Sharon Howard was the first director of the University Resources for Women, the center that evolved and is now known as the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center. Her contributions were acknowledged during NIU’s 125th Anniversary Celebration, and it is the commission's hope that her legacy lives on through the work of individuals advancing women’s issues/gender equity.
The Sharon Howard: Faculty/Staff Who Make a Difference Award, created in 2007, is presented each year to one or two NIU civil service, supportive professional staff or faculty employees at the awards ceremony in April.