Northern Illinois University 2025 Football Schedule


Date Opponent Site
Sat., Aug. 30 HOLY CROSS DeKALB, IL
Fri., Sept. 5 Maryland College Park, MD
Sat., Sept. 20 Mississippi State Starkville, MS
Sat., Sept. 27 SAN DIEGO STATE DeKALB, IL
Sat., Oct. 4 MIAMI (OHIO)* 118th Homecoming DeKALB, IL
Sat., Oct. 11 Eastern Michigan* Ypsilanti, MI
Sat., Oct. 18 Ohio* Athens, OH
Sat., Oct. 25 BALL STATE* DeKALB, IL
Wed., Nov. 5 Toledo* Toledo, OH
Wed., Nov. 12 Massachusetts* Amherst, MA
Tue., Nov. 18 WESTERN MICHIGAN* DeKALB, IL
Fri., Nov. 28 KENT STATE* DeKALB, IL
Sat., Dec. 6 MAC Championship Game Detroit, MI

*Mid-American Conference Game
Home games in BOLD, ALL CAPS.


In Memoriam

’48

DONNA ZEVKOVICH on December 8, Naples, Florida.

’51

WILLIAM EISERMAN, M.S.Ed. ’52, on October 25, Lake Villa, Illinois.

RICHARD “DICK” KOLZE on October 21, Palatine, Illinois.

’52

RUSSELL LEOPOLD on October 23, Jacksonville, Illinois.

’53

DARLENE JORDAN on November 4, Hudson, Ohio.

’54

DORIS BUZZARD on November 16, Winnebago, Illinois.

BARBARA CRAMER on October 7, Scottsdale, Arizona.

’55

AUDREY ZARN on November 21, Downers Grove, Illinois.

’57

JOSEPH FIELDING, M.S.Ed. ’65, on November 4, Cambridge, Illinois.

DOROTHY NEUMANN on December 4, Urbana, Illinois.

’58

SUSAN SANDVOSS on October 14, Oak Park, Illinois.

’59

JOHN HENARD, M.S.Ed. ’65, on December 19, Little Rock, Arkansas.

CORINA JACKSON, M.S.Ed. ’80, on November 12, Madison, Wisconsin.

LLOYD “MIKE” MORRIS, M.S.Ed. ’66, on November 22, Pocatello, Idaho.

’60

DUANE ANGLAVAR on November 16, Fort Meyers, Florida.

GERALD “JERRY” KNODLE on December 10, Dixon, Illinois.

MARILYN MARTIN on November 6, LaGrange, Illinois.

’61

CHARLES FORSYTHE, M.B.A. ’62, on November 22, Monticello, Georgia.

ROBERT HARMS on December 22, Rockford, Illinois.

’62

JUDY HUSS on November 5, LaQuinta, California.

ROBERT “BOB” MADJAK on December 13, Barrington, Illinois.

DONALD SZAFRANSKI on October 21, Skokie, Illinois.

’63

DIANE CLAUSER on November 28, Owatonna, Minnesota.

RICHARD KLATT, M.A., on November 6, Rock Island, Illinois.

KENT SHIFFERD, M.A. ’66, Ph.D. ’74, on October 26, Spooner, Wisconsin.

JOAN WRIGHT on December 14, Bartow, Florida.

’64

SHARON BREEDLOVE on December 2, Granby, Missouri.

NANCY LARSON on December 17, Yorkville, Illinois.

JAMES PAHL, M.M. ’66, on November 30, Green Bay, Wisconsin.

’65

CAROLYN DEIKE on November 9, Huntley, Illinois.

HAROLD EDWARDS, M.S.Ed., on November 15, Champaign, Illinois.

ERIC HAWKINS on September 9, Lebanon, Connecticut.

ROBERT RIMKUS on October 25, Battle Creek, Michigan.

MICHAEL RISTAU on November 20, Sylvania, Ohio.

ROBERT THOMMES on November 22, Owatonna, Minnesota.

’66

BARBARA BENWAY, M.S.Ed., on November 29, Springfield, Missouri.

JERRY FOSTER, M.S.Ed., on December 2, Normal, Illinois.

PAMELA LARSEN, M.S.Ed. ’88, on November 18, Batavia, Illinois.

JAMES LYON, M.A., on December 23, Deerfield, Illinois.

RAYMOND PLANTZ on October 19, Ely, Minnesota.

’67

KAREN ABRAMS, M.S.Ed. ’71, on November 19, Lockport, Illinois.

RICHARD MINSTER, M.A., on November 21, Carlinville, Illinois.

’68

JOHN HINKEY, M.S.Ed., on November 22, Valparaiso, Indiana.

JANET KEATING, M.S.Ed. ’73, on December 8, Rockford, Illinois.

GEORGIA LENDERMAN, M.A., on November 24, Terre Haute, Indiana.

KENNETH PETERS on November 18, Chicago, Illinois.

’69

THOMAS BERGMANN on October 1, Saint Paul, Minnesota.

ROBERT “ESPO” ESPOSITO, M.S.Ed. ’75, on December 26, Addison, Illinois.

PATRICIA EVANS, M.S.Ed., on December 31, Darby, Montana.

GARY HAUGE on October 12, Big Rock, Illinois.

RANDALL RUSSELL on October 6, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

’70

WILLIAM ANDERSON on October 8, Bloomington, Illinois.

THOMAS BUSCH on November 26, El Paso, Texas.

SANDRA CALLAWAY on October 19, Colusa, Illinois.

MARTHA KILEY, M.S. ’72, on November 6, Rockford, Illinois.

DARL KRIETE, M.S., on October 7, Elmhurst, Illinois.

WANDA LESNIAK on December 11, Downers Grove, Illinois.

KATHY LOZAR on December 25, Chicago, Illinois.

