Supporting Scholarship at NLU
Research Committees The Research Support Group (RSG) is a cross-college working group of faculty and staff focused on supporting and growing scholarship at NLU. The RSG provides oversight of the seed grant program, reviews and comments on research-related institutional policy, and carries out initiatives to support and raise the profile of NLU thought leadership. 2025-26 Members: Dr. Shaunti Knauth, RSG Chair, Provost’s Office; Dr. Carla Sparks, NCE; Dr. Angela Elkordy, NCE; Dr. Harrington Gibson, NCE; Dr. David Ross, GSBL; Chef Heidi Hedeker, Kendall College; Dr. Bradley Olson, CPBS; Dr. Magda Giurcanu, UGC; Frances Brady, Library; Arlene Strong, Office of Advancement, NLU; G. Maxx Shawlee, RSG Coordinator, Provost’s Office. In AY25-26, the RSG designed and hosted Collab Lab, a faculty-centered research networking event that created a standing showcase of current thought leadership projects and fostered interdisciplinary collaboration; published a Spring Quarterly announcement of conference submission opportunities, and hosted a peer professional development series ‘How I Got Published’. The NCE Scholarship and Development Committee supports scholarship in the college by mentoring, connecting faculty to research activities across the university, planning research presentations for college meetings, and overseeing the faculty research residency program. 2025-26 Members: Dr. Angela Elkordy and Dr. Antonina Lukenchuk, Chairs; Dr. Emily Hoffman, Dr. Xiaoning Chen, Dr. Sadia Warsi, Dr. Bilge Cerezci. In AY25-26, the S&D Committee hosted mentoring and informational sessions for NCE faculty, and worked with college leadership to structure and re-launch Faculty Research Residencies for the upcoming academic year. Institutional Review Board (IRB) The IRB provides reviews and oversight for research conducted by NLU faculty, students and staff, and helps develop NLU thinking on the protection of human subjects. 2025-26 Members: Dr. Shaunti Knauth, IRB Chair, Provost’s Office; Dr. Carla Sparks, IRB co-Chair, NCE; Dr. Blanca Gamez- Djokic, NCE; Dr. Valerie Buckley, NCE; Dr. Jason Stegemoller, NCE; Dr. Linsey Sabielny, CPBS; Dr. Molly Buren, UGC; Dr. Mary Miller, GSBL; Dr. Diane Dean, GSBL; Frances Brady, Non-scientist, University Library; G. Maxx Shawlee, IRB Coordinator, Provost’s Office. Centers for Thought Leadership at NLU i.e.: inquiry in education i.e.: inquiry in education, with Dr. Antonina Lukenchuk of the National College of Education as Editor-in-Chief, is a peer-reviewed journal established and administered by NCE faculty members and an external editorial board. The purpose of i.e. is to provide a forum for diverse scholars and practitioners from various fields of education and related disciplines. Indexed by ERIC, i.e.: inquiry in education attracts submissions from national and international authors. Reading Recovery® Center for Literacy National Louis University is the only institution in the region offering partnerships and training for Reading Recovery, an intervention of one-to-one tutoring for first graders, and Descubriendo la Lecture, a culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate intervention for students receiving emergent literacy instruction in Spanish. As well as training and coaching Reading Recovery Teacher Leaders schools and districts, collaborative university research projects are being designed to improve educational practices and policies most likely to influence student achievement. McCormick Institute for Early Childhood In 2024, the Robert R. McCormick Foundation made a landmark investment in recognition of both the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership and NLU’s significant contributions to early childhood education, and our potential to change the trajectory of young children and families in Illinois and beyond. This investment has allowed NLU to build on the important foundation of the Center for Early Childhood Leadership, leverage NLU’s early childhood assets across the University, and broaden the Center’s focus to include workforce innovation, applied research, and community and policy engagement. The new McCormick Institute for Early Childhood elevates NLU’s reputation in early childhood, increases our impact in the field, and expands access, equity, and innovation for the early childhood profession.
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