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| Staff Newsletter | March 2025 |
Dear colleagues,
As Northwestern and our peers across higher education face the current set of challenges, each of us has felt the effects — either directly or indirectly. Throughout this period of uncertainty, the Office of the Provost has continued to lead with resolve and teamwork. While the institution navigates some very difficult decisions, you have supported one another and shown grace. Provost Hagerty and I are deeply appreciative of your commitment.
In times like this, it’s important to identify and recognize our successes. To help us do this, I invite you to use the Office of the Provost newsletter as a platform for sharing good news about your teams by emailing the Office of the Provost. For example, last week, there was national press coverage of The Block’s current exhibition, “Woven Being: Art for Zhegagoynak/Chicagoland,” which includes 80 works by 33 artists, presenting the perspectives of Indigenous artists currently based in the Chicago area and those from nations forcibly displaced from the area in the 19th century. Read more about it under "All about the staff."
Another way to recognize our colleagues' talents is by nominating them for the 2025 Office of the Provost Awards. The nomination deadline for the Innovation Award and/or the Community Award is this Friday, March 21. We will honor the 2025 awardees during the spring Office of the Provost All-Staff Meeting on April 16. The winners and their respective nominators will be invited to speak. Kathleen and I look forward to putting a spotlight on our hard-working and talented community.
Sincerely,
Jake Julia |
All about the staff |
Meet Barb Bamburg
Barb Bamburg was an undergraduate when she took her first job at Northwestern in 1983. After graduation, she lived in Norway for a few years, then worked for different non-profits in Chicago that advocated for women's rights. She returned to Northwestern in 1996 to work as a Program Assistant in Bienen School of Music Admission until she assumed her current position as Associate Director of Admissions Operations in Undergraduate Admission in the fall of 2005. Bamburg manages a team that processes incoming application materials and shepherds applicants through the process until decision day.
What were your interests growing up, and how do they connect with what you do now?
Growing up in rural eastern Oregon and later suburban Kansas City on the Kansas side, I was interested in all things school-related. I loved reading and writing and learning. Fortunately, learning new things has never stopped for me and working at Northwestern has most certainly given me plenty of opportunities. While our work in Undergraduate Admission is very cyclical, we are constantly innovating in our approach.
What is the biggest change that you've seen at Northwestern since you were here as an undergraduate student?
Surprisingly, much at Northwestern is similar to when I was a student here – the people are vibrant, brilliant, friendly and fun. Certainly, there have been some significant changes to the Evanston campus and to downtown Evanston. I will always have fond memories of the now-closed Hoos [drugstore] and Chandler's [bookstore]! I think the most significant change has been in technology. Moving away from paper files to online imaging and data was a definite gamechanger in the Land of Admission.
What is something about you that people may not know?
I met my wife at a happy hour when she worked in Undergraduate Admission and I was still in Music Admission. Northwestern has clearly played a central role in all aspects of my life’s journey.
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.
Staff who joined the Office of the Provost or started new roles in February
The Block Museum
Office of First Generation and Low Income Initiatives
Office of International Student Scholar Services
The Block Museum featured by Forbes Congratulations to the team at The Block for great press coverage! The museum’s current exhibition, “Woven Being,” was recently featured in an article on Forbes.com, highlighting the museum’s place-based and collaborative approach to building an exhibit. Kathleen Bickford Berzock, Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs at The Block Museum and exhibition co-curator, spoke with the reporter about how The Block's location informed the exhibition planning. “Northwestern and The Block Museum are within walking distance of Lake Michigan, and understanding how that place is also an Indigenous space changes the way that I personally see where I live and where I work, and I think that's one of the things that this show can do,” she said. Check out the exhibit, which is open through July 13. |
News, notes and need to know |
New required site for posting graduate student jobs Northwestern’s agreement with our graduate student union requires University units to post certain graduate positions, called Open Appointments, in a newly revised Student Employment Job Site. Open Appointment roles are only those graduate positions that are in the bargaining unit and not used to fulfill a commitment of support made to a student at the time of admission or under a preexisting teaching, research or advising relationship with a faculty member.
To post a job, complete the Student Employment Job Posting Form. The Faculty and Staff Resources tab of the Graduate Union Resources website contains instructions for completing the form, highlighting Collective Bargaining Agreement requirements that must be addressed in each job posting. You can also find a decision tree on this page to help you evaluate whether your graduate positions must be listed here.
Marc Wilson in the Office of the Registrar is available to answer questions about the process and whether the graduate roles in your unit should appear on the new site. In addition, starting today through early April, Marc and Laura Soria from The Graduate School will hold weekly office hours on Wednesdays, from 10-11 a.m. Link to join.
Performance Excellence timeline Northwestern’s Performance Excellence supports individual development and helps teams, departments and the University become stronger and more effective. Here is the timeline for this academic year's process.
Conflict resolution training The Mediation, Conflict Resolution, and Restorative Practices (MCR) Initiative aims to provide the Northwestern community with constructive, empathetic and evidence-based approaches to resolving conflict and settling disputes that do not rise to the level of formal complaints or policy violations. Apply to join an MCR team to get trained to provide mediation services to the Northwestern community upon request. Applicants must be Northwestern faculty or staff. The deadline to apply is May 30. Learn more and apply.
Offerings from Human Resources When current events are overwhelming, it's important to take time for yourself. Northwestern HR's well-being programs and resources can be helpful, whether for self-care or to help you address issues that affect your life outside of work. Here are a couple of offerings; more are listed on the website.
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More resources 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. |
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