Congratulations to Industrial and Systems Engineering Professor Gary Chen on his selection for the NIU Presidential Teaching Professorship.
He was featured recently in NIU Today, starting with the scene that unfolded last month when he was surprised with the big news:
In early March, with a half-hour left in his Lean Manufacturing class, NIU Professor Gary Chen stopped speaking in mid-sentence.
A group of people had unexpectedly strolled into the classroom, including College of Engineering and Engineering Technology Dean Dave Grewell and NIU Provost Laurie Elish-Piper. They informed Chen and his students that they had an important announcement: the professor had been selected for the NIU Presidential Teaching Professorship.
Students applauded; Chen was left speechless.
A minute later, he began finding words again: “My resting heart rate is usually 40 or 50,” he told his class. “It’s now about 80.”
That humble, understated response is characteristic of Chen, who joined the faculty of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE) in 2007 and has had a profound impact on students ever since.
For the rest of the story, read A Heart of Service, A Hunger for Excellence: ISYE Professor Gary Chen receives NIU Presidential Teaching Professorship.
