a program that brought that message to 30 South Kore-an youths. He met the teens at the airport, arranged their cultural and leisure acti viti es and negoti ated the contract to provide formal English instructi on. As is the case with all

of his work, colleagues credited his diligence, professionalism, knowledge and willing atti tude for making the program a success.

Rebekah Kohli Instructi onal Technology Assistant and Program CoordinatorNIU Women’s Studies Program

Rebekah Kohli advises the Women’s Rights Alliance on campus, planning events that leave parti cipants transformed and thinking diff erently about women, gender, bodies and violence. Colleagues praise her ability to reach NIU students in their own language and on their own terms as well as her vision, energy, determinati on and enthusiasm. Students

say they are endlessly inspired by her leadership, and gain a strong sense of ca-maraderie from her passion and ideas. Kohli also organizes NIU’s annual Young Women’s Conference and guides Women’s Studies minors and contract majors on career choices.

Supportive Professional Staff Awards Ceremony

Terry Borg

Rebekah Kohli

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Donna SchoenfeldDirector, Health Enhancement

Donna Schoenfeld has been a key player at NIU Health Enhancement since 2006, when she was challenged to lead the department back to a positi on of nati onal and campus leadership. In the years since, confronted with fi nancial hardships and understaffi ng and always mindful of reviewing and developing Health Enhancement’s vision and mission to remain in harmony with the university’s, she has kept stu-

dents as her top priority. Schoenfeld’s long list of contributi ons includes: co-au-thoring a successful U.S. Department of Justi ce grant; helping to write a policy statement on sexual assault, prohibited contact, stalking, dati ng and domesti c v iolence, and facilitati ng NIU’s Dialogue for Diversity, Race and Confl ict.

Rachel XidisAssistant Director, Web Communicati ons

When NIU launched the Web Communicati ons offi ce in 2010, it was Xidis who mentored her new colleagues on designing for the Internet rather than print. When President John Peters gives presentati ons, it is Xidis who is tapped to create the PowerPoint slides and later click through them as he speaks. She makes websites fresh, att racti ve and easy to navigate, bolsters NIU’s marketi ng eff orts through constant

web upkeep for the Offi ce of Admissions and its recruitment goals. She also helped to roll out NIU’s new logo, creati ng the Graphic Standards website and bringing client websites into the new templates. Colleagues praise her respon-siveness and reliability.

Donna Schoenfeld

Rachel Xidis

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Alumni Association Awards Program Reception and DinnerFriday, April 19, 6 p.m. By invitation only

Every spring, the Alumni Associati on recognizes the achievements of some of NIU’s most outstanding alumni. Recipients for the awards are selected based on professional and personal successes, as well as involvement in civic, cultural or charitable acti viti es. For more informati on, visit MyNIU.com.

Disti nguished Alumni AwardAft er years of honing his skills in the translati on industry, Ralph M. Strozza struck out on his own to form one of the leading companies in the industry, Interpro Translati on Soluti ons.

F.R. Geigle Service AwardClark and Arlene Neher have served their community and NIU for more than 40 years. Through their service in the Peace Corps and the incredible legacy of their work at NIU, the Nehers have left an indelible mark on the campus com-munity.

Outstanding Young Alumni AwardLarry E. English Jr. has found success on the gridiron as an outside linebacker for the San Diego Chargers, and off , as co-founder and chairman of the board of the Larry English Leading Educati on to Athletes for their Dreams Foundati on.

College of Business Outstanding Alumni AwardAnthony E. Speiser, principal and co-owner of Exron Capital, began his career as an auditor before moving to the petroleum industry. He sold his fi rst compa-ny, Texor Petroleum, to an NYSE-listed company in 2008.

College of Educati on Outstanding Alumni AwardLinda M. Nelson has spent her life instructi ng, moti vati ng and advocati ng for children. A certi fi ed professional tennis instructor, she volunteers her ti me for abused and neglected children.

College of Engineering and Engineering Technology Outstanding Alumni Award Stephen Doonan founded DeKalb Mechanical, Inc. in 1991. It is now one of the area’s largest residenti al heati ng and air conditi oning contractors.

College of Health and Human Sciences Outstanding Alumni Award Kristen Tribe is the executi ve director of the Parents Alliance Employment Project, where she has helped provide employment services to hundreds of individuals with developmental, learning and physical disabiliti es.