MICHAEL PHILLIPS on October 24, St. Petersburg, Florida.

JOYCE REILLY on December 30, Barrington, Illinois.

ERIC ROY, M.S.Ed. ’75, on November 21, Aiken, South Carolina.

’71

HOLLY CAMPBELL on November 17, Atlanta, Georgia.

PHILLIP PARKS, M.S.Ed., on December 22, Shorewood, Illinois.

PATRICK RINK on November 4, Joliet, Illinois.

MARIGAIL ROBERTS on December 11, Ottawa, Illinois.

MICHAEL ROSS on October 5, Elmhurst, Illinois.

’72

JAMES HURST, M.S.Ed. ’77, on October 11, Las Cruces, New Mexico.

JEFFREY “JEFF” KING on October 9, Campton Hills, Illinois.

ANGELO NICOLOSI on December 3, Rockford, Illinois.

LAWRENCE OLLEARIS, M.B.A. ’78, on December 6, Willowbrook, Illinois.

EDWARD “ED” SANDSTROM on November 10, Lockport, Illinois.

’73

MARYANN BALLAK, M.A., on December 29, Joliet, Illinois.

GUY COSENZA, M.S.Ed., on December 25, Downers Grove, Illinois.

MARIA DURDAN on October 20, Ottawa, Illinois.

STEVEN FARROW on December 6, Shell Lake, Wisconsin.

ROBERT GARA, M.S.Ed., on October 25, Carmel, Indiana.

MICHAEL GRILC, M.A., on November 9, Roscoe, Illinois.

MARILYN HARMS on November 10, Flower Mound, Texas.

JIM LABELLE, M.P.A. ’79, on December 3, Zion, Illinois.

WILLIAM “BILL” LAFONTAINE on October 15, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

WILLIAM “BILL” LAWLER on December 7, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

JOSEPH “JOE” PRENDERGAST, M.S.Ed., on December 13, Chicago, Illinois.

STEPHANIE RUSNAK, M.A. ’79, on September 10, Saint Charles, Illinois.

RICHARD WALSH, M.M., on November 20, Chicago, Illinois.

’74

KERRY BIEZE, M.S.Ed. ’78, on October 28, Woodbury, Minnesota.

CANDACE “CANDY” KELLY on November 16, Chicago, Illinois.

DONALD KOONTZ on October 25, East Moline, Illinois.

RANDAL KOPP on October 14, Aurora, Illinois.

VILNIS PLATACIS, M.S.Ed., on November 19, McHenry, Illinois.

CAROLE RUBY, M.S.Ed., on October 26, Batavia, Illinois.

NAOYO SHAH on December 5, Winfield, Illinois.

RUTH WASSON, Ed.D., on November 21, Rockford, Illinois.

ROBERT WEBER on December 18, Galena, Illinois.

’75

PAUL DAVIS on December 4, Sun City, Arizona.

PATRICIA HEINSOHN on December 19, Kirkland, Illinois.

EMILY HILL, M.S.Ed., on October 8, Toledo, Ohio.

CHARLES JONAS on October 5, Murray, Kentucky.

EDWIN PETERSON on December 25, Tucson, Arizona.

IRA SALLS, M.P.A. ’77, on October 27, Louisville, Kentucky.

THOMAS SCOTT, Ed.D., on October 2, Lombard, Illinois.

’76

GLENN BUSHONG on December 6, Oldsmar, Florida.

ROBIN JEFFREY on October 3, Le Roy, Illinois.

JACQUELINE MARTIN on December 12, Deltona, Florida.

JAMES SMITH on December 6, Shawnee, Oklahoma.

’77

DANIEL ALLEN on December 17, West Chicago, Illinois.

STANLEY ANDERSON on November 10, DeKalb, Illinois.

THOMAS MANY, M.S.Ed. ’79, Ed.D. ’89, on October 31, Arlington Heights, Illinois.

MAURINE PATTEN, Ed.D., on December 9, Saint Charles, Illinois.

’78

GEORGE COMPTON on October 25, Chicago, Illinois.

JAMES FISCHER on October 15, Lawrenceville, Georgia.

WILLIAM “BILL” LARSON, Ed.D., on November 2, Westfield, Indiana.

SARA LAWRENCE, M.S.Ed., Ed.D. ’86, on December 16, Saint Charles, Illinois.

’80

JOHN CHRISTIANSEN on November 4, Antioch, Illinois.

JAMES CHURCH on November 2, Chicago, Illinois.

PATRICIA WYSOCKI, M.S.Ed., on November 27, Ingleside, Illinois.

’81

MARGUERITE “MARDY” BLOCH, Ed.D., on November 10, Clinton, Iowa.

RONALD MOSS, J.D., on November 10, Roy, Utah.

’82

JAMES HOFMAN on October 11, Naperville, Illinois.

LINDA RUSKAMP, M.B.A., on November 26, Naperville, Illinois.

DOROTHY WESTCOTT, M.S.Ed., on October 3, Rockford, Illinois.

’83

JAMES RABBITT, Ed.D., on November 2, Chicago Ridge, Illinois.

’84

DENNIS BOMA, M.B.A., on October 6, Mahomet, Illinois.

MARJORIE BOWERS, M.S.Ed., on December 9, Oxford, Ohio.

PHILIP MCGLAUCHLIN, M.B.A. ’90, on October 27, Lake Zurich, Illinois.

MICHAEL ROSE on November 15, Branson, Missouri.

LAURA “BETH” SPALDING, M.A., on December 18, Park Ridge, Illinois.

’85

JENNIFER MILLER on December 23, Peoria, Illinois.

’86

CHARLES “CHUCK” CHRISTENSEN, Ed.D., on November 13, Schaumburg, Illinois.

DAVID PETERSON on December 7, Mount Dora, Florida.

