Dear colleagues,

I mentioned it in last week’s community message, and I’m going to begin this month’s staff newsletter by again pointing to this video that does a wonderful job of capturing the overwhelming enthusiasm I have felt from students and their families during our recent welcome events:

While many share these feelings of excitement, each of us is experiencing different emotions, including stress and concern, during our return to campus after a year and a half of largely remote work. I encourage you to work closely with your managers to establish a shared understanding of your expectations within the central return-to-campus plan we distributed to unit leaders last month. Allow me to again point to Northwestern's new webpage that details information about the University’s actions and supports for faculty and staff. I encourage you to visit this helpful resource.

As Northwestern begins the academic year, we carry with us significant momentum from the summer. The Office of the Provost and its units led or collaborated on a number of initiatives that are mentioned in this newsletter, including:

• Northwestern’s first HEED Award for its efforts in diversity and inclusion
• Creation of a multimillion-dollar technology accelerator to support startup companies
• Plans for new major capital projects in support of the University’s ongoing commitment to research and academic excellence
• Setting a University record for sponsored research funding

You can find links to details about these items and much more in this month’s edition of the staff newsletter.

I have enjoyed seeing more of you on campus in recent weeks, and I wish you the very best as we embark on a new and promising academic year.

Thank you,

Kathleen Hagerty
Provost and Professor

Awards and recognition

HEED Award

Northwestern has been awarded the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. The HEED Award is the only national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion across their campus. This is the first year Northwestern has received this honor. On behalf of Northwestern, the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion compiled a comprehensive application with data-driven questions about recruiting and retaining historically underrepresented students and faculty, the commitment of leadership to diversity and inclusion, and resources and support in the campus community.

All about the staff

Meet Ivona Pankova

This week’s featured colleague is Ivona Pankova, program assistant in the Office of Fellowships. Ivona has worked at Northwestern full-time for almost two years, all with the Office of Fellowships. Before that, Ivona worked in temporary positions with the Asian American Studies Program and the Feinberg School of Medicine Division of Allergy and Immunology.

What do you like about working at Northwestern?

I enjoy helping students pursue study abroad opportunities, especially those related to language learning and cultural exchange. I am grateful to work with wonderful colleagues and learn from them daily.

Can you share a personal fun fact about yourself?

I enjoy writing fiction and studying foreign languages. I was born in Bulgaria, and speak Bulgarian and Japanese in addition to English.

What is your proudest accomplishment here?

The COVID-19 pandemic put a lot of strain on students and alumni pursuing fellowship opportunities. The Office of Fellowships offered continuous support throughout the worst of the pandemic by quickly digitizing services and resources available to students. Assisting the Office of Fellowships during our transition to an online environment is my proudest accomplishment at Northwestern.

Brag about your teammates! We feature one staff member in each newsletter. Nominate someone by emailing the Office of the Provost and telling us, in a sentence or two, how your colleague contributes to Northwestern’s mission and why everyone in the Office of the Provost should get to know them.

New staff arrivals

The Block Museum

• Lois Taylor Biggs, Curatorial Associate

Buffett Institute for Global Affairs

• Lena Elmeligy, Marketing and Communications Manager, Global Learning Office
• Miranda Goosby, Program Coordinator, Global Learning Office
• Norvell Watts, Program Coordinator, Global Learning Office

Chicago Biomedical Consortium

• Michelle Hoffmann, Executive Director 

Financial Aid

• Paige Renee Boudreaux, Financial Aid Advisor Coordinator 

Office of the Provost

• Sarah Klaper, Ombudsperson

Undergraduate Admission

• Emily Anne Coffee, Assistant Director of Admissions

Free flu shots

Northwestern will host on-campus flu shots on select dates from Oct. 11-29. Flu shots are free for benefits-eligible faculty and staff. A number of COVID-19 health precautions are in place to help protect the health and safety of everyone involved. Employees may also receive a flu shot from their physician or local pharmacy. Flu shots are provided with a $0 copay if you receive your flu shot from an in-network doctor and are typically free at pharmacies with presentation of your insurance card. Call beforehand to ensure there is no cost.

News and notes

Inclusive Teaching Practicum

The Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching has opened registration for the next two cohorts of its Inclusive Teaching Practicum, a three-week program designed for instructors of all levels, backgrounds and teaching contexts and based on “Northwestern Principles of Inclusive Teaching.” Registration for the Oct. 3-21 cohort is open through Sept. 29 and or the Nov. 1-19 cohort through Oct. 17.

Excellence in Teaching Alliance

The Searle Center has also established the Excellence in Teaching Alliance, bringing together new and experienced full-time NTE teaching faculty to promote community building and professional development across and within schools. The initiative, developed by a working group of teaching faculty in collaboration with the Searle Center and the Office of the Provost, will provide space and time for faculty to reflect together on key issues and questions in teaching and learning, with guidance and resources from the Searle Center. The initiative will launch in October.

In case you missed it

• Northwestern will create a multimillion-dollar technology accelerator in downtown Evanston to support startup companies, amplifying scientific discovery and innovation by supplying the laboratory space, networking opportunities and management training necessary to address the world’s biggest problems.
• Northwestern will embark on two major capital projects on the Evanston campus designed to further the University’s ongoing commitment to research and academic excellence. The projects focus on Mudd Hall and the Donald P. Jacobs Center.
• Northwestern was ranked the ninth-best university in the country by U.S. News & World Report for the fourth consecutive year.
• Northwestern’s annual sponsored research funds reached a record high of $893.4 million for the fiscal year that closed Aug. 31.
• The Women’s Center has appointed Je-Shawna Wholley, a nationally recognized storyteller and advocate known for empowering LGBTQ Black youth, as Northwestern University’s second annual Feminist-in-Residence fellow.
• Recordings of all four Return to Campus Discussion Series events are posted online.

Mark your calendar

Featured University events

• Sept. 22-Dec. 5: Who Says, Who Shows, What Counts: Thinking about History with The Block’s Collection
  • Sept. 29, 6 p.m.: Exhibition Keynote Conversation: Who Says, Who Shows, What Counts
  • Sept. 30, 12:30 p.m.: Online Curator Tour: Who Says, Who Shows, What Counts
  • Northwestern Now story and exhibition book
• Sept. 23, noon: Buffett Faculty Open House No. 1
• Sept. 28, noon: Buffett Faculty Open House No. 2
• Oct. 5, 3:30 p.m.: Native American and Indigenous Welcome Reception
• Oct. 7, 10 a.m.: Women’s Center Open House (Chicago)
• Oct. 12, 10 a.m.: Women’s Center Open House (Evanston)

Key dates

• Sept. 21: Fall classes begin

More resources

• University Events
• Academic Calendars
• COVID-19 and Campus Updates

Help us build future newsletters! If your unit is working on a project that is relevant to the entire Office of the Provost, or if you have awards, honors or accomplishments to share, send an email to officeoftheprovost@northwestern.edu.