Greetings NIU Alumni,

I’m reaching out today to share some exciting initiatives we are spearheading in the College of Health and Human Sciences (CHHS) at NIU, and to offer you an opportunity to be involved with supporting Black students during their educational experiences and beyond.

We know that great health disparities exist – particularly in rural areas and in diverse populations - and that representation matters when it comes to the healthcare providers patients have access to. For this reason, it is a focus of our college mission to expand a qualified and diverse workforce. To do this, we are seeking your assistance in connecting students to successful alumni.

There are quite a few ways to support and engage our students depending on your position, experience, and your desired extent of involvement.

• Would you be willing to give a guest lecture, or serve as part of a panel discussion?

• Could a student or a group of students tour your current workplace or have a job shadowing experience?

• Are there opportunities for students to volunteer in a mutually beneficial role in your organization?

• Would you be open to an ongoing mentoring relationship with a student in one of our undergraduate health and human sciences programs?

• Do you know of someone (or an organization) who may be interested in being classified as a friend of NIU and can volunteer in some capacity?

• Could you help facilitate corporate sponsorships, business development or share information on workplace etiquette?

• Does your organization provide scholarship or internship opportunities that our students could apply for?

There are many possibilities. If you have other thoughts on how you would like to be involved, we would love to hear about that as well.

If you are interested in providing support for any of the above, please complete this short survey and we will reach out to you. We also encourage you to learn more during a virtual information session about volunteer opportunities hosted by me and with the support of the NIU Black Alumni Council.

Here are details about our virtual information sessions:

• Tuesday, May 21 from 12 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. via Zoom (Meeting ID: 654 047 6408; Password: Alumni)

• Tuesday, May 21 from 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. via Zoom (Meeting ID: 857 1477 0022; Password: Alumni)

Please know that I am happy to meet with you individually to answer any questions or to learn about ideas you may have to support our students.

Sincerely,

Kelly Fiala, Ph.D.
Dean
College of Health and Human Sciences
Wirtz Hall 227 | DeKalb, Illinois 60115
815-753-1877 | kfiala1@niu.edu