GEORGIA WHITLEY, Ed.D., on November 14, Plainfield, Illinois.

’88

PATRICIA STILLING on November 16, McHenry, Illinois.

’93

JOHN MAJEROWSKI on December 6, Antioch, Illinois.

DANIEL OHRNSTEIN on November 9, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

’96

PAUL WOEBEL on December 18, Buffalo Grove, Illinois.

’99

EILEEN BOYDA, M.S.Ed. on December 27, Naperville, Illinois.

LINDA WALTERS, M.S. ’08, on November 23, Aurora, Illinois.

’00

JEAN HAREZLAK on December 5, Rockford, Illinois.

PAMELA HECTOR on December 27, Sun City, Arizona.

ROBERT MCCLEES on October 2, Ripley, Ohio.

SIEGFRIED SCHWIRBLAT on December 29, Rock Falls, Illinois.

’01

MICHAEL “MIKE” SUTER on December 16, Madison, Wisconsin.

JOHN WINQUIST, M.A.S., on November 22, Omaha, Nebraska.

’02

ANN FRICKE, M.P.A., on October 22, DeKalb, Illinois.

’05

KIMBERLY COPELAND, M.S.Ed., on December 29, Crystal Lake, Illinois.

’08

LEAH HOLMAN, M.A., on November 1, Naperville, Illinois.

’09

SOLOMON “PHIL” MELANCHTHON on November 16, Naperville, Illinois.

’10

JOSEPH REILLY on December 6, DeKalb, Illinois.

’12

SAMANTHA GORDON on November 28, Rockford, Illinois.

’18

AARON MYINT on October 24, Arlington, Virginia.

’22

WILSON “WILLIE” COPELAND II on November 9, Streator, Illinois.

Faculty, Staff & Friends

Evangeline Agnos on December 16, DeKalb, Illinois.

Carl Albright on October 19, Geneva, Illinois.

Dorothy “Dot” Anderson on October 11, Batavia, Illinois.

Thomas Anderson on November 10, Beloit, Wisconsin.

Nancy Apperson on December 22, DeKalb, Illinois.

Mike Aurelio on November 26, Roselle, Illinois.

Thomas Bert III on December 31, South Beloit, Illinois.

Walter Breipohl on December 26, Ottawa, Illinois.

Donald Brod on October 20, St Charles, Illinois.

Jo An Cotton on November 6, Gibson City, Illinois.

Judith Cross on September 8, Memphis, Tennessee.

Roderick “Rod” Deihl on October 8, Charlottesville, Virginia.

Gay Elks on November 5, Cuba, Illinois.

Jerald Finnestad on October 9, Wahpeton, North Dakota.

Judy Geier on October 13, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Dennis Hamilton on October 30, Utica, Illinois.

Patricia Hartog on October 23, Rockford, Illinois.

Charles Henry on October 24, Plant City, Florida.

Richard Kim on October 19, Northbrook, Illinois.

Richard Kozlowski on December 30, Bellwood, Illinois.

Stephanie Langley on November 20, Cortland, Illinois.

Alexander Loftus on October 25, Kingshill, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.

James “Jim” Mason on December 22, Saint Charles, Illinois.

Nancy Meyer on October 29, Romeoville, Illinois.

Kimberly Milroy on December 20, Cordova, Illinois.

Nicholas Muschal on October 21, Chicago, Illinois.

Larry Norman on October 7, Dyer, Indiana.

Lorena Nowak on October 31, Princeton, Illinois.

Claudia “Jean” Paul on December 30, Oneida, Illinois.

Jerome Petry on October 27, Charlotte, North Carolina.

Ruth Pheanis on December 31, Rockford, Illinois.

Mary Lou Pierson on December 8, Batavia, Illinois.

Anna Pietrolonardo on October 21, Dixon, Illinois.

Emily Robertson on October 8, Bowling Green, Ohio.

Kristina Ross on December 10, Dekalb, Illinois.

Randolph “Randy” Russell on October 6, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Sandra Russell on November 15, Rock Falls, Illinois.

Merilyn Scholl on November 25, DeKalb, Illinois.

Scott Siebert on November 18, Batavia, Illinois.

Alice Textor on November 10, Toledo, Ohio.

Cheryl Thompson on November 20, Montgomery, Illinois.

Mary Thorne on October 2, Rockford, Illinois.

Catherine “Cathy” Umlauf-Schulz on December 25, Palatine, Illinois.

We honor and remember all our beloved alumni, family and friends who have passed away.
For a more exhaustive list, we invite you to visit legacy.com to browse by college.
Please visit myniu.com/classnotes to notify us of the death of a fellow Huskie.

Class Notes

’56

TED J. BACINO, M.S.Ed. ’65, will have his new play “Michelangelo” opening later this season in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Bacino’s previous play, based on the novel of the same name, “The Shakespeare Conspiracy,” will open in Columbus in April.

’58

DIANE LAIR and nine other 1958 -1959 graduates started a round-robin letter keeping them connected from as far away as India and China. She credits their lasting friendships and sound preparation for their careers to NIU and their wonderful professors.

’68

PATRICK O’CONNOR, M.S. ’98, is now the author of 21 science-fiction novels.

’73

GWO-CHING WANG, M.S. was honored with the Davisson-Germer Prize in Atomic or Surface Physics from the American Physical Society.

’83

JEAN ROLLO was named a 2025 Chicago Titan 100.

’84

CHRISTOPHER SULLENS, M.S. ’86, received Kewanee High School’s Honorary Boilermaker Award.

’88

BRENT BRODESKI, M.B.A. ’91, was named a 2025 Chicago Titan 100 for the second consecutive year.

ROBERT DAHL was named chief executive officer of Broward Health Imperial Point.

’97

BRUCE PULITINI was named the first chief financial officer of Lavelle Law.

