Northern Illinois University
Internal challenges- One internal challenge that NIU faces, and I think a lot of institutions face, is implementing and increasing mental health resources. After the COVID-19 pandemic (that we are still fighting), many students experience loneliness, anxiety, and depression. This has effected them in more ways than one including their academics. This has resulted in students leaving the institutions to seek help, only to never come back. NIU is looking to incorporate the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Center which is part of the AAC&U (Association of American Colleges & Universities). This initiative will assist in closing the gap of asking for help. “The Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation, effort seeks to help communities embrace racial healing and eliminate conscious and unconscious beliefs in a hierarchy of human value” (TRHT, 2023). External challenges
-One external challenge NIU faces is location. NIU is in the small suburb of
DeKalb, IL. It is not close to any major cities, so students will have to spend time and money to commute to Chicago if they have an internship. Like most college students, students may not have a way to commute or the budget to take the train. Students will then opt to go to a university closer to a city to gain the experience they need for their resume and to get a job. Another challenge, as a former admission counselor for NIU, is NIU is considered a “suitcase school”, meaning they have the reputation that students pack up on the weekends and go home. This is the complete opposite as there are many events, concerts, and sporting events that students can attend. This includes comedy shows, magicians, Homecoming, and more. NIU is also considered a “stepping stone” or the school that students go to when they realize they cannot
handle a bigger named school. Again, as a former NIU admission counselor, I have had high school guidance counselors tell me that, “their students do not go to NIU, they go to bigger schools (like Texas or California), realize they cannot handle it, and then transfer back to NIU”. It is hard to sell a school that has this type of reputation.
Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) campus centers
. AAC&U. (2023, February 7). Retrieved February 14, 2023, from https://www.aacu.org/initiatives/truth-racial-healing-
transformation-campus-centers