College of Law Outstanding Alumni AwardRyan J. Dowd has been involved with Hesed House, a faith-based homeless shelter, since the age of 13, and today serves as its executi ve director. The orga-nizati on serves more than 1,000 homeless individuals each year.

Alumni Association Awards

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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Outstanding Alumni Award Since 2007, Rita Reagen Athas has served as president of World Business Chi-cago. Under her leadership, WBC has been ranked as one of the top economic development organizati ons in the count ry.

College of Visual and Performing Arts Outstanding Alumni Award Award-winning author Janet Pucino was once the highest ranking female exec-uti ve in the IT division at Warner Bros. Entertainment. Today, she serves as the CEO of Deep Canyon Media, a consulti ng and publishing company she founded in 2010.

Clark and Arlene NeherRalph M. Strozza Larry E. English Jr.

Linda M. NelsonAnthony Speiser

Janet Pucino

Stephen Doonan

Rita Reagen Athas

Kristen Tribe

Ryan J. Dowd

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Outstanding Women Awards

Sunday, April 21, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Holmes Student Center, Regency Room 

This event is sponsored by the Presidenti al Commission on the Status of Wom-en, in cooperati on with the Offi ce of the President to recognize the achieve-ments of outstanding women on campus. Among the awards to be presented are:

Outstanding Mentor AwardLichuan Liu Professor of Electrical Engineering NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology

The Outstanding Mentor Award honors individuals who have shown excepti onal dedicati on to advancing the career or educati on of women students, staff or faculty at NIU. This year’s recipient, Lichuan Liu, is known in parti cular for her dedicati on to female students. During her six years on campus, she has advised many female graduate students on

their master’s thesis and master’s projects, directly supervising the research of fi ve of those individuals. Currently, Liu is also leading a project ti tled “Designing the Female-Friendly ‘Introducti on to Engineering Course’ for Expanding Wom-en’s Opportuniti es in Engineering.”

Women Who Make a Diff erence Award LaVerne Gyant Director, NIU Center for Black Studies

The Women Who Make a Diff erence Award honors individu-als who have shown excepti onal commitment to empower-ing women at NIU. LaVerne Gyant has lived out the ideals of the award throughout her career at NIU, inspiring countless women and teaching them the importance of networking in helping them achieve their academic and professional goals. She strives to dispel the negati ve images of women oft en

portrayed in the media and to help her protégés build their self-esteem and develop a positi ve self-image.

LaVerne Gyant

Lichuan Liu

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Nancy CastleDirector, NIU Center for Non-Governmental Organizati on Leadership and Development

Nancy Castle arrived at NIU as a transfer student and went on to earn bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree here before becoming a professor of Communicati ve Disorders and serving in numerous leadership roles including acti ng director of the honors program. Along the way, she has established a reputati on for having a relentlessly positi ve

atti tude, unbridled energy and a willingness to tackle the biggest of challenges. She also has demonstrated a willingness to guide young women sharing with them her knowledge, enthusiasm and extensive network of contacts, on campus and off , to help them att ain their educati onal and professional goals.

The Wilma D. Stricklin Award Denise Schoenbachler Dean, NIU College of Business

The Wilma D. Stricklin Award honors individuals who carry on the legacy of Stricklin, a pioneering women educator at NIU. Stricklin was the fi rst woman to serve as chair of the Department of Management and the fi rst woman to serve as acti ng vice president and provost for the university. This year’s recipient, Denise Schoenbachler, followed closely in Stricklin’s footsteps, having served as the fi rst woman chair of the Department of Marketi ng, and now as the fi rst

woman dean of the NIU College of Business. Throughout her ti me at NIU, she has served as a positi ve and engaging role model, moti vati ng and inspiring students, especially women, in the classroom and beyond.

Outstanding Women AwardsThe Presidenti al Commission on the Status of Women has selected nearly 50 recipients for this year’s Outstanding Women Awards. The recogniti on goes to graduate and undergraduate students whom faculty believe have disti nguished themselves as leaders on campus and in the community. Students who hold formal offi ce in campus or community organizati ons are obvious candidates for recogniti on. However, the commission strives to also recognize those whose leadership is less formal in nature, who entertain non-traditi onal aspirati ons, or who have overcome signifi cant obstacles in the pursuit of their educati on.