’98

JAMES LONG retired from the United States Department of Defense – Air Force.

’99

SCOTT ROBINSON was selected to serve as resident circuit judge in Winnebago and Boone counties.

’01

BRADLEY BONNEAU was named chief financial officer at Wiley.

AMY MAXEINER, M.S.Ed., Ed.D. ’11, was appointed to vice president of student success for Minnesota State College Southeast.

HEATH SORENSON, M.B.A., was appointed to executive vice president, managing director at Associated Trust Company.

’02

CHRISTOPHER SCHUELER was named chief executive officer at Cyderes.

’03

STEVEN STADEN was named head of product and security at HappyNest.

MICHAEL UREMOVICH, M.S.Ed., was named new head football coach at Ball State University.

’04

RILEY ONCKEN, J.D. was elected as the DeKalb County state’s attorney.

LINDSAY SECREST was named to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2025 women’s Silver Anniversary Team.

’06

MICHAEL KAHNE was named senior vice president at Old Plank Trail Community Bank.

’09

NICHOLAS ZANGLER was named vice president of investor relations at Viant Technology Inc.

’10

JENNIFER D. HINTZSCHE, M.S., Ph.D. ’14, received a TIME Best Invention of 2024 award for her PherDal Kit.

XAVIER SILAS was named associate head coach of the Virginia Military Institute men’s basketball team.

’12

KEIKO KIMURA, Ed.D., was named provost and vice president for academic affairs at Cayuga Community College.

’14

MEGAN CONNORS was named senior vice president, chief credit officer at Wintrust.

’16

ALLEN MOORE, M.F.A., premiered “Allen Moore: Solar Eulogy,” a collection of social sound art, at High Concepts Labs in Chicago.

’20

STACY RILEY, Ed.D., was named president of Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.

’23

HANNAH G. MOOBERRY was appointed as the first-ever environmental and sustainability specialist at Hoffer Plastics.

Huskie Trek Talks Unveil Innovative Research, Artistry and Engagement

Left to right: Richard Mocarski, Catherine Squires, Rena Cotsones, Lisa C. Freeman, Huskie Trek Talks grant winner Professor Ziteng Wang, Jack Tierney.

A steelpan builder, chef, meteorologist and an engineer walked into a…ballroom?

No joke!

These are all world-class faculty and staff who, among others, shared their life-changing research, innovation and engagement at the Duke Ellington Ballroom for Huskie Trek Talks: Ideas in Motion on March 1, 2025.

For the second year in a row, alumni, donors and friends, online and inperson, were joined by community leadership and NIU President Lisa C. Freeman to witness the transformative work happening across Northern Illinois University’s campus. Grants were awarded to support each “Trek Talker,” enhancing their discoveries and expanding NIU’s collaborative, transdisciplinary research and engagement opportunities.

Ziteng Wang, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, earned the largest single grant for his team’s investigations on autism. He received $15,000 to test and launch an app that analyzes a child’s gait, or walking pattern, to predict the child’s likelihood of autism. Preliminary tests reveal 80 percent accuracy, and the app would allow users to upload short videos of a child walking and receive an autism likelihood index in return.

“One in 36 children are autistic in the U.S., according to the CDC,” Wang said. “We are experiencing a public health crisis related to autism diagnosis with many children not diagnosed well into their preschool years or even later.”

Having this app at the fingertips of parents across the country could lower the barrier to autism screening and diagnosis for low-income and rural families, raising autism awareness and reducing delays in intervention.

Northern’s Division of Research and Innovation Partnerships also awarded Wang funds for a graduate assistantship, enabling him to recruit a talented student for an outstanding research opportunity.

“Professor Wang and his teams’ gait analysis autism screening has the potential to impact children and their families, healthcare, education and intervention services in profound ways,” said Richard Mocarski, vice president of the Division of Research and Innovation Partnerships, who presented Wang with this award. “The interdisciplinary of the team is another strength of the project, as the team is addressing a complex problem from multiple angles.”

Also receiving an award for a healthtech app were M. Courtney Hughes, Ph.D., public health professor, and Christy Muasher-Kerwin, PT, DPT, clinical assistant professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. Their project seeks to provide immediate and customized solutions to support family caregivers by leveraging artificial intelligence-enabled models to analyze information sent through caregivers’ smartphones.

During their Trek Talk, Muasher-Kerwin shared her personal experience caring for a loved one with brain cancer. She described her days filled with uncertainty and a specific morning, unclear about how to use a medical device when her loved one’s breathing was shallow. With partnerships from physicians at leading Chicago-area health systems to recruit participants in their pilot study and a $10,000 grant from Huskie Trek Talks, Muasher-Kerwin is hopeful of improving the lives of other family caregivers.

Bryan Flower and Elizabeth Gaillard

Also receiving grants totaling $15,000 were Chef Bryan Flower, assistant director for food systems innovation at NIU and director of the Edible Campus program, and Elizabeth Gaillard, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry professor. Their proposed research will compare the nutrient density of produce grown through NIU’s Edible Campus Program versus commercial equivalents. Flower and Gaillard’s witty, Star Wars-themed presentation turned serious when they explained that the nutrient decline in our food supply may eventually be so severe that the food of our future may no longer be nutritious. The Trek Talk grants, and additional required funding will support a graduate assistant researcher and lab materials to ensure rigorous testing. The research will support NIU’s commitment to sustainability and showcase how universities can play a role in building sustainable regenerative food systems as a model for systemic change.

