Northwestern Office of the Provost

Every summer, the Office of the Provost hosts a writing retreat to allocate space and uninterrupted time for faculty to write. Learn more about the program here and consider it for next year. Before you know it, registration for summer 2027 will be open!

Northwestern's 2026 ALP cohort announced
Over the summer, the Office of the Provost announced the Big Ten Academic Alliance 2026 Academic Leadership Program Fellows: Ian Horswill, Associate Professor, Computer Science, McCormick and President-elect, Faculty Senate; Ofer Malamud, Professor, Human Development and Social Policy, SESP; Jonathan Rivnay, Professor, Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, McCormick; Elizabeth Son, Associate Professor, Area Head, Theatre History/Literature/Criticism/Theory, School of Communication; and Kelly Wisecup, Professor and Chair, English, WCAS. Congratulations to the 2026 cohort!

The inaugural Northwestern Book Festival, titled "A Celebration of Faculty-Authored Books and the Ideas Behind Them," will take place on April 14, 2027, featuring a publishing workshop, book panels and a reception to recognize faculty scholarship and writing across disciplines. Departments and schools have been asked to submit faculty-authored books published in 2025 and 2026 by Sept. 30 to ensure inclusion in the book display. Faculty members also may submit information directly using this online form or contact faculty@northwestern.edu for more information.

Opportunities through the Litowitz Center for Enlightened Disagreement

Engage with the New Campus Reading Program: Faculty are encouraged to engage with the Litowitz Center's Campus Reading Program and its inaugural selection, "Vigil" by George Saunders. Tickets are available for the Nov. 19 keynote event with Saunders. The Campus Reading Program also includes an array of "Vigil"-related events, including the The Block Museum collection talk. For faculty who want to incorporate the book into classroom activities, the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching has produced a pedagogical resource and is administering engaged learning grants to support instructors.
Enlightened Disagreement Research Workshop Series call for participants: Slated to run monthly from January-June, 2027, this workshop will bring together faculty from across disciplines who are curious about investigating how enlightened disagreement works, what conditions allow it to flourish, and how their discipline can contribute to this area of study. The series will culminate in seed funding (up to $15,000 per project, up to three awards) for the most promising proposals that emerge. No fully formed research idea required. Learn more and fill out the interest form by Oct. 15.

Updates to Northwestern’s eduroam Network

In order to improve campus network security and streamline connections, on Aug. 12, Northwestern IT changed the process for connecting to eduroam. Users now need to install an authentication certificate on each device that needs to be connected. Username and password authentication has been disabled. If any devices are still attempting to sign on using that method, the connection will fail. Please note: If you installed an authentication certificate before June 12, 2026, you must repeat the process by Nov. 4 to retain access.

Research security and export control updates

As the new academic year begins, faculty, staff and students should be aware of evolving federal research security and export control requirements. Recent updates to government restricted-party and high-risk entity lists, along with new restrictions affecting research collaborations, equipment, services and vendors, may impact federally funded activities. Before initiating or continuing international collaborations with high-risk countries faculty, staff and students are encouraged to consult the Export Controls and International Compliance (ECIC) and Research Security websites to ensure compliance and protect funding eligibility. Contact the ECIC team for assistance.

Funding opportunity from the Buffett Institute
Beginning in the 2026–27 academic year, the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs will support ongoing, faculty-led research initiatives that bring together Northwestern faculty around a shared area of interest through ongoing programming and scholarly exchange. Groups will be funded at up to $10,000 per year for a term of up to four years. Learn more and apply by Oct. 22.

With the Fall Quarter about to commence on the Evanston campus, University leaders shared a joint welcome message to faculty and staff.
The University announced a national search for its next Vice President for Research along with structural changes to the Office for Research designed to make Northwestern’s research enterprise even stronger and to enhance support for faculty, staff and student researchers.
In preparation for the Fall Quarter, the Office of the Provost provided guidance for instructors .
Northwestern continues to provide updates to federal developments on its Responding to Federal Policies website.
The Forge gives students from all Northwestern schools and disciplines the opportunity to work on real-world AI projects for industry partners, researchers and University staff. Instructors with students interested in AI opportunities can refer them to the interest form.
The Office of Community Enrichment is accepting applications for CoLAB Partnerships, which support collaborative ideas, initiatives and learning experiences that strengthen the Northwestern community and CatalystNU, a cohort-based learning program that builds skills for dialogue, leadership and connection across difference.
View more news from around the University.

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