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NIU’s ranking is higher than almost all the other schools in the Mid-American Conference—only the University of Massachusetts and the University of Buffalo ranked higher.

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“It’s not about me,” Kahan told the Chicago Tribune. “It’s about every person who’s worked for me, past, present, and future. It’s an award for all the hard work of over 500 employees. What we do, we do as a team.”

Kahan is the executive chef of One Off Hospitality, the restaurant group behind Blackbird, Avec, and the Publican.

Sanchez, the founder of one of the largest minority-owned law firms in the country, graduated from NIU in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He is a former member of the NIU Board of Trustees and a current NIU Foundation board member.

Each year, the Alumni Association celebrates the achievements of some of NIU’s most accomplished alumni with its Alumni Awards Program. Award recipients are selected based on outstanding professional and personal successes, as well as involvement in civic, cultural, or charitable activities.

The 2013 award recipients were honored on Friday, April 19, at an awards ceremony and banquet held at the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center.

View photos of the awards ceremony

Distinguished Alumni Award
Ralph M. Strozza

F. R. Geigle Service Award
Clark and Arlene Neher

Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Larry E. English Jr.

Outstanding College Alumni Awards

College of Business
Anthony E. Speiser

College of Education
Linda M. Nelson

College of Engineering and Engineering Technology
Stephen Doonan

College of Health and Human Sciences
Kristen Tribe

College of Law
Ryan J. Dowd

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Rita Reagen Athas

College of Visual and Performing Arts
Janet Pucino

More about the 2013 Alumni Association award winners

The NIU Alumni Association recently hosted a travel group to Cuba after securing a specific license from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. What an adventure it turned out to be! Havana was so exciting, with vibrant colors and lively music everywhere. Our group visited the Museum of the Revolution (which houses Cuba’s most complete exposition of its revolutionary history), La Corona cigar factory, a local Jewish Center, the Ebony Contemporary Dance Studio, a children’s ballet studio, art studios, the National Museum of Fine Art, and the University of Havana. Wherever we could, we gave donations of supplies, especially when we visited the elementary school.

Riding in the antique convertible cars through the city of Havana and having private Salsa dance lessons were two activities everyone loved. We enjoyed wonderful Cuban food—not just beans and rice, but so much more! (And lots of ice cream!)

We were intrigued by the historical and architectural development of Cuba, especially since the end of Batista’s regime. We learned about Fidel Castro and how Cuba has changed since 1959 to the present.

Much of Cuba is a tropical paradise with palm trees and lovely beaches. We drove to Cienfuegos, Trinidad, and the Bay of Pigs, through the beautiful countryside, rural communities, and tobacco plantations. We traveled to Cuba’s western province of Pinar del Río to visit Las Terrazas, a model socialist community developed in the 1980s. We saw the organic vegetable gardens; met and talked with the local gardeners and workers in the community; and had lunch at El Romero, an eco-restaurant that prepares dishes with locally and organically grown vegetables. Tito Gudas, the restaurant’s chef, led a discussion on Cuba’s agricultural industry. We even got a CD with recipes!

Our trip concluded with the performance of Coro Cienfuegos, a renowned choir that has entertained Cubans for generations and performed all over the world. The music was inspiring, and provided an emotional end to our travel adventure of a lifetime.

Information on upcoming travel tours

The NIU Alumni Association has partnered with Six Flags to offer our alumni discounted tickets to Chicago’s premier amusement park!

June 22 & 23 and June 29 & 30 are NIU Alumni Days at the amusement park. NIU alumni can purchase tickets for those dates for only $31, more than half off the usual admission price!

Visit the Six Flags Great America website and use promo code NIUAlumni to purchase your discounted tickets.

Douglas D. Baker

An expert in organizational strategy, structure and motivation, Baker said he hopes to bring NIU to the fore as a national model for a 21st century public university.

“NIU is clearly a university with strong students, an excellent staff and outstanding faculty, who are not only exceptional teachers but also top researchers,” he said. “The university’s focus on student engagement is right on target, because ‘job one’ for any university must be student success in the rapidly changing social and economic environment. I believe I can help the university build upon its vision.”

Baker added that the university has the resources to make a difference in the region and beyond, and to provide a world-class experience to students, while at the same time fostering a sense of community.

More information on NIU President Douglas D. Baker

Catch a game on the south side this season with our special alumni rates!

The Chicago White Sox are offering NIU alumni, staff, and students discounted tickets for eight games this season. With tickets as low as $10 there’s no reason to miss the action at U.S. Cellular Field this season.

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