Nancy Castle

Denise Schoenbachler

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Adela de la Torre Honor Society Induction CeremonySunday, April 21, 1:15 - 3:15 p.m. 

Altgeld Hall, Auditorium

By invitation only

The Adela de la Torre Honor Society was created at NIU in 2011 to recognize and encourage excellence among Lati no students and to promote scholarship, leadership and service. Dr. de la Torre will be the keynote speaker for this year’s inducti on, which will also include remarks from NIU Trustee Wheeler Coleman. The honor society will induct more than 30 new members at this event, which is open to friends and families of the inductees.

John Henrik Clarke Honor SocietySunday, April 14, 2 - 5 p.m. 

Holmes Student Center, Duke Ellington Ballroom

Formed in 2000, the John Henrik Clarke Honor Society was created to recognize the academic achievements of African American students. Membership is open to all African American undergraduate students in their sophomore through senior years who have maintained a cumulati ve grade point average of 3.0 or bett er.

The honor society will induct 38 new members at this event, which is open to friends and families of inductees.

Phi Kappa Phi Induction CeremonySunday, April 21, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. 

Holmes Student Center, Capitol Room Phi Kappa Phi is one of the oldest honor societi es in the nati on dedicated solely to academic achieve-ment. Undergraduate students in the Phi Kappa Phi chapter at Northern Illinois University must have completed at least 24 semester hours wit h a 3.8 GPA. At this year’s event, the NIU chapter will induct 100 new members.

Adela de la Torre Honor Society Induction Ceremony

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Recognition Ceremony and Reception for Graduating University Honors StudentsSunday, April 21, 5 - 7 p.m. 

Holmes Student Center, Duke Ellington Ballroom

This long-standing, annual ceremony celebrates the achievement of undergrad-uates, who have completed special academic requirements to earn baccalaure-ate graduati on with Lower Division Honors, Upper Division Honors or University Honors. Each graduate of the University Honors Program receives a certi fi cate and either a medal or stole to be worn at commencement.

The University Honors Program presents a number of student awards at this event including: The Freshmen Enhancement Award, Sophomore Enhancement Award, Junior Enhancement Award, and Senior Enhancement Award recognize University Honors students who have demonstrated considerable excellence in their academic work and service. The University Honors Outstanding Stu-dent-Athlete Award honors the student-athlete in the University Honors Pro-gram who is graduati ng with the highest cumulati ve grade point average. The Outstanding Capstone Award recognizes the completi on of an excepti onal, high quality senior project with a signifi cant original research or arti stry component.

The Honors Program also will present the University Honors Great Professor Award to Tim Ryan of the Department of English. This university-wide award honors an NIU faculty or staff member who has made sustained contributi ons over ti me to the enhancement of honors educati on at NIU through teaching as well as advising, research, arti stry, or service.

A recepti on follows the event. Graduati ng University Honors students are mailed invitati ons and are welcome to invite family and friends. Seati ng is unlimited.

Recognition Ceremony and Reception for Graduating

Tim Ryan

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Faculty Awards CeremonyMonday, April 22, 3 - 5 p.m.

Altgeld Hall Auditorium

Each year Northern Illinois University honors its top faculty for excellence in re-search and instructi on. The following are the most presti gious awards in those category off ered by the university:

Board of Trustees ProfessorsThe Board of Trustees Professors honor faculty members who have att ained internati onal recogniti on for their research and excellence in all facets of teach-ing.

• Dan Gebo – Department of Anthropology • Paul Kelter –Department of Literacy Educati on• Zhili Xiao – Department of Physics

Presidenti al Research ProfessorsThe Presidenti al Research Professorship is NIU’s top recogniti on for outstanding research or arti stry.

• Elizabeth Gaillard - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry • Wei Luo –Department of Geography• Philippe Piot –Department of Physics

Presidenti al Teaching ProfessorsThe NIU Presidenti al Teaching Professorships recognize and support faculty who excel in the practi ce of teaching.

• E. Taylor Atkins – Department of History• Christopher Jones –Department of Politi cal Science, Associate Provost for University Honors• Pamela Smith – Department of Accountancy

Excellence in Undergraduate Instructi on• James Pierce – Department of Communicati on

Presidenti al Engagement ProfessorsThe Presidenti al Engagement Professorships recognize individuals who have had outstanding success at engaging with the community through partnerships that benefi t both NIU and the region.