Five additional “Trek Talkers” were each recognized for their vision, impact, collaboration and quality with a $5,000 grant:

  • Professor Mahdi Vaezi, Ph.D., for his investigations into biodegradable food packaging and circuit boards.
  • Professor Melissa Lenczewski, Ph.D., for her work on microplastics research.
  • Yuko Asada, M.M. ’04, musical instrument technician, NIU Steelband assistant, for her artistry in support of steelpans.
  • Becca Husar, M.B.A. ’22, associate director of innovation and partnership development for the De La Vega Innovation Lab, and Professor Nick Pohlman, Ph.D., for their Ideapalooza program to bridge the gap between theoretical concepts and practical application.
  • Associate Professor Victor Gensini, ’08, M.S. ’10, Ph.D., for his thunderstorm field research.
Victor Gensini

Gensini received the audience choice award by popular vote from the live and online audiences. His work will provide better field observations and lead to better severe weather warnings. Grant funds were provided by the NIU Foundation Board of Directors and its grants committee and the Divisions of Research Innovation Partnerships and Outreach, Engagement, and Regional Development.

During the program, NIU students were featured in two video presentations. Aleena Kallan, a biological sciences major, studies the gut microbiome of bison because they could be carriers of harmful pathogens that could be transmitted to humans. Isabelle Van Winkle, a double major in both women, gender, and sexual studies and psychology, studies the critical impact on apologies and their role in rebuilding trust.

NIU students, faculty and staff persist in pursuing their ideas and dreams, undeterred by the time, funding and initiative required to achieve them. As unveiled in Huskie Trek Talks: Ideas in Motion, they embrace the opportunity to share their intellectual passions and remain dedicated to envisioning a better world where Huskies innovate and create meaningful change.

Help shape the future and invest in NIU’s commitment to supporting students, faculty and staff in their research, artistry and professional development. Please visit niufoundation.org

Eco-Friendly Innovation: NICCS for a Better Future

Sustainability is more than just a hot buzzword, it’s something that is crucial for the survivability of this planet, and faculty at NIU’s Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability, or NICCS, are at the forefront of rising to meet these environmental challenges through innovative, multidisciplinary research.

According to NICCS Director Matthew Deitch, one of the two main goals of NICCS is to provide a structure to bring these bright faculty together from different disciplines around common sustainability-related themes.

“NIU’s researchers and creators accomplish so much in their labs, programs and creative spaces, but they’re under a lot of pressure to produce results and it’s easy for someone who is successful in their own field to compartmentalize and remain in their own space,” he said. “As important as these innovations are, I think the value for innovation and discovery increases geometrically when people across disciplines work together around a particular theme.”

Deitch said the concept of looking at a challenge from a variety of perspectives is commonplace at agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine.

“These agencies use the term ‘convergent’ to describe topics that pose major societal challenges and, when viewed together from multiple perspectives of expertise, can lead to new paradigms and discoveries,” he said.

To Deitch, sustainability is the best example of a convergent topic that he can think of.

“More than 100 researchers and creators here at NIU work on topics related to sustainability, and much of their work relates directly to the four main NICCS themes: food systems innovation, water resources security and quality, environmental adaptation—how ecosystems change, and how people and other organisms adapt—and energy,” he said. “These relate to a lot of critical challenges that have substantial opportunity to affect peoples’ lives and, when implemented, can develop stronger communities.”

The second goal of NICCS is to connect research and discovery at NIU with the challenges faced by communities in northern Illinois and the region and address them through research, Deitch said.

“The solutions we create in our region can have application to communities across the US and across the globe,” he said.

Deitch said they are still in the early stages of building partnerships relative to NICCS, but that he can envision several other types of partnerships with stakeholders, with researchers and creators working on issues such as critical minerals important to energy technology, new solar panel battery technologies, and advanced sensors that can help farmers.

“They are developing these technologies with opportunities for high impact, but they are eager to find partners to find ways their technological creations can be used,” he said. “All of these have strong connections with local and regional government, and have potential to inform a broad range of private industry.”

These connections and partnerships have great benefits, he said.

“For example, developing connections beyond the university helps people beyond campus see the value of the work we do here,” he said. “Discovery and innovation in sustainability is intended to improve people’s lives: it may help our pocketbooks, or our own health and the health of our families, or the wellbeing of the communities where we live.”

Deitch imagines that NICCS can connect with a variety of partners, from private sector companies to local governments, to help them provide solutions through discovery and innovation.

“For example, municipalities across Illinois are interested in exploring options for saving money through energy efficiency,” Deitch said. “NIU has long had strengths in building energy efficiency, and the university’s new partnership with Trane will help us to test different efficiency measures and demonstrate the benefit to stakeholders who might be interested. These may especially be of benefit for municipal and county managers as they deal with aging building infrastructure and competing needs for financial resources.”

Although it hasn’t been constructed, there is a lot of anticipation about the NICCS facility, which could be built as soon as 2027.

“The NICCS building will be a showcase for sustainability in building design, highlighting advanced systems controls and energy use through visualization tools throughout the building,” Deitch said. “It will be used as a demonstration site for new building construction, as well as serve as a meeting space where local sustainability-themed community groups can convene.”

To Deitch, the purpose of NICCS is simple, yet powerful.

“To me, it’s the potential to improve our lives and our children’s lives, and the strength of our communities, that makes me most excited about NICCS,” he said. “Making those connections between research and community needs is not something that is done easily, but it’s an important task and one that NIU is committed to.”

To learn more about NICCS, please visit myniu.com/NICCS

AI Innovators at NIU

Associate professor Andrea Guzman sits with the Department of Communication NAO V6 social robot.

Ask the average person what artificial intelligence (AI) is, and you are likely to hear responses like “ChatGPT,” “chatbots” or “robots.” Many novice users think AI is a more sophisticated Google search engine.

According to Northern Illinois University Department of Communication associate professor Andrea L. Guzman, Ph.D., NIU faculty and students are helping to evaluate artificial intelligence and its potential to shape higher education, bringing new life to research and curriculum. They are leveraging its power to provide family caregivers real-time support, accelerate the data collection process in climate change research, enhance proficient human-machine communication, and explore the advantages of AI integration in K-12 classrooms.

