That鈥檚 a wrap on another calendar year at 天天吃瓜! Take a look back at Commencement with photos, videos and a story about a married couple who graduated together in the year鈥檚 final edition of Noteworthy at Northeastern.
Around the Commons
鈥楢 new era鈥
Northeastern alumnus Michael Orona challenged the Class of 2019 graduates to recognize themselves as citizens of a greater community during his Commencement address. 鈥淲e live in an integrated word,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he term that most people use is 鈥榞lobal village,鈥 a world of interdependence, not fully equal but nevertheless interdependent. Whatever happens around the world will have an effect on you, your family and this community. ... A new era is upon us and you, the Class of 2019, have been given a new responsibility to bring forth an ever-advancing civilization to be better informed than those who have gone before you, and to seek knowledge, the independent investigation of truth and service to all of humanity.鈥 Also online:
- Video of
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Scholarly sweethearts
During the December 2019 Commencement ceremony, one couple celebrated their 20th year of marriage with very special gifts: their diplomas. Wearing their blue graduation caps and gowns, Ruby and Joel Rodriguez crossed the stage, one after the other, on Dec. 15 to collect their bachelor鈥檚 degrees from the University Without Walls (UWW) program. Their caps were decorated with glittery golden letters to read, 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter where you are going ...鈥 and 鈥淚t鈥檚 who you have beside you!鈥
鈥楨xpats Tell All鈥
Professor Emerita Ana Gil Garcia has published her fifth book, 鈥淪ecrets Under the Veil: Expats Tell All.鈥 The book was released by Rose Gold Publishing. As a non-academic text, this book is different from Gil Garcia鈥檚 previous releases. The book is full of narrative stories that she and a Canadian instructor, co-author Mercedes Cardella, experienced while they were teaching in Saudi Arabia in 2015. The book has five main themes: culture shock, social life, educational environment, empowerment and spirituality.
Faculty featured in podcast
Two Northeastern librarians and a library staff member have produced a podcast to highlight the process and products of the University鈥檚 faculty research. Assistant Professor and Social Sciences Librarian Edward Remus, Assistant Professor and Digital Scholarship Librarian Alyssa Vincent, and Library Specialist Jonathan Gronli have launched NEIUideas, which is now streaming on NEIU鈥檚 Digital Commons. The podcast launches with four installments:
- Latin American addiction memoirs with Brandon Bisbey
- Teen health literacy in public libraries with Jennifer Banas
- Iranian women鈥檚 participation in the Iran-Iraq War with Mateo Farzaneh
- Animal coloration, pigment, and climate change with Beth A. Reinke
And there鈥檚 more!
- Northeastern will be closed from Dec. 21-Jan. 2 for winter break. The University will reopen Jan. 3, and Spring 2020 classes will begin Jan. 6.
- Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton on Dec. 18 to meet with President Gloria J. Gibson and her executive council, Student Trustee Fatima Siddiqua and Student Veterans Club President Gabriel Can.
- Professor Emeritus of Economics Edward Stuart titled 鈥淓conomic Outlook 2020鈥 for the Chicago Chapter of APICS on Jan. 23. Tickets are $45 for members and $50 for non-members.
In the media
Dance Chicagoans of the Year
Ensemble Espa帽ol鈥檚 year began with the sad passing of founder Dame Libby Komaiko, but it is ending on a triumphant note. The Chicago Tribune has named Executive Director Jorge Perez and Artistic Director Irma Su谩rez Ruiz its . 鈥淭he unceasing drive and harnessed passion Ruiz and Perez bring to their jobs have catalyzed Ensemble Espa帽ol to become a major player in Chicago鈥檚 concert dance scene,鈥 the Tribune wrote.
And more good news for Ensemble Espa帽ol
Dance Magazine named NEIU student and Ensemble Espa帽ol company dancer Luis Beltran one of its . 鈥淗e seduces audiences with a fair share of tantalizing machismo, but it's not boorish, and it's balanced by a blithe and jaunty stage presence in Ensemble Espa帽ol Spanish Dance Theater's folk dance repertoire,鈥 the magazine wrote.
Also in the media ...
- interviewed Associate Professor of Sociology Olivia Perlow about a controversial denial of tenure at Harvard University.
- featured alumna Sara Schumann (B.A. 鈥06 Board of Governors), who is now a labor lawyer and the artistic director of the Madison Ballet.
- reported that alumnus Andy Jakubowski (B.A. 鈥95 Speech and Secondary Education Certification: Speech) will be inducted into the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame next month.
To do
Coming next year!
- View all of the University鈥檚 future events at neiu.edu/events.
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