Archive 2002

Week of December 23, 2002 NIU Holiday Closure

The College of Business offices will be closed December 24, 2002 through January 1, 2003. For students, classes begin the week of January 13, 2003. For more information and helpful links for faculty, staff, and students, go to the COB Closing Information page.

Week of December 16, 2002 Paul Fricilone - 2002 Recipient of the NIU Executive Club Endowed Scholarship Fund

This year's recipient of the NIU Executive Club Endowed Scholarship Fund is Paul Fricilone. The money for this scholarship is raised through the NIU Executive Club Endowed Scholarship Dinner Dance and Silent Auction and is used each year to recruit outstanding freshmen to the College of Business. Paul graduated first in his class of 725 from Lockport High School in June 2002. He excelled academically and participated in numerous extracurricular activities. In addition to being captain and starter on the soccer team, Paul was involved in student government, the National Honor Society, and the French National Honor Society. He demonstratred leadership and participated in various community service activities, including St. Bernard's Teen Group, Order of the Sons of Italy, and collecting for the Alzheimer's and Cooley's Anemia Funds. Paul describes himself as "an involved, determined person who is passionate about the business world." He plans to use his prestigious business education from NIU as a foundation for a career as a portfolio manager.

Week of December 9, 2002 Fall 2002 Finals & Graduation

December 9-14, 2002 is finals week at Northern Illinois University and the College of Business. For information on final exams, you may check the Fall 2002 Semester Information and Schedule Book on line at http://www.reg.niu.edu/schedbkinstr/fall/fall_2002.pdf. Just click on the Exam Schedule Fall 2002 bookmark within the pdf file. When in doubt, you may check with the instructor for the course to verify the exam schedule. Congratulations to every student graduating this December! As you graduate and enter a new phase of your life, please come back and vist us in Barsema Hall and on the Web. The College of Business Fall Commencement will be held Sunday, December 15 at 1:00 p.m. in the Convocation Center. The ceremony will be held jointly with the College of Engineering and will combine candidates from doctoral, masters, and baccalaureate degree programs. For additional commencement information, contact the Office of Registration and Records at 815-753-1197 or 815-753-0681. For directions to the Convocation Center, go to http://www.convocenter.niu.edu/directions/index.html. Parking is free on graduation day in lots off the Lincoln Highway (Route 38) entrance.

Week of December 2, 2002 Accountancy Department Program Ranking

The College of Business' quality Accountancy program has once again earned recognition by the annual survey of Top Accounting Programs published in the Public Accounting Report. The undergraduate program ranked 7th, climbing from last year's 13th position, while the graduate program posted 16th in the rankings after having been unranked last year. This is a well-deserved honor. To read more about this accomplishment, refer to this recent Northern Today article. To learn more about the Accountancy Department's undergraduate and graduate programs, visit their web site at www.cob.niu.edu/accy.

Week of November 25, 2002 Illinois CPA Society EXCEL Award Recipients

Five NIU CPA Review candidates who successfully passed the May 2002 exam were honored on Wednesday, November 20 at the Illinois CPA Society Awards Banquet held at the Chicago Hilton. To be eligible to receive the EXCEL Award, Illinois candidates must have finished within the top 120 nationally and achieved a score of 80 or above on all sections of the exam. One successful candidate, Allison Wheeler, holds the distinction of being the EXCEL Gold Award Winner in the state of Illinois as well as in the United States. In addition to achieving a score of 80 or above on all sections of the exam, EXCEL Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards are granted to the top three Illinois candidates who finish within the top 120 nationally. To learn more about the NIU CPA EXCEL Award winners, visit http://www.cob.niu.edu/whatsnew/news/fall2002/excelwinners.html. To see a list of all NIU CPA Review candidates who successfully passed the May 2002 exam, visit http://www.cob.niu.edu/whatsnew/news/fall2002/cpapass.html.

Week of November 18, 2002 Dan Loescher Named '02 Rockford Area Distinguished Alumnus