“People have wide-ranging views on AI, including its benefits and drawbacks, but we can’t ignore it,” said Guzman. “It’s critical for students to engage with different AI technologies to help them develop important literacies and competencies to flourish in an increasingly technological world.”

Communicating with Machines

Guzman and Department of Communication chair David Gunkel, Ph.D., have pioneered courses in AI and communication and teach classes such as AI, Robots and Communication.

Occasionally, Guzman and Gunkel bring an NAO V6 social robot into their classes—an advanced fully programmable humanoid robot widely used to enhance STEM learning. NAO (pronounced ‘now’), as Guzman calls it, can mimic human behavior and communication cues, respond to verbal commands and interact in a conversational manner.

“NAO helps students understand the similarities and differences in communication between humans and machines,” Guzman said. “It also can explain concepts such as anthropomorphism, which is attributing human characteristics and behaviors to non-human things. We see this applied to robots and AI technologies such as voice assistants.”

According to Guzman, effectively giving AI commands or prompts is an increasingly in-demand skill. She teaches students how to use various generative AI apps for idea generation, text, video and audio creation, editing and search engine optimization (SEO). Students also explore the complexities of data privacy, surveillance and bias issues related to AI use, and how to use technologies to help humans rather than replace them.

“Students learn to think critically about how the human data fed to AI technologies may contain human biases and, thus, produce biased results and how the collection and use of personal data may affect them and others,” Guzman said. “When designed thoughtfully and used carefully, AI can be effective and ethical. We want to educate students on how to be good stewards of AI.”

M. Courtney Hughes, Christy Muasher-Kerwin,
and Hamed Alhoori look on as computer science
Ph.D. student Ibrahim Al Azher shows the team
data metrics.

Giving Caregivers Compassion and Support

Family caregivers are expected to increase as the population ages, people live longer with chronic diseases, and healthcare workforce shortages increase.

M. Courtney Hughes, Ph.D., public health professor, and Christy Muasher-Kerwin, PT, DPT, clinical assistant professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, tap into AI to help positively impact the lives of family caregivers. The pair teamed up with Department of Computer Science associate professor Hamed Alhoori, Ph.D., and Department of Communication associate professor Shupei Yuan, Ph.D., to develop a solution to capture patient and caregiver experiences via smartphones and process the information using AI-enabled models.

NIU students from public health, nutrition, communication and computer science are collaborating on this transdisciplinary work and learning cutting-edge research skills.

“Our goal is to deliver real-time guidance to patients and family caregivers via smartphones,” said Hughes. “We will pilot test these solutions with family caregivers of patients with glioblastoma, the most common and most aggressive form of brain cancer.”

Hughes shared an example where AI could offer actionable solutions to support the patient and caregiver.

“It’s the middle of the night and a caregiver’s husband with diabetes and dementia wakes up drenched in sweat and confused,” Hughes said. “The caregiver asks the AI-enabled system, already trained on evidence-based data, what to do. Almost instantly, the caregiver receives instructions and a short video about checking her husband’s blood sugar and giving him glucose tablets. The system provides statements to help calm her husband and guide him back to bed. The system reminds her that she is not alone, and it is there to help.”

According to Hughes, physicians from Northwestern Medicine, the University of Chicago and Cook County Health volunteered to recruit participants, provide expertise and share findings. The American Brain Tumor Association believes this project will make a “meaningful difference” for glioblastoma patients and caregivers.

Assistant professor Cansu Tatar works with
middle school students engaged in AI
curriculum activities.

Helping Learners and Educators Succeed

Studying the integration of AI literacy in K-12 settings is the research focus of Cansu Tatar, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Educational Technology, Research, and Assessment (ETRA) Department at NIU’s College of Education. She collaborates with visiting associate research professor Michael Tscholl, Ph.D., to study teaching AI concepts to middle school students. They are developing technology-enhanced K-12 curricula to support students’ understanding of AI concepts through hands-on projects.

Recently, middle school students collected their own data, trained AI models and designed AI games. NIU Ph.D. students were involved in this curriculum intervention and gained valuable experience performing data collection, analysis and interpretation.

Tatar also integrates everyday uses of AI in her classes. For example, she teaches students to use an AI app to prepare lesson plans and check the alignment of learning objectives with standards to free up valuable time in their future careers.

“Our research will provide valuable insights about how to introduce AI concepts to middle school students and integrate AI activities into K-12 classroom curricula to support AI literacy, attitudes and motivation,” Tatar said.

Left to right: David Changnon, Alex Haberlie, Mark Frank, Tom Skilling (former WGN-TV meteorologist and NIU honorary Ph.D. recipient), Walker Ashley, Victor Gensini.

Speeding up Research and Accuracy

Department of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment assistant professor Alex Haberlie, Ph.D., received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to explore using AI to enhance high-resolution climate project ions. The research could influence how communities and policymakers respond to and prepare for the effects of climate change while providing hands-on training for a graduate student to train modern AI tools to advance climate and data science research.

“We have a unique and extensive dataset that took Dr. Victor Gensini and Dr. Allison Michaelis years to create,” said Haberlie. “However, because the data creation process is slow, using an AI approach called climate emulation could accelerate this process and increase accuracy.”

The project will evaluate if AI can simulate rainfall projections faster and more efficiently than traditional models. Ultimately, if AI can generate the same level of detail and accuracy using fewer resources, cl imate modeling will be more accessible.

Adventuring in the Possibilities

These AI use cases are just a sampling of the ingenuity and assessment of AI that NIU faculty and students are exploring. AI’s potential is profound, and adventuring in its possibilities to enrich learning, advance research and prepare students for the future is essential to nurturing a collaborative learning environment and state-of-the-art research institution.

