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| Staff Newsletter | April 2025 |
Dear colleagues,
At last week's Office of the Provost All-Staff Meeting, I spoke about the latest set of challenges facing Northwestern. As the institution continues to navigate these unprecedented developments, I encourage you to support one another and stay positive. We have amazing people in the Office of the Provost, and we are going to persevere.
On that note, I would like to once again recognize the winners of the second annual Office of the Provost Awards, which I had the pleasure of presenting to two special staff members at the All-Staff meeting. Nominated by Marina Micari, Borislava Miltcheva won the Innovation Award for optimizing the recruitment process in Academic Support and Learning Advancement (shown below from left to right, respectively), along with other initiatives. And Cara Mitchell, nominated by Sara Thurston, won the Community Award for her commitment to community-building in the Office of International Student and Scholar Services and beyond (shown below, fourth and fifth from left, respectively).
Congratulations to both of our winners! I also want to thank everyone who nominated their colleagues. It says a lot about our nominators who took the time out of their busy schedules to recognize a colleague — it is much appreciated.
I'll say it again: We have wonderful people in the Office of the Provost, and the work you do every day is integral to the success of the University.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Hagerty |
All about the staff |
Meet Samantha Nissen
Samantha Nissen joined Northwestern in 2017 as a graduate intern in the Office of the Vice President for International Relations. She later worked at Medill in an academic and career-advising role. In 2022, Nissen joined the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, where she manages strategic initiatives, including coordinating Buffett's scholars at risk program and serving as the designated contact person for the University’s observer status with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Additionally, Nissen has led the roll-out of several programs focused on undergraduate research, learning and professional development that enable students from all majors to engage with global affairs throughout their time at Northwestern — and beyond.
Can you give us a taste of one of the programs you oversee at Buffett?
We just recently launched a new post-baccalaureate fellowships program for recent Northwestern graduates seeking global careers, in partnership with incredible organizations around the world. Our first cohort will go to sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, and the Philippines, and work in the fields of musical theatre, human rights and international development, respectively. This feels like an especially notable time to be doing this work, given the particularly difficult job market for graduates.
What were your interests growing up — and how do they connect with what you do now?
In high school, I especially loved working on the yearbook (writing, photography, editing). It was fun to have a press badge and cover different events, while also connecting with other students and building community around different school cultures. Today, I am grateful to work at a place that regularly convenes incredible events and has a really strong community on campus.
What is something fun or interesting about you that people may not know?
I have a house rabbit named Poppy. I adopted her from the Red Door Animal Shelter, which is a wonderful organization in Rogers Park.
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 March
Financial Aid
Office of International Student and Scholar Services
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News, notes and need to know |
Spotted at Coffee With Colleagues Top: Alejandro Chang Mo, Financial Assistant, Student Finance, and Chris Garcia, Unit Storekeeper of Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps, NROTC. Above: Liz Kinsley, Dean of Undergraduate Admission, and Jaci Casazza, Assistant Provost for University Records and University Registrar.Attend an open forum on accreditation As part of its 10-year accreditation review, Northwestern will host Higher Learning Commission peer reviewers on campus next week. Faculty, students and staff are invited to meet with the review team during open forums. Check the April 28-29, 2025 Campus Visit webpage for the schedule.
Office of the Provost staff professional development opportunity An in-person Team Building and Collaboration Workshop will take place from 2-4 p.m. May 28 at 1800 Sherman in Evanston. Facilitated by Todd Murphy from the Center for Leadership, this small-group workshop starts with the premise that leadership is a social process, facilitated by a leader, in which individuals work together to produce results they could never achieve alone. This session will unpack the “how” of that process. Register.
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
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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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