Dan Loescher received the 2002 Rockford Area Distinguished Alumnus award at the M.B.A. Colloquium Executive Lecture Series held in Rockford on Wednesday, October 23. Dan Loescher (B.S., Accountancy, 1976) is president of Loescher & Associates, Ltd., Certified Public Accountants, specializing in individual, estate and gift taxation, and planning and serving the diverse needs of closely held business. He was previously Managing Partner and Tax Partner-in-Charge of Coopers & Lybrand's Rockford office. Dan earned an associated degree from Highland Community College, B.S. in Accountancy from Northern Illinois University, and M.S.T. from DePaul University. He has been honored with the 2002 Highland Community College Distinguished Alumni Award, the 2000 NSFRE Outstanding Community Volunteer Award, and the Rockford Community Foundation Trivet Award for Outstanding Service. Loescher currently serves as a board member for Modern Plating Corporation, Riverside Community Bank, Rockford Products Corporation, and Northern Illinois Community Development Corporation. In addition, he serves on a large number of non-profit boards including Council of 100, YMCA Camp Endowment Committee, Scott and Virginia Webster Charitable Foundation Trust, Woodward Governor Company Charitable Trust, Lutheran High School Foundation, Rockford Local Development Corporation, Goodwill Abilities Center, Anderson Gardens, Rockford Area Arts Council, Crusader's Health Foundation, and the Rockford Rotary Charitable Association Investment Committee. He is an active member of the Northern Illinois Rockford Area College of Business Alumni Association--a chapter he was instrumental in founding. Dan and his wife, Amy, have three children: Christian, Katherine, and Jakob. For more perspective on our portrait of a philanthropist, visit this recent Northern Star news release.

Week of November 11, 2002 Third Annual College of Business Case Competition

The College of Business is sponsoring its Third Annual Case Competition that is open to all business majors. This is a great opportunity to distinguish yourself from other students in the College. The competition will require knowledge of business and strategy to form a solution and make recommendations to a real business problem. Deadline to enter is Friday, November 15 at 12:00 noon. Entry is limited to six teams and will be entered on a first come, first serve basis. A sign up sheet must be completed by each team member and include a copy of their resume. Each team should send one person to the Dean's Office to register. For more details regarding the competition, please see this page containing information and initial rules. Email any questions to bobschaffer27@hotmail.com.

Week of November 4, 2002 M.B.A. Students Invited to College Executive Lecture & Reception

The College of Business M.B.A. Programs cordially invites all M.B.A. students to the Colloquium Executive Lecture and Reception held at NIU-Hoffman Estates on Tuesday, November 12. The program topic is "Investing for the Future: Taking Control of Your Money." It will be presented by David Aarvig of Merrill Lynch, Rege Eisaman of Morgan Stanley, and Gerald Jensen, NIU Finance Professor. Registration begins at 6:00 p.m., followed by the presentation and reception. To make reservations, call 800-323-8714 or email pmyers@niu.edu by Friday, November 8. For directions to the Hoffman Estates campus, visit http://www.niu.edu/hoffmanmap.html.

Week of October 28, 2002 College Highlights Page Updated!

Though the College Highlights page was featured this past summer, it has once again been updated and is well worth revisiting to reach a broader audience. This site highlights some of our national distinctions as well as discusses some of the tangible ways we help our undergraduates launch their professional careers. The site also includes a listing of scholarships, an overview of our academic offerings (from undergraduate through professional continuing education), and an overview of our faculty (including the universities from which our faculty earned their degrees). To see these and other interesting college fast facts, visit the College Highlights page at www.cob.niu.edu/strplan/facts.html.

Week of October 21, 2002 Three Sons Cafe Has What You Need

The Three Sons Cafe is centrally located on the first floor of Barsema Hall in the atrium. The cafe with its 136 seating capacity is designed to offer a sense of community, an atmosphere conducive for group study and interaction, and a central place to socialize. Among the cafe's offerings are Starbucks coffees, Tazo teas, fountain drinks, a variety of breakfast pastries, sandwiches, hotdogs (including Cajun dogs), salads, chips, and cookies. Particular cafe favorites are mocha, hot tea, and hot caramel apple cider. Customers are also trying the newest Starbucks canned coffee, Doubleshot--2 shots of espresso and cream. Every month the cafe offers a drink of the month. The featured drink for October is iced cinnamon mocha. Within the month pizza and soup will be added to the menu. Check out the Three Sons Cafe, and try some of the favorites or discover one of your own! Operating hours for the cafe are Monday through Thursday, 7:00 a.m. until 7:30 p.m., and Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. The cafe is closed on weekends. The Three Sons Cafe is operated by NIU's Food Service and is named for Dennis Barsema's sons: Matthew, Eric, and Jason.

Week of October 14, 2002 College of Business Moves Tailgating to Barsema Hall

The College of Business is changing the tailgating venue this year to Barsema Hall. As many alumni and visitors will be on campus for Homecoming, the College will be opening the doors for them to see the new facility. Buses have been arranged to shuttle people from the Stadium/Tailgating area to Barsema Hall every half hour (10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon). Refreshments will be provided in the Three Sons Cafe area, and tours will be offered of the building. Come see Barsema Hall before enjoying an afternoon of NIU Huskie footfall! For a complete homecoming schedule, including ticket and lodging information, visit the Alumni Association Homecoming page.

