Dr. Joan Good Erickson received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in communication disorders from Northern Illinois. Today she is an Associate Professor Emerita in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science and a Departmental Affiliate. Dr. Joan Good Erickson...

Joanne, Desa, and Jack established this scholarship in memory of their mother, Rista Simich. Rista was a truly remarkable woman. Growing up in rural Yugoslavia, she did not have the opportunity to obtain a formal education. With help from an uncle, she became...

Merlyn Behr taught for 23 years at NIU before retiring and moving to Baton Rouge in 1992 to continue his research and teaching at Louisiana State University. He was born in 1932 in Rock Rapids, Iowa. After graduating from Rock Rapids High School he served four years...

Joe and Karen Grush came to the DeKalb area in the fall of 1974. Joe started as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Northern Illinois University. Karen began as a public health nurse at the DeKalb County Public Health Department. Joe was tenured...

Joe Hoff graduated from NIU in 1972 with a B.S. in Accountancy. He worked for Arthur Andersen shortly thereafter and received his M.B.A. at Northwestern Kellogg School of Management. Joe retired from HSBC as Managing Director / CEO Retail Services with 32 years of...

Frisch founded the graduate program in political philosophy at NIU and helped to bring it to its level of national recognition.

With their generous gift, John C. Landgraf and Anne Marie Siepka Landgraf will enhance NIU students’ educational experiences by creating opportunities outside the classroom and providing them with ‘real world’ experience. Both John and Anne graduated from NIU’s...

Both John and Cassandra McKearn earned their bachelor’s degrees in biology at NIU. John is a general partner and managing director of RiverVest Venture Partners, one of the world’s most successful venture capital firms. He has been responsible for upwards of $70...

Jack graduated from NIU with a B.S. in marketing in 1975, and an M.S. in secondary education in 1978. Cheri graduated from High Point University in 1975 with a B.S. in business administration. Jack has been a member of the NIU Alumni Association Board of Directors...

John Burns is a Chicago native. In 1984, John attended Northern Illinois University, where he lived in Stevenson South Towers during his freshman and sophomore years. He remained at Stevenson South during his junior and senior years working as a Resident Assistant...

This award was established by John and Lili La Tourette. John La Tourette was named NIU’s tenth president in 1986. He earned several degrees in economics from Rutgers University: a bachelor’s degree in 1954, a master’s degree in 1955, and a doctorate in 1962. Lili La...

Mary K. Chiappetta established this Fund in memory of her husband, John Chiappetta and shared the following: "Attending NIU changed our lives forever…in such a positive way! I met John Chiappetta at a party shortly after starting my freshman year. We would see each...

John and Mary Larson are pleased to support hardworking NIU students. They created this fund as a way to give back to an institution that contributed to John’s successful career. John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from NIU (1984) and master’s degree...

John Hepp received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the NIU Department of Accountancy in the early 1980s. Later in life, he went on to receive his Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As a retired partner with Grant Thornton’s...

John C. Graham CPA, PFS is the owner and founding member of Graham & Company, P.C. His prior professional experience includes providing audit and tax services with the small business division of KPMG Peat Marwick. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified...

John C. Gurley graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1962 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education, having majored in English with a minor in History. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison Law School in 1965, receiving an L.L.B. ...

John received his BS in Accountancy from Northern in 1969 and passed the Illinois CPA Examination in 1970. He received his MBA from DePaul University in 1980. John began his career in Chicago with Touche Ross & Co., currently Deloitte Touche, in 1969. From 1975-1980...

Since its founding in 1837, John Deere has seen a great many changes in its business, its products, and its services. Change always comes with opportunity, and Deere has always been ready and willing to embrace it. Yet, through it all, John Deere is still dedicated...

John Shigley is currently Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Mr. Shigley joined MGM Grand in 2005 after spending three years at New York-New York Hotel and Casino as Executive Vice President. Both...

This endowment is established by an anonymous graduate student alumna who has had a very successful career in the oil and gas industry and wishes to recognize Dr. Jonathan Berg’s influence. After receiving a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota –...

Dr. Jones worked at NIU from 1960 until his retirement as assistant dean of International and Special Programs in 1990.

Joseph and Rose Costa were lifelong residents of Joliet, IL. Joseph was employed as a laborer for 32 years and Rose was a homemaker. Joseph and Rose lived in a small, modest 3-bedroom home on the west side of Joliet for 36 years. Though neither had the opportunity to...

Joseph L. Bittorf is a college instructor at Northern Illinois University in the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology. He teaches under-graduate and graduate courses in Industrial and Systems Engineering and Industrial Management. Prior to teaching at...

The endowment for the Joseph Harry Scholarship Program was established through the generosity of Dr. Joseph Harry, who taught in the NIU Department of Sociology from 1977-1998. During that period he did considerable research in the area of then-called gay studies...

Josephine M. Jandell was a librarian and faculty member of Northern Illinois State Normal School from 1901 to 1945.

Joyce C. Pugh was born in DeKalb, Illinois on January 1, 1920. She graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1942 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education with a concentration in music and music education. For many years Joyce was a homemaker, taking care...

In a statement by Joyce she says, “The study of art history changed my life in many ways. In my second year at NIU I took my first art history class and began a lifelong passion for this course of study. The staff of dedicated professors motivated and encouraged me...

Judith Bischoff first came to NIU in 1973 as a temporary member of the women’s physical education faculty. She has served three terms as chair and one term as acting chair. She is now retired.

Julianna Gehant was one of the victims of the tragic shooting which took place on February 14th. She is described as a go-getter, who pursued her goal of teaching with a keen enthusiasm. Julianna Gehant first found her artistic side when she was in high school,...

Kappa Omicron Nu (KON) is an honor society for students who are majoring in the human sciences field. Their mission is to empower leaders to use an integrative approach to enhance others’ quality of living through excellence in scholarship, leadership, and research....