Pioneering Progress

In a momentous announcement that has energized the entire Huskie community, Northern Illinois University announced it received a $40 million gift from the Baustert Family Foundation, the largest single gift in the university’s history. This extraordinary act of generosity paves the way for a bold new era of health professions education and transdisciplinary research at NIU, culminating in the future Baustert Bahwell Health Technology Center.

“This historic gift allows NIU to realize fully our vision of building for a healthier tomorrow by creating a modern space designed to foster innovation, transdisciplinary collaboration and interprofessional practice, and will enable our students and faculty to deliver on the promise of healthcare technology to improve patient care and health outcomes,” said NIU President Lisa C. Freeman.

A Bold Vision for Health and Innovation

Set to be located at the northwest corner of Lucinda Avenue and Annie Glidden Road, on the site of the soon-to-be-demolished Lincoln Residence Hall, the Baustert Bahwell Health Technology Center promises to be a multi-functional, state-of-the-art facility that will reshape how NIU prepares future clinicians and healthcare professionals. Encompassing nursing, public health, audiology, biomedical engineering, anatomy and more, the center’s modern labs and high-tech classrooms will promote research and unparalleled hands-on learning experiences.

Construction of the $87 million facility is expected to begin in 2026, thanks in part to a $77 million commitment from the State of Illinois Capital Development Board. Of that amount, $7.7 million has already been allocated for planning and design, which got underway in 2022.

The Baustert Bahwell Health Technology Center will serve as an academic powerhouse and a critical resource for the broader community. Plans include audiology, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology clinics, alongside research, teaching and innovation spaces that will maximize collaboration and flexibility.

Thanks to the Baustert Family Foundation’s $40 million gift, NIU can enhance and expand the center’s offerings. Specifically:

  • $10 million will cover the remaining construction costs.
  • $14 million will fund programmatic development, including acquiring the latest technology, faculty endowments, and student scholarships.
  • $14 million will be placed in a restricted facility endowment maintenance fund for ongoing support.
  • The remaining $2 million will go to the Northern Fund, backing emerging projects across the university.

A Legacy of Philanthropy

In 1971, James Baustert co-founded Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc., a Minnesota-based manufacturer of implantable cardiac devices, which later became a subsidiary of Boston Scientific. Notably, James is co-credited for the creation of the lithium-powered pacemaker. This device revolutionized healthcare by delivering a reliable, long-lasting energy source, directly contributing to the extended lives of millions with heart conditions. James’ passion and ingenuity enhanced patient safety and mobility while also paving the way for future advancements in implantable medical technology. His career was marked by a relentless pursuit of innovation, and saving and improving countless lives across the globe.

Having started their journey together at NIU, James and his wife, Theo, channeled their successes into decades of meaningful philanthropic work, particularly through the Baustert Family Foundation, established in 2016. The foundation has supported a range of health and human services nonprofits in Minnesota, Illinois and beyond.

“NIU is where my parents met and began their lives together,” said Jeff Baustert, son of James and Theo and spokesman for the Baustert Family Foundation. “This gift is a marriage of a need by NIU and a focus of interest from our family. It stands as a culmination of my parents’ legacy in the medical device industry and their support of education and research. NIU’s plans for the Health Technology Center were a perfect fit for us.”

A Catalyst for Future Success

The NIU Foundation, the official recipient of the Baustert Family Foundation gift, collaborates with NIU to fund initiatives that elevate the university’s academic, research and outreach mission. The generosity of the Baustert Family Foundation underscores the power of philanthropy to drive innovation and serve the greater good.

“The Baustert Family Foundation gift is emblematic of the philanthropic potential we envision for NIU,” said Catherine B. Squires, vice president for University Advancement and president and CEO of the NIU Foundation. “Their generosity will fund student and faculty excellence at NIU for decades to come. We hope this investment will inspire future philanthropy—delivering benefits not only to Huskies but to our entire region and beyond.”

The Baustert Bahwell Health Technology Center is also poised to strengthen the educational landscape for the entire region, shaping the next generation of skilled healthcare providers, while also playing a crucial role in helping stem out-of-state enrollment trends that threaten the state’s future economic and social well-being. For thousands of potential transfer students, like those who attend regional community colleges, the allure of prominent programs in bordering states like Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Michigan and Ohio is strong. With the reality of modern labs, high-tech classrooms and a multidisciplinary approach available to them in their own backyards, The Baustert Bahwell Health Technology Center will serve as a powerful tool to recruit and retain Illinois’ future health care professionals.

“NIU’s Baustert Bahwell Health Technology Center represents an exciting opportunity for our graduates in health professions,” shares Dr. David Hellmich, president of Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, Illinois.

“This state-of-the-art facility will open doors for community college students, providing access to cutting-edge research and clinical training and collaborative learning experiences that will strengthen the entire healthcare workforce in our region. For our Impact Program students, this partnership means even greater access to advanced educational pathways and hands-on experiences that will empower them to make a real difference in their communities.”

Looking Ahead

President Freeman shared, “We’re grateful that [James and Theo] built on their connection to NIU by investing in the future of our institution, our students and our faculty, by telling the world that this is a place where dreams are realized, where talent is matched with opportunity, and where our students, faculty and our alumni have the potential to be the change that they want to see in the world.”

With demolition of Lincoln Residence Hall on the horizon, the Baustert Bahwell Health Technology Center marks a monumental leap forward for NIU’s commitment to education, research and community impact. This new hub of health technology and collaboration honors its storied past while propelling the institution—and the broader region—into a healthier, more innovative tomorrow.

Huskie Wins TIME Best Invention Award

When Jennifer Hintzsche, M.S. ’10, Ph.D. ’14, couldn’t afford the costly infertility option doctors presented to her after being diagnosed with unexplained infertility, she made her own sterile intracervical insemination kit and tried it at home. During the second month of use, she conceived her first child, Lois.

