Janet Pucino
B.M. ’76
The School of Art is one of the largest in the country and offers seven degree programs.
The Ph.D. in art education is one of a few select doctoral programs in the country.
The School of Music's vibrant program in world music encompasses a myriad of rare ensembles and instruments, including Gamelan, North India Tabla and Chinese instruments.
Acclaimed artist faculty such as the Avalon String Quartet and extraordinary guest artists are a fundamental component of the student experience in the School of Music.
The NIU Chinese Music Ensemble, founded in the 1970s, was the first such all-American college group in the United States.
Through an exclusive collaboration with the legendary Moscow Art Theatre, all bachelor of fine arts acting students spend the fall semester of their junior semester in Moscow.
SummerNITE, NIU's professional intern company, works in collaboration with Chicago's Organic Theatre Company. The company bridges the gap between training and the profession by providing opportunites for students to work with professionals in all areas on theate.
Students have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with many types of profssional performer rigging systems, as well as the possibility to apprentice with a world-wide special effects company.
College of Visual & Performing Arts (CVPA)
The College of Visual and Performing Arts is a major provider of artistic presentations and services to the region in ways that strengthen student learning and faculty and student artistry and research.
School of Art
Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design which ensures high standards of excellence.- The school's MFA printmaking program is ranked in the nation's top 20 by U.S. News & World Report.
- Certifies more K-12 art teachers than any other program in the state.
- Faculty awarded numerous grants and awards, including:
- Mellon and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) fellowships
- Art Educator of the Year by the National Art Education Association (NAEA)
- Ziegfeld Award of the United States Society for Education through Art
- Fulbright Research Award
- NEH Research Grants
- Illinois Arts Council Fellowship Awards
School of Music
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Faculty and students teach and perform for global audiences through international and virtual travels. 
A national leader in Internet2 musical arts activities.- Performs weekly via HD webcasts to all fifty states and more than three dozen countries on five continents.
- Home to the legendary NIU Jazz Ensemble and the NIU Liberace Jazztet, the only jazz group funded by the Liberace Foundation.
School of Theatre & Dance
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Offers one of only three academically-based Meisner training programs available nationally. - Member of the elite University/Resident Theatre Association.
- Offers the only academic ballet program in the state.