Dear faculty,

As we approach winter recess, I think we can all agree that 2025 has been another year we won't soon forget. Yet, despite challenges, we have kept our collective eye on ensuring that Northwestern remains a world-class research institution that makes our society better, while educating our talented students and supporting our exceptional faculty and staff. I believe it is this shared vision that carried us through some of the toughest moments this University has seen, and will keep us going for generations to come.

I want to emphasize that the past year saw us launch a range of important initiatives, institutes and centers; produce breakthrough research; win prestigious awards (including a Nobel Prize); and continue to provide a welcoming and intellectually rigorous environment for our students. As always, this high level of achievement has been led by you, our faculty. You have demonstrated time and time again your commitment to your work, your students and the University, and I could not be prouder of all we have accomplished together, even under unusually challenging circumstances.

Thank you for your dedication, and I wish you all a restful winter recess and a happy new year!

Sincerely,

Kathleen Hagerty
Provost 
First Chicago Professor of Finance

News and notes

Celebrating the 2025 Fletcher Awardees

Faculty members who mentored the recipients of the 2025 Fletcher Awards, which recognize outstanding student research supported by the Summer Undergraduate Research Grant, gathered in Guild Hall on Nov. 21. This year marked the first time a Northwestern Prison Education Program (NPEP) student was an awardee. (Shown from left to right: Associate Provost Karen Smilowitz; Jessie Rosenberg with Bienen winner Zhiwen Liu; Claudia Haase with Medill winner Allison Kim; Jennifer Lackey with NPEP winner Jacob Currey; Adilson Motter with WCAS winner Jimmy Zhang; and Undergraduate Research Grant Chair and Professor of Journalism Mei-Ling Hopgood)

Update from the Office of Fellowships

The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship has a new home within the Office of Fellowships. The office requests that faculty direct interested sophomores to the website for more information as well as access to the application portal by the Feb. 16, 8 a.m. deadline.

Opportunities through the Roberta Buffett Institute

The Roberta Buffett Institute offers a range of programs for faculty. The following have deadlines coming soon:

• Become a Buffett Faculty Fellow. These fellowships support faculty who need to be away from the University to conduct international research. Deadline Jan. 12. 
• Sponsor a Buffett Visiting Scholar. Receive logistical support as you help a visiting scholar gain access to Northwestern's multidisciplinary, global community. Deadline Jan. 15.
  
• Work with the Buffett Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program. This program awards grants for faculty to hire undergraduate students to support their global or international research. Deadline Jan. 15.
• Start a Buffett Global Working Group. Support Northwestern faculty working on a global problem in an interdisciplinary context. Grant offers up to $200K spread over two to five years. Contact Harrington Weihl, Buffett's Director for Research, to discuss proposals. Deadline Feb. 16.

Registration open for NUIT's winter Research Computing and Data Services workshops

Acquire new coding skills, upgrade your existing skill set and learn how to maximize your research efforts at one of Northwestern IT Research Computing and Data Services' winter sessions. Choose from a variety of workshops, either virtual or in person (Chicago), including AI for Research, Next Steps in Python, Statistics, and Data Management. Learn more and register and subscribe to the NUIT-RESEARCH listserv to receive announcements of upcoming workshops and events. 

2025 tax year reminders

To help ensure you receive a correct 2025 W-2 form, be sure to review pay stubs and/or myHR for basic information accuracy. This includes:

• Spelling of your legal name
• Correct SSN
• Correct home address (the deadline to update your address in myHR  is Dec. 19, 2025)

You can review and change your W-2 delivery option in myHR. Changes to your W-2 delivery option must be made no later than Dec. 31, 2025. More information can be found on the central HR website.

In case you missed it

• The University is updating FAQs related to its agreement with the federal government. Additional information about the restoration of research funding can be found on the Responding to Federal Policies website.
• A Dec. 1 message to instructors provided a few reminders in preparation for Winter and Spring classes. 
• Northwestern’s annual commemoration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will kick off Jan. 18, with events and projects planned throughout the month. 
• Northwestern set a conference and department record with a 99% Graduation Success Rate, according to data released by the NCAA. 
• Students, faculty and staff are invited to submit honorary degree nominations by March 1.
• Northwestern is accepting letters of inquiry for the 2026-2027 ANCHOR Grant program.
• View more news from around the University.

Mark your calendar

Featured events

• Jan. 8, 4:30 p.m.: Roberta Buffett Institute Faculty Open House
• Jan. 13, 9 a.m.: Advancing Mentoring Excellence, Session #3, Chicago
• Jan. 20, noon: Advancing Mentoring Excellence, Session #3, Evanston
• Jan. 20, 5 p.m.: MLK Commemoration 2026 keynote panel moderated by Sylvester Johnson, Chair and Professor of Black Studies
• Jan. 22-23, various times: Global Disinformation in a Post-Moderation World, a two-day symposium (part of the Roberta Buffett Institute's 2025–26 event series on Brave New Futures)
• Jan. 26, noon: Faculty Leaders Series: Building Trust and Community

Key dates

• Dec. 19: Deadline to apply for CatalystNU: Conversations that Transform
• Dec. 24-Jan. 1: Winter recess
• Jan. 5: First day of Winter classes
• Jan. 14: Nomination deadline for Nemmers Prizes in Earth Sciences, Mathematics, Economics and Music Composition
• Jan. 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (University closed)

More resources

• Faculty Resources
  • Academic Calendars
  • Career Development and Support Programs
  • Faculty Handbook
  • Past Newsletters

Help us build future newsletters! If your school or department is working on a project that is relevant to the entire faculty, please send an email at least one month prior to the desired month of publication to faculty@northwestern.edu.