• Laurie Elish-Piper – Department of Literacy Educati on• Andrea Molnar – Department of Anthropology

Faculty Awards Ceremony

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Excellence in Undergraduate TeachingThe Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and Instructi on awards honor excellent undergraduate teaching in the university, encourage improvement of instructi on and promote discussion among members of the university commu-nity on the subject of teaching.• Timothy Aurand – Department of Marketi ng• Rebecca Hannagan – Department of Politi cal Science• Bett y Helen LaFrance – Department of Communicati on

E. Taylor Atkins Elizabeth Gaillard

Dan Gebo

Laurie Elish-Piper

Andrea Molnar

Christopher Jones

Zhili Xiao

Paul Kelter

Timothy Aurand

Rebecca Hannagan

Wei Luo

Pamela Smith

Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

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Building Ethical Leaders: Presentation by BOT Professor, Pamela SmithMonday, April 22, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Holmes Student Center, Lincoln Room

“Building Ethical Leaders” is the subject of this year’s Board of Trustees Professorship Lecture, presented by Pam Smith.

Smith, a professor in NIU’s nati onally respected Department of Accountancy, was named a Board of Trustees Professor in 2010. She was one of the driving forces in the creati on of the BELIEF initi ati ve for the NIU College of Business, an innovati ve program for teaching students how to make ethical decisions. The program is considered a nati onal model and prompted BusinessWeek magazine to rank the college among the top

three in the nati on for instructi on in business ethics for the last several years.

In this talk, Smith will discuss how educators can help students becoming more ethical by teaching them how to recognize ethical issues and providing them with a decision-making framework to evaluate the consequences of their choic-es and acti ons.

Pamela Smith

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Undergraduate Research & Artistry DayTuesday, April 23, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Holmes Student Center, Duke Ellington Ballroom

The fourth annual Undergraduate Research and Arti stry Day will once again provide undergraduate students an opportunity to showcase their faculty-mentored research projects and arti sti c undertakings.

URAD gives undergraduate students the chance to develop new skills in professional research and use their creati vity to make their projects come to life. This year 261 students, representi ng 30 majors drawn from all six undergraduate colleges, will present 176 projects.

In past years, projects have included everything from research on cancer cures to examples of how to build inexpensive uti lity vehicles that could transform life in Third World villages.

Projects eligible for URAD challenge students beyond typical assignments, oft en compelling them to undertake work that many students would not encounter unti l graduate school. Frequently, the projects help set graduates apart in the job market, helping them land jobs aft er graduati on.

A panel of judges will select top projects in the categories of: math, science, social science, engineering, health, humaniti es, arts and technology. Judges on the panel will be looking at accuracy as well as the quality of the presentati on of each project.

For more informati on, e-mail [email protected].

Undergraduate Research & Artistry Day

Outstanding Graduate Student Recognition ReceptionTuesday, April 23 at 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.Altgeld Hall, AuditoriumRecepti on to recognize graduate student recipients of the Outstanding Gradu-ate Student Award, Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award, Disserta-ti on Completi on Fellowship and University Fellowship for 2013-2014, Carter G. Woodson Award, Jeff rey T. Lunsford/Minority Fellowship, and DFI Fellowship.

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NIU Foundation Venture Grant Final PresentationsWednesday, April 24, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Barsema Alumni & Visitors CenterBy invitation only Through a partnership with the NIU Technology Transfer Offi ce (TTO), the NIU Foundati on is introducing exciti ng changes to its Venture Grants Program. The changes will result in extended collaborati on between NIU’s students and facul-ty, the development of NIU’s best “ideas” into viable, market-ready products or technologies, and the advancement of NIU by bringing diff erent minds and skill sets together.

The four fi nalist teams and their inventor leadership are:

Elizabeth Gaillard, James Dillon, Jason Friedrichs, Tao Xu and Timothy Hagen Timed Release of Substances to Treat Ocular DisordersThis team has developed a means of coati ng intraocular lenses (such as those used for cataract pati ents) with a thin fi lm containing drugs which would be slowly released aft er the lens is implanted in an eyeball.

Lichuan Liu Wireless Communicati on Integrated Acti ve Noise Cancelling Systems for Infant IncubatorsThis inventor has developed a device that reduces external noise in incubators (caused by life-sustaining equipment) while allowing for two-way communica-ti on between infant and parent.