“I dug into the scientific research and found a non-invasive solution with limited studies showing it had the same live birth rate as the clinical treatment I couldn’t afford,” Hintzsche said. “I immediately went into problem-solving mode and used my NIU bioinformatics education to build my own.”

One day, burnt out from her career as director of product management in the health-tech sector, she said to her husband, Ryan Westphal, ’08, “What if we made ‘Lois-makers’ available for everyone to try?”

In December 2023, the same kit Hintzsche used to conceive Lois was FDA-cleared under the brand name PherDal, the company she founded and now serves as CEO. PherDal has three patents for sterile, at-home insemination. The kit’s key differentiator from other devices on the market is bypassing bacterial interference in the reproductive tract which has been linked to infertility. The kit currently sells for $199 and costs roughly $10K less than what Hintzsche was told her in-office solution would cost.

“PherDal is pronounced fertile but spelled with a Ph.D. out of spite. They told me I wouldn’t be a mother. I used my Ph.D. to prove them wrong.”
– Jennifer Hintzsche, PherDal Founder and CEO

Almost a year after her FDA approval, in October 2024, PherDal was named one of “The Best Inventions of 2024” by TIME.

“The CEO of our PR team called me and asked if I was sitting down,” Hintzsche recalled. “She said, ‘You’re one of TIME’s best inventions of the year,’ and then I remember us both screaming and jumping up and down and crying. I mean, what an absolute honor it is to be chosen by such a prestigious company and recognized in this way. It means so much to me, to the people who invested in the idea of PherDal, and really, it means so much for women’s health.”

Hintzsche said the news spread quickly, PherDal’s website was flooded with traffic and her inbox was filled with messages. She is honored to be recognized on a national level, but still, nothing beats hearing from parents whose babies her device helped conceive.

“Our PherDal baby is on the way! Almost three years and literally once with PherDal. I’m shaking and can’t believe this is real. You went above and beyond to answer every question we had, and seriously, we can’t thank you enough. I’m sending you ‘bumpdates’ every week!” – Infertile Nurse turned PherDal Mom, San Diego, CA

In addition to being recognized by TIME, Hintzsche was honored as one of Inc. Magazine Female Founders 500. She was featured in Forbes, Fox News, Motherly, and Business Insider and earned additional recognition, including the “Best Innovation” award at the 2024 FemTech & Consumer Health Summit. She was awarded a HardTech Development Fellowship at mHUB in Chicago. PherDal was selected as one of the top 200 innovative companies globally to join the TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield competition.

At the 2025 South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference, Hintzsche spoke on a panel discussing how “spite tracking” is moving the needle in women’s healthcare. “Spite tracking” is a term used to describe a trend of women using health apps or wearable diagnostic tools to validate their health concerns after years of feeling dismissed by healthcare professionals. She was also one of five health and biotech category conference finalists for the SXSW Innovation Awards.

Recently, PherDal partnered with Wisp, a leading women’s health company with a mission to make sexual and reproductive healthcare more inclusive, cost-effective and accessible. PherDal kits are now in the lineup of products Wisp can offer their customers.

Driven by the mission to become the most trusted fertility brand, Hintzsche seeks the right investors to help PherDal scale and execute her larger vision.

“The PherDal Kit is our flagship product that will lead a suite of science-backed fertility solutions for every person who is struggling to conceive,” Hintzsche said.

She remains hopeful when looking at a framed academic journal article that she hung up in her office after graduating from NIU. The article, about her Ph.D. dissertation on sequencing the petunia genome, reminds Hintzsche of what can happen when someone takes a chance on you.

Hintzsche earned a master’s degree in bioinformatics from NIU and was the first student to earn a Ph.D. in bioinformatics from Northern. The late Drs. Thomas Sims and Mitrick Johns were two of Hintzsche’s favorite professors. She said Sims saw something in her that others didn’t and encouraged her to try new things, and Johns taught her to think more critically, pushing her to defend her science and think bigger.

“Dr. Johns gave me the best compliment I’ve ever received,” Hintzsche said. “At my graduation, he said to me, ‘I wouldn’t ever bet against you.’”

PherDal has the same encouraging sentiment for women across the country—challenging the status quo to change the future of women’s health and betting on fertility.

NIU Sports Moving to Horizon League in 2026-27

Northern Illinois University will join the Horizon League as a full member with 14 sports set to begin competition in the League for the 2026-27 seasons, NIU and the Horizon League announced on February 27.

The announcement came following a meeting of the NIU Board of Trustees. NIU teams will compete in the Horizon League in men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s cross country, women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, baseball and softball.

“We are looking forward to a great partnership with the Horizon League and are excited about the opportunities for NIU student-athletes to continue our legacy of success,” said NIU Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation Sean T. Frazier.

NIU becomes the 12th full member of the Horizon League, joining Cleveland State University, the University of Detroit Mercy, Indiana University-Indianapolis, Northern Kentucky University, Oakland University, Purdue University Fort Wayne, Robert Morris University, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Wright State University and Youngstown State University.

NIU Football Joins Mountain West Conference

Northern Illinois University has accepted an invitation for the Huskies to join the Mountain West Conference as a football-only member beginning in 2026, NIU and the Mountain West (MW) announced on January 7. The announcement came fol lowing a meeting of the NIU Board of Trustees.

“What a great opportunity for NIU Athletics as we expand our horizons, adapt to this new national model of college athletics and prepare to start a new chapter in the history of NIU Football,” said Sean T. Frazier, NIU Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation.

The 2026 MW football season will feature the United States Air Force Academy, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, University of Nevada, Reno, Northern Illinois University, San José State University, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, University of Texas at El Paso and the University of Wyoming.