Week of October 7, 2002 Congratulations, Dr. Tanuja Singh!

Dr. Tanuja Singh, Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing, has been named the "Outstanding International Educator at NIU," a university-wide award. The award is designed to recognize an NIU faculty member who has, over time, contributed significantly toward international education at NIU through their teaching, research, public service, and student service efforts. Tanuja teaches International Marketing and International Business at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. She has published extensively in international journals. Tanuja served on the Presidential Task Force on International Education and represents the College of Business on the International Programs Advisory Council. When you have a chance, congratulate Tanuja on this award.

Week of September 30, 2002 Look, Mom! We're in Barsema Hall!

This year we as a community celebrated a new chapter in our history with a new College of Business building, Barsema Hall. But a building is just a building without the faculty and staff to give it life, a human dimension. For the second year, we as a College acknowledge the newest members to our living family. To learn more about the people who help keep the College vital, visit http://www.cob.niu.edu/whatsnew/news/fall2002/people2002.html.

Week of September 24, 2002 Barsema Hall Grand Opening Draws Hundreds

The College of Business proudly celebrated the grand opening of its new home, Barsema Hall, on Monday, September 23, 2002. The event drew over 800 people from across campus as well as across the country. The highlight of the day was Dennis Barsema's presentation that was delivered to a packed auditorium and broadcast to overflow rooms and spaces throughout the new building. The event officially marked the beginning of a whole new chapter in the College of Business at NIU as Barsema Hall provides faculty, staff, and students with an unparalleled learning and working environment.

Week of September 16, 2002 Barsema Hall Grand Opening

Join us September 23, 2002 at 11:00 a.m. for the official open celebration of Barsema Hall. The day's events begin in the Dennis Barsema Auditorium (with overflow seating available) with keynote address by Dennis Barsema himself. At 12:00 noon, the program continues in the atrium followed at 12:30 p.m. with building tours. Refreshments will be served. A shuttle bus will be offered from the entrance of the NIU Visitor's Lot and Lots A and A1 behind the Engineering Building on Kishwaukee Drive from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. A shuttle bus to Barsema Hall is also offered from the west side of the Holmes Student Center and west entrance to DuSable Hall from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Please join us for this memorable occasion and have a chance to check out the building that all of campus has been talking about.

Week of September 9, 2002 Sales Training Suite--Latest Online Technology

Thanks to the continued generosity of Dennis and Stacey Barsema, the Marketing Department's nationally recognized sales program is now further supported by the sales training suite. This integration of four rooms provides a unique audio and video environment that allows students to master their presentation and interview skills. All audio and video can be controlled centrally from the classroom and allows faculty visibility to all locations and the ability to display all activity via a quad-view in the classroom. The Sales Training Suite is another example of how Barsema Hall allows NIU's College of Business to take an already successful program to an even higher level of excellence. For more information on the Sales Program, visit http://www.cob.niu.edu/mktg/sales/salespro.html.

Week of September 2, 2002 Catch the Barsema Shuttle!

Catch the Barsema Shuttle to the Student Center or DuSable Hall. The bus runs 3 times each hour during the day Monday through Friday and makes stops at Barsema Hall (in the drive common with the Engineering Building), at the Student Center (at the bus turnaround in front of the entrance to Sandburg Auditorium and the Huskie Den), and in front of DuSable Hall. Click here for the complete bus schedule.

Week of August 26, 2002 Welcome Home! A New Semester in a New Building!

Less than two years after the official announcement of the generous gift by Dennis and Stacey Barsema to build a new building, the College of Business is holding its first semester of classes in their new state-of-the-art facility. Learn more about the building and story behind it by visiting www.cob.niu.edu/barsema. When you come to visit, stop by one of the directory kiosks to locate a person, place, or department (or check the directory online at www.cob.niu.edu/kiosk). Also, stop by the Three Sons Cafe in the center of Barsema Hall for lunch or a snack.

Week of August 12, 2002 Moving Day Arrives!

Two years ago Dennis and Stacey Barsema donated an unprecedented $20 million to the College of Business at NIU to build a state-of-the-art building to support all business programs. Following 8 months of planning and designing and 14 months of construction, Barsema Hall opens this month. From August 13 through August 16, the entire faculty, staff, contents, and technology of the College of Business move to its new home. Phones should be operational through most of the move, so please phone first before visiting one of the college's departments to determine where they are located. By Monday, August 19, all offices should be located in Barsema Hall.