Federico Sciammarella, Joseph Santner, Stefan KyselicaLaser Assisted Machining for Ceramic and Hard MaterialsThis team has developed a computer-controlled laser technology process that improves the machining of ceramic parts used in energy, transportati on and metal-forming applicati ons.

Mansour Tahernezhadi Integrated Blind Source Separati on and Acousti c Echo Cancellati onThis inventor has developed a technology that will improve sound quality in devices, such as cell phones, speaker phones and hearing aids, by suppressing echoes.

Grant recipients will be selected aft er the fi nal presentati ons April 24.

NIU Foundation Venture Grant Final Presentations

Timothy Hagen Federico SciammarellaElizabeth Gaillard Lichuan Liu

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University Honors Scholars Research & Artistry Presentations and ReceptionThursday, April 25, 2013, 4:30 to 6 p.m.

Adams Hall, Chandelier Room

The 2012-2013 University Honors Scholars each will present an overview of their University Honors Capstone project, and answer questi ons about their work. Presenti ng will be:

Wayne Duerkes, Department of History, Honors Capstone: “The Development of the Market in the Lower Fox River Valley, 1833-1952.”

Anastasia Kocher, Department of Politi cal Science, Honors Capstone: “Central Asiasn Regimes Trample Women’s Rights: The Eff ects of Politi cal Transiti on on the Status of Women in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan,

Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.”

The event will begin with a recepti on and conclude with the announcement of the 2013 University Honors Summer Scholars. This is an invitati on-only event. If you wish to att end, please contact Jason Goode ([email protected]) at the University Honors Program.

Graduate Student Research Association ConferenceSaturday, April 27, 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 

Holmes Student Center, Registration and Check-in: Capitol Room

This day-long event will feature paper presentati ons, round-table discussions, arti sti c presentati ons and performances and a variety of other scholarly events. Ninety-nine students, drawn from every college on campus, will parti cipate in this year’s event.

The keynote speaker for the day is Ira Flatow, of Nati onal Public Radio’s Science Friday segment. His presentati on, “Science in Society,” at 1 p.m. in the Capitol Room of the Holmes Student Center.

All events are free and open to the public.

Wayne Duerkes Anastasia Kocher

University Honors Scholars Research & Artistry

Ira Flatow

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Celebrating Excellence Keynote Speaker: Jaron Lanier

Wednesday, April 24, 8 p.m. 

Holmes Student Center, Duke Ellington Ball Room

Jaron Lanier, the father of virtual reality, will deliver the key-note address of NIU’s Celebrati ng Excellence observati on.

One of the most infl uenti al thinkers of our ti me, Lanier is a digital media pioneer. He not only helped popularize the term virtual reality, he also predicted many of the ways in which technology would revoluti onize and transform our culture.

In 2010, Time Magazine named him as one of the 100 most infl uenti al people in the world. He also has been named among the top 100 public intellectuals in the world by Prospect and Foreign Policy magazines as well as one of history’s greatest inventors by Encyclopedia Britannica. His new book “Who Owns the Future?” is a visionary reckoning of the eff ects network technologies have had on our economy. Lanier asserts that the rise of digital networks led our economy into recession and decimated the middle class. Now, as technology fl att ens more and more industries, from media to medicine to manufacturing, we are facing even greater challenges to employment and personal wealth. In this ambiti ous and deeply humane book, Lanier charts the path toward a new informati on economy that will stabilize the middle class and allow it to grow.

Lanier will be available to sign copies of the book following his talk.

Celebrating Excellence Keynote Speaker: Jaron Lanier

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The following departments and individuals were instrumental in organizing this year’s Celebrati on of Excellence, and we wish to extend our thanks to each of them.Celebrati ng Excellence Committ ee:Ellen AndersonAnne BirberickBrad BondKathy Buett nerLisa FreemanChristopher JonesAnne KaplanJulia SpearsKelly Wesener Michael

Division of University Relati onsBrad HoeyPaul PalianJoe KingJennice O’BrienMary Lou Read-DreyerMariano SpizziriBrandon Grosz

Generous support was provided by the following offi ces: Vice Provost, Research and Graduate Studies, Student Aff airs and Enrollment Management, and The Division of University Relati ons.

Special thanks to Cecil Smith for his desire to recog-nize the great works of NIU and for conceiving of the original “STARfest Celebrati on” idea.

The following departments and individuals

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