Welcome new and returning students!

News and Events

Dear College of Arts and Sciences community, 

First, let me wish you a Happy New Year!

And for our students who are returning to campus to start another semester, let me welcome you back and wish for you an exciting and fruitful learning experience this term. If you aren’t currently a student, we hope you find some reason to come to campus for events or programming we provide for our community to foster lifelong learning.

No matter what problems may plague our world, as an educator I have to hold fast to my faith that we can cultivate the intelligence, humanity, and understanding to address and resolve the most vexing challenges we face, no matter how long standing and persistent, now matter how dark and troubling.

The knowledge, skills, and analytical methods we teach in the Arts and Sciences can foster in us the understanding and abilities to address the conflicts and inhumanity abounding around the globe and in our local communities. Our Global Studies major in the College, for example, offers a broad and flexible curriculum that provides students the opportunity to explore and understand the world from political, economic, historical, and cultural perspectives — and more! What could be more relevant than courses on the Anthropology of Islam, Islamic History, Feminisms in Islam, or our Jewish Studies minor? As we enter a political season, all of the issues that will come up for debate and consideration that directly impact our lives can all be studied in our programs — from the state of our economy to the state of our democracy to civil rights and women’s rights to immigration and so on. Learning and studying help us understand the world we live in better in all its complex operations, and that understanding helps us make better choices about how we can live collectively on this globe and create systems that meet human need and help us take care of each other.

So, here’s to the start of another semester of developing understanding and equipping our students with problem-solving skills.

And, finally, let me invite you to reach out to me if you see ways the College can provide educational opportunities or programming to help you in your own journey to understanding.

Sincerely,
Tim Libretti
Acting Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences

Interim President Announced

During a public meeting of the Northeastern Illinois University Board of Trustees on Friday, June 23, 2023, Dr. Katrina E. Bell-Jordan was named interim president of the University for a one-year period beginning July 1, 2023. Read more.

Argonne Scientists Partner with Chicago Community Organizations to Track Climate Change Impacts

The first CROCUS meteorological station was recently installed on a rooftop at Northeastern Illinois University, where students will be actively working on the project. View the WTTW News story.

Peace Corps Prep Program

Northeastern Illinois University is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Peace Corps to bring the Peace Corps Prep (PC Prep) program to the University.

Beginning in Fall 2023, all undergraduate students will have the opportunity to earn a certificate from the Peace Corps in one of the Peace Corps’ six sectors: education, health, environment, agriculture, community economic development and youth development. 

For more information about the program, please visit the PC Prep web page or contact Northeastern’s PC Prep Program Coordinator Dr. Denise Cloonan Cortez de Andersen at peacecorpsprep@neiu.edu

The Physics of Kayaking: Where Professor Greg Anderson’s Passions Meet

Professor and Chair of Physics Dr. Greg Anderson, in addition to being an accomplished physicist, is also a skilled kayaker. These two passions intersect and feed each other in fascinating ways. Recently Dr. Anderson was featured in Kinute magazine, where you can read about the confluence of physics, kayaking and teaching in his mind and experience, as well as his adventures on the sea confronting meat-eating eating mammals and more.