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As the spring semester closes in on finals week, everyone is getting in on the action as ����Թ� faculty, students and staff have collected honors, grants and speaking engagements. We’ve got all the exciting news, media coverage and save-the-date events you could possibly handle.

Around the Commons

Joining the Chicago Leadership Collaborative

Northeastern has been approved by Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to be a partner in its . Under the agreement, Northeastern will be one of 10 institutions that will assist in the recruitment and training of future CPS principals and assistant principals.

Lobby Day

Check out the Northeastern Lobby Day delegation meeting with Senate Appropriations Chair Dan Kotowski in Springfield on April 23. From left: NEIU Executive Director of Government Relations Suleyma Perez, NEIU student Joanna Nowacka, state Sen. Dan Kotowski, NBA referee and NEIU alumnus Danny Crawford, NEIU President Sharon Hahs, NEIU Trustee Bob Biggins and NEIU Chief Communications Officer Mike Dizon. The delegation advocated for the University's state funding.

New opportunities for grad students

The College of Graduate Studies and Research and the Research and Creative Activities Advisory Group have announced the inaugural set of  for graduate students. The goal of these awards is to give graduate students an extended opportunity to experience and participate in the conduct of a research or creative activity project with a Northeastern faculty member.

COBM students go global

Two teams from the College of Business and Management have advanced to the global student challenge rounds of the . Team Eagles is Georgi Milushev, Hilal Ayirici, Carlos Landa and Maria Lazanyi. Team Golden Eagles is Jason Alba, Janusz Maka, Batnasan Garamjav and Doljinsuren Nergui.

And the provost goes global, too!

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Richard J. Helldobler was one of 15 higher education senior leaders from North America selected to be part of an international think tank at Penn State on the challenges, public needs, expectations and demands for public higher education.  The think tank will include senior leaders from the United States, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Australia and Canada.

Brommel award winner

Associate Professor of Biology Emina Stojkovic has been honored with the , to be presented at Commencement. Stojkovic will receive a cash award of $5,000. She will make a presentation about her research and creative activities to the Northeastern community during the fall 2015 semester.

A grant for Earth Science

The Department of Earth Science is the newest recipient of an $86,589 grant from the National Science Foundation. , which starts May 1, will fund global warming-related research into how dominant western United States tree species have responded in the past to growing season warming of the magnitude projected to occur by 2100.

Student travel awards

Several students received student travel awards this month from the NEIU Foundation’s Leader Fund. They were:

• Marla Jean Douma, to present at the in Toronto
• Jennifer Kawaguchi and Olivia Choi, to present collaborative research at the in Omaha, Neb.
• Katherine Smith, to attend the in Rome
• Klaudia Lewoncyk and Sara Rewienska, to present their respective dissertations at the in the United Arab Emirates

And there’s more!

• President Sharon Hahs and Board of Trustees Chair Carlos Azcoitia welcomed almost 300 education professionals and students to the  on the Main Campus on April 24.
• Northeastern has developed the to accommodate first-year students with an Admission Decision Score between 550-648.
• The 2015–2016 Committee on Organized Research Grants has to faculty members.
• English Professor Bradley Greenburg will be the at the Illinois Women's Press Association annual meeting on May 16 in Chicago.
• El Centro will host a Chicago Public Schools on May 2.
• The will host the 6th Workshop on Mathematical and Statistical Modeling on May 1-2.
• Communication, Media and Theatre Department Chair Tony Adams will speak at Eastern Michigan University’s on May 1-2.

In the media

Remembering J. Fred MacDonald

The and media writer published obituaries for Professor Emeritus of History J. Fred MacDonald. “It was always like a magic carpet ride to visit Fred,” Jeff Spitz, an associate professor at Columbia College, told the Sun-Times. “He would transport you to anywhere you wanted to go in the 20th century.”

Also in the media ...

• included Eddie Bocanegra (B.A. ’12 Social Work) in a panel discussion about Spike Lee’s planned film “Chiraq.”
• reported that Rita Moreno will be Northeastern’s speaker at Commencement on May 11.
• published a second story about Northeastern and Moreno.
• published a story mentioning that English Department Chair Tim Libretti won first-place awards from the Illinois Women’s Press Association in the speech, essay, feature and social issue categories. The story also mentioned English student Terrie Albano and alumna Becky Sarwate.
• mentioned English Assistant Professor Julia Iromuanya’s debut novel, “Mr. and Mrs. Doctor,” in a roundup of Chicago book news.

To do

Nest Fest

is back to bring some electricity to the end of the semester! The annual festival, headlined by the platinum-selling band Hellogoodbye (pictured above), will be held on Friday, May 1.

Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen Band

Critically acclaimed bluegrass band will perform at Northeastern on Friday, May 15. The group integrates bluegrass and newgrass with singing and songwriting to craft a sound that is unique to this genre.

Mark your calendar!

• NEIU Orchestra (free), 7:30 p.m. April 24, Auditorium
• Junior Voice Recitals (free), 1 p.m. April 25, Recital Hall
• Senior Voice Recital (free), 3 p.m. April 25, Recital Hall
• Rising Philippines conference (free), 9 a.m.-2 p.m. April 29, Alumni Hall
• (free), 7:30 p.m. April 30, Auditorium
• Graduate Lecture-Recital (free), 7:30 p.m. April 30, Recital Hall

#FollowFriday

Department of Music

What’s going on in the , where most events are free? Find out by subscribing for the department’s newsletter! The weekly email includes links to the concert calendar, the Arts at Northeastern website, the NEIU Box Office, as well as maps and directions. Sign up by visiting  and clicking on the blue “Join Our Mail List” button. Select “Music Department Events” to receive the weekly newsletter. You may also choose to be on mailing lists for the Jewel Box Series, Lectures and Visiting Writers, Dance, Films, and Stage Center Theatre and more!

Do you have a story tip? Let the public relations office know!
Mike Hines, director of public relations, m-hines@neiu.edu, (